褐藻糖膠最廣為人知的就是其潛在的抗癌效果，在抗癌領域有大量的研究，一些研究指出，褐藻糖膠不僅可以增加癌症患者的幸福感，還有助於治療癌症。[1-3]
褐藻糖膠 抗癌功效1 抑制癌細胞增殖
研究證實，褐藻糖膠對癌細胞有直接的體外作用。研究表明，褐藻糖膠可以誘導癌細胞發生細胞凋亡，還能引發癌細胞週期停滯，使其無法繁殖。[4-6]
人體免疫系統可清除癌細胞，而褐藻糖膠可增強免疫系統對癌細胞的清除效果。[7]此外褐藻糖膠也被證明可以增強化療藥物對癌細胞的活性，對傳統癌症化療有輔助作用。[8]
Maritech(Marinova®)褐藻醣膠已顯示可顯著改善乳癌藥物tamoxifen對乳腺癌的治療功效。在小鼠實驗中，服用Maritech®褐藻醣膠可減少乳腺癌腫瘤的生長，與tamoxifen一起服用時可減少腫瘤大小高達26%。[9]
廣告贊助☒
褐藻糖膠 抗癌功效2 減少癌症腫瘤生長、轉移
有許多動物實驗證實，經口服、靜脈注射或腹膜內施用褐藻糖膠，可顯著降低癌症腫瘤生長速度，包括血液、卵巢、乳房、前列腺、肝臟和頭頸部癌症。[1.2]
Maritech®褐藻醣膠已被證明可降低卵巢癌細胞TOV-112D的生長。在小鼠實驗中，攝取Maritech®褐藻醣膠可使該腫瘤細胞的生長減少高達33％。[10]
一項結腸癌研究發現，使用褐藻糖膠的組別，相對於對照組降低了6倍的腫瘤重量，而壽命增加高達100％。(LMWF：低分子量褐藻糖膠；IMWF：中分子量褐藻糖膠；HMWF：高分子量褐藻糖膠。)[11]
除了癌細胞的直接抑制和免疫清除，研究還發現，褐藻糖膠可抑制淋巴管生成，有效降低癌細胞轉移的機率。[12]另外還可以透過抑制腫瘤細胞的黏附，影響癌細胞的增殖和轉移。[13]
▼使用褐藻糖膠降低轉移癌細胞(migrated cells)的數目
褐藻醣膠 抗癌功效3 減少癌症化療副作用
對於癌症患者，除了成功治癒，維持良好的生活品質更是癌症病患所重視的。人們越來越關注褐藻糖膠對於改善生活品質和改善傳統癌症治療副作用的潛力。
最近一項褐藻糖膠與常用癌症化學療法(化療)共同施用的臨床研究表明，口服褐藻糖膠不會改變乳腺癌患者常用藥物的血清水平，在一些患者中，還觀察到癌症化療副作用的減少。[14]
在另一項研究中，接受化療的結腸癌患者服用褐藻糖膠後疲勞減輕，且能承受更多次的療程。[15]
褐藻醣膠的攝取還可減少常伴隨化療發生的惡病質，避免癌症期間的虛弱、肌肉萎縮和脂肪流失。
▼小鼠腓腸肌(Normal:正常小鼠；Tumor:膀胱癌小鼠；TGC:使用化療治療；TGCF化療藥物結合褐藻醣膠)，可發現使用褐藻糖膠結合化療，可減少小鼠肌肉流失。[16]
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