Common Seaweed May Provide an Important Cancer Cure

[Guest guest]

As featured today at The Best Years in Life

 

Common Seaweed May Provide an Important Cancer Cure

by Tony Isaacs

The answer for cancers of the immune system and other forms of cancer may have been found in an extract of common brown seaweed according to research presented this month at the AACR Dead Sea International Conference on Advances in Cancer Research. At the conference, which was held on March 7-10 at King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, Dead Sea, Jordan, researchers from the Hashemite University in Jordan reported that brown seaweed contains the compound fucoidan which kills cancer tumors.The researchers used an extract of the seaweed on lymphoma cell lines cultivated in the laboratory and found that the extract suppressed lymphoma growth while leaving healthy cells intact. The researchers also noted a significant increase in apoptosis, or cellular death, in lymphoma cancer cells.

Lymphoma is an immune system cancer and it is divided into two classes, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's, which are in turn further classified into B-cell and T-cell groups."Some forms of B-cell lymphoma are especially resistant to standard treatment and thus new therapies are needed," said Mohammad Irhimeh, Ph.D., assistant professor of hematoncology and stem cells at the Hashemite University in Jordan. "In this study, we looked at a new treatment strategy using novel active compounds derived from a natural source -- seaweed."Irhimeh said that research would continue to study the mechanism of fucoidan with the goal of conducting phase II or III clinical trials with human volunteers.Previously, seaweeds containing fucoidan have been found to have anti-tumor activity in mice and some cell lines and Japanese researchers at the Biomedical Research Laboratories and the Research Institute for Glycotechnology Advancement found that seaweeds containing Fucoidan caused various types of established cancer cell lines to self-destruct. Examples of cancer cells that self-destructed due to fucoidan included certain kinds of leukemia cells, stomach cancer cells, and cancer cells of the descending colon.About 4 percent of the total dry weight of many types of brown seaweed is made up of the polysaccharide known as Fucoidan. Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide that has a complex structure. Its main components include a sulfuric esterified L-fucose, a healing sugar, and the trace elements of galactose, xylose, and glucuronic acid.Fucoidan has been touted as one of the ocean's greatest treasures. Among the many benefits reported for fucoidan in addition to being an anti-tumor agent are: helps modulate the immune system, supports normal cellular health, supports blood circulation to native body cells, act as an anti-contraceptive, helps reduces cholesterol levels and supports healthy joint mobility at all ages. In addition, it is believed that fucoidan may help stimulate immune response when the body is attacked and may help regenerate healthy skin tissue.The people of Okinawa, Japan enjoy some of the highest life expectancies in Japan and also consume one of the highest per capita amount of the seaweed kombu. The cancer death rate in Okinawa is the lowest of all the prefectures in Japan.Fucoidan's anti-cancer properties may also be good news for dogs and cats. Lymphoma is one of the most prevalent cancers in dogs and cats, and as noted above, lymphoma is one of the types of cancer which fucoidan has been found to be the most effective.Sources included:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311074123.htmhttp://www.wddty.com/seaweed-could-be-the-new-treatment-for-non-hodgkin-s-cancer.htmlhttp://ezinearticles.com/?Fucoidan---Is-There-a-Natural-Cure-for-Cancer? & id=382978

Note to forum members: Fucoidan is available in supplement form and might be a good addition for lymphomas and perhaps other forms of cancer - Tony

[Guest guest]

Tony,Is there any literature on fucoidan that discusses its effectiveness on Chronic Lymphacytic Leukemia also known as CLL? This is the most prevalent form of leukemia in adults. Thank you,Allenoleander soup From: Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:39:03 +0000 Common Seaweed May Provide an Important Cancer Cure

 

As featured today at The Best Years in Life

 

Common Seaweed May Provide an Important Cancer Cure

by Tony Isaacs

The answer for cancers of the immune system and other forms of cancer may have been found in an extract of common brown seaweed according to research presented this month at the AACR Dead Sea International Conference on Advances in Cancer Research. At the conference, which was held on March 7-10 at King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, Dead Sea, Jordan, researchers from the Hashemite University in Jordan reported that brown seaweed contains the compound fucoidan which kills cancer tumors.The researchers used an extract of the seaweed on lymphoma cell lines cultivated in the laboratory and found that the extract suppressed lymphoma growth while leaving healthy cells intact. The researchers also noted a significant increase in apoptosis, or cellular death, in lymphoma cancer cells.

