Sulfated polygalactofucan from triangular sea bell Turbinaria decurrens attenuates inflammatory cytokines on THP-1 human monocytic macrophages

Inflammation is one of the most significant causes of several chronic diseases, which includes the expression of cytokines activating immune cells to up-regulate the inflammatory cascade. Polysaccharides from marine mac-roalgae are promising anti-inflammatory agents because of their potential to attenuate inflammatory cytokines. The triangular sea bell Turbinaria decurrens (Sargassaceae) among marine macroalgae is ubiquitous in oceanic waters, and a sulfated polygalactofucan SPTd-2 [-> 3-(alpha-L-fucp-(2-OSO3-)-(1 -> 4)-alpha-L-fucp-(3-OAc)-(1 -> 4)-beta-D-galp-(1 ->] was purified from the species. The studied polygalactofucan SPTd-2 exhibited anti-inflammatory activities against cyclooxygenase-2 (IC50 10.56 mu M) and 5-lipoxygenase (IC50 3.36 mu M) with a greater selec-tivity index (2.35) than ibuprofen (0.44), besides attenuating pro-inflammatory cytokine production, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, transforming growth factor-beta, interleukin-2, 1 beta, and interferon-gamma. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction displayed that SPTd-2 blocked the mRNA of interferon-gamma and interleukin-2, in the human monocytic cell line THP-1. The results showed the potential of SPTd-2 to attenuate inflammation -associated disorders.