Chlorella sorokiniana induces mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer cells and inhibits xenograft tumor growth in vivo

Using nanotechnology to progress the utilization of marine natural products in combating multidrug resistance in cancer: A prospective strategy

Achieving targeted, customized, and combination therapies with clarity of the involved molecular pathways is crucial in the treatment as well as overcoming multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer. Nanotechnology has emerged as an innovative and promising approach to address the problem of drug resistance. Developing nano-formulation-based therapies using therapeutic agents poses a synergistic effect to overcome MDR in cancer. In this review, we aimed to highlight the important pathways involved in the progression of MDR in cancer mediated through nanotechnology-based approaches that have been employed to circumvent them in recent years. Here, we also discussed the potential use of marine metabolites to treat MDR in cancer, utilizing active drug-targeting nanomedicine-based techniques to enhance selective drug accumulation in cancer cells. The discussion also provides future insights for developing complex targeted, multistage responsive nanomedical drug delivery systems for effective cancer treatments. We propose more combinational studies and their validation for the possible marine-based nanoformulations for future development.

Etiology of lung carcinoma and treatment through medicinal plants, marine plants and green synthesized nanoparticles: A comprehensive review

Lung cancer, a leading global cause of mortality, poses a significant public health challenge primarily linked to tobacco use. While tobacco contributes to over 90% of cases, factors like dietary choices and radiation exposure also play a role. Despite potential benefits from early detection, cancer patients face hurdles, including drug resistance, chemotherapy side effects, high treatment costs, and limited healthcare access. Traditional medicinal plant knowledge has recently unveiled diverse cancer chemopreventive agents from terrestrial and marine sources. These phytochemicals regulate intricate molecular processes, influencing the immune system, apoptosis, cell cycle, proliferation, carcinogen elimination, and antioxidant levels. In pursuing cutting-edge strategies to combat the diverse forms of cancer, technological advancements have spurred innovative approaches. Researchers have focused on the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles using plant metabolites. This method offers distinct advantages over conventional physical and chemical synthesis techniques, such as cost-effectiveness, biocompatibility, and energy efficiency. Metallic nanoparticles, through various pathways such as the generation of reactive oxygen species, modulation of enzyme activity, DNA fragmentation, disruption of signaling pathways, perturbation of cell membranes, and interference with mitochondrial function resulting in DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis, exhibit significant potential for preventive applications. Thus, the amalgamation of phytocompounds and metallic nanoparticles holds promise as a novel approach to lung cancer therapy. However, further refinements and advancements are necessary to enhance the environmentally friendly process of metallic nanoparticle synthesis.

Emerging technologies and potential applications of algae in dentistry - A critical review

Algae are effective predecessors of nutrient foods and preventive drugs, gaining global attraction in recent years. It exhibits potent antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-glycemic, and cholesterol-lowering properties due to their richness in highly valuable secondary metabolites. Nevertheless, algae produce valuable bioproducts, its application in dentistry is in its primitive stage. This review focuses on the emergence and emerging role of micro/macroalgae as a natural source of therapeutic, preventive, and biocompatible agents in dentistry. Several studies unveiled that Cyanobacteria, Spirulina, and Chlorella species offer high oral antibacterial and antifungal properties compared to gold standard agents. The characteristic of algae to scavenge superoxide and hydroxyl free radicals, fabricate them as an anti-oxidative and anti-cancer agent. Either alone or by synergism with pinnacle therapies they are found to produce promising curative actions against periodontitis by embattling proinflammatory cytokines. Technologies extend the functions of microalgae as a detoxifying agent, potent drug delivery system, and adjunct regenerative material in chronic periodontitis. Its application as thickening, binding, anticariogenic agent in toothpaste, antibacterial agent in mouthwash, and biocompatible agent in dental impression materials remains very primitive. Low-cost and eco-friendly technologies are needed for the production of oral hygiene products using algal biomass.

Recent advances in microbial toxin-related strategies to combat cancer

It is a major concern to treat cancer successfully, due to the distinctive pathophysiology of cancer cells and the gradual manifestation of resistance. Specific action, adverse effects and development of resistance has prompted the urgent requirement of exploring alternative anti-tumour treatment therapies. The naturally derived microbial toxins as a therapy against cancer cells are a promisingly new dimension. Various important microbial toxins such as Diphtheria toxin, Vibrio cholera toxin, Aflatoxin, Patulin, Cryptophycin-55, Chlorella are derived from several bacterial, fungal and algal species. These agents act on different biotargets such as inhibition of protein synthesis, reduction in cell growth, regulation of cell cycle and many cellular processes. Bacterial toxins produce actions primarily by targeting protein moieties and some immunomodulation and few acts through DNA. Fungal toxins appear to have more DNA damaging activity and affect the cell cycle. Algal toxins produce alteration in mitochondrial phosphorylation. In conclusion, microbial toxins and their metabolites appear to have a great potential to provide a promising option for the treatment and management to combat cancer.

