# Fucoidan Extracted from Fucus vesiculosus Ameliorates Colitis-Associated Neuroinflammation and Anxiety-like Behavior in Adult C57BL/6 Mice

## TL;DR

Fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus reduces gut and brain inflammation and anxiety-like behavior in mice with colitis.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates fucoidan's novel neuroprotective effects via the gut-brain axis in a colitis model.

## Key findings

- Fucoidan reduced intestinal and brain inflammation in mice with colitis.
- It protected the intestinal and blood-brain barriers and reduced anxiety-like behavior.
- Fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus showed stronger in vivo effects than other sources.

## Abstract

Fucoidan, a complex sulfated polysaccharide derived from marine brown seaweeds, exhibits broad biological activities, including anticoagulant, antitumor, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering effects. Fucoidan confers neuroprotection in animal models of a broad spectrum of brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and depression. However, the effect of fucoidan on gut-derived neuroinflammation and associated behavioral changes has been scarcely investigated. In comparison to fucoidan from other brown seaweeds, that from Fucus vesiculosus exhibited a better neuroprotective effect in vivo and more potent radical scavenging activity in vitro. Fucoidan from Laminaria japonica ameliorates behavioral disorders related to acute ulcerative colitis (UC) in aged mice. It is of interest to assess the effects of fucoidan administration on intestinal and brain inflammation in the acute colitis mouse model. Fucoidan treatment ameliorated DSS-induced intestinal pathology, reduced the inflammatory mediator expression in the gut and brain, and activated intestinal macrophages and cortical microglia in the UC mice. It also protected the intestinal mucosal barrier and blood–brain barrier as well as prevented neuronal damage, while alleviating anxiety-like behavior in UC mice. These results suggest fucoidan supplementation may help prevent brain disorders, such as depression and PD, potentially involving gut–brain axis-related mechanisms, as fucoidan suppresses gut-derived neuroinflammation.