Fucoidan is an ideal polysaccharide to treat prostate cancer, new science shows

Fucoidan, a bioactive polysaccharide extracted mainly from algae, has been discovered to have significant potential as an anticancer treatment. This study, published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, looked into fucoidan’s anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic effects and determined the role of JAK-STAT3 pathways in the protection.

• The researchers treated DU-145 human prostate cancer cells with 100–1000 μg/mL of fucoidan.
• Using MTT, EdU, Transwell, and Matrigel cell assays, they studied cell viability, proliferation, migration and tube formation respectively.
• They injected athymic nude mice with DU-145 cells to induce xenograft model and then treated the animals with 20 mg/kg of fucoidan for 28 days via oral gavage.
• The researchers took note of tumor volume, tumor weight, vascular density in the tumor tissue, and protein expression and phosphorylation of JAK and STAT3 pathways.
• Researchers found that that fucoidan inhibited the viability and proliferation of DU-145 cells. Cell assays revealed mitigated cell migration and tube formation.
• The 28-day animal showed inhibited angiogenesis and hindered tumor growth.
• The treatment reduced phosphorylated JAK and STAT3 in the tumor tissue and limited the activation of STAT3-regulated genes, such as VEGF, Bcl-xL, and Cyclin D1.

After looking at their findings, the researchers concluded that fucoidan’s anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic properties make it a viable alternative and complementary treatment for prostate cancer.