Marine Compounds, Mitochondria, and Malignancy: A Therapeutic Nexus

The marine environment is important yet generally underexplored. It contains new sources of functional constituents that can affect various pathways in food processing, storage, and fortification. Bioactive secondary metabolites produced by marine microorganisms may have significant potential applications for humans. Various components isolated from disparate marine microorganisms, including fungi, microalgae, bacteria, and myxomycetes, showed considerable biological effects, such as anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, and neuroprotective activities. Growing studies are revealing that potential anticancer effects of marine agents could be achieved through the modulation of several organelles. Mitochondria are known organelles that influence growth, differentiation, and death of cells via influencing the biosynthetic, bioenergetic, and various signaling pathways related to oxidative stress and cellular metabolism. Consequently, mitochondria play an essential role in tumorigenesis and cancer treatments by adapting to alterations in environmental and cellular conditions. The growing interest in marine-derived anticancer agents, combined with the development and progression of novel technology in the extraction and cultures of marine life, led to revelations of new compounds with meaningful pharmacological applications. This is the first critical review on marine-derived anticancer agents that have the potential for targeting mitochondrial function during tumorigenesis. This study aims to provide promising strategies in cancer prevention and treatment.

How Microalgae is Effective in Oxygen Deficiency Aggravated Diseases? A Comprehensive Review of Literature

Hypoxia can aggravate the conditions of many oxygen-deficiency-aggravated diseases (ODAD), such as cancer, ischemic heart disease, and chronic wounds. Photosynthetic microalgae can alleviate the hepatotoxicity of the local microenvironment by producing oxygen. In addition, microalgae extracts have antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant effects. These properties make them attractive candidates for developing methods to treat ODAD. Although researchers have exploited the advantages of microalgae and developed a variety of microalgae-based biomaterials to treat ODAD, a comprehensive review of this topic has not been presented previously. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the development and progress made in the field of developing microalgae-based biomaterials toward the treatment of ODAD. The challenges and prospects of this field are also discussed.

Anti-Gastric Cancer Activity of the Cell-free Culture Supernatant of Serofluid Dish and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YT013

Cancer is second only to heart disease as a cause of death, despite improvements in its early diagnosis and precision medicine. Due to the limitations of commonly used anticancer methods such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, biological therapy, especially probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria, has received widespread attention. Lactobacillus has been proven to inhibit the proliferation of a variety of cancer cells. In this work, the effects of the cell-free culture supernatant of serofluid dish (CCS1) and the cell-free culture supernatant of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YT013 (CCS2) isolated from serofluid dish on AGS, HCT116, HepG2 and PANC-1 cells were investigated. Based on the CCK-8 assay, CCS1 and CCS2 were shown to suppress the growth of cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC₅₀ values of CCS2 of AGS, HCT116, HepG2 and PANC-1 cells were 346.51 ± 35.28, 1207.69 ± 333.18, 650.94 ± 123.78 and 808.96 ± 126.27 μg/ml, respectively. In addition, the results of fluorescence microscopy showed that CCS2 changed cell morphology and treated with CCS2 (200, 400 and 800 μg/ml) for 48 h, AGS cell apoptosis was quantitatively surveyed by flow cytometry, showing 25.0, 34.1, and 42.6% total apoptotic cells. Moreover, western blotting confirmed that BAX, BAD and Caspase-3/8/9 were significantly upregulated and that BCL-2 was significantly downregulated in AGS cells treated with CCS2. These results indicated that CCS2 might lead to apoptosis via the endogenous mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. In summary, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YT013 may be considered a good candidate for anticancer therapies.

Anti-lung Cancer Marine Compounds: A Review

Lung cancer is one of the most common and lethal cancers in human beings. Lung cancer has been divided into two major types: small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Current drugs suffer from various side effects, and the insufficient efficacy of present treatments creates a desire for better more efficient new drugs. This review compares the diversity of marine-derived bioactive compounds from different marine species. Some of the natural products from marine resources are in different stages of clinical trials. By the way, most of them have been studied in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, in this review, the mechanisms of action of marine-derived anti-lung cancer components on lung cancer cell lines have been reviewed. In addition, considering growing rate and the high costs of cancer research, attention must be paid to some aspects of targeting and developing anti-lung cancer drug. In better words, like the other therapeutic strategies that have their particular challenges and weak points, several challenges about marine-derived anti-lung cancer components which exist for scientists for doing research are explained. Moreover, as the attentions in the field of cancer therapy are focused on designing and developing new anticancer strategies for the treatment of cancer in the future, the application of marine-derived anti-lung cancer components in the field of future cancer therapy and their role in future anticancer strategies are briefly discussed.

A Lipidated Peptide with Mitochondrial Membrane Localization in Human A549 Lung Cells: From Enhanced Cell-Penetrating Properties to Biological Activity Mechanism

Here, a lipidated peptide Pal-pHK-pKV with self-assembly properties and the ability to provoke the disruption of the mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel-1 protein (VDAC1)-hexokinase-II (HK-II) complex is reported. The effects of the peptide pHK (N-terminal 15-amino acid fragment of HK-II that specifically binds VDAC1) are compared to those of a designed biomimetic amphiphilic pHK-pKV conjugate (pHK coupled with a cell-penetrating peptide pKV) and Pal-pHK-pKV (a lipidated conjugate modified with a hydrophobic palmitic (Pal) alkyl chain). The Pal-pHK-pKV exhibits a stronger interaction with the membrane as compared to pHK-pKV, which is demonstrated by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique and two-photon excitation microscopy. The amphiphilic peptide derivatives are cytotoxic to the A549 cells, but Pal-pHK-pKV is more cytotoxic. The inhibitory effects of the pHK derivatives on the A549 cells growth are investigated through induced apoptosis pathway, depolarized mitochondrial membrane potential, inhibited glycolysis, and activated caspase. The results of the immunofluorescence evidence the specific mitochondrial targeting by those derivatives.

