BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2016, Vol. 42, No. 6, pp. 399-406

Prospects of the use of sulfated polysaccharides from brown seaweeds as vaccine adjuvants

© 2016 T. A. Kuznetsova¹, T. S. Zaporozhets¹, Е. V. Persianova¹, Yu. S. Khotimchenko², N. N. Besednova¹

¹G.P. Somov Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Vladivostok 690087;
²Far Eastern Federal University, School of Biomedicine, Vladivostok 690922

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The data from Russian and foreign literature on the effects of brown seaweed-derived sulfated polysaccharides (fucoidans), as potential vaccine adjuvants enhancing the anti-infection and anti-tumor immune response, are discussed in the present review. Due to their low toxicity, high biocompatibility, safety, good tolerability by macroorganism, and immunomodulatory activity, fucoidans can be considered promising adjuvants to be administered in the composition of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. Fucoidans are the agonists to receptors of innate immunity and the potent inducers of cellular and humoral immune response, which is important in the development of vaccines against various pathogens, including viruses, as well as anti-tumor vaccines. The results of numerous studies, presented in the review, in which sulfated polysaccharides were tested as components of experimental vaccines, show that these substances can be used as safe and effective adjuvants.

Key words: seaweeds, sulfated polysaccharides, fucoidans, vaccines, adjuvants, immunоstimulators, TLR agonists.