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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Extraction optimization and bioactivity evaluation of fucoidan from brown seaweed (Turbinaria conoides)

Prathapavarma Digala1,2 ,  Shaik Ibrahim Khalivulla3* ,  Savaraiar Vincent2,4* ,  Palamai Dinakaran5 ,  Arifullah Mohammed6 ,  Mohammad Khairul Azhar Abdul Razab7*
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1 Department of Paramedical and Allied Health Science, School of Paramedical, Allied and Healthcare Sciences, Mohan Babu University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India
2 Environnex Innovation and Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
3 Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Mohan Babu University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India
4 Centre for Environmental Research and Development, Loyola Institute of Frontier Energy, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
5 Jen Multi-Speciality Clinic, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
6 Department of Biotechnology, Koneru Lakshmaiah University, Vaddeswaram Campus, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
7 Department of Radiation, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
BMT, 74 https://doi.org/10.12336/bmt.25.00074
Submitted: 27 June 2025 | Revised: 26 August 2025 | Accepted: 15 October 2025 | Published: 27 November 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). Licensee Biomaterials Translational, USA. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en)
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Abstract

Brown seaweeds (Turbinaria conoides) are marine algae known for producing fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide composed of L-fucose monomers. In this study, fucoidan was extracted from T. conoides by using a combination of response surface methodology and Box–Behnken design to refine the extraction conditions. The identity of the extracted fucoidan was confirmed by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay demonstrated its antioxidant properties. It also exhibited strong anticancer activity against HeLa cervical cancer cells, while the viability of normal L6 cells remained largely unaffected. Furthermore, acridine orange/ethidium bromide double staining for apoptosis in treated HeLa cells and reactive oxygen species detection using carboxy-2’,7’- dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate staining confirmed elevated oxidative stress levels induced by fucoidan. These results suggest its ability to both induce and reduce oxidative stress, depending on cell types. Notably, this study is the first to investigate the anticancer effects of fucoidan extracted from T. conoides on cervical cancer cells, thus providing a foundational step for future therapeutic development. These findings position T. conoides-derived fucoidan as a promising dual-action compound with antioxidant and anticancer capabilities.

Keywords
Brown seaweed
Turbinaria conoides
Fucoidan extraction
Box–Behnken design-response surface methodology
1
1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging
Cervical cancer activity
Apoptosis
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there is no competing interest.
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