Anti-Inflammatory and Neuroprotective Effects of Undaria pinnatifida Fucoidan
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Dwan, Corinna
Wimmer, Barbara C
Ahamed, Sayed Koushik
James, Fionnghuala
Thinley, Jigme
Wilson, Richard
Johnson, Luke
Caruso, Vanni
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Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan (UPF), a sulphated polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, has attracted scientific and clinical interest for its wide-ranging anti-inflammatory and neurodegenerative properties. A growing body of research shows that UPF inhibits NF-κB and MAPK signalling pathways, reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6), decreases ROS production, and suppresses iNOS and COX-2 activity, thereby mitigating oxidative and inflammatory damage in vitro. In vivo studies confirm these actions, demonstrating reduced systemic inflammation, promoted antioxidant defence, modulated gut microbiota composition, and improved production of beneficial microbial metabolites. In parallel, emerging evidence highlights UPF’s neuroprotective potential, characterised by protection against neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, the attenuation of amyloid-beta deposition, and improvement in neuronal function. Importantly, low- to medium-molecular-weight and highly sulphated UPF fractions consistently exhibit stronger bioactivities, suggesting a structural basis for its therapeutic potential. This review integrates mechanistic evidence from cellular, preclinical, and emerging clinical studies, highlighting UPF as a versatile marine-derived agent with therapeutic relevance for inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, and outlines future research directions toward clinical translation.
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Marine Drugs
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23
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9
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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Yang, C; Dwan, C; Wimmer, BC; Ahamed, SK; James, F; Thinley, J; Wilson, R; Johnson, L; Caruso, V, Anti-Inflammatory and Neuroprotective Effects of Undaria pinnatifida Fucoidan, Marine Drugs, 2025, 23 (9), pp. 350