Scientific publications

Rigorous scientific investigation is a hallmark of our business. Below is a selection of peer-reviewed publications, including numerous papers attesting to the bioactive properties of Marinova's fucoidan extracts.

This research summary is provided for scientific and educational purposes only.

Fucoidan ameliorates testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats, Research and Reports in Urology, 2024.

Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan was shown to significantly reduce testosterone-induced BPH symptoms in rats. + full article

Fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida enhances exercise performance and increases the abundance of beneficial gut bacteria in mice, Marine Drugs, 2024. 

Fucoidan supplementation was shown to enhance exercise performance, improve muscle function, and positively modulate gut microbiome in mice, regardless of diet. + full article

Effect of seaweed-derived fucoidans from Undaria pinnatifida and Fucus vesiculosus on coagulant, proteolytic, and phospholipase A2 activities of snake Bothrops jararaca, B. jararacussu, and B. neuwiedi venom, Toxins, 2024.

An in vitro study exploring the potential of high purity fucoidan to block toxicity effects of snake venom. + full article

From Tasmania to the world: long and strong traditions in seaweed use, research, and development, Marina Botanica, 2023

An overview of the seaweed industry in Tasmania, Australia. + full article 

Expert perceptions of seaweed farming for sustainable development, Journal of Cleaner Production, 2022

An overview of the possible opportunities and threats that large-scale seaweed farming presents to sustainability. + full article

Fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus can inhibit human norovirus replication by enhancing the host innate immune response, Journal of Functional Foods, 2022

High purity fucoidan was shown to inhibit norovirus replication, a leading cause of gastroenteritis, by enhancing innate immune response. + full article

Fucoidan independently enhances activity in human immune cells and has a cytostatic effect on prostate cancer cells in the presence of Nivolumab, Marine Drugs, 2022

High purity fucoidan compounds activated human PBMCs and reduced prostate cancer cell numbers in combination with CD3 and Nivolumab. + full article

Anti-inflammatory activity of fucoidan extracts in vitro, Marine Drugs, 2021

Fucoidan extracts from multiple seaweed species showed significant anti-inflammatory effects. + full article

Modulation of gene expression in a sterile atopic dermatitis model and inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus adhesion by fucoidan, Dermatopathology, 2021

Fucoidan extracts may be useful topical agents to assist in the future management of atopic dermatitis. + full article

Oral fucoidan improves muscle size and strength in mice, Physiological Reports, 2021

Findings suggest an important influence of fucoidans on skeletal muscle physiology. + full article

Fucoidan and lung function: Value in viral infection, Marine Drugs, 2021

A review paper discussing recent research into the potential for fucoidans in limiting lung damage that is often caused by respiratory viral infections. + full article

Incorporation of FGF-2 into pharmaceutical grade fucoidan/chitosan polyelectrolyte multilayers, Marine Drugs, 2020

Fucoidans highlighted as a promising candidates for the development of new materials for use in the medical device sector. + full article

Fucoidan supplementation restores fecal lysozyme concentrations in high-performance athletes: A pilot study, Marine Drugs, 2020

Fucoidans have been shown to restore the secretion of anti-microbial peptides and contribute to the regulation of mucosal immune health in elite athletes. + full article

Oral fucoidan attenuates lung pathology and clinical signs in a severe influenza A mouse model, Marine Drugs, 2020

Australian and UK researchers have demonstrated that certain fucoidans are effective in significantly reducing clinical symptoms and lung damage in a severe Influenza A H1N1 model. + full article 

MicroRNA expression after ingestion of fucoidan; A clinical study. Marine Drugs, 2020

An Australian clinical study, co-authored by members of Marinova's research team, reveals that a fucoidan extract from the seaweed Undaria pinnatifida influences over 30 different biological pathways and processes. + full article

Lysozyme uptake into pharmaceutical grade fucoidan/chitosan polyelectrolyte multilayers under physiological conditions. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2020

An examination of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) demonstrating that fucoidans are promising candidates for the development of new materials in the medical device sector. + full article

Therapies from Fucoidan: New developments. Marine Drugs, 2019

A comprehensive review exploring recent global fucoidan research and noting the increased use of fucoidans in commercially available supplements and topical treatments. + full article

The manufacture, characterization, and uses of fucoidans from macroalgae, 2019

A comprehensive chapter prepared by Marinova’s research team and published in Enzymatic technologies for marine polysaccharides edited by Antonio Trincone. + full article

Pathway analysis of fucoidan activity using a yeast gene deletion library screen. Marine Drugs, 2019

Outcomes of the first study to screen fucoidans against a gene library to investigate all possible pathways of action. Fucoidans were shown to work selectively against cancer cells but not against normal, healthy cells that were used as a control.+ full article

Odd-even effects on hydration of natural polyelectrolyte multilayers: An in situ synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy study. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2019

Odd-even effects in polysaccharide polyelectrolyte multilayers influence their hydration content and the chemical environment of the water within them. + full article

Comparative study on neuroprotective activities of fucoidans from Fucus vesiculosus and Undaria pinnatifida. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2019

This study investigated the neuroprotective activities of five different fucoidan samples with different chemical compositions prepared from Fucus vesiculosus (FE, FF, and S) and Undaria pinnatifida (UE and UF) to determine if they reduced aggregation or cytotoxicity of Aβ1–42 in neuronal PC-12 cells. + full article

The effect of Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan on the pharmacokinetics of letrozole and tamoxifen in patients with breast cancer. Integr Cancer Ther. 2018

No significant changes in steady-state plasma concentrations of letrozole, tamoxifen, or tamoxifen metabolites were detected after co-administration with fucoidans. In addition, no adverse effects of fucoidans were reported, and toxicity monitoring showed no significant differences in all parameters measured over the study period. + full article

