Macroalgas de Shetland do Sul – Antártica: perfil de ácidos graxos e potencial citotoxidade em linhagens celulares de tumor de mama

Abstract

Macroalgae are important source of compounds with biological activities, such as fatty acids. The Antarctic continet has large aggregations of macroalgae, however, in a little variety compared to tropical regions. Novertheless, Antarctic macroalgae are poorly studied, specially with regard to its bioactivities. In this study, the fatty acid profile of four Antarctic macroalgae collected from in South Shetland Islands were analyzed by gas chromatography flame ionization detector and their potential cytotoxicity against breast cancer cell lines was evaluated. A total of 23 fatty acids were detected, of which 9 were saturated, 5 were monounsaturated and 9 were polyunsaturated fatty acids. The most notable result found in this study was the vast identification of PUFA, with values ranging from 61.04% to 70.79%. Furthemore, fatty acids of some macroalgae induce the growth inhibition in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells with concentration of 100 µg mL-1 after 48 hours of treatment. The mechanism of cell death was assessed, demonstrating a possible death by apoptosis. We found that both the Adenocystis utricularis and Sarcothalia papillosa macroalgae have fatty acids that deserve to more studies about the potential cytotoxicity of these compounds.