Fucose appears to inhibit cancer growth
and metastasis. For example, fucose
inhibited rat mammary tumor cell growth in
vitro. Different concentrations of fucose
uniformly produced a suppression in the
growth rate and a change in the morphology
of cells grown in tissue culture.33 Fucose
also inhibited mouse tumor cell-induced
platelet aggregation, a process important
in cancer cell metastasis.34 A natural
product derivative of fucose
(2-deoxy-L-fucose) inhibited leukemia and
mammary tumor cell growth in cell culture
systems in vitro.35 Injection of 600 mg
fucose in rats with a chemically-induced
mammary tumor resulted in suppressed tumor
growth, and serum and tumor levels of
fucose were increased in the treated
animals.36 This result was repeated when
fucose was infused intravenously in this
same rat cancer model.37 38 After 23 days
of continuous intravenous infusion of
fucose in rats, bone marrow, liver,
kidney, and spleen were normal
microscopically.38