Production and structure prediction of amylases from Chlorella vulgaris

Amylases are enzymes required for starch degradation and are naturally produced by many microorganisms. These enzymes are used in several fields such as food processing, beverage, and medicine as well as in the formulation of enzymatic detergents proving their significance in modern biotechnology. In this study, a three-stage growth mode was applied to enhance starch production and amylase detection from Chlorella vulgaris. Stress conditions applied in the second stage of cultivation led to an accumulation of proteins (75% DW) and starch (21% DW) and a decrease in biomass. Amylase activities were detected and they showed high production levels especially on day 3 (35 U/ml) and day 5 (22.5 U/ml) of the second and third stages, respectively. The bioinformatic tools used to seek amylase protein sequences from TSA database of C. vulgaris revealed 7 putative genes encoding for 4 α-amylases, 2 β-amylases, and 1 isoamylase. An in silico investigation showed that these proteins are different in their lengths as well as in their cellular localizations and oligomeric states though they share common features like CSRs of GH13 family or active site of GH14 family. In brief, this study allowed for the production and in silico characterization of amylases from C. vulgaris.

Evaluation of antioxidant and anticancer activity of crude extract and different fractions of Chlorella vulgaris axenic culture grown under various concentrations of copper ions

Background

Chlorella vulgaris is a microalga potentially used for pharmaceutical, animal feed, food supplement, aquaculture and cosmetics. The current study aims to study the antioxidant and prooxidant effect of Chlorella vulgaris cultivated under various conc. of copper ions.

Methods

The axenic green microalgal culture of Chlorella vulgaris was subjected to copper stress conditions (0.00, 0.079, 0.158, 0.316 and 0.632 mg/L). The growth rate was measured at OD₆₈₀ nm and by dry weight (DW). Moreover, the Antioxidant activity against DPPH and ABTS radical, pigments and phytochemical compounds of the crude extracts (methylene chloride: Methanol, 1:1) were evaluated. The promising Cu crude extract (0.316 mg/L) further fractionated into twenty-one fractions by silica gel column chromatography using hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate as a mobile phase.

Results

The obtained results reported that nine out of these fractions exhibited more than 50% antioxidant activity and anticancer activity against Hela cancer cell lines. Based on IC₅₀, fraction No. 7 was found to be the most effective fraction possessing a significant increase in both antioxidant and anticancer potency. Separation of active compound (s) in fraction No 7 was performed using precoated silica gel plates (TLC F₂₅₄) with ethyl acetate: hexane (9:1 v/v) as mobile phase. Confirmation of active compound separation was achieved by two-dimensional TLC and visualization of the separated compound by UV lamp. The complete identification of the separated active compound was performed by UV- Vis- spectrophotometric absorption, IR, MS, H¹-NMRT C¹³-NMR. The isolated compound ((2E,7R,11R)-3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecenol) have high antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ (10.59 μg/ml) against DPPH radical assay and comparable to the capacities of the positive controls, Butylated hydroxy toluene [BHT] (IC₅₀ 11.2 μg/ml) and Vitamin C (IC₅₀ 12.9 μg/ml). Furthermore, pure isolated compound exhibited a potent anticancer activity against Hela cell line with IC₅₀ (4.38 μg/ml) compared to Doxorubicin (DOX) as synthetic drug (13.3 μg/ml). In addition, the interaction of the pure compound with Hela cancer cell line and gene expression were evaluated.

Conclusions

The authors recommend cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris in large scale under various stress conditions for use the crude extracts and semi purified fractions for making a pharmaco-economic value in Egypt and other countries.

Evaluation of the anti-bacterial activity of methanolic extract of Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck [Beijerinck] with special reference to antioxidant modulation

Background

The natural antioxidants from Chlorella have potent therapeutic implication in several diseases. However, the anti-bacterial activity and their molecular mode of action have not been investigated yet. The present study focussed on the assessment of antioxidant potential as well as free radical scavenging activity such as DPPH, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion radical assay of Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck [Beijerinck] (BUACC25) isolated from marine habitat. Furthermore, the anti-bacterial activity and their molecular mode of action have been evaluated.

Results

In the present study, the preliminary phytochemical screening of methanolic algal extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, proteins, terpenoids, saponins, coumarin, phenols, and tannins, which was confirmed by in an UV-visible and FT-IR spectroscopy, indicated the distinct spectral peaks. The methanolic algal extract was found to be rich in phenolic content (45 ± 0.06 mg GAE g−1) and flavonoid content (470 ± 0.25 mg of RUE g−1). Furthermore, the methanolic extract was revealed potent antioxidant scavenging activity to scavenge various free radicals with minimum IC50 values of DPPH, hydroxyl, H2O2, superoxide 2.82 ± 0.30, 2.30 ± 0.25, 3.24 ± 0.32, and 3.15 ± 0.02 μg ml−1 respectively. Furthermore, the methanolic extract of C. vulgaris exhibited potent anti-bacterial activity which was evident with the reduction in cfu × 107/ml and % of cell viability. Mechanistically, reduction of SOD, CAT, and GSH activity provoked ROS-mediated cell death after drug treatment. Moreover, in combination with norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin, methanolic extract of C. vulgaris demonstrated enhanced anti-bacterial activity with an evident reduction in cfu/ml and % of cell viability.

Conclusion

This study advocates that C. vulgaris (BUACC25) has promising antioxidant activity owing to the presence of phenolic and flavonoids evidenced by scavenging of DPPH, hydroxyl, H2O2, and superoxide radicals. In addition to this, it sustained anti-microbial activity against E. coli through modulation of SOD, CAT, and GSH. This study carved a path for uncovering a better therapeutic agent against disease-causing bacterial pathogens.

