By

Eun Ji Kim et al.,

According to Eun Ji Kim et al., Apoptosis is the programmed cell death, and most of the cancerous cells have been eliminated by apoptosis. There are some reports about fucoidan apoptosis-inducing action. This research shows introducing the induction of apoptosis effect in human colon cancer.

(Method and Result)

HT-29 and HCT116 cells are colon cancer cells. These cells were cultured with various concentrations of fucoidan (0 – 20 μg/mL). After apoptosis was analyzed via Hoechst staining and Annexin V staining followed by flow cytometric analysis, fucoidan induced apoptosis in HT-29 and HCT116 human colon cancer cells. (See Figure 1)

Also, we conducted experiment to determine the main factor of apoptosis-regulating protein Caspase 9 and the effect of fucoidan on substance capable of activating Caspase 9 releasing from mitochondria. As a result, the finding of this study indicated that apoptosis induction effect would be caused by following two pathways.

1) Fucoidan is induced the extrinsic apoptosis trough the pathway of death receptors on the cell surface. (Fucoidan induction of apoptosis is mediated by the stimulation from the outer cell membrane)

2) Fucoidan is induced the intrinsic apoptosis through the mitochondria in the cells. (Fucoidan induction of apoptosis is infiltrated to the mitochondria in the cells.)

These results suggest that fucoidan may prove useful in the development of a colon cancer-preventive protocol.

(Figure 1 Fucoidan induction of apoptosis effect (HT-29 cells and HTC116 cells)