| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5852467 | Food and Chemical Toxicology | 2012 | 5 Pages |
Although chemotherapeutic anticancer agents are effective, they also attack normal immune cells due to a lack of selectivity. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a representative anticancer agent that induces immunosuppression in cancer patients as a side effect. Fucoidan is an algae-derived sulfated polysaccharide that has recently been recognized as a hematopoietic mobilizer and immunomodulator. In this study, we investigated the cytoprotective effect of fucoidan on dendritic cells (DCs) against 5-FU-induced cellular damage. Several kinds of assays including flow cytometric analysis demonstrated the cytoprotective efficacy of fucoidan. In addition, fucoidan increased the expression of immune-related surface markers on and the alloproliferative capacity of DCs exposed to 5-FU. For investigating action mechanism, the expression levels of apoptosis-related molecules were measured. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that fucoidan, a marine-derived polysaccharide, has cytoprotective effects on DCs, the most potent antigen-presenting cell type, against 5-FU-induced cellular damage. These results provide valuable information to use fucoidan as an immunostimulatory agent for the chemotherapy of cancer patients.
⺠The cytoprotective effect of fucoidan on 5-FU-treated dendritic cells was investigated. ⺠Fucoidan protects DCs from 5-FU-induced cellular damage. ⺠Fucoidan increases the expression of surface markers and alloproliferative capacity of 5-FU-treated DCs. ⺠Fucoidan can be used as an immunostimulatory adjuvant for the chemotherapy of cancer patients.
