Anticancer Activity of Sargassum fluitans Extracts in Different Cancer Cells

Background The arrival of large quantities of Sargassum in the Mexican Caribbean Sea has generated major environmental, health and economic problems. Although Sargassum has been used in the generation of some commercial products, few studies have described its possible applications as a source of compounds with anticancer activity. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the antiproliferative effects of different Sargassum extracts on various cancer cell lines. Furthermore, LC/QTOF-MS was used to identify the compounds related to the antiproliferative effect. Methods First, determination of the seaweed was performed, and dichloromethane, chloroform and methanol extracts were obtained. The extracts were evaluated for their antiproliferative effects by MTT in breast (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7), prostate (DU-145), lung (A549) and cervical (SiHa) cancer cell lines. Finally, LC/QTOF-MS identified the compounds related to the antiproliferative effect. Results The authentication showed Sargassum fluitans as the predominant species. The extracts of dichloromethane and chloroform showed an antiproliferative effect. Interestingly, the fractionation of the chloroform extract showed two fractions (FC1 and FC2) with antiproliferative activity in MDA-MB-231, SiHa and A549 cancer cell lines. On the other hand, three fractions of dichloromethane extract (FD1, FD4 and FD5) also showed antiproliferative effects in the MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, SiHa and DU-145 cancer cell lines. Furthermore, LC/QTOF-MS revealed the presence of eight major compounds in FC2. Three compounds with evidence of anticancer activity were identified (D-linalool-3-glucoside, (3R,4S,6E,10Z)-3,4,7,11-tetramethyl-6,10-tridecadienal and alpha-tocotrienol). Conclusion These findings showed that Sargassum fluitans extracts are a possible source of therapeutic agents against cancer and could act as scaffolds for new drug discovery.