Electrochemical behaviour at a liquid-organogel microinterface array of fucoidan extracted from algae. Analyst, 2017

An assessment of the electrochemical behaviour of fucoidans extracted from two algal species, Undaria pinnatifida and Fucus vesiculosus. + full article

The influence of polyanion molecular weight on polyelectrolyte multilayers at surfaces: protein adsorption and protein–polysaccharide complexation/stripping on natural polysaccharide films on solid supports. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2017

Two different fucoidan polymers were used to create substrates for protein adsorption studies. + full article

Effects of fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus in reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Biologics, 2016

A clinical investigation demonstrating that a Fucus vesiculosus fucoidan extract was safe and well tolerated. + full article

Quantitative determination of fucoidan using polyion-sensitive membrane electrodes. Analytica Chimica Acta, 2015

The use of polyanion and polycation-sensitive membrane electrodes to detect five different preparations of fucoidan is described. + full article

In situ ATR FTIR spectroscopic study of the formation and hydration of a fucoidan/chitosan polyelectrolyte multilayer. Langmuir, 2015

The formation of fucoidan/chitosan-based polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) has been studied with in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. + full article

Therapies from fucoidan: An update. Marine Drugs, 2015

An updated review discussing existing research findings on fucoidans. This review discusses the main bioactivities and application areas of fucoidans, as well as characterisation, extraction and detection methods for fucoidan compounds. Full article

Fucoidan extracts ameliorate acute colitis. PLOS ONE, 2015

This research paper highlights the benefits of oral fucoidan in a mouse model of acute colitis. Cumulative histological disease scores for the distal colon and weight loss – a common and often undesirable side effect of colitis – were significantly reduced. + full article

Fucoidans disrupt adherence of Helicobacter pylori to AGS cells in vitro. Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015

The in vitro studies discussed in this paper show fucoidan extracts are extremely effective at dislodging H. pylori from infected human gastric cells. The study also shows fucoidan extracts inhibit human gastric cancer cells in vitro. Full article

Topical benefits of two fucoidan-rich extracts from marine macroalgae. Cosmetics, 2015

This comprehensive research paper discusses a variety of clinical and in vitro studies that attest to the profound cosmetic bioactivity of high purity fucoidans. These qualities include anti-ageing, protecting and soothing following UV exposure and skin brightening. Full article 

Tuning polyelectrolyte multilayer structure by exploiting natural variation in fucoidan chemistry. Soft Matter, 2015

Distinct differences were observed between multilayers formed with two different fucoidans from two different seaweed species. + full article

A fucose containing polymer-rich fraction from the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum mediates lifespan increase and thermal-tolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans, by differential effects on gene and protein expression. Food Funct. 2015

An Ascophyllum nodosum fucose-containing polymer (FCP) significantly improved the life span and tolerance against thermally induced stress in Caenorhabditis elegans. + full article

Therapies from fucoidan; Multifunctional marine polymers. Marine Drugs, 2011

A comprehensive review providing an elaborate guide on fucoidan research undertaken between 2000 and 2010. This review paper provides a foundation for the subsequent review papers published in 2015 and 2019 + full article

Formation of an adherent hematopoietic expansion culture using fucoidan. Annals of Hematology, 2011

Characterizing the effect on hematopoietic cell culture of fucoidans. + full article

A combined Phase I and II open-label study on the immunomodulatory effects of seaweed extract nutrient complex. Biologics, 2011

This article provides clinical evidence to confirm the safety of oral fucoidan administration. Fucoidans significantly increased cytotoxic T cells and phagocytic capacity in monocytes, as well as significantly decreasing levels of inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-6. Full article

A combined phase I and II open-label study on the effects of seaweed extract nutrient complex on osteoarthritis. Biologics, 2010

Osteoarthritis symptoms decreased in a dose-dependent manner, when human subjects suffering from clinical diagnosed osteoarthritis were supplemented with oral fucoidan extracts. This study also confirms the safety of oral fucoidans consumed at a high dose over a 12 week period. Full article

Pilot clinical study to evaluate the anticoagulant activity of fucoidan. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis, 2009

This pilot clinical trial aimed to assess the safety and clinical effects of fucoidans ingestion on hemostasis. + full article

Fucoidan ingestion increases the expression of CXCR4 on human CD34+ cells. Experimental Hematology, 2007

This research paper elaborates on the ability of fucoidans to increase stem cell populations. The clinical trial found oral administration of a fucoidan extract from Undaria pinnatifida significantly increased the CXCR4 hemopoietic stem cell population, from 45% to 90% after only 12 days. + full article

Macroalgal fucoidan extracts: A new opportunity for marine cosmetics. Cosmetics and Toiletries, 2007

An exploration of the bioactivity and historical applications of macroalgae with a particular focus on fucoidans. + full article

Marine algae and polysaccharides with therapeutic applications, 2007

A chapter within Marine nutraceuticals and functional foods (pp.345-366) published by CRC Press + full article

A quantitative method to detect fucoidan in human plasma using a novel antibody. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol, 2005

An antibody-based method to assess plasma uptake of a proprietary Undaria-derived fucoidan galactofucan sulfate (GFS(TM)) after oral ingestion by human volunteers. + full article

Antiviral activity of Undaria pinnatifida against herpes simplex virus. Phytotherapy Research, 2004

This paper presents in vitro studies on the activity of fucoidans towards various clinical strains of the herpes simplex virus. A Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan extract was found to exhibit excellent anti-viral activity, through the inhibition of viral binding and entry to host cells. + full article

Brown marine algae: A survey of therapeutic potentials. Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 2003

An overview of the potential therapeutic benefits of fucoidans. + full article