Bioprospecção em algas subantárticas no estudo do tratamento do câncer de bexiga

Abstract

Macroalgae are important reservoir of biomolecules with biotechnological and pharmaceutical interest, and the contents may vary as these organisms establish metabolic responses face to the biotic and abiotic conditions. In recent years, the number of studies that seek to investigate the behavior of macroalgae polysaccharides and lipids as antitumor therapy has increased. The Magellan ecoregion, located in the sub-Antarctic portion of Chile, is marked as a high latitude continental portion with low photoperiod in winter and high in summer. Variations between species and season may influence their reproductive status and biomass and, therefore, their prospecting in food, cosmetological or pharmacological use. This study aimed to investigate in the literature the antitumor structure and activity of fucoidan, a sulphated polysaccharide, and its action on bladder cancer (BC). The second objective of this study was to determine the fatty acid profile (FAs) of the Mazzaella laminarioides subanthartic macroalgae in the vegetative, tetrasporophytic and cystocarpic developmental phases in winter and summer and to evaluate the antitumor activity of these FAs against T24 bladder tumor cells. The findings point to a favorable response to the use of polysaccharides and lipids derived from macroalgae in BC. Literature data point to fucoidans as strategic molecules in antineoplastic therapy in BC, as they have antiproliferative, antiangiogenic and antimetastatic activity, as well as reducing toxicity and producing fewer side effects when combined with conventional chemotherapy. Nineteen FAs were found on sub- Antarctic macroalgae M. laminarioides, and the composition varied according to the reproductive status and the season in which the algae were collected. The cytotoxic activity of these FAs was evaluated in T24 BC cells, whose cell viability decreased in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The most significant cytotoxic activity of FAs, as well as the highest chromatin condensation observed by DAPI staining, was observed at a concentration of 200 μg/mL within 48 h. Taken together, the results indicate that macroalgae-derived polysaccharides and lipids have the potential to reduce proliferation in BC cells, as well as prospecting the Chilean sub- Antarctic region as favorable in obtaining high-biotechnological macroalgae.