Fucoxanthin inhibits cell proliferation and stimulates apoptosis through downregulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in human ovarian cancer cells

Background: Fucoxanthin is rich in seaweed and considered the most efficient anticancer drug because of its powerful antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of fucoxanthin on apoptosis via signaling pathway in ovarian cancer cells. First, fucoxanthin exhibited obvious cytotoxicity against A2780 human ovarian cancer cells. Materials and Methods: We established the action potential of fucoxanthin on cell proliferation in addition to apoptosis in A2780 cells, which were measured using reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Apoptotic-related morphological alterations were inspected by acridine orange/EtBr dual staining. In addition, we analyzed caspase family protein expression by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis. Results: Our results established that fucoxanthin stimulates apoptosis as confirmed through reduced cell viability, improved production of ROS, and altered MMP in A2780 cells. Further, the fucoxanthin upregulates the expression of caspase (3, 8, and 9) protein experimentally in A2780 cell. In addition, we uncovered upstream signaling cascade (Akt/mTOR) induced by incubation A2780 cell lines with fucoxanthin that mediated cell apoptosis, migration, and invasion process. Conclusion: These findings suggest that fucoxanthin augments apoptosis; reduces cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; and reveals a potential mechanism of fucoxanthin-mediated Akt/mTOR suppression in human ovarian cancer cell line. Hence, fucoxanthin could be reflected as a potential therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer treatment.