title: Fucoxanthin: A Promising Medicinal and Nutritional Ingredient.
abstract: Fucoxanthin, an allenic carotenoid, can be isolated from edible brown seaweeds. Recent studies have reported that fucoxanthin has many physiological functions and biological properties, such as antiobesity, antitumor, antidiabetes, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities, as well as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protective effects. Therefore, fucoxanthin can be used as both medicinal and nutritional ingredient to prevent and treat chronic diseases. Although fucoxanthin possesses many medicinal ingredient and nutritional qualities, studies indicated that its structure was unstable. In this paper, we consulted the current documents and reviewed structural properties and factors affecting the stability of fucoxanthin. We also reported the metabolism, safety, pharmacological activities, and the methods of improving the bioavailability of fucoxanthin. Based on these studies providing essential background knowledge, fucoxanthin can be developed into marine drugs and nutritional products.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Yibo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, The First Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Gansu 730030, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Shuofeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China.
authors.forename: Chunchao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
authors.forename: Zhenquan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu