The intestine is an organ that can be designated as the cornerstone of health and plays an essential role in our health as well as daily lives. The intestines are that it absorbs the nutrients that we as humans need to survive and protect our bodies from the invasion of foreign bodies.
On a positive note, fucoidan is known as immunostimulatory and has proven to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-virus effects.
There is a piece of reasonable evidence to suggest effects on the gut microbiota and gut health. Hence, I want to discuss fucoidan’s basic properties and summarize their potential to alter symbiotic microorganisms and affect bowel disease through the study of ” Fucoidans and Bowel Health” by Jin-Young Yang et al.
The study summarizes the recent studies introducing the fundamental characteristics of various fucoidans and discusses their potential in altering commensal microorganisms and influencing intestinal diseases. In addition, it suggests future applications of fucoidan in regulating host bowel disease.
For example, rats with fucoidan-supplemented breast cancer were reported to exhibit significant improvements in intestinal barrier function and changes in intestinal flora diversity and composition, with fucoidan potential for breast cancer which is a protective agent. In other words, fucoidan can possibly improve the host’s intestinal immunity, given its immunological role as a functional supplement.
The studies on zebrafish have also shown that fucoidan extracted from Cladosiphon okamuranus alters the design of the intestinal flora and the number of intestinal neutrophils and macrophages, and dietary fucoidan treatment significantly reduced the pro-inflammatory gene (IL1b) expression in the adult zebrafish intestine.
Furthermore, the Studies of newly weaned pigs showed that a fucoidan-supplemented diet significantly increased intestinal villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth compared to the control group. It indicates that fucoidan can improve intestinal health in animals by regulating intestinal morphology. Thus, dietary fucoidan can also enhance intestinal immune function through immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects. Also, fucoidan can reduce inflammation-related diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease. In a recent study, mice treated with fucoidan during antibiotic treatment showed reduced levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 in colon tissue and fucoidan in colon health.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), is the most common bowel disease. Especially, IBD is an increasingly prevalent disease characterized by multiple unexplained inflammatory reactions in the intestine. Fucoidan may improve (Dextran Sulfate Sodium) DSS-induced acute colitis through the downregulation of inflammatory cytokines.
From the study, I think that understanding whether fucoidan functions as a dietary supplement or dietary supplement in the area of the intestine will help develop diet-based therapies for intestinal disorders such as IBD and colorectal cancer (CRC).