Abstract
Fucoidan is a polysaccharide obtained from marine brown algae, with anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and immune-enhancing properties, thus, fucoidan may be used as an alternative treatment (complementary to prescribed medical therapy) for COVID-19 recovery. This work aimed to determine the ex-vivo effects of treatment with fucoidan (20 µg/mL) on mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm, using a cationic cyanine dye, 3,3′-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide (DiOC6(3)) on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (HPBMC) isolated from healthy control (HC) subjects, COVID-19 patients (C-19), and subjects that recently recovered from COVID-19 (R1, 40 ± 13 days after infection). In addition, ex-vivo treatment with fucoidan (20 and 50 µg/mL) was evaluated on ΔΨm loss induced by carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP, 150 µM) in HPBMC isolated from healthy subjects (H) and recovered subjects at 11 months post-COVID-19 (R2, 335 ± 20 days after infection). Data indicate that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces HPBMC loss of ΔΨm, even 11 months after infection, however, fucoidan promotes recovery of ΔΨm in PBMCs from COVID-19 recovered subjects. Therefore, fucoidan may be a potential treatment to diminish long-term sequelae from COVID-19, using mitochondria as a therapeutic target for the recovery of cellular homeostasis.
Highlights
The incidence of sargasso can be an opportunity for the extraction of biologically active metabolites such as fucoidans, which are a kind of sulfated carbohydrate rich in fucose found in brown seaweeds [2]; the macroalgae genus Sargassum has approximately 450 species and is among the largest in tropical zones [3]
Recent studies performed by our research group demonstrated that leukocytes from women who recently recovered from COVID-19 present loss of mitochondrial membrane potential; when these cells were treated ex-vivo with a commercial formulation of Fucoidan (Alquimar®, Cancún, Mexico), the mitochondrial membrane potential of these cells recovered [21]
Of the SARSCoV-2-infected patients (C-19, n = 31), 13 were males and 18 females with an average age of 38 years, and the subjects that had recently recovered from COVID-19 (R1, n = 21) had an average age of 40 (26–64) years, of which 9 were men and 12 women (Table 1)
Summary
The coasts of the Caribbean Sea experience large upwelling of sargasso, which has become a problem for the recreational use of beaches since it causes obstruction [1]. Fucoidan has been reported to exhibit anti-viral therapeutic activities [12–14], so these compounds have been proposed as potential candidates for alternative treatment in coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease recovery [15], complementary to medically prescribed treatment. In this regard, Song et al [15] reported that fucoidan (15.6 μg/mL) inhibits (in vitro) SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vero E6 cells through its sulfated polysaccharides, which bind tightly to SARS-CoV-2 protein S, preventing viral internalization. Recent studies performed by our research group demonstrated that leukocytes from women who recently recovered from COVID-19 present loss of mitochondrial membrane potential; when these cells were treated ex-vivo with a commercial formulation of Fucoidan (Alquimar®, Cancún, Mexico), the mitochondrial membrane potential of these cells recovered [21]
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