Modulation of human endothelial coil proliferation and migration by fucoidan and heparin

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweeds. It has anticoagulant and antithrombotic properties and inhibits, as well as hepar in, vascular smooth muscle cell growth, In this study we investigated, in t he presence of serum and human recombinant growth factors, the effects of f ucoidan and heparin on the growth and migration of human umbilical vein end othelial cells (HUVEC) in culture. We found that fucoidan stimulated fetal bovine serum-induced HUVEC proliferation, whereas heparin inhibited it, Tn the presence of fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1), both fucoidan and hepar in potentiated HUVEC growth, In contrast, fucoidan and heparin inhibited HU VEC proliferation induced by FGF-2, but did not influence the mitogenic act ivity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), In the in vitro migrati on assay from a denuded area of confluent cells, the two sulfated polysacch arides markedly enhanced the migration of endothelial cells in the presence of FGF-1, Finally, a weak inhibitory effect on cell migration was found on ly with the two polysaccharides at high concentrations (greater than or equ al to 100 mu g/ml) in presence of serum or combined with FGF-2, All togethe r, the results indicated that heparin and fucoidan can be used as tools to further investigate the cellular mechanisms regulating the proliferation an d migration of human vascular cells, Moreover, the data already suggest a p otential role of fucoidan as a new therapeutic agent of vegetal origin in t he vascular endothelium wound repair.