Cyanobacteria and Microalgae as Sources of Functional Foods to Improve Human General and Oral Health

In the scenario of promising sources of functional foods and preventive drugs, microalgae and cyanobacteria are attracting global attention. In this review, the current and future role of microalgae as natural sources of functional foods for human health and, in particular, for oral health has been reported and discussed in order to provide an overview on the state of art on microalgal effects on human oral health. It is well known that due to their richness in high-valuable products, microalgae offer good anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumoral, anti-glycemic, cholesterol-lowering, and antimicrobial activity. Moreover, the findings of the present research show that microalgae could also have a significant impact on oral health: several studies agree on the potential application of microalgae for oral cancer prevention as well as for the treatment of chronic periodontitis and different oral diseases with microbial origin. Thus, beneficial effects of microalgae could be implemented in different medical fields. Microalgae and cyanobacteria could represent a potential natural alternative to antibiotic, antiviral, or antimycotic therapies, as well as a good supplement for the prevention and co-adjuvant treatment of different oral diseases. Nevertheless, more studies are required to identify strains of interest, increase overall functioning, and make safe, effective products available for the whole population.

Anti-proliferation and apoptosis-inducing effects of sodium aescinate on retinoblastoma Y79 cells

AIM

To investigate the anti-proliferation and apoptosis-inducing effects of sodium aescinate (SA) on retinoblastoma Y79 cells and its mechanism.

METHODS

Y79 cells were cultured at different drug concentrations for different periods of time (24, 48, and 72h). The inhibitory effect of SA on proliferation of Y79 cells was detected by the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, and the morphology of Y79 cells in each group was observed under an inverted microscope. An IC50 of 48h was selected for subsequent experiments. After pretreatment with SA for 24 and 48h, cellular DNA distribution and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. Real-time qunatitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot were used to assess changes in related genes (CDK1, CyclinB1, Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-9, caspase-8, and caspase-3).

RESULTS

SA inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of Y79 cells in a time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner. Following its intervention in the cell cycle pathway, SA can inhibit the expression of CDK1 and CyclinB1 at the mRNA and protein levels, and block cells in the G2/M phase. In caspase-related apoptotic pathways, up-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2 caused caspase-9 to self-cleave and further activate caspase-3. What's more, the caspase-8-mediated extrinsic apoptosis pathway was activated, and the activated caspase-8 was released into the cytoplasm to activate caspase-3, which as a member of the downstream apoptotic effect group, initiates a caspase-cascade reaction that induces cell apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

SA inhibits the proliferation of Y79 cells by arresting the cell cycle at the G2/M phase, and induces apoptosis via the caspase-related apoptosis pathway, indicating that SA may have promising potential as a chemotherapeutic drug.

Microalgal metabolites as anti-cancer/anti-oxidant agents reduce cytotoxicity of elevated silver nanoparticle levels against non-cancerous vero cells

Heavy metal pollution has become a major concern globally as it contaminates eco-system, water networks and as finely suspended particles in air. In this study, the effects of elevated silver nanoparticle (AgNPs) levels as a model system of heavy metals, in the presence of microalgal crude extracts (MCEs) at different ratios, were evaluated against the non-cancerous Vero cells, and the cancerous MCF-7 and 4T1 cells. The MCEs were developed from water (W) and ethanol (ETH) as green solvents. The AgNPs-MCEs-W at the 4:1 and 5:1 ratios (v/v) after 48 and 72 h treatment, respectively, showed the IC50 values of 83.17-95.49 and 70.79-91.20 μg/ml on Vero cells, 13.18-28.18 and 12.58-25.7 μg/ml on MCF-7; and 16.21-33.88 and 14.79-26.91 μg/ml on 4T1 cells. In comparison, the AgNPs-MCEs-ETH formulation achieved the IC50 values of 56.23-89.12 and 63.09-91.2 μg/ml on Vero cells, 10.47-19.95 and 13.48-26.61 μg/ml on MCF-7; 14.12-50.11 and 15.13-58.88 μg/ml on 4T1 cells, respectively. After 48 and 72 h treatment, the AgNPs-MCE-CHL at the 4:1 and 5:1 ratios exhibited the IC50 of 51.28-75.85 and 48.97-69.18 μg/ml on Vero cells, and higher cytotoxicity at 10.47-16.98 and 6.19-14.45 μg/ml against MCF-7 cells, and 15.84-31.62 and 12.58-24.54 μg/ml on 4T1 cells, respectively. The AgNPs-MCEs-W and ETH resulted in low apoptotic events in the Vero cells after 24 h, but very high early and late apoptotic events in the cancerous cells. The Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Electrospray Ionization (LC-MS-ESI) metabolite profiling of the MCEs exhibited 64 metabolites in negative ion and 56 metabolites in positive ion mode, belonging to different classes. The microalgal metabolites, principally the anti-oxidative components, could have reduced the toxicity of the AgNPs against Vero cells, whilst retaining the cytotoxicity against the cancerous cells.

