Algae cancer prevention? Many drugs that have long been used in cancer therapy and in the field of health protection are of phytochemical origin. Marine organisms represent a source of bioactive products with beneficial effects including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, differentiating, anticancer and antiangiogenic activities. In particular, diatom microalgae are of great pharmaceutical and nutraceutical interest. Surprisingly, however, only a few dozen drugs and supplements of marine origin are used. Yet very interesting substances are hidden in algae and organisms of our sea.
In a study led by researchers Adriana Albini (IEO-Milan), Christophe Brunet and Clementina Sansone (SZN-Stazione Zoologica “Anton Dohrn”-Naples) and Douglas M. Noonan (University of Insubria), being published in the journal Cells, the potential chemopreventive and anti-angiogenic activities of an extract from the coastal marine diatom Skeletonema marinoi (Sm) on prostate cancer cells were tested by studying the mechanisms of reduction of proliferation and blockage of angiogenesis. Among those responsible for the bioactivity found is the pigment Fucoxanthin (Fuco), one of the main carotenoids (derivatives of vitamin A) of the diatom. Seaweed extract and pure Fuco are able to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells and hinder the formation of the vascular network of endothelial cells. Fuco manages to modulate inflammation by lowering the levels of expression of the molecules, studied as RNA and as proteins, which activate the system. This study is part of the ADViSE – Antitumor Drugs and Vaccines from the Sea project coordinated by
Professor Angelo Fontana Director of the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry of the CNR in Naples.
The young researchers Luana Calabrone, Valentina Carlini and Danilo Morelli of IRCCS MultiMedica with Luigi Pistelli of SZN have collaborated on the research just completed.
Fuco has been studied in other laboratories for applications against hepatic steatosis, obesity and metabolic syndrome precisely because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and its efficacy has recently been discovered in three in vitro models of neurodegeneration representative of the Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.
Another seaweed that contains a lot of Fucoxanthin is the Undaria Pinnatifida which is considered as invasive, for example of the Venetian Lagoon, and could, instead, represent a nutraceutical source.
Our study confirmed that marine algae and microalgae may be potentially relevant sources of novel nutraceuticals, providing insights for potential dietary intervention or dietary supplements in cancer and other complex disease prevention approaches. Health comes from the sea!
The data will be presented in the coming days at the Annual Meeting of the AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) in Orlando (USA)