Abstract
Spirulina platensis (SP) is a blue-green microalga that has recently raised attention not only as a nutritional component, but also as a source of bioactivities that have therapeutic effects and may find application in medicine, including cancer treatment. In the present study we determined the cytotoxic effect of S. platensis filtrates (SPF) on human colon cancer cell line Caco-2. Three concentrations of SPF were tested—1.25%, 2.5%, and 5% (v/v). We have found that the highest concentration of SPF exerts the strongest anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effect on Caco-2 cultures. The SPF negatively affected the morphology of Caco-2 causing colony shrinking and significant inhibition of metabolic and proliferative activity of cells. The wound-healing assay showed that the SPF impaired migratory capabilities of Caco-2. This observation was consistent with lowered mRNA levels for metalloproteinases. Furthermore, SPF decreased the transcript level of pro-survival genes (cyclin D1, surviving, and c-Myc) and reduced the autocrine secretion of Wnt-10b. The cytotoxic effect of SPF involved the modulation of the Bax and Bcl-2 ratio and a decrease of mitochondrial activity, and was related with increased levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO). Moreover, the SPF also caused an increased number of cells in the apoptotic sub-G0 phase and up-regulated expression of mir-145, simultaneously decreasing expression of mir-17 and 146. Obtained results indicate that SPF can be considered as an agent with anti-cancer properties that may be used for colon cancer prevention and treatment.
Highlights
Micro- and macro-algal extracts have become important sources of bioactive molecules with anti-cancer properties [1,2,3,4]
We examined the effect of S. platensis filtrates (SPF) on the morphology and proliferation activity of Caco-2 cells, after 24 and 72 h of culture (Figure 1)
We concluded several critical links which might have influence on apoptosis of colon cancer cell line Caco-2 treated with Spirulina platensis filtrates
Summary
Micro- and macro-algal extracts have become important sources of bioactive molecules with anti-cancer properties [1,2,3,4] Their cytotoxic effect was established for various cancer cell lines, for example, human hepatocarcinoma cell line (HepG2) [5], human breast carcinoma cell line (MCF-7) [6], and human colon carcinoma cell lines, including Caco-2 [7,8,9]. Mar. Drugs 2017, 15, 65 lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes [7,8]; (ii) antiviral activity, like inhibition of HIV replication [9]; (iii) positive influence on nutritional status of HIV-infected children [10] and (iv) improvement of lung function of patients with asthma [11]. This contributes to the great possibilities in potential pharmacological application of algal bioactives
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