Inhibition of HtrA2 alleviates inflammatory response and cell apoptosis in lipopolysaccharide‑induced acute pneumonia in rats

Pneumonia is one of the commonest causes of death worldwide. High-temperature requirement A2 (HtrA2) is a proapoptotic mitochondrial serine protease involved in caspase-dependent or caspase-independent cell apoptosis. UCF-101 (5-[5-(2-nitrophenyl) furfuryl iodine]-1,3-diphenyl-2-thiobarbituric acid), an inhibitor of HtrA2, has a protective effect on organs in various diseases by inhibiting cell apoptosis. The aim of the present study was to explore whether UCF-101 has a protective effect on lungs in pneumonia. A lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pneumonia model was established in rats. UCF-101 (2 µmol/kg) was used for treatment. Lung injury was detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress-related factors were detected using corresponding test kits. TUNEL staining was used to measure the amount of cell apoptosis. Apoptosis-associated proteins were detected by western blot assay. The present study indicated pulmonary injury induced by LPS. Treatment with UCF-101 clearly alleviated this pulmonary damage and restored the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress-related factors. In addition, UCF-101 significantly reduced LPS-induced cell apoptosis, the release of HtrA2 and cytochrome from mitochondria to the cytoplasm and inhibited the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins. UCF-101 also restored the ATP level. The present results demonstrated that UCF-101 acts as a positive regulator of acute pneumonia by inhibiting inflammatory response, oxidative stress and mitochondrial apoptosis. The present study suggests UCF-101 as a potential candidate for pneumonia therapy.

Omics for Bioprospecting and Drug Discovery from Bacteria and Microalgae

"Omics" represent a combinatorial approach to high-throughput analysis of biological entities for various purposes. It broadly encompasses genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and metabolomics. Bacteria and microalgae exhibit a wide range of genetic, biochemical and concomitantly, physiological variations owing to their exposure to biotic and abiotic dynamics in their ecosystem conditions. Consequently, optimal conditions for adequate growth and production of useful bacterial or microalgal metabolites are critically unpredictable. Traditional methods employ microbe isolation and 'blind'-culture optimization with numerous chemical analyses making the bioprospecting process laborious, strenuous, and costly. Advances in the next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have offered a platform for the pan-genomic analysis of microbes from community and strain downstream to the gene level. Changing conditions in nature or laboratory accompany epigenetic modulation, variation in gene expression, and subsequent biochemical profiles defining an organism's inherent metabolic repertoire. Proteome and metabolome analysis could further our understanding of the molecular and biochemical attributes of the microbes under research. This review provides an overview of recent studies that have employed omics as a robust, broad-spectrum approach for screening bacteria and microalgae to exploit their potential as sources of drug leads by focusing on their genomes, secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathway genes, transcriptomes, and metabolomes. We also highlight how recent studies have combined molecular biology with analytical chemistry methods, which further underscore the need for advances in bioinformatics and chemoinformatics as vital instruments in the discovery of novel bacterial and microalgal strains as well as new drug leads.

Assessment of the antioxidant and anticancer potential of different isolated strains of cyanobacteria and microalgae from soil and agriculture drain water

The potential usage of cyanobacteria and microalgae as a promising and alternative source for new and safe therapeutic compounds is recently caught the attention, due to its versatile properties as antitumor, antioxidant, antifungal, and antiviral agents. Primarily, the cyanobacteria and microalgae from fresh and marine water are previously studied, however those isolated from soil and agriculture drain water were poorly investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to screen and characterize the antioxidant profile, as well as the potential anticancer assessment of 12 species of cyanobacteria and two species of microalgae strains isolated from soil and agriculture drain water. The data showed that total phenol contents were highest in Anabaena oryzae and Aphanizomenon gracile (27.39 and 26.83 mg GAE/g, respectively), followed by Leptolyngbya fragilis (22.96 mg GAE/g). Out of the 14 species identified, the cyanobacterium Dolichospermum flos-aquae HSSASE2 exhibited the most elevated antioxidant activity in terms of NO scavenging activity and anti-lipid peroxidation potential (IC₅₀ = 28.7 ± 0.1 and 11.9 ± 0.2 μg/ml, respectively) and the lowest DPPH radical scavenging activity (467.7 μg/ml). Screening of the anticancer potential of all studied strains against four different human cancer cell lines (Caco-2, MCF-7, PC3, and HepG-2) demonstrated that Dolichospermum crassum HSSASE20 has the highest anticancer effect among all tested species against colon and prostate cancer cell lines (IC₅₀ = 57.9 ± 0.4 and 44.1 ± 0.2 μg/ml, respectively), while Oscillatoria sancta HSSASE19 recorded the most anticancer effect against MCF-7 (breast cancer) cell line (IC₅₀ = 15.1 ± 0.7 μg/ml). Dolichospermum spiroides HSSASE18 obtained the highest anticancer effect HepG-2 (hepatic cancer) cell line (IC₅₀ = 48.8 ± 0.7 μg/ml). Additionally, cytotoxicity against healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells was studied and revealed that Oscillatoria sancta was the safest one among all studied strains. Data obtained from the sensitivity index demonstrated that Dolichospermum crassum was the most sensitive strain against the four cancerous cell lines. Cyanobacteria and microalgae from the soil and drain water sources are efficient free radical scavengers, containing apoptogens capable of stimulating apoptotic cascades and overcoming chemo-resistance in cancer therapy. Thus, these novel secondary metabolites are an excellent alternative, safe, and low-cost antioxidant and anticancer therapeutic compounds.

