In vivoandin vitroeffects of β‐carotene and algae extracts in murine tumor models

Abstract

Phycotene, an algae extract with known antineoplastic activity, was demonstrated to prolong, but not sustain, an increased survival rate in a murine fibrosarcoma model when it was combined with immunotherapy. It was further shown that splenocytes from phycotene and beta-carotene-treated survivors could not confer protection to a fresh tumor cell challenge in virgin mice after adoptive transfer. In a series of cytotoxicity assays, phycotene combined with immunization was demonstrated to enhance cell-mediated and complement-dependent cytotoxicity in the first 14-21 days. However, after 21 days, the phycotene and immunization groups exhibited a decreased ability to mediate immune cytotoxicity compared with immunization-only controls. This may serve to explain the in vivo findings that while survival was increased early on in active immunization and phycotene-treated mice, it eventually dropped to the level of the active immunization controls.

Enhancement of Antibody Production in Mice by Dietary Spirulina platensis.

“…immune functions (7,8). It is therefore of interest from the nutritional and medical points of view to investigate whether S. platensis affects immunological indices in humans and animals.…”

Spirulina, exercício e controle da glicemia em ratos diabéticos

“…Em estudos com animais de laboratório, especialmente ratos, constataram-se boa aceitação, uma adequada digestibilidade, um bom suplemento durante a gestação (12), bem como a ausência de qualquer efeito deletério sobre marcadores de crescimento das crias e tóxicos aparentes (13). Adicionalmente, outros estudos envolvendo animais e humanos verificaram que sua administração pode exercer efeitos benéfi-cos no tratamento de algumas doenças, como câncer (7,14), desnutrição (7,15), obesidade (7,16), hipercolesterolemia (7,9), hipertensão arterial (7,17), DM (7), entre outras.…”