Fucoidan inhibits CCL22 production through NF-κB pathway in M2 macrophages: a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer

In tumor microenvironment, macrophages as a polarized M2 population promote tumor progression via releasing multiple cytokines and chemokines. A brown seaweed fucose-rich polysaccharide, fucoidan has antitumor activity and immune modulation through affecting tumor cells and lymphocytes. Here, we focused on the effect of fucoidan on macrophages especially M2 subtype. Our results demonstrated that fucoidan down-regulated partial cytokines and chemokines, especially a M2-type chemokine CCL22. Furthermore, fucoidan inhibited tumor cells migration and CD4+ T lymphocytes, especially Treg cells, recruitment induced by M2 macrophages conditioned medium through suppression of CCL22. Mechanismly, fucoidan inhibited CCL22 via suppressing p65-NF-κB phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. In addition, p38-MAPK and PI3K-AKT also affected the expression of CCL22 through differential modulation of NF-κB transcriptional activity. Taken together, we reveal an interesting result that fucoidan can inhibit tumor cell migration and lymphocytes recruitment by suppressing CCL22 in M2 macrophages via NF-κB-dependent transcription, which may be a novel and promising mechanism for tumor immunotherapy.