Treatment with Modified Extracts of the Microalga Planktochlorella nurekis Attenuates the Development of Stress-Induced Senescence in Human Skin Cells

More recently, we have proposed a safe non-vector approach to modifying the biochemical profiles of the microalga Planktochlorella nurekis and obtained twelve clones with improved content of lipids and selected pigments and B vitamins and antioxidant activity compared to unaffected cells. In the present study, the biological activity of water and ethanolic extracts of modified clones is investigated in the context of their applications in the cosmetic industry and regenerative medicine. Extract-mediated effects on cell cycle progression, proliferation, migration, mitogenic response, apoptosis induction, and oxidative and nitrosative stress promotion were analyzed in normal human fibroblasts and keratinocytes in vitro. Microalgal extracts did not promote cell proliferation and were relatively non-cytotoxic when short-term treatment was considered. Long-term stimulation with selected microalgal extracts attenuated the development of oxidative stress-induced senescence in skin cells that, at least in part, was correlated with nitric oxide signaling and increased niacin and biotin levels compared to an unmodified microalgal clone. We postulate that selected microalgal extracts of Planktochlorella nurekis can be considered to be used in skin anti-aging therapy.

From Seabed to Bedside: A Review on Promising Marine Anticancer Compounds

The marine environment represents an outstanding source of antitumoral compounds and, at the same time, remains highly unexplored. Organisms living in the sea synthesize a wide variety of chemicals used as defense mechanisms. Interestingly, a large number of these compounds exert excellent antitumoral properties and have been developed as promising anticancer drugs that have later been approved or are currently under validation in clinical trials. However, due to the high need for these compounds, new methodologies ensuring its sustainable supply are required. Also, optimization of marine bioactives is an important step for their success in the clinical setting. Such optimization involves chemical modifications to improve their half-life in circulation, potency and tumor selectivity. In this review, we outline the most promising marine bioactives that have been investigated in cancer models and/or tested in patients as anticancer agents. Moreover, we describe the current state of development of anticancer marine compounds and discuss their therapeutic limitations as well as different strategies used to overcome these limitations. The search for new marine antitumoral agents together with novel identification and chemical engineering approaches open the door for novel, more specific and efficient therapeutic agents for cancer treatment.

Chlorella sorokiniana Extract Prevents Cisplatin-Induced Myelotoxicity In Vitro and In Vivo

Cisplatin chemotherapy causes myelosuppression and often limits treatment duration and dose escalation in patients. Novel approaches to circumvent or lessen myelotoxicity may improve clinical outcome and quality of life in these patients. Chlorella sorokiniana (CS) is a freshwater unicellular green alga and exhibits encouraging efficacy in immunomodulation and anticancer in preclinical studies. However, the efficacy of CS on chemoprotection remains unclear. We report here, for the first time, that CS extract (CSE) could protect normal myeloid cells and PBMCs from cisplatin toxicity. Also, cisplatin-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells was rescued through reservation of mitochondrial function, inhibition of cytochrome c release to cytosol, and suppression of caspase and PARP activation. Intriguingly, cotreatment of CSE attenuated cisplatin-evoked hypocellularity of bone marrow in mice. Furthermore, we observed the enhancement of CSF-GM activity in bone marrow and spleen in mice administered CSE and cisplatin, along with increased CD11b levels in spleen. In conclusion, we uncovered a novel mechanism of CSE on myeloprotection, whereby potentially supports the use of CSE as a chemoprotector against cisplatin-induced bone marrow toxicity. Further clinical investigation of CSE in combination with cisplatin is warranted.

Qingjie Fuzheng granules inhibit colorectal cancer cell growth by the PI3K/AKT and ERK pathways

BACKGROUND

Qingjie Fuzheng granules (QFGs) are part of a traditional Chinese medicine formula, which has been widely used and found to be clinically effective with few side effects in various cancer treatments, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the precise mechanisms and molecular signaling pathways involved in the activity of QFGs' anticancer effect have not been reported in the literature. In this study, we hypothesized that QFGs can inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells, and that its mechanism is closely related to one or more intracellular signal transduction pathways.

AIM

To better evaluate the mechanism underlying the anti-cancer effect of QFGs on the CRC cell lines HCT-116 and HCT-8.

METHOD

First, we measured cell viability and cytotoxicity by performing MTT and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. We evaluated the role of QFGs in cell proliferation and apoptosis by assessing colony formation and analyzing Hoechst 33258 staining. Second, cell cycle and apoptosis rates were measured by fluorescence activated cell sorting, and the expression levels of survivin, cyclin D1, CDK4, p21, Bax, Bcl-2, Fas, FasL, and cleaved-caspase-3/-8/-9 were measured by performing western blots and caspase activity assays. Furthermore, inhibitors of caspase-3/-8/-9 were used to elucidate the specific apoptosis pathway induced by QFGs in cancer cells. Finally, activation of the PI3K/AKT and ERK signaling pathways was examined using the western blot assay to investigate the possible mechanism.

RESULTS

MTT and LDH assays revealed that after 0.5-2.0 mg/mL of QFGs treatment, cell viability was reduced by (6.90% ± 1.03%)-(59.70% ± 1.51%) (HCT-116; P < 0.05) and (5.56% ± 4.52%)-(49.44% ± 2.47%) (HCT-8; P < 0.05), and cytotoxicity was increased from 0.52 ± 0.023 to 0.77 ± 0.002 (HCT-116; P < 0.01) and from 0.56 ± 0.054 to 0.81 ± 0.044 (HCT-8; P < 0.01) compared with the non-QFGs treatment groups. Additionally, colony formation and Hoechst 33258 staining assays showed that QFGs inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in CRC cells. QFGs also increased the expression levels of Bax, Fas and FasL, decreased the level of Bcl-2, and stimulated the activation of caspase-3/-8/-9, which were revealed by western blot and caspase activity assays. In contrast, when adding the three caspase inhibitors, the suppression effect of QFGs on cell viability and apoptosis were markedly inhibited. Moreover, QFGs suppressed the phosphorylation levels of PI3K, AKT and ERK.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrated that QFGs can inhibit CRC cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by suppressing the PI3K/AKT and ERK signaling pathways.

