Posted on 07/21/2022 1:50:39 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Fucoidan, a kind of sulfated polysaccharide present in brown algae, is considered as a promising therapeutic agent because of its multiple bioactivities.
Despite growing evidence that fucoidan has a protective effect on diabetes, the effect of fucoidan on brain abnormalities in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients remains unclear.
Recently, a research team discovered that low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF) could promote angiogenesis in db/db mice (type 2 diabetes mice).
The researchers used a low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF) prepared from saccharina japonica to investigate its effect on the cerebrovascular damage in db/db mice. Results showed that the degree of cerebrovascular damage, the number of apoptotic neuronal cells and the inflammatory response in db/db mice were decreased after the treatment with LMWF.
Moreover, they found that LMWF could promote the brain angiogenesis and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) expression.
Further study showed that LMWF alleviated vascular injury.
"The expression level of CD34 in the db/db group was lower than that in the normal group, while the expression level of CD34 was up-regulated in the brain of LMWF treated mice. This suggests that LMWF may affect angiogenesis," said Li Zhi, first author.
LMWF could up-regulate CD34 expression in db/db mice brain, and the results were confirmed in both in vitro human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and in vivo zebrafish embryos. The researchers found that it was difficult for HUVECs to form a tubular structure under high concentration of glucose, while the lumen formation of HUVEC endothelial cells was rescued by LMWF. And also, in in vivo zebrafish embryos model, they found the sub-intestinal vessel angiogenesis under high glucose environment was also promoted by LMWF.
"Our study indicates that LMWF has the potential to develop a cerebrovascular protection agent for type 2 diabetes patients," said Prof. Wu Ning, corresponding author.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
I take fucoidan occasionally to prevent and reduce any atherosclerotic plaques I may have, and it has been harmless in my experience with it.
Ecklonia cava has fucoidan but be careful. I thought it would be a great antioxidant to take (it is).
But then as I took it I felt worse and worse, one day really bad.
Then looked it up and found phlorotannins in ecklonia are MAO inhibitors and interacted with my other medications.
But you can find fucoidan in other species.
Ehere do you get it?
Where do you get it? Is there a brand name?
.
u can find it on Amazon
I haven’t taken fucoidan in years, but back when I did it was for its anti-cancer properties. So this piece caught my eye because it’s saying fucoidan has antiangiogenic and anti-apoptotic properties, properties that would be the exact opposite of what would be considered anti-cancer. So a quick pubmed search showed fucoidan’s effect on angiogenesis depended on whether it’s polysaccharides are either of high or low molecular weight, each having opposite effects.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24973252/
Now as far as apoptosis is concern, anti-cancer supps would normally be pro-apoptotic, but this piece says the opposite. A quick Google search show most studies show fucoidan pro-apoptotic.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Fucoidan+apoptotic+&atb=v314-1&ia=web
Though I noticed at least one study saying the opposite.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25445688/
Not sure if the discrepancy is because of differing molecular weight or not, but that’s enough researching for me today. I just had had to satisfy my curiosity as to why this study seemed to say the opposite of everything I had always believed about fucoidan lol.
I get the Swanson Vitamin brand fucoidan extract, which uses fucoidan from Laminaria seaweed, so packagingguy, you raise an interesting point in that the original “plant,” could matter.
“Then looked it up and found phlorotannins in ecklonia are MAO inhibitors and interacted with my other medications.”
Many common supplements inhibit monoamine oxidase, either MAO A, MAO B, or both. I learned that the hard way, by spending a couple of days in an ICU with serotonin syndrome. Always got to be on watch for those herb-drug interactions.
What is low molecular weight fucoidan vs any other kind?
It would appear the low molecular weight form is more expensive:
Yeah it’s not cheap, probably the reason I quit taking it some years ago. I spend a crazy amount of money on supplements as is (even buying some in bulk) and have to be choosy.
Thanks!
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