Polysaccharide Fraction Isolated from <i>Saccharina japonica</i> Exhibits Anti-Cancer Effects Through Immunostimulating Activities

The present research aimed to assess the anti-cancer effects of the polysaccharide fraction (SJP) isolated from <i>Saccharina japonica</i>. The release of immune-activating cytokines, including IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α, was markedly stimulated by the SJP in a concentration-dependent manner...

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Main Authors: Min Seung Park, Seung-U Son, Tae Eun Kim, Se Hyun Shim, Bong-Keun Jang, Sunyoung Park, Kwang-Soon Shin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Marine Drugs
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/23/1/38
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Summary:The present research aimed to assess the anti-cancer effects of the polysaccharide fraction (SJP) isolated from <i>Saccharina japonica</i>. The release of immune-activating cytokines, including IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α, was markedly stimulated by the SJP in a concentration-dependent manner within the range of 1 to 100 µg/mL. Furthermore, the prophylactic intravenous (<i>p.i.v.</i>) and per os (<i>p.p.o.</i>) injection of SJP boosted the cytolytic activity mediated by NK cells and CTLs against tumor cells. In a study involving Colon26-M3.1 carcinoma as a lung cancer model, both <i>p.i.v.</i> and <i>p.p.o.</i> exhibited significant anti-lung-cancer effects. Notably, <i>p.i.v.</i> and <i>p.p.o.</i> administration of SJP at a dose of 50 mg/kg reduced tumor colonies by 84% and 40%, respectively, compared to the control. Moreover, the anti-lung-cancer effects of SJP remained substantial, even when NK cell function was inhibited using anti-asialo-GM1. Fractionation with CaCl<sub>2</sub> suggested that SJP is a mixture of alginate and fucoidan. The fucoidan fraction stimulated the immune response of macrophages more strongly than the alginate fraction. Consequently, this finding suggested that SJP from <i>S. japonica</i> possesses remarkable anti-cancer effects through the activation of various immunocytes. In addition, this finding indicates that the potent biological activity of SJP may be attributed to fucoidan.
ISSN:1660-3397