Antibiotics remain essential in fighting infections but are notorious for disrupting gut microbiota, often leading to long-term health risks. A recent study highlights fucoidan a marine polysaccharide from brown seaweed as a promising intervention. Researchers found that fucoidan offered broad-spectrum protection to gut microbes exposed to multiple antibiotic classes, both in vitro and in animal models. Its effect depended on structural integrity, molecular weight, and sulfur content. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that fucoidan counteracted nearly 60% of gene changes triggered by kanamycin, suggesting a partial inhibitory effect through non-specific binding. Mass spectrometry confirmed this binding, and in animal studies, fucoidan accelerated microbial recovery after antibiotic treatment. While human trials are still needed, the findings position fucoidan as a potential nutraceutical strategy to reduce the collateral damage of antibiotics without undermining their therapeutic action.
Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40168-025-02176-w#citeas
