Biological effects of edible algae.

Nutritional factors with antioxidant properties, such as those contained in edible algae or green plants, might be implicated in protection against cancer development. Chlorophyll and other tetrapyrrolic compounds, structurally related to heme and antioxidant bile pigment bilirubin, belong to important candidate molecules, which might be responsible for these effects. Based on our studies demonstrating antiproliferative effects of S. platensis edible alga extract on experimental model of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma we investigated in detail the effect of chlorophyll occurring abundantly in this alga. Since only scarce data exist on the antiproliferative effects of chlorophylls, the aim of our study was to assess these effects. The study was performed on experimental models of human pancreatic and prostate cancer. The inhibitory effects of chlorophylls (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, chlorophyllin and pheophytin a) on cell proliferation and cell viability were investigated in in vitro studies. Chlorophylls reduced the mRNA expression as well as activity of hemeoxygenase in tested pancreatic cancer cells. Simultaneously, chlorophylls played an important role in redox environment of studied cancer cell lines including modulation of mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS)..