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. 2022 Apr 22;20(5):279. doi: 10.3390/md20050279

Table 3.

An updated summary of anti-cancer and anti-tumor potentials of fucoxanthin: In vitro and in vivo studies.

Experimental Model
(In Vitro/In Vivo)		 Treatment
(Dose, Route and Duration)		 Major Outcomes Reference
CCSCs, CD44high/EpCAMhigh tumor cells and HT-29 human colorectal cancer cells 0.1–5.0 µM fucoxanthinol from fucoxanthin (purity ≥ 98%) in tetrahydrofuran, treatment for 5 days ↓ Cells viabilities;
↓ pAkt, PPARβ/δ and PPARγ;
↓ Colonospheres growth;
↑ Chromatin condensation;
↑ Nuclear fragmentations		 [48]
NOD-SCID mice with tumors 5 mg/kg b.w. fucoxanthinol from fucoxanthin (purity ≥ 98%) in tetrahydrofuran, orally every 3–4 days for 2 weeks ↓ Csps tumorigenesis
Leukemia cell lines, K562 and TK6 0.1–10 μM in DMSO, treatment for 24 h ↓ Cell viability and proliferation;
↓ Nuclei size;
↓ Anti-apoptotic protein (bcl-2 and caspase-3)		 [13]
Breast cancer cells line, MDA-MB-231 and
normal human skin fibroblast cells line 		10–50 μg/mL extracted from P. tenuis, C. sinuosa, I. stellate and D. indica in DMSO, treatment for 6–48 h ↑ Death of cancer cells;
↓ Cell viability		 [51]
Human gastric adenocarcinoma SGC-7901 or BGC-823 cells 25–75 μM (purity ≥ 99%) extracted from Undaria pinnatifda in ethanol, pre-treatment for 24 h; paclitaxel 1 μM as positive control ↑ Apoptotic cells;
↓ Cells cycle at S phase (SGC-7901) and G2/M phase (BGC-823);
↓ Mcl-1, STAT3 and p-STAT3		 [53]
Benzo(A)pyrene-induced lung cancer mice N/A ↑ Apoptosis (Caspase 9 and 3);
↓ Anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl2);
↓ Expression of PCNA		 [54]
Human liver HepG2 cancer cell line 10-40 μgmL−1 extracted from Chaetoceros calcitrans in DMSO, treatment for 72 h; doxorubicin as positive control ↓ Proliferation;
↓ AKT1, ERK ½, JNK expression;
↑ BAX and BID gene;
↑ APAF and CYCS expression;
↓ Antioxidant genes (SOD1, SOD2, CAT)		 [55]
Human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells 25–100 μM extracted from U pinnatifida, treatment for 12–48 h ↓ Lymphangiogenesis;
↓ VEGF-C, VEGF receptor-3, NF-κB, p-Akt and p-PI3K, micro-LVD		 [12]
GBM1, A172 and C6 cell lines 10–150 μM extracted from Phaeodactylum tricornutum,
treatment for 24 h		 ↓ Cell viability and proliferation and invasion;
↓ Angiogenesis and tubulogenesis;
↓ ATP levels;
↑ Apoptosis		 [52]
AOM/DSS-induced carcinogenic mice 30 mg/kg b.w. in palm oil, orally every 1 or 3 days for 3 weeks ↑ Mucosal crypts and anoikis-like integrin 1low/-/cleaved caspase-3high cells;
↓ Integrin阝, pFAK, pPaxillin, αSMA		 [14]
HeLa and SiHa cervical cancer cells 0.1–25 µM, treatment for 48 h ↓ Hela and SiHa cells (IC50: 1445 and 1641 µM, respectively)
↑ apoptosis;
↓ cell proliferation and colony formation;
↓ HIST1H3D and its mRNA, cell cycle at G0/G1 phase		 [56]
Human non-small cell lung cancer A549, H1299, PC9 and small cell lung cancer H446 cell lines 5–30 μM (purity ≥ 99%) extracted from Laminaria Japonica in ethanol, treatment for 48 h; diamminedichloroplatinum 5 mg/kg as positive control ↓ Cells migration and invasion, metastasis;
↓ Expressions of Snail, Twist, Fibronectin, N-cadherin, MMP-2, PI3K, p-AKT and NF-Κb;
↑ Expression of TIMP-2		 [60]
C57BL/6J mice, orthotopic transplantations of cancer cells (KMPC44) 3 mg/g b.w. in palm oil, orally for 2 weeks ↓ Adenocarcinoma;
↓ CCL21/ CCR7 axis, Rho A, BTLA, N-cadherin, SMA, pFAK and pPaxillin		 [57]
AOM/DSS-induced colorectal tumorigenesis in ApcMin/+ mice 30 mg/kg b.w., orally for 5 weeks ↑ Cleaved caspase-3;
↓ cyclin D1 expression;
↓ Bacteroidlales and Rikenellaceae;
↑ Lachnospiraceae		 [49]
AOM/DSS-induced colorectal cancer mice 50 mg/kg b.w., orally for 14 weeks ↓ Ccr1, Cyclin D1, pSmad2, MAPK, PI3K/AKT, p53, RAS, STAT, TGF-β and Wnt [50]
TPA-induced skin cell transformation in Nfe2l2wild-type cells N/A ↓ ROS, oxidized GSSG/reduced GSH [58]

↑: upregulation; ↓: downregulation.