Advances in Research on Fucoidan: Potential as Drug and Functional Food
A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 65
Special Issue Editors
Interests: marine polysaccharides; fucoidan chemistry and structure–function; extraction & standardization; depolymerization and functional oligo-fucoidans; formulation & drug delivery; gut microbiome modulation; immunology & oncology; cardiometabolic and vascular disease; regulatory science & quality control; functional foods and nutraceuticals
Interests: marine polysaccharides; fucoidan and oligo-fucoidan chemistry and structure–function; green extraction, purification, and controlled depolymerization; gastrointestinal health and mucosal immunology; inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and chronic inflammatory disorders; gut barrier integrity, mucus layer biology, and epithelial repair; gut microbiome interactions and postbiotics; bioavailability, PK/PD, and targeted delivery systems; preclinical models to early-phase clinical translation; biomarkers of inflammation and metabolomic readouts; functional foods/nutraceuticals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Fucoidans—sulfated polysaccharides primarily derived from brown seaweeds—are versatile bioactives with applications in various fields, from pharmaceuticals to functional foods. Rapid progress has been made in the last few years, encompassing improved extraction and structural characterization, the use of tailored depolymerization to produce functional oligo-fucoidans, novel delivery systems, and encouraging early clinical data in areas such as metabolic health, inflammation, and supportive oncology. Concurrently, the seaweed sector is increasing globally, elevating the importance of quality control, regulatory frameworks, and sustainable sourcing.
This Special Issue welcomes original research, reviews, short communications, methodological advances, and clinical/translational studies on all aspects of fucoidans pertaining to drug and functional food development. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Structure–function relationships; analytical and NMR/MS workflows.
- Extraction, purification, depolymerization, and green biorefinery approaches.
- Functional oligo-fucoidans: preparation, characterization, bioavailability.
- Mechanisms of action in immunity, inflammation, oncology, and metabolic disease.
- Gut microbiome interactions and host metabolic outcomes.
- Drug delivery (nanocarriers, hydrogels, and conjugates) and pharmacokinetics.
- Human studies and clinical trial design for fucoidan-based interventions.
- Safety, contaminants, quality standards, and regulatory pathways.
- Sustainable supply chains and traceability from algal species to product.
We particularly seek interdisciplinary submissions and industry–academia collaborations that bridge fundamental science with real-world applications.
Dr. Dineth Pramuditha Nagahawatta
Dr. Nisansala Liyanage
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- fucoidan
- functional oligo-fucoidans
- structure–function
- green extraction/biorefinery
- drug delivery & biomaterials
- gut microbiome
- immunomodulation & inflammation
- oncology adjuvant
- cardiometabolic/atherosclerosis
- quality control & regulatory science
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