Vol. 8, Issue 11 (2019)

Author(s):
Surbhi Agarwal and Dr. Komal Chauhan

Abstract:
Dyslipidemia characterized by altered lipid lipoprotein fractions is a major public health concern. It is the underlying reason for the other diseases to manifest thereby increasing the economic burden, morbidity and mortality index. Several synthetic hypolipidemic drugs are available commercially however, they are often associated with various side effects thus limiting their usage. This has led to search of natural alternatives having antihyperlipidemic potential. The marine macroalage, the seaweeds, provides plethora of natural bioactive compounds with several health benefits. Thus the study emphasizes on the hypolipidemic effects of the fucoidan isolated from brown seaweeds. The structure of fucoidan varies greatly based on different extraction conditions, season and location of harvest thereby affecting its functional capacity and bioactivity. The fucoidan from different seaweeds have shown hypolipidemic effect both in vitro and in vivo by stimulating the activity of enzymes responsible for lowering serum lipoprotein levels and increasing activity of enzyme involved in lipogenesis. Further fucoidan stimulates reverse cholesterol transport mechanism thereby reducing lipid levels. In addition, more recent studies have focused on the role of fucoidan in influencing gut microbiota thus exhibiting hypolipidemic effect. Thus, fucoidan can be used as promising therapy to target dyslipidemia and other underlying associated complications.