Effective treatments for H. pylori are limited with a rising percentage of treatment failures, primarily due to antibiotic resistance. Alternative and additional treatment options are widely recognised as a significant global healthcare issue. Results from this latest study show that fucoidan, a sulphated polysaccharide found in brown seaweed, may offer a solution.
The study took place at the University of Western Australia in the laboratories of Nobel Prize Laureate Professor Barry Marshall, who is recognised for his discovery of H. pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. The research involved testing fucoidan extracts derived from the Fucus vesiculosus and Undaria pinnatifida species of brown seaweed. These certified organic, high-purity extracts were developed and produced by Australian biotechnology company, Marinova Pty Ltd.
The in vitro studies showed fucoidan extracts are extremely effective at dislodging H. pylori from infected human stomach cancer cells. This significant result positions fucoidan as a potential alternative to the increasingly inadequate antibiotic treatments.
Dr Alfred Chin-Yen Tay, Research Associate at The Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases who supervised the study, said:
These research findings are an encouraging step forward in the control of H. pylori-related diseases. Fucoidan is a natural extract and oral delivery to the stomach is simple. It would be a welcome option for suffering patients, especially before having to undergo invasive diagnosis and treatment options.
