Turbinaria conoides (J. Agardh) sulfated polysaccharide protects rat's heart against myocardial injury.

In recent years, sulfated polysaccharide (fucoidan) is being marketed as a nutraceutical and food supplement because of its various established pharmacological activities. Hence this study was designed to investigate the protective effect of fucoidan extracted from Turbinaria conoides against isoproterenol induced myocardial injured rats. Biochemical assessment of myocardial injury was done by measuring the activities of creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, membrane bound triphosphatases and minerals, which were significantly altered in isoproterenol administered rats. In addition, the enzyme mapping assay on the size of myocardial infarct also correlated with these biochemical parameters. Thus, the observed protective effects of sulfated polysaccharides of T. conoides against ISO induced myocardial injury are due to membrane stabilizing property and this property might be due to decreased lipid peroxidation. These results may trigger a renewed interest in the use of T. conoides fucoidan for myocardial injury.