Carrageenant

(Chrondus crispus, Irish Moss)

Clinical Studies Summary

Carrageenan is a water-soluble sulphated polysaccharide extracted from red seaweed (Chrondus crispus).  It is an important potential microbicide (a substance that protects the body from infection by micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi).  Microbicides work by either destroying such micro-organisms or preventing them from establishing an infection.

Scientific studies suggest that Carregeenan may protect cells from becoming infected with many viruses, including HIV.  It has shown potential uses for the prevention of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as in hepatitis and in curing ulcers...

Recent research has shown Carrageenan to strongly inhibit human papillomavirus – a sexually transmitted disease known to cause cervical cancer – from entering human cells.  Researchers also note that although lab tests have shown some strains of HIV and herpes as vulnerable to carrageenan, genital HPV appears about a thousand-fold more susceptible to the compound.

 
Clinical Studies Summary

"Sulfated Homopolysaccharides with Immunomodulating Activities are More Potent Anti-HTLV-III Agents than Sulfated Heteropolysaccharides"

by Mizumoto et al.
Japanese Journal of Experimental Medicine 58(3): 145-151, 1988

Sulfated homopolysaccharides, including cellulose sulfate, dextran sulfate and carrageenans, were shown to inhibit the growth of human T cell lymphotropic virus type III.

"Purification and Characterization of an Avian Myeloblastosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor, Sulfated Polysaccharides Extracted from Sea Algae"
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 31(10):1524-1528, 1987

by Nakashima et al.

The above study described a member of the lambda carrageenan family that had an
inhibitory effect on reverse transcriptase activity of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and suppressed replication of the virus in vitro.

"Antiviral activity of carrageenan on hepatitis A virus replication in cell culture"
Research in Virology 142: 261-270, 1991

by Girond et al.

This study found that sulphated polysaccharides such as iota-, kappa-, and lambda-carrageenan showed a potent inhibitory effect on the replication of hepatitis A virus (HAV), a non-enveloped virus, in a human hepatoma cell line.

Iota- and lambda-carrageenan were shown to be especially effective at inhibiting HAV antigen expression and infectivity.