Anti-Tumor Effect

The experiment was conducted using four groups of mice, each fed for 23 days with one of the following diets: control feed, Mozuku (Nemacystus decipiens) fucoidan mixed feed, Mekabu (the sporophyll of kelp, Laminaria japonica) fucoidan mixed feed, and Agaricus mycelium extract mixed feed. The weights of sarcoma cells were compared across the groups, and all treatment groups showed significant reductions in sarcoma cell weight compared to the control group.

Anti-Tumor Activity

The anti-tumor activity of fucoidan derived from Mozuku (Nemacystus decipiens) was evaluated by measuring the survival rates of living cells. Fucoidan was added to normal peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) cells and Molt-4 cells (a human tumor cell line derived from acute lymphoblastic leukemia), and their survival rates were compared. A concentration-dependent decrease in survival rate was observed in the Molt-4 cells. In contrast, the survival rate of the PBL cells was not affected by the presence of fucoidan. These results suggest that fucoidan exhibits selective cytotoxicity toward tumor cells.


［2］In Vivo Anti-Tumor Activity Test
To further evaluate the anti-tumor effect of fucoidan, sarcoma 180 cells (a subcultured mouse sarcoma cell line) were subcutaneously implanted into two groups of nude mice. One group received oral administration of fucoidan (100 mg/kg/day, once daily), while the other group was given a placebo feed as a control. A significant suppression in sarcoma growth was observed in the fucoidan-treated group compared to the control group on both day 14 (p < 0.005) and day 21 (p < 0.0005). These results indicate that fucoidan may exert tumor growth-suppressive effects in vivo.

We are conducting research on fucoidan, whose various physiological functions have been elucidated, including 'anti-tumor,' 'cholesterol-lowering,' 'blood pressure-lowering,' and 'anti-virus' effects.