• Abstract
• Full-Text PDF [208 KB]
• Full-Text XML
• Article Versions Notes

• Article Statistics
• PubMed/Medline
• Google Scholar
• Order Reprints

• Cite this article
• Export to BibTeX
• Export to EndNote

• [+] on DOAJ
• Courtois, A
• Simon-Colin, C
• Boisset, C
• Berthou, C
• Deslandes, E
• Guézennec, J
• Bordron, A
• [+] on Google Scholar
• Courtois, A
• Simon-Colin, C
• Boisset, C
• Berthou, C
• Deslandes, E
• Guézennec, J
• Bordron, A
• [+] on PubMed
• Courtois, A
• Simon-Colin, C
• Boisset, C
• Berthou, C
• Deslandes, E
• Guézennec, J
• Bordron, A

•  CiteULike
•  Facebook
•  Mendeley
•  Twitter

This article is

• freely available
• re-usable

Mar. Drugs 2008, 6(3), 407-417; doi:10.3390/md6030407

Article

Floridoside Extracted from the Red Alga Mastocarpus stellatus Is a Potent Activator of the Classical Complement Pathway

Anthony Courtois ^1,2 , Christelle Simon-Colin ¹ , Claire Boisset ¹ , Christian Berthou ² , Eric Deslandes ³ , Jean Guézennec ¹  and Anne Bordron ^2,*

¹ Biotechnologies and Marine Molecules laboratory, IFREMER – Brest Center, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, France ² Cellular Therapy and Immunobiology of Cancer laboratory, EA2216, Brest University Hospital, France ³ Ecophysiology and Biotechnology of Halophytes and marine Algae laboratory (LEBHAM), European Institute of Marine Studies, University of Western Brittany, Technopôle de Brest-Iroise, France

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 7 December 2007 / Accepted: 5 June 2008 / Published: 10 July 2008

Download PDF Full-Text [208 KB, uploaded 16 September 2008 11:01 CEST]

Abstract: Many biological properties of algae have been found to have useful applications in human health, particularly in the fields of oncology and immunology. Floridoside, extracted from the red alga Mastocarpus stellatus, has a structure similar to the xenoantigen Gal alpha 1-3 Gal. This xenoantigen has been described to induce a high immune response in human xenografts and is mediated by natural anti-gal antibodies that activate the classical complement pathway. Based on this property, we analyzed the potential activities of floridoside on the immune system. We demonstrated that floridoside activates a complement cascade via the classical complement pathway, through the recruitment and activation of natural IgM. This algal molecule could represent an important step in the development of a potent new anticomplementary agent for use in therapeutic complement depletion.

Keywords: Alpha-galactosyl glycerol; marine algae; immunomodulation; complement system

Article Statistics

Cite This Article