Estudo das atividades antitumoral e inflamatória do alginato isolado da alga Sargassum Vulgare C. Agardh

Abstract

Cancer is a disease that occurs in a larger number of people each year. The therapies used to treat it are still not satisfatory. Natural products have been studied to select new compounds capable of reducing tumours and with fewer side effects. The alginate isolated from the seaweed S. vulgare (SVHV) was investigated for its antitumor and immunostimulating properties and also for the toxicological aspects related to SVHV treatment. The SVHV did