Angiogenic effects of high molecular weight fucoidan in a mouse ischemic limb model

Background：The biological actions of fucoidan depend on its molecular weight. 20-30 kDa fucoidan has been reported to stimulate angiogenesis in ischemic limbs. We purified very high molecular weight fucoidan (HMWF) from mozuku (brown algae of the Okinawan coontail family) to assess its effect on angiogenesis. Methods and Results：We examined the angiogenic effects of mozuku HMWF (300 kDa) and akamoku (Sargassum seaweed) HMWF (80 kDa) in a mouse ischemic limb model by measuring laser Doppler blood flow (LDBF) and capillary density. We also studied the angiogenic actions of mozuku HMWF administered pre- and post-ischemia as compared to post-ischemia treatment. Mozuku HMWF increased both LDBF and capillary density in the ischemic leg, whereas akamoku HMWF did not. Treatment with mozuku HMWF pre- and post-ischemia increased both LDBF and capillary density, which was not seen in post-ischemia treatment alone. Conclusions：This study demonstrated the therapeutic effect of pre- and post-ischemia treatment with mozuku HMWF in ischemic limbs, and the timing of administration is important for its angiogenic activity.