Improvement of Psoriasis by Alteration of the Gut Environment by Oral Administration of Fucoidan from Cladosiphon Okamuranus.

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease for which there is no cure; it results in skin lesions and has a strong negative impact on patients' quality of life. Fucoidan from Cladosiphon okamuranus is a dietary seaweed fiber with immunostimulatory effects. The present study reports that the administration of fucoidan provided symptomatic relief of facial itching and altered the gut environment in the TNF receptor-associated factor 3-interacting protein 2 (Traf3ip2) mutant mice (m-Traf3ip2 mice); the Traf3ip2 mutation was responsible for psoriasis in the mouse model used in this study. A fucoidan diet ameliorated symptoms of psoriasis and decreased facial scratching. In fecal microbiota analysis, the fucoidan diet drastically altered the presence of major intestinal opportunistic microbiota. At the same time, the fucoidan diet increased mucin volume in ileum and feces, and IgA contents in cecum. These results suggest that dietary fucoidan may play a significant role in the prevention of dysfunctional immune diseases by improving the intestinal environment and increasing the production of substances that protect the immune system.

A Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial of an Oral Preparation of High Molecular Weight Fucoidan in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes with Evaluation of Taste Sensitivity.

BACKGROUND: Fucoidan is derived from seaweed widely used in Japanese cuisine, but little is known about its influence on glucose metabolism. To obtain information about the physiological effects of fucoidan on glucose metabolism, the digestive system, and the gustatory system controlling taste sensation in patients with type 2 diabetes, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. METHODS: Thirty patients with type 2 diabetes on diet therapy were recruited from an outpatient clinic (22 men and 8 women aged 59.10 ± 13.24 years, body mass index: 25.18 ± 3.88, hemoglobin A1c: 7.04 ± 1.24%). They were divided into 2 groups and underwent 2 interventions with a 4-week interval. One group received fucoidan for 12 weeks (a daily 60 mL test beverage containing 1,620 mg of fucoidan) and then placebo (60 mL) for the subsequent 12-week period, while the order was reversed in the other group. Evaluation was performed just before and after each intervention. Taste sensitivity was measured for 5 basic tastes by the filter paper disk method and food intake was evaluated with a validated diet questionnaire. RESULTS: No adverse events occurred during the study period. Despite no change of the diet, stool frequency increased during fucoidan intake (from 7.78 ± 4.64/week in Week 1 to 9.15 ± 5.03/week in Week 5, P < 0.001), and it increased more in lean subjects. In 11 subjects whose stool frequency exceeded the mean value, the thresholds for sweet, salty, bitter and umami tastes were significantly reduced (enhancement of sensitivity) after fucoidan intake. In 14 subjects with normal HOMA-IR (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, < 2.5), hemoglobin A1c decreased after fucoidan intake (from 6.73 ± 1.00 to 6.59 ± 1.00%, P < 0.05), as did the fasting plasma level of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1, from 6.42 ± 3.52 to 4.93 ± 1.88 pmol/L, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Sustained fucoidan intake led to alterations of gastrointestinal function, including increased stool frequency and enhanced taste sensitivity, which could contribute to better control of diabetes.

Safety evaluation of excessive ingestion of mozuku fucoidan in human.

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide in the brown sea algae. This study was conducted in 20 subjects taking excessive fucoidan up to 4.05 g daily for 2 wk. They recorded questionnaire sheets about their health. Blood and urine were collected before and after 2 wk of ingestion. We found that no disorder was apparent in the test period. Although total cholesterol (P value 0.017) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P value 0.017) showed statistically significant reduction and Cl (P value 0.002) showed significant increase, nothing deviated from the range of normal values. In conclusion, this study showed no abnormalities in the abdominal, fecal states, blood and urine at all.

Lifespan extending activity of substances secreted by the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that include the dauer-inducing pheromone.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans yields a substance(s) inducing the larval diapause, called dauer-inducing pheromone. We discovered that the crude pheromone extract extends the adult lifespan in the animal. This extension does not occur in the mutant animal, in which expansion of the lifespan caused by other mutations reducing insulin signaling is suppressed. This is the first description concerning the relevancy of the pheromone to the longevity in the animal.