A review on fucoidan antitumor strategies: From a biological active agent to a structural component of fucoidan-based...

Area of Science:

• Marine Biotechnology
• Pharmacology
• Oncology

Background:

• Chemotherapy causes severe side effects and toxicity to healthy tissues, limiting its effectiveness.
• Natural compounds offer a promising avenue for developing better-tolerated cancer therapies.
• Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide from brown algae, exhibits significant biological activities, including anti-cancer potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the chemical structure, physicochemical properties, and anti-cancer biological features of fucoidan.
• To explore the promising results of fucoidan as a soluble agent in various cancer treatments.
• To detail the development of drug delivery systems for optimizing fucoidan's targeted cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of scientific publications on fucoidan and its anti-cancer applications.
• Analysis of fucoidan's chemical structure and properties relevant to therapeutic use.
• Examination of studies on fucoidan-based drug delivery systems for cancer treatment.

Main Results:

• Fucoidan demonstrates promising anti-cancer effects when used as a soluble agent against different cancer types.
• Recent advancements include the development of novel drug delivery systems to enhance fucoidan's efficacy and targeting.
• These systems aim to optimize fucoidan's performance in combating various cancers.

Conclusions:

• Fucoidan is a valuable natural compound with significant anti-cancer potential.
• Its application in advanced drug delivery systems holds promise for more effective and tolerable cancer therapies.
• Further research into fucoidan-based strategies could lead to improved clinical outcomes in oncology.