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Review
. 2019 Aug 5;17(8):458.
doi: 10.3390/md17080458.

Possibilities of Fucoidan Utilization in the Development of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

Aleksandra Citkowska  1 , Marta Szekalska  1 , Katarzyna Winnicka  2
Affiliations
Review

Possibilities of Fucoidan Utilization in the Development of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

Aleksandra Citkowska et al. Mar Drugs. .

Abstract

Fucoidan is a polysaccharide built from L-fucose molecules. The main source of this polysaccharide is the extracellular matrix of brown seaweed (Phaeophyta), but it can be also isolated from invertebrates such as sea urchins (Echinoidea) and sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea). Interest in fucoidan is related to its broad biological activity, including possible antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral or antithrombotic effects. The potential application of fucoidan in the pharmaceutical technology is also due to its ionic nature. The negative charge of the molecule results from the presence of sulfate residues in the C-2 and C-4 positions, occasionally in C-3, allowing the formation of complexes with other oppositely charged molecules. Fucoidan is non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible compound approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) category as food ingredient. Fucoidan plays an important role in the pharmaceutical technology, so in this work aspects concerning its pharmaceutical characteristics and designing of various dosage forms (nanoparticles, liposomes, microparticles, and semisolid formulations) with fucoidan itself and with its combinations with other polymers or components that give a positive charge were reviewed. Advantages and limitations of fucoidan utilization in the pharmaceutical technology were also discussed.

Keywords: fucoidan; fucospheres; marine-derived; multifunctional polymer; pharmaceutical formulations; polysaccharide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scheme of the fucoidan structure; R- carbohydrate substituents: xylose, arabinose, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, or uronic acid and non-carbohydrate substituents: sulfate or acetate residues.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic presentation of pharmaceutical dosage forms designed with fucoidan utilization.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) pictures of fucospheres: (a) magnification ×5000; (b) magnification ×20,000.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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