Assessing the potential of fucoidan-based microparticles for biomedical applications

Marine organisms are rich in a variety of materials with potential use in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. One important example is fucoidan (Fu), a sulphated polysaccharide extracted from the cell wall of the brown seaweeds, with higher solubility in water1. Fucoidan is composed by L-fucose and glucuronic acid including sulphate groups and have important bioactive properties such as antioxidative, anticoagulant, anticancer and in the reduction of blood glucose1,2. In this work, the biomedical potential of fucoidan was assessed by processing modified fucoidan (MFu) into microparticles by photocrosslinking using superamphiphobic surfaces and visible light3,4. Biological performance on the developed constructs was further explored.