The present study investigated the anti-hyperglycemic properties and mechanisms of fucoidan, isolated from Cucumaria frondosa (Cf-FUC), in insulin resistant mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed regular diet or high-fat/high-sucrose diet for 19 weeks. Model animals were dietary administrated either rosiglitazone (RSG, 1 mg/kg.bw), fucoidan (Cf-FUC, 80 mg/kg.bw) or their combinations. Results showed that Cf-FUC significantly reduced fasting blood glucose and insulin levels, and enhanced glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance in insulin-resistant mice. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that Cf-FUC increased the mRNA expressions of insulin receptors (IR), insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), phosphatidylinositol 3 Kinase (PI3K), protein Kinase B (PKB), and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4). Western blot assays demonstrated that Cf-FUC showed no effect on total protein expression but nevertheless enhanced the phosphorylation of proteins listed above and increased translocation of GLUT4 to the cell membrane. Furthermore, Cf-FUC enhanced the effects of RSG. These results indicated that Cf-FUC exhibited significant anti-hyperglycemic effects via activating PI3K/PKB pathway and GLUT4 in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. 2015, The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. All rights reserved.