Capability of iturin from Bacillus subtilis to inhibit Candida albicans in vitro and in vivo

Candida albicans is a fungal pathogen that is difficult to cure clinically. The current clinic C. albicans-inhibiting drugs are very harmful to humans. This study revealed the potential of iturin fractions from Bacillus subtilis to inhibit C. albicans in free status (MIC = 32 μg/mL) and natural biofilm in vitro. The inhibition mechanism was identified as an apoptosis pathway via the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential, the increase of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and the induction of nuclear condensation. For in vivo experiments, the C. albicans infection model was constructed via intraperitoneal injection of 1 × 10⁸C. albicans cells into mice. One day after the infection, iturin was used to treat infected mice at different concentrations alone and in combination with amphotericin B (AmB) by intraperitoneal injection. The treatment with AmB alone could cause the death of infected mice, whereas treatment with 15 mg/kg iturin per day alone led to the survival of all infected mice throughout the study. After continuously treated for 6 days, all mice were sacrificed and analyzed. As results, the combination of 15 mg/kg iturin and AmB at a ratio of 2:1 had the most efficient effect to remove the fungal burden in the kidney and cure the infected mice by reversing the symptoms caused by C. albicans infection, such as the loss of body weight, change of immunology cells in blood and cytokines in serum, and damage of organ structure and functions. Overall, iturin had potential in the development of efficient and safe drugs to cure C. albicans infection.

Extracts from Microalga Chlorella sorokiniana Exert an Anti-Proliferative Effect and Modulate Cytokines in Sheep Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of the unsaponified fraction (UP), the acetylated unsaponified fraction (AUP), and the total lipid fraction (TL) extracted and purified from Chlorella sorokiniana (CS) on the proliferation and cytokine profile of sheep peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Cells were cultured with 0.4 mg/mL and 0.8 mg/mL concentrations of each extract (UP, AUP, and TL fractions) and activated with 5 μg/mL concanavalin A (ConA) and 1 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 37 °C for 24 h. PBMCs cultured with ConA and LPS represented the stimulated cells (SC), and PBMCs without ConA and LPS represented the unstimulated cells (USC). Cell-free supernatants were collected to determine IL-10, IL-1β, and IL-6 secretions; on cells, measurement of proliferation was performed. All the extracts tested significantly decreased the cell proliferation; in particular, the UP fraction at 0.4 mg/mL showed the lowest proliferative response. Furthermore, at 0.8 mg/mL, the UP fraction enhanced IL-10 secretion. On the contrary, the TL fraction at 0.4 mg/mL induced an increase in IL-10, IL-6, and, to a lesser extent, IL-1β secretions by cells. The AUP fraction did not change cytokine secretion. The results demonstrated that CS extracts could be useful ingredients in animal feed in order to minimize the use of antibiotics by modulating cell proliferation and cytokine response.

New Drugs from the Sea: Pro-Apoptotic Activity of Sponges and Algae Derived Compounds

Natural compounds derived from marine organisms exhibit a wide variety of biological activities. Over the last decades, a great interest has been focused on the anti-tumour role of sponges and algae that constitute the major source of these bioactive metabolites. A substantial number of chemically different structures from different species have demonstrated inhibition of tumour growth and progression by inducing apoptosis in several types of human cancer. The molecular mechanisms by which marine natural products activate apoptosis mainly include (1) a dysregulation of the mitochondrial pathway; (2) the activation of caspases; and/or (3) increase of death signals through transmembrane death receptors. This great variety of mechanisms of action may help to overcome the multitude of resistances exhibited by different tumour specimens. Therefore, products from marine organisms and their synthetic derivates might represent promising sources for new anticancer drugs, both as single agents or as co-adjuvants with other chemotherapeutics. This review will focus on some selected bioactive molecules from sponges and algae with pro-apoptotic potential in tumour cells.

Survivin expression and localization in different organs of yaks (Bos grunniens)

Yaks (Bos grunniens) have special physiological structures that help them adapt to high-altitude environments. Survivin is actively studied in cancer tissues, but less in normal tissues. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analysis the relationship between survivin expression and apoptosis rate in yaks. A partial gene sequence of survivin was cloned and characterized using bioinformatics. The expression of survivin was investigated using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot (WB) analysis and localized using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The results revealed that in normal physiological organs, survivin is mainly expressed in cytoplasm and its expression was up-regulated with age. Its expression in heart and liver was higher than in other organs, such as spleen, lung, brain, kidney, and testis. It is noteworthy that the expression of survivin in spleen is differed from that in other organs. Therefore, we selected immune organs (lymph node, thymus and spleen) to investigate the relationship between survivin expression and apoptosis. Caspase-3 was used as a reference. Within the same age group, the expression of survivin was the highest in the spleen, but that of caspase-3 was the highest in the lymph node (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the IHC analysis revealed that survivin and caspase-3 are expressed in the same location (mainly in the cytoplasm, Hassall's corpuscles, the medulla of the lymph node, the red pulp and marginal zone of the spleen. More importantly, survivin expression was down-regulated with age in immune organs, and the opposite trend was observed for caspase-3 expression (P < 0.01). The results proved that the expression of survivin and caspase-3 is down- and up-regulated with age, respectively, suggesting that survivin and caspase-3 might coordinating and participating in slowing down the rate of apoptosis rate in immune organs of healthy yak.

