{"id":335733,"date":"2026-03-18T12:56:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/335733\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T12:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:56:08","slug":"seaweed-fucoidan-could-block-norovirus-infection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/335733\/","title":{"rendered":"Seaweed Fucoidan Could Block Norovirus Infection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Original story from Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia).<\/a><\/p>\n

Seaweed may be a popular food item, but it has certain properties that mean it could act as a shield within the human body, effectively blocking norovirus infection.<\/p>\n

To date, there are no approved vaccines or anti-viral treatments for human norovirus, the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide with more than 685 million infections each year.<\/p>\n

New collaborative research between Griffith University<\/a> (Brisbane, Australia) and Australian biotechnology company Marinova<\/a> (Hobart, Australia) has investigated whether compounds from a range of brown and green seaweeds could block the illness in the early stages of infection.<\/p>\n

Senior author Grant Hansman from Griffith\u2019s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics said noroviruses infect people by attaching to molecules in the intestine called histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tested the seaweed compounds fucoidan and ulvan to see how well they prevented norovirus virus-like particles from binding to human saliva samples that contain HBGAs,\u201d Hansman explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cFucoidan, from brown seaweed, showed the strongest and most consistent blocking activity against two major norovirus strains, GII.4 and GII.17.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fucoidan likely bound to the HBGA binding pocket to form a physical shield making it harder for the virus to attach.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Step forward in quest for norovirus vaccine<\/a><\/p>\n

A simple and efficient system for understanding the functions of specific norovirus genes provides new avenues for developing antivirals and vaccines.<\/p>\n

Co-senior author Thomas Haselhorst added that fucoidan had a history of dietary use, had demonstrated good tolerability in human studies and was used in premium dietary supplements.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur study highlights that fucoidan could be a promising, natural treatment for preventing norovirus infection,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Research is now focused on validating how fucoidan could be formulated to maximize its protective effect in the gastrointestinal tract.<\/p>\n

Norovirus is highly contagious and a leading cause of gastroenteritis, which is a disease of the stomach and intestines.<\/p>\n

Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, fever, stomach pains, headache and muscle aches.<\/p>\n

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