Both native and desulfated Laminaria japonica fucoidan alleviated high-fat diet-induced colonic mucus-layer injury in mice, but the sulfated native fucoidan was more potent in lipid regulation, Fut2 upregulation, NLRP3 inhibition and gut microbiota modulation, indicating that sulfation is important for fucoidan's protective potency on the intestinal mucus layer.
Native fucoidan (Fud) and desulfated fucoidan (dsFud) differed markedly in sulfate content and were compared in a high-fat diet mouse model of colonic mucus-layer injury.
Both Fud and dsFud mitigated high-fat diet-induced obesity-related outcomes.
Both Fud and dsFud improved mucus layer indicators and reduced colonic inflammation.
Fud outperformed dsFud in hepatic lipid regulation and serum triglyceride reduction.
Fud upregulated Fut2 more significantly and inhibited NLRP3 signaling more potently than dsFud.
Fud markedly altered gut microbiota composition, lowering the Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio and enriching specific genera.
Both fucoidans suppressed primary bile acid metabolism and activated the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, per metabolomic profiling.
Fud and dsFud engaged different amino acid metabolic pathways.
Sulfation is important for the protective potency of fucoidan on the intestinal mucus layer.
This study in mice looked at how a seaweed-derived compound called fucoidan, from Laminaria japonica (a kelp), protects the gut's mucus lining when animals eat a high-fat diet. The researchers compared regular fucoidan, which is rich in sulfate groups (26.6%), with a version in which most sulfate had been removed (2.2%), to see whether sulfate matters for the protective effect. Both versions reduced weight gain, fat buildup and abnormal blood lipids, improved markers of a healthier mucus layer (including more of the main mucus protein Muc2), and reduced gut inflammation. However, the regular sulfated fucoidan did better in several respects: it lowered liver fat and blood triglycerides more, boosted the gene Fut2 more, and dampened the inflammatory NLRP3 pathway more strongly. It also shifted gut bacteria toward a different makeup, including more Akkermansia, Parabacteroides and Desulfovibrio. The two versions also affected gut metabolism differently, with regular fucoidan activating tryptophan metabolism and the desulfated form mainly affecting arginine and proline metabolism. This research suggests that the sulfate groups on fucoidan help make it a more potent protector of the gut mucus barrier, which could inform how seaweed-based food ingredients are designed or selected. These results come from mice, so they do not by themselves show the same effects in people.
Li H, Chen J, Zhang C, Cai W, Che H, Li H. (2026). Sulfate Groups Modulate the Protective Effects of Laminaria japonica Fucoidan against High-Fat Diet-Induced Intestinal Mucus Layer Injury via Gut Microbiota Regulation and Metabolic Profiling.. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6c08201