Effects of PSII Manganese-Stabilizing Protein Succinylation on Photosynthesis in the Model Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002

Lysine succinylation is a newly identified protein post-translational modification and plays important roles in various biological pathways in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, but its extent and function in photosynthetic organisms remain largely unknown. Here, we performed the first systematic studies of lysine succinylation in cyanobacteria, which are the only prokaryotes capable of oxygenic photosynthesis and the established model organisms for studying photosynthetic mechanisms. By using mass spectrometry analysis in combination with the enrichment of succinylated peptides from digested cell lysates, we identified 1,704 lysine succinylation sites on 691 proteins in a model cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that a large proportion of the succinylation sites were present on proteins in photosynthesis and metabolism. Among all identified succinylated proteins involved in photosynthesis, the PSII manganese-stabilizing protein (PsbO) was found to be succinylated on Lys99 and Lys234. Functional studies of PsbO were performed by site-directed mutagenesis, and mutants mimicking either constitutively succinylated (K99E and K234E) or non-succinylated states (K99R and K234R) were constructed. The succinylation-mimicking K234E mutant exhibited a decreased oxygen evolution rate of the PSII center and the efficiency of energy transfer during the photosynthetic reaction. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested a mechanism that may allow succinylation to influence the efficiency of photosynthesis by altering the conformation of PsbO, thereby hindering the interaction between PsbO and the PSII core. Our findings suggest that reversible succinylation may be an important regulatory mechanism during photosynthesis in Synechococcus, as well as in other photosynthetic organisms.

Marine Microalgae with Anti-Cancer Properties

Cancer is the leading cause of death globally and finding new therapeutic agents for cancer treatment remains a major challenge in the pursuit for a cure. This paper presents an overview on microalgae with anti-cancer activities. Microalgae are eukaryotic unicellular plants that contribute up to 40% of global primary productivity. They are excellent sources of pigments, lipids, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, polysaccharides, vitamins and other fine chemicals, and there is an increasing demand for their use as nutraceuticals and food supplements. Some microalgae are also reported as having anti-cancer activity. In this review, we report the microalgal species that have shown anti-cancer properties, the cancer cell lines affected by algae and the concentrations of compounds/extracts tested to induce arrest of cell growth. We also report the mediums used for growing microalgae that showed anti-cancer activity and compare the bioactivity of these microalgae with marine anticancer drugs already on the market and in phase III clinical trials. Finally, we discuss why some microalgae can be promising sources of anti-cancer compounds for future development.

Potential of Bacillus subtilis lipopeptides in anti-cancer I: induction of apoptosis and paraptosis and inhibition of autophagy in K562 cells

The lipopeptide iturin from Bacillus subtilis has been found to have a potential inhibitory effect on breast cancer, alveolar adenocarcinoma, renal carcinoma, and colon adenocarcinoma. In this study, the potential of B. subtilis lipopeptides (a mixture of iturin homologues, concentration of 42.75%) to inhibit chronic myelogenous leukemia was evaluated using K562 myelogenous leukemia cells. The results showed that the lipopeptides could completely inhibit the growth of K562 at 100 μM, with an IC50 value of 65.76 μM. The lipopeptides inhibited the profile of K562 via three pathways: (1) induction of paraptosis indicated by the occurrence of cytoplasmic vacuoles, and swelling of the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) without membrane blebbing in the presence of a caspase inhibitor; (2) inhibition of autophagy progress illustrated by the upregulated expression of LCII and P62; and (3) induction of apoptosis by causing ROS burst, and induction of the intrinsic pathway indicated by the upregulated expression of cytochrome c (Cyto-c), bax, and bad, together with downregulated expression of Bcl-2. The ROS-dependent apoptosis and caspase-independent paraptosis were verified using the ROS inhibitor and caspase inhibitor, respectively. The extrinsic apoptosis pathway was not involved in the lipopeptide’s effects on K562. Overall, the B. subtilis lipopeptides (consisting of a majority of iturin) exhibited promising potential in inhibiting chronic myelogenous leukemia in vitro via simultaneously causing paraptosis, apoptosis, and inhibition of autophagy.

Antitumor activity of Chlorella sorokiniana and Scenedesmus sp. microalgae native of Nuevo León State, México

Cancer cases result in 13% of all deaths worldwide. Unwanted side effects in patients under conventional treatments have led to the search for beneficial alternative therapies. Microalgae synthesize compounds with known in vitro and in vivo biological activity against different tumor cell lines. Therefore, native microalgae from the State of Nuevo Leon, Mexico may become a potential source of antitumor agents. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxic effect of Nuevo Leon regional Chlorella sorokiniana (Chlorellales: Chlorellaceae) and Scenedesmus sp. (Chlorococcales: Scenedesmaceae). Native microalgae crude organic extracts cytotoxicity against murine L5178Y-R lymphoma cell line and normal lymphocyte proliferation were evaluated using the MTT reduction colorimetric assay. Cell death pathway was analyzed by acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining, DNA degradation in 2% agarose gel electrophoresis and caspases activity. Results indicated significant (p < 0.05) 61.89% ± 3.26% and 74.77% ± 1.84% tumor cytotoxicity by C. sorokiniana and Scenedesmus sp. methanol extracts, respectively, at 500 µg/mL, by the mechanism of apoptosis. This study contributes to Mexican microalgae biodiversity knowledge and their potential as antitumor agent sources.

Anticancer potential against cervix cancer (HeLa) cell line of probiotic Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus paracasei strains isolated from human breast milk

The CFCS of Lactobacilli strains from human breast milk induced apoptosis in HeLa cells ROS related mitochondrial pathway.