Smart drug delivery
A recent review paper highlights the pharmaceutical industry's growing interest in fucoidan. 'Fucoidan in Pharmaceutical Formulations: A Comprehensive Review for Smart Drug Delivery Systems' notes that fucoidans may act as carriers for various drugs whilst their promising range of bioactivities may also add value to various pharmaceutical formulations.
The review highlights the attractive biopharmaceutical properties of fucoidan when formulated in oral, inhalable, topical and injectable applications and other advanced formulations that may lead to more effective disease treatments. The important role fucoidan may play as a carrier in nanotechnology based medicine is also discussed. Researchers highlighted the potential benefits of fucoidan nanoparticles in enhancing the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs.
The importance of the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical processing of fucoidan extracts is highlighted in the review as a major concern given that the extraction, depolymerization, and purification steps are critical in maintaining the integrity of the native structure and the purity of the ingredients.
The full paper, ‘Fucoidan in pharmaceutical formulations: A comprehensive review for smart drug delivery systems’ was published as part of a special edition on fucoidans in Marine Drugs.