Ten Years of Research on Fucoidan and Cancer: Focus on Its Antiangiogenic and Antimetastatic Effects

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Pharmacology
• Oncology

Background:

• Angiogenesis and metastasis are critical processes in advanced cancer.
• Natural products, particularly marine polysaccharides like fucoidans, show promise in cancer therapy.
• Fucoidans exhibit significant antitumor activity in preclinical cancer models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the antiangiogenic and antimetastatic effects of fucoidans.
• To focus on preclinical studies investigating fucoidan's anticancer mechanisms.
• To assess the potential of fucoidans for clinical translation in cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of preclinical studies on fucoidans.
• Analysis of fucoidan's impact on angiogenesis and metastasis pathways.
• Examination of fucoidan's inhibition of key angiogenic regulators, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Main Results:

• Fucoidans effectively inhibit tumor angiogenesis and metastasis across various cancer types.
• Fucoidans target multiple angiogenic regulators, with a primary effect on VEGF.
• Preclinical data consistently demonstrate the anticancer potential of fucoidans.

Conclusions:

• Fucoidans represent a promising class of natural compounds for combating cancer progression.
• Further research and clinical trials are needed to overcome challenges in fucoidan's bench-to-bedside translation.
• Fucoidans hold potential as therapeutic agents against angiogenesis and metastasis in cancer.