Fucoidan attenuates airway remodeling in asthmatic mice.
- 1Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266555, P.R. China.
- 2Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250022, P.R. China.
- 3Department of Neurology, Qingdao Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Qingdao Hiser Hospital Affiliated of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266033, P.R. China.
Abstract
Airway remodeling is a pathological hallmark of asthma that is difficult to reverse and effective therapeutic interventions remain limited. The present study investigated whether fucoidan, a natural sulfated polysaccharide derived from seaweed, attenuates airway remodeling in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic mice. In total, 40 female Kunming mice were randomly assigned to four groups (n=10/group): Asthma, budesonide, fucoidan and control. Asthma was induced by OVA sensitization and challenge. Budesonide was administered via nebulization, while fucoidan was given by oral gavage prior to OVA challenge. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected for total and differential cell count and levels of interleukin-21, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, α-smooth muscle actin and collagen I in the lavage fluid were measured by ELISA. Lung sections were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining for histopathological changes and immunohistochemistry for protein expression. Fucoidan significantly alleviated asthma-like behavior, including scratching, shortness of breath and restlessness, and reduced total cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes and eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared with the OVA group (P<0.05). Fucoidan decreased the elevated levels of interleukin-21, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, α-smooth muscle actin and collagen I (P<0.05), with effects comparable with those of budesonide (P>0.05). Histological examination revealed that fucoidan attenuated peribronchial inflammatory infiltration, bronchial wall thickening and luminal narrowing. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed that fucoidan suppressed the expression of IL-21, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, α-smooth muscle actin and collagen I in lung tissue, as reflected by significantly decreased integrated optical density values relative to the model group (P<0.05). Collectively, these findings indicated that fucoidan attenuates airway remodeling in asthmatic mice, which may be associated with downregulation of interleukin-21 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin. Although the underlying mechanisms and clinical applicability require validation, the present results suggest that fucoidan merits investigation as a potential candidate for asthma therapy.
Related
- Pharmacological AhR activation attenuates airway hyperresponsiveness and remodeling in a mixed allergen asthma model
- Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Does Not Prevent Cardiac Hypertrophy but Attenuates Cardiac Stress and Remodeling Markers in Mice Exposed to Intermittent Normobaric Hypoxia
- Cardamine flexuosa extract attenuates neutrophilic airway inflammation in a CSE/LPS-induced murine model
- Gut epithelial aryl hydrocarbon receptor deficiency aggravates fungal dysbiosis-mediated neutrophilic allergic airway disease in mice
- Intratracheal Administration of Benzbromarone Attenuates Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling and Improves Survival in Rats with Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension
BibTeX
@article{wang2026fucoidan,
title = {{Fucoidan attenuates airway remodeling in asthmatic mice.}},
author = {Xuejing Wang and Yuli Qi and Yang Hu and Shaohua Zhang and Lixin Hu and Jie Guan and Renzheng Guan},
journal = {Biomedical reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3892/br.2026.2216},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948065},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fucoidan attenuates airway remodeling in asthmatic mice.
AU - Xuejing Wang
AU - Yuli Qi
AU - Yang Hu
AU - Shaohua Zhang
AU - Lixin Hu
AU - Jie Guan
AU - Renzheng Guan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Biomedical reports
DO - 10.3892/br.2026.2216
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948065
AB - Airway remodeling is a pathological hallmark of asthma that is difficult to reverse and effective therapeutic interventions remain limited. The present study investigated whether fucoidan, a natural sulfated polysaccharide derived from seaweed, attenuates airway remodeling in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic mice. In total, 40 female Kunming mice were randomly assigned to four groups (n=10/group): Asthma, budesonide, fucoidan and control. Asthma was induced by OVA sensitization and challenge. Budesonide was administered via nebulization, while fucoidan was given by oral gavage prior to OVA challenge. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected for total and differential cell count and levels of interleukin-21, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, α-smooth muscle actin and collagen I in the lavage fluid were measured by ELISA. Lung sections were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining for histopathological changes and immunohistochemistry for protein expression. Fucoidan significantly alleviated asthma-like behavior, including scratching, shortness of breath and restlessness, and reduced total cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes and eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared with the OVA group (P<0.05). Fucoidan decreased the elevated levels of interleukin-21, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, α-smooth muscle actin and collagen I (P<0.05), with effects comparable with those of budesonide (P>0.05). Histological examination revealed that fucoidan attenuated peribronchial inflammatory infiltration, bronchial wall thickening and luminal narrowing. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed that fucoidan suppressed the expression of IL-21, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, α-smooth muscle actin and collagen I in lung tissue, as reflected by significantly decreased integrated optical density values relative to the model group (P<0.05). Collectively, these findings indicated that fucoidan attenuates airway remodeling in asthmatic mice, which may be associated with downregulation of interleukin-21 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin. Although the underlying mechanisms and clinical applicability require validation, the present results suggest that fucoidan merits investigation as a potential candidate for asthma therapy.
SN - 2049-9434
SN - 2049-9442
ER -