EnhanceMicroAlgae partners at La Rochelle University (La Rochelle University/CNRS UMR 7266 LIENSs) are developing innovative processes to extract and purify microalgae pigments and develop original applications of microalgae pigments for human health.
Their latest work, published in collaboration with UMR 8038 CiTCoM, Faculté de Santé, UFR Pharmacie, Université Paris Cité and IFREMER Nantes gives a comprehensive review on the use and potential of carotenoids from the prevention and treatment of melanoma.
Melanoma cells are highly invasive and metastatic tumor cells and commonly express molecular alterations that contribute to multidrug resistance (e.g., BRAFV600E mutation). Conventional treatment is not effective in a long term, requiring an exhaustive search for new alternatives. Recently, carotenoids from microalgae have been investigated as adjuvant in antimelanoma therapy due to their safety and acceptable clinical tolerability. Many of them are currently used as food supplements. In this review, we have compiled several studies that show microalgal carotenoids inhibit cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion, as well as induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in various melanoma cell lines. MAPK and NF-ĸB pathway, MMP and apoptotic factors are frequently affected after exposure to microalgal carotenoids. Fucoxanthin, astaxanthin and zeaxanthin are the main carotenoids investigated, in both in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Preclinical data indicate these compounds exhibit direct antimelanoma effect but are also capable of restoring melanoma cells sensitivity to conventional chemotherapy (e.g., vemurafenib and dacarbazine).
Read more about this work published in Marine Drugs here :
Ferraz, C.A.A.; Grougnet, R.; Nicolau, E.; Picot, L.; de Oliveira Junior, R.G. Carotenoids from Marine Microalgae as Antimelanoma Agents. Mar. Drugs 2022, 20, 618. https://doi.org/10.3390/md20100618