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Molecular weight‐dependent effects of Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan isolates on palmitate‐induced inflammation and muscle atrophy in C2C12 myotubes

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Abstract

Obesity is consistently linked to skeletal muscle atrophy. It is characterized by a chronic inflammatory state that produces various pro-inflammatory substances that may have negative effects on muscles, such as muscle atrophy, impaired muscle regeneration, and a reduction in muscle protein synthesis. Fucoidan, isolated from the brown alga Undaria pinnatifida, is composed of fucose, galactose, and sulfate groups, and is known to have anti-obesity, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory properties. Recent studies have indicated that the bioactivity of fucoidans depends on their molecular weight; however, this correlation remains unclear and requires further investigation. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of three different fucoidans, based on their molecular weight, on palmitate (PA)-induced muscle atrophy using C2C12 myotubes. The fucoidan types were low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF, ≥ 30 kDa), medium molecular weight fucoidan (MMWF, ≥ 110 kDa), and high molecular weight fucoidan (HMWF, ≥ 200 kDa). Our results demonstrate that all fucoidans reduced lipid accumulation. Additionally, all three fucoidans reduced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF‐α) mRNA expression level in PA‐induced inflammation, whereas interleukin-1beta (IL‐1β) and IL‐6 mRNA expression levels were reduced only in the HMWF-treated group. Moreover, MMWF and HMWF significantly reduced the mRNA expression levels of the muscle atrophy genes muscle RING-finger protein-1 (MuRF1) and Atrogin‐1, while LMWF showed no significant effects. In conclusion, HMWF showed more promising outcomes than LMWF and MMWF, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of obesity-induced inflammation and muscle atrophy.

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Data availability

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This research was supported by Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST) funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea (20220027), and by Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (IPET) through High Value‐Added Food Technology development Program, funded by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)(grant number 321024‐04‐1‐HD020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Gachon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, 13120, Korea

    Jong‐Yeon Kim & Hae‐Jeung Lee

  2. Department of Food and Nutrition, Gachon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, 13120, Korea

    Eun‐Jung Park & Hae‐Jeung Lee

  3. Institute for Aging and Clinical Nutrition Research, Gachon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi‐do, 13120, Korea

    Eun‐Jung Park & Hae‐Jeung Lee

  4. Department of Health Sciences and Technology, GAIHST, Gachon University, Incheon, 21999, Republic of Korea

    Hae‐Jeung Lee

  5. Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, 21565, Republic of Korea

    Hae‐Jeung Lee

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  1. Jong‐Yeon Kim
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Contributions

Jong‐Yeon Kim: Methodology, validation, formal analysis, investigation, visualization, writing ‐ original draft preparation. Eun‐Jung Park: Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, visualization, writing ‐ review and editing, supervision, project administration. Hae‐Jeung Lee: Conceptualization, writing ‐ review and editing, supervision, project administration. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Eun‐Jung Park or Hae‐Jeung Lee.

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Kim, J., Park, E. & Lee, H. Molecular weight‐dependent effects of Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan isolates on palmitate‐induced inflammation and muscle atrophy in C2C12 myotubes. J Appl Phycol 36, 411–419 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-023-03111-y

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