Fucoidan Helps People With Lupus
When a person is suffering from an autoimmune disease like lupus, their body is essentially attacking itself. The immune system is no longer able to differentiate between healthy and outside invaders like viruses and bacteria, causing the immune system to direct antibodies against both healthy tissues and the unwanted intruder, resulting in painful swelling and tissue damage. At present time, there is no cure for lupus and no new treatment has been approved for over 50 years.
The Results:
In a study examining the anti-inflammatory benefits against autoimmune disease agitated by antigens, the results showed that fucoidan was able to inhibit inflammation when leucocyte extravasation occurred. Leucocyte extravasation occurs when the leucocytes move outside of the circulatory system to the infected or damaged area of tissue, and is a common immune response.
Fucoidan helps people with lupus through its demonstrated immune modulating ability, working by suppressing over-stimulated systems such as those in auto-immune diseases like lupus.
Another study on the ability of fucoidan to treat encephalitis, which behaves similarly to nervous system lupus, found that fucoidan effectively reduced the body’s paralytic response and TNF-alpha production when the subjects were treated with 50 mg of fucoidan per kg of body weight daily. It is believed that these results were due to fucoidans ability to suppress the autoreactive T cell response, along with the inflammatory cytokine production.
From the Experts:
“…fucoidan exhibit subtle differences in their anti-inflammatory activity but probably inhibit inflammation at the level of leucocyte extravasation.” [1]
“Treatment with fucoidan reduced the encephalitogenic response and TNF-alpha production during EAE. Moreover, the clinical amelioration coincided with decreased infiltration of inflammatory cells in the EAE-affected spinal cord. The ameliorative effect of fucoidan on clinical paralysis in EAE-affected rats may be mediated, in part, by the suppression of the autoreactive T cell response and inflammatory cytokine production.” [2]
“…The seaweed nutrient complex was safe to use when taken orally over 4 weeks. The preparation was demonstrated to have potential as an immune modulator, and this bioactivity deserves further exploration.” [3]
Research:
[1]
Bartlett MR, Warren HS, Cowden WB, Parish CR. Effects of the anti-inflammatory compounds castanospermine, mannose-6-phosphate and fucoidan on allograft rejection and elicited peritoneal exudates. (1994, October) Read More
[2]
Kim H, Moon C, Park EJ, Jee Y, Ahn M, Wie MB, Shin T. Amelioration of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats treated with fucoidan. (2010, March 24) Read More
[3]
A combined Phase I and II open-label study on the immunomodulatory effects of seaweed extract nutrient complex. Myers SP1, O’Connor J, Fitton JH, Brooks L, Rolfe M, Connellan P, Wohlmuth H, Cheras PA, Morris C.Biologics. 2011;5:45-60. doi: 10.2147/BTT.S12535. Epub 2011 Feb 15. Read More