title: Fucoidans: pro- or antiangiogenic agents?
abstract: Sulfated polysaccharides of brown algae (fucoidans) attract great attention due to their high and strongly diversified biological activity. This review summarizes recent data on the structural variability of these polysaccharides and reports their anti- and proangiogenic properties. Recent publications have revealed that fucoidans isolated from different algal species may differ considerably in the structures of their backbones and branches, in both monosaccharide composition and sulfate content. It was found that the degree of sulfation significantly influences the biological properties of fucoidans. Additionally, fucoidan action in angiogenesis is highly dependent on molecular weight: antiangiogenic activity is connected with the high-molecular weight of polysaccharide molecules, whereas the low-molecular-weight fractions may act as proangiogenic agents. The influence of other fine structural details of fucoidans on angiogenesis remains to be established.
authors: Laboratory of Glycoconjugate Chemistry.
authors: Nadezhda E
authors: NE
authors: Ustyuzhanina
authors: Laboratory of Plant Polysaccharides, N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect 47, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors: Maria I
authors: MI
authors: Bilan
authors: Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, V.N. Orekhovich Research Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, ul. Pogodinskaya 10, 119121 Moscow, Russia.
authors: Natalia A
authors: NA
authors: Ushakova
authors: Laboratory of Plant Polysaccharides, N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect 47, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors: Anatolii I
authors: AI
authors: Usov
authors: N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Kashirskoe shosse, 24, Moscow 115478, Russia.
authors: Mikhail V
authors: MV
authors: Kiselevskiy
authors: Laboratory of Glycoconjugate Chemistry nen@ioc.ac.ru tnif@mail.ru.
authors: Nikolay E
authors: NE
authors: Nifantiev
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D011134:Polysaccharides; C007789:fucoidan
keywords: FGF; VEGF; angiogenesis; fucoidan; structure