L-Fucose is a promising gerotherapeutic drug

Abstract

Current testing of anti-aging therapeutics has relied heavily on the ability of a candidate compound to extend lifespan in animal models, with less emphasis on enhancing resilience to aging and increasing health span. The consequences of this approach mean many clinically relevant compounds will be missed. An example is L-Fucose, which is a single-ring sugar found as the primary component of fucoidan concentrated in brown seaweed. Despite the lack of dedicated studies to determine effect of L-Fucose on lifespan, examination of the literature and unpublished observations show L-Fucose successfully modulates multiple pathways of aging. These include a reduction in inflammation and reactive oxygen species, enhanced lipid metabolism and wound healing, as well as modulating phenotypes in models of neurodegenerative disease and cancer. In addition, L-Fucose is orally bioavailable and well tolerated. Due to the diverse and robust effects of L-Fucose, its inclusion in single or combinatorial gerotherapeutic studies on aging interventions should be strongly prioritized.

Keywords: Gerotherapeutic, L-Fucose, aging intervention, resilience to aging, health span, aging pathways