Lymphoma is an immune system cancer and it is divided into two classes, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's, which are in turn further classified into B-cell and T-cell groups."Some forms of B-cell lymphoma are especially resistant to standard treatment and thus new therapies are needed," said Mohammad Irhimeh, Ph.D., assistant professor of hematoncology and stem cells at the Hashemite University in Jordan. "In this study, we looked at a new treatment strategy using novel active compounds derived from a natural source -- seaweed."Irhimeh said that research would continue to study the mechanism of fucoidan with the goal of conducting phase II or III clinical trials with human volunteers.Previously, seaweeds containing fucoidan have been found to have anti-tumor activity in mice and some cell lines and Japanese researchers at the Biomedical Research Laboratories and the Research Institute for Glycotechnology Advancement found that seaweeds containing Fucoidan caused various types of established cancer cell lines to self-destruct. Examples of cancer cells that self-destructed due to fucoidan included certain kinds of leukemia cells, stomach cancer cells, and cancer cells of the descending colon.About 4 percent of the total dry weight of many types of brown seaweed is made up of the polysaccharide known as Fucoidan. Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide that has a complex structure. Its main components include a sulfuric esterified L-fucose, a healing sugar, and the trace elements of galactose, xylose, and glucuronic acid.Fucoidan has been touted as one of the ocean's greatest treasures. Among the many benefits reported for fucoidan in addition to being an anti-tumor agent are: helps modulate the immune system, supports normal cellular health, supports blood circulation to native body cells, act as an anti-contraceptive, helps reduces cholesterol levels and supports healthy joint mobility at all ages. In addition, it is believed that fucoidan may help stimulate immune response when the body is attacked and may help regenerate healthy skin tissue.The people of Okinawa, Japan enjoy some of the highest life expectancies in Japan and also consume one of the highest per capita amount of the seaweed kombu. The cancer death rate in Okinawa is the lowest of all the prefectures in Japan.Fucoidan's anti-cancer properties may also be good news for dogs and cats. Lymphoma is one of the most prevalent cancers in dogs and cats, and as noted above, lymphoma is one of the types of cancer which fucoidan has been found to be the most effective.Sources included:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100311074123.htmhttp://www.wddty.com/seaweed-could-be-the-new-treatment-for-non-hodgkin-s-cancer.htmlhttp://ezinearticles.com/?Fucoidan---Is-There-a-Natural-Cure-for-Cancer? & id=382978

Note to forum members: Fucoidan is available in supplement form and might be a good addition for lymphomas and perhaps other forms of cancer - Tony

[Guest guest]

Allen,

Here is what I was able to find:

Eur J Haematol 1995 Jan;54(1):27-33

Changes in adhesion molecule expression and function in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia after in vitro interferon-alpha stimulation.

Csanaky G, Vass JA, Ocsovszki I, Milosevits J, Szomor A, Schmelczer M

Department of Pathology, University Medical School of Pecs, Hungary.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 10 B-CLL patients were investigated after 24 hours of in vitro interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) stimulation. The constitutional expression of the L-selectins (LECAM-1), LFA-1/CD11a, VLA alpha-4/CDw49d and ICAM-1/CD54 adhesion molecules was detected, and changes in their density after IFN-alpha stimulation were compared to results obtained by the high endothelial venule (HEV)-binding assay and a carbohydrate (phosphonomannan core polysaccharide: PPME and fucoidin) immobilization test. The LECAM-1 and ICAM-1 molecules were expressed on the great majority of CLL cells, while the LFA-1 and VLA-4 alpha-chains were expressed by only a small number of cells. Statistically significant changes (p < 0.001) were observed in LECAM-1 antigen density (changes in mean cell fluorescence), as well as in functional tests (HEV-, PPME- and fucoidin-binding; p < 0.01) after in vitro IFN-alpha stimulation. Based on a prior study (Jewell et al., Leukemia 1992: 6: 400-404) and on the present findings, not only an increased expression but also an enhanced function of the L-selectins seem to be well substantiated after IFN-alpha stimulation, which may explain the therapeutic effect of IFN-alpha in reducing the accumulation of leukaemic B cells in the blood. The remarkably high expression of ICAM-1 in this series necessitates further studies to clarify the exact expression rate and role of this molecule.

