Intestinal inflammation: New research findings
Chronic bowel inflammation, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, commonly necessitates long term treatment and hospitalisation. Patients can experience intense pain, exhaustion, weight loss and anaemia. These chronic gastrointestinal conditions are also placing increasing financial burden on global healthcare systems. Despite the availability of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, researchers continue to explore the potential of natural therapeutic agents to assist with future treatments.
Fucoidans have previously been studied for their anti-inflammatory effects and are known to inhibit inflammatory processes via a number of pathways including selectin blockade and enzyme inhibition.
A recent animal study investigated the impact of two fucoidan extracts from Macrocystis pyrifera seaweed in a mouse model of acute colitis. Researchers found that the fucoidan extracts exerted a range of beneficial anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, concluding that they hold promising therapeutic potential.
Significant results included the prevention of weight loss, improvement in the disease activity index, restoration of colon lengths, reduction in wet colon weight and reduced spleen enlargement, and improvement in the overall histopathological score. Consistent with the previously reported anti-inflammatory functions, the fucoidan extracts significantly reduced the colonic levels of myeloperoxidase, nitric oxide, malondialdehyde and increased the levels of antioxidant enzymes. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in colon tissues were also significantly inhibited.
The Macrocystis pyrifera fucoidan extracts were produced in Australia by Marinova Pty Ltd.
The full paper, ‘Oral Macrocystis pyrifera Fucoidan Administration Exhibits Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties and Improves DSS-Induced Colitis in C57BL/6J Mice’ was published in the journal Pharmaceutics.