From marine origin to therapeutics: the antitumor potential of marine algae-derived compounds

Alves, Celso; Silva, Joana; Pinteus, Susete; Gaspar, Helena; Alpoim, Maria C.; Botana, Luís M.; Pedrosa, Rui

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/4972

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Abstract(s)

Marine environment has demonstrated to be an interesting source of compounds with uncommon and unique chemical features on which themolecularmodeling and chemical synthesis of new drugs can be based with greater efficacy and specificity for the therapeutics. Cancer is a growing public health threat, and despite the advances in biomedical research and technology, there is an urgent need for the development of new anticancer drugs. In this field, it is estimated that more than 60% of commercially available anticancer drugs are natural biomimetic inspired. Among the marine organisms, algae have revealed to be one of the major sources of new compounds of marine origin, including those exhibiting antitumor and cytotoxic potential. These compounds demonstrated ability to mediate specific inhibitory activities on a number of key cellular processes, including apoptosis pathways, angiogenesis, migration and invasion, in both in vitro and in vivo models, revealing their potential to be used as anticancer drugs. This review will focus on the bioactive molecules from algae with antitumor potential, from their origin to their potential uses, with special emphasis to the alga Sphaerococcus coronopifolius as a producer of cytotoxic compounds.

Description

Authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through Strategic Projects UID/MAR/04292/2013 and UID/Multi/04046/2013 granted to MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre and BioISI - BioSystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, respectively, through Red2Discovery Project (PTDC/MAR-BIO/6149/2014), cofinanced by COMPETE (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016791), and through Oncologia de Precisão: Terapias e Tecnologias Inovadoras project (POINT4PAC) (SAICTPAC/0019/2015 - LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-016405). The authors also wish to acknowledge the Integrated Programme of SR&TD Smart Valorization of Endogenous Marine Biological Resources Under a Changing Climate (reference Centro-01-0145-FEDER000018), co-funded by Centro 2020 program, Portugal 2020, European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund. CA, SP, and JS are financial supported by a grant from FCT (SFRH/BD/97764/2013, SFRH/BD/96203/2013, and (SFRH/BD/103255/2014, respectively).

Keywords

Cancer Marine natural products Seaweeds Intracellular signaling pathways Biodiversity, Marine chemical ecology Sphaerococcus coronopifolius

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/4972

Citation

Alves C, Silva J, Pinteus S, Gaspar H, Alpoim MC, Botana LM and Pedrosa R (2018) From Marine Origin to Therapeutics: The Antitumor Potential of Marine Algae-Derived Compounds. Front. Pharmacol. 9:777. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00777