PMID: 7532138, UI: 95163724

Jpn J Cancer Res 1994 Nov;85(11):1144-50

Inhibitory effect of oversulfated fucoidan on invasion through reconstituted basement membrane by murine Lewis lung carcinoma.

Soeda S, Ishida S, Shimeno H, Nagamatsu A

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University.

We investigated the effects of native, oversulfated, and desulfated fucoidans and heparin on the invasion of 3 LL cells through Matrigel. Of the four polysaccharides tested, oversulfated fucoidan was the most potent inhibitor of tumor cell invasion and inhibited most potently and specifically the tumor cell adhesion to laminin. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis of the binding of elastase-cleaved laminin to fucoidan- and heparin-Sepharoses showed that both polysaccharides bound to the 62 and 56 kDa fragments. Pretreatment of 3LL cells with native or oversulfated fucoidan reduced their adhesive potency to laminin. The two fucoidans inhibited further the laminin binding of 3 LL cells which had been pretreated with a laminin-based pentapeptide, YIGSR. These results suggest that fucoidan specifically binds to not only the heparin binding domain(s) of laminin but also site(s) other than the cell surface laminin receptor. 3 LL cells secreted a 50 kDa form of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA). The extracellular level of u-PA activity was increased 1.7 times by addition of laminin but not type IV collagen. Oversulfated fucoidan most potently reduced the increased u-PA levels. Therefore, the reduction in in vitro invasiveness of 3 LL cells in response to either fucoidan or its oversulfated derivative may result from an inhibition of physical interaction between the tumor cells and the Matrigel (laminin), followed by a suppression of the laminin-induced increase in extracellular u-PA.

PMID: 7829400, UI: 95130424

Cancer Lett 1994 Sep 30;85(1):133-8

Aminated fucoidan promotes the invasion of 3 LL cells through reconstituted basement membrane: its possible mechanism of action.

Soeda S, Ishida S, Honda O, Shimeno H, Nagamatsu A

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University, Japan.

Fucoidan is reported to have an antimetastatic activity. In the present study, we prepared an amino group-introduced derivative of fucoidan and examined its effect on the invasion of 3 LL cells through a reconstituted basement membrane (MatrigelTM). Unlike native fucoidan, the aminated derivative promoted the tumor cell invasion: maximal promotion (240% of control invasion) was obtained with 5 micrograms/ml. However, with higher concentrations (10-30 micrograms/ml) of the fucoidan derivative, the promotion was gradually reduced to 130% of control. Both native and aminated fucoidans inhibited specifically the attachment of 3 LL cells to laminin. Interestingly, aminated fucoidan, unlike the native one, promoted the tumor cell adhesion to immobilized synthetic laminin B 1 chain peptide, YIGSR, over a concentration range of 0.5-5 micrograms/ml. Higher concentrations (7-20 micrograms/ml) of the aminated derivative suppressed the adhesive ability of 3 LL cells to YIGSR. 3 LL cells secreted a 50-kDa form of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) in the culture medium. Addition of aminated fucoidan (5 micrograms/ml) or YIGSR (10 micrograms/ml) resulted in a 1.7-fold increase in u-PA activity. This effect was enhanced up to 3.5-fold when both substances were simultaneously added. The addition of native fucoidan had no effect. The present results suggest that the 67-kDa receptor-mediated binding of 3 LL cells to laminin activates their invasiveness, especially by enhancing the extracellular u-PA levels. Aminated, but not native, fucoidan may act to enhance the laminin-receptor interaction at the limited concentration range.

PMID: 7923097, UI: 95007484

Those and other studies on fucoidan can be found listed at:

http://www.nutrivea-usa.com/fucoidan_medical_research.htm

oleander soup , allen hahn <allen_hahn wrote:>> > Tony,> > Is there any literature on fucoidan that discusses its effectiveness on Chronic Lymphacytic Leukemia also known as CLL? This is the most prevalent form of leukemia in adults. > > Thank you,> > Allen