Fucoidan inhibition of osteosarcoma cells is species and molecular weight dependent. - GreenMedInfo Summary

Fucoidan is a brown algae-derived polysaccharide having several biomedical applications. This study simultaneously compares the anti-cancer activities of crude fucoidans fromand, and effects of low (LMW, 10-50 kDa), medium (MMW, 50-100 kDa) and high (HMW,>100 kDa) molecular weight fractions offucoidan against osteosarcoma cells. Glucose, fucose and acid levels were lower and sulphation was higher incrude fucoidan compared tocrude fucoidan. MMW had the highest levels of sugars, acids and sulphation among molecular weight fractions. There was a dose-dependent drop in focal adhesion formation and proliferation of cells for all fucoidan-types, butfucoidan and HMW had the strongest effects. G1-phase arrest was induced byfucoidan, MMW and HMW, howeverfucoidan treatment also caused accumulation in the sub-G1-phase. Mitochondrial damage occurred for all fucoidan-types, howeverfucoidan led to mitochondrial fragmentation. Annexin V/PI, TUNEL and cytochrome c staining confirmed stress-induced apoptosis-like cell death forfucoidan and features of stress-induced necrosis-like cell death forfucoidans. There was also variation in penetrability of different fucoidans inside the cell. These differences in anti-cancer activity of fucoidans are applicable for osteosarcoma treatment.