Carrageenan and sulfatase activity in human cells
What it found
In lab tests on human intestinal and breast cells, carrageenan reduced the activity of several sulfatase enzymes and increased the amount of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Sulfatase activity falls
In human colonic and mammary cells, carrageenan exposure significantly lowered the activity of several sulfatases, including ARSB, ARSA, GALNS, IDS, STS, heparan sulfamidase and SULF-1,2. Lambda-carrageenan had the greatest effect and iota-carrageenan the least.
Enzyme protein unchanged
The amount of sulfatase protein and gene expression did not change significantly after carrageenan exposure, suggesting the effect is on enzyme function rather than how much enzyme is made.
GAGs increase
Cells exposed to carrageenan had markedly higher total GAG content than unexposed cells. Sulfated GAG and chondroitin-4-sulfate levels also rose significantly.
New disaccharides appear
After carrageenan exposure, GAGs contained di-sulfated chondroitin sulfate disaccharides (CSD and CSE) that were not present in unexposed cells. Heparan sulfate disaccharides also changed, with new forms appearing.
What the authors conclude
“Exposure to the common food additive significantly reduced the activity of multiple sulfatase enzymes in human colonic and mammary epithelial cells.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that exposure to carrageenan significantly reduces the activity of multiple sulfatase enzymes in human colonic and mammary epithelial cells.
- They say these changes are accompanied by a marked increase in cellular GAGs and altered GAG composition.
- They advise that these effects may impact vital cell processes and that further analysis may provide new insights into how GAG sulfation and sulfatases influence cell fate.
How it was done
Carrageenan is a highly sulfated food additive that resembles the body's own sulfated GAGs. The authors wanted to see whether carrageenan affects sulfatase enzymes, which remove sulfate groups from GAGs.
They grew human intestinal and mammary epithelial cell lines, including normal and cancer cells, and exposed them to lambda, kappa or iota carrageenan at 1 microgram per millilitre for 4 to 6 days. They measured sulfatase enzyme activity, GAG amounts and GAG disaccharide composition, and compared exposed cells with unexposed cells grown at the same time.
What it can’t tell you
- These are lab tests on human cells grown in dishes, not studies in people. They cannot show what happens when someone eats carrageenan.
- The cells were exposed to carrageenan directly for a few days. This does not reflect how carrageenan is digested and absorbed in the body.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NIGMS NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA
The paper
- Title
- Exposure to common food additive carrageenan leads to reduced sulfatase activity and increase in sulfated glycosaminoglycans in human epithelial cells
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Yang B, Bhattacharyya S, Linhardt R, Tobacman J (2012). Exposure to common food additive carrageenan leads to reduced sulfatase activity and increase in sulfated glycosaminoglycans in human epithelial cells. Biochimie. doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2012.02.031Free full textPubMed 22410212DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error