Fucoidan Promotes Stem Cell Health
People are gravitating towards plant-based foods in droves and manufacturers are developing tasty offerings to satisfy that demand – further, consumers continue to use dietary supplements with botanical extracts.
It’s no surprise then that extraction of bioactive substances from the sea, especially brown seaweed, has become one of great interest in the continued development of functional foods and nutritious diets. Fucoidan is what we at Cactus Botanics call one of the “glorious gifts from the sea,” and we provide the industry with pure, high-quality fucoidan to nourish your target consumers.
What Cactus Botanics can offer
In general, there is high content of arsenic (As) in marine-sourced ingredients. However, Cactus Botanics ensures that As and other naturally occurring heavy metals are stripped from the fucoidan via our GMPs to meet United States Pharmacopeia requirements.
Product Name |
Latin Name |
Specification |
Brown Seaweed Powder Extract |
Laminaria japonica |
Fucoidan 85% |
The Basics
Fucoidan is a term used for a class of sulfated polysaccharides found in the fibrillar cell walls and intercellular spaces of brown seaweeds that belong to the class Phaeophyceae. Fucoidan’s main active ingredient is fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs). Many studies have focused on its potentially beneficial biological activities in humans. Studied effects include antioxidant, immunomodulatory, inflammation modulation, anti-coagulation, and anti-thrombotic as well as having protective benefits of the liver, kidneys and urinary tract. Studies also indicate that fucoidan appears to have ability to promote stem cell health.
The Effect of Fucoidan on Stem Cells for Example
Conventional mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy is a promising strategy for treatment of chronic kidney dysfunction, but associated pathophysiological conditions lead to low survival and proliferation of transplanted MSCs.
Realizing these limitations, one research team investigated the effects of fucoidan on the bioactivity of adipose tissue-derived MSCs and the potential of fucoidan-treated MSCs to improve neovascularization in ischemic tissues of mice with chronic kidney disease. There is a surprising finding that fucoidan protects MSCs from ischemia-induced cell death by modulating apoptosis-associated proteins and cellular ROS (reactive oxygen species) levels through regulation of the MnSOD and Akt pathways, suggesting that fucoidan could be a relevant therapeutic adjuvant for MSC-based therapies, and no significant toxicological changes were observed.
The researchers believe that they are the first to reveal that fucoidan enhances the bioactivity of MSCs and improves their neovascularization in ischemic injured tissues of CKD.
Cactus Botanics markets fucoidan to the dietary supplement and functional foods/beverages industry for immune and antioxidant support. And, as sea plants become more popular among the mainstream health and fitness consumer, using and promoting fucoidan content will ensure your product is right on trend.