Cancer chemopreventive effects of starfish polysaccharide in human breast cancer cells

Abstract

We investigated the effect of starfish (Asterina pectinifera) polysaccharide on the progression and metastasis of human breast cancer cells. At a concentration range of 10 ~ 120 µg/mL the polysaccharide significantly decreased the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and of aromatase mRNA. In a wound healing assay, motility of human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells was prevented by the polysaccharide in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that starfish polysaccharide can prevent breast cancer progression and metastasis by decreasing prostaglandin E 2 and estrogen biosynthesis by COX-2 and aromatase, and by inhibiting cell motility. This report presents information regarding the effectiveness of starfish polysaccharide as a chemopreventive agent against breast cancer.

Bright Spots in the Darkness of Cancer: A Review of Starfishes-Derived Compounds and Their Anti-Tumor Action

“…The chemopreventive effect of this type of extract was also demonstrated by Lee et al [47]. They investigated the biological activity of A. pectinifera polysaccharides on the progression and metastasis of human breast cancer.…”

The Effects of Different Purifying Methods on the Chemical Properties, in Vitro Anti-Tumor and Immunomodulatory Activities of Abrus cantoniensis Polysaccharide Fractions

“…The anti-tumor and immunomodulatory activities of polysaccharides are the most attractive for further work, owing to their low cytotoxicity to normal healthy cells and no obvious side effects in patients [ 7 ]. Nowadays, cancer prevention includes suppressing or inhibiting the development of cancer progression and metastasis, and the latter involves complex steps including cell adhesion, invasion and migration, which are the primary cause of mortality and relapse in cancer patients [ 16 ]. Therefore, anti-tumor effects including anti-proliferation and anti-migration were evaluated in this study.…”

Anti-Inflammatory Activity and Cytotoxicity of the Starfish Extracts on Cancer Cells in Culture

“…Cerebrocides purified from A. pectinifera starfish were also cytotoxic against two human cancer cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner up to 400 µg/mL [8]. A polysaccharide of A. pectinifera starfish also inhibited the growth of human breast [14] and colorectal [15] cancer cells. Therefore, steroids, spingolipids or polysaccharides obtained from starfish might act as anticancer compounds.…”

“…The secondary metabolites of starfish include a remarkable diversity of various steroids, including sterols, polyhydroxysteroids, mono-and biosides of polyhydroxysteroid, and steroid oligoglycosides called asterosaponins [23]. There are many reports of the anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of bioactive compounds obtained from starfish, such as the anti-inflammatory activity of starfish steroids [13], and anticancer activity of polyhydroxylated steroids [24], cerebroside [8], and polysaccharides on human breast cancer [14] and colorectal adenocarcinoma cells [15]. Therefore, the starfish A. pectinifera, a carnivorous pirate invertebrate, was chosen for the extraction of antiinflammatory and anticancer compounds using different organic solvents and for their subsequent purification.…”

“…Steroidal glycosides, which are composed of a polyhydroxylated steroidal aglycone and a carbohydrate portion containing only one or two monosaccharide units, are a growing subgroup of the active glycoside compounds that have been isolated from starfishes [5]. Starfishes have also been reported to have antibacterial [6], antiviral [7], cytotoxic [8] and apoptotic [9], neuritogenic [10], antifungal [11], antityrosinase [12], anti-inflammatory [13], and anticancer [14,15] activities.…”