Fucoidan is a biologically active polysaccharide found in great abundance in brown marine algae.
Fucoidan extracted from A. nodosum is a more potent inhibitor of α-glucosidase, with an IC50 ranging from 0.013 to 0.047 mg/mL, than the inhibition by Fucoidan extracted from F. vesiculosus (IC50=0.049 mg/mL). Fucoidan extracted from F. vesiculosus does not inhibit α-amylase activity, while Fucoidan from A. nodosum decreases α-amylase activity by 7-100% at 5 mg/mL depending upon the algae harvest period. Fucoidan from A. nodosum inhibits α-amylase with an IC50 of 0.12-4.64 mg/mL.
Fucoidan is a fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharide typically found in the cell wall of marine algae but also recently isolated from terrestrial sources. Fucoidan exhibits an attractive therapeutic potential against a wide array of metabolic diseases associated with oxidative stress.