Fucoxanthin Is a Potential Therapeutic Agent for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers diagnosed and the leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Although there are first-line treatments for BC, drug resistances and adverse events have been reported. Given the incidence of BC keeps increasing, seeking novel therapeutics is urgently needed. Fucoxanthin (Fx) is a dietary carotenoid commonly found in seaweeds and diatoms. Both in vitro and in vivo studies show that Fx and its deacetylated metabolite fucoxanthinol (Fxol) inhibit and prevent BC growth. The NF-κB signaling pathway is considered the major pathway contributing to the anti-proliferation, anti-angiogenesis and pro-apoptotic effects of Fx and Fxol. Other signaling molecules such as MAPK, MMP2/9, CYP and ROS are also involved in the anti-cancer effects by regulating the tumor microenvironment, cancer metastasis, carcinogen metabolism and oxidation. Besides, Fx also possesses anti-obesity effects by regulating UCP1 levels and lipid metabolism, which may help to reduce BC risk. More importantly, mounting evidence demonstrates that Fx overcomes drug resistance. This review aims to give an updated summary of the anti-cancer effects of Fx and summarize the underlying mechanisms of action, which will provide novel strategies for the development of Fx as an anti-cancer therapeutic agent.

Anticancer Effects of Fucoxanthin through Cell Cycle Arrest, Apoptosis Induction, Angiogenesis Inhibition, and Autophagy Modulation

“…Studies show that fucoxanthin significantly reduced VEGF-C, VEGFR-3, NF-κB, phospho-Akt, and phospho-PI3K in HLEC in breast cancer [121]. Moreover, data showed that fucoxanthin inhibited mRNA expression of VEGF-C in MDA-MB-231 cells [121,186].…”

Marine natural products

“…338,339 Only one rst total synthesis of a brown algal MNP was reported in 2022, that of carotenoid loroxanthin. 340 Reviews focusing on brown algae and their metabolites published in 2022 include summaries of the anticancer activity of various eckols and fucoxanthin, respectively, 341,342 phlorotannins as sedative aids for promoting sleep, 343 and catalogues of the compounds found from species Ecklonia stolonifera, 344 and the genera Dictyota and Dictyopteris, respectively. 345,346 An in silico study of various brown algal phlorotannins as SARS-COV-2 protease inhibitors identied several lead compounds, which were then validated as weak to moderate inhibitors using in vitro bioassays.…”

Archaea Carotenoids: Natural Pigments with Unexplored Innovative Potential

“…Carotenoids are natural pigments that have received particular attention because of their ecophysiological function, biotechnological applications, and their potential beneficial effects on human health [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. The color of these molecules can range from colorless to red, through various yellow-orange tones, and they represent the second most abundant natural pigments in nature [ 45 , 46 ].…”

“…Animals, including humans, consume phototrophic organisms and utilize carotenoids or apocarotenoids for important physiological functions, including body coloration, sexual attractiveness, vitamin A production, antioxidant activity, transcription factor activation and photoreception. Pharmacological studies have also demonstrated the diverse biological activities of carotenoids and apocarotenoids, including antimicrobial, antifungal, antidiabetic, immunostimulant, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and cancer-preventive, antimetastatic, antiangiogenic, radioprotective, anti-atherosclerotic, neuroprotective and chemosensitizing properties of multidrug-resistant cancer cells [ 37 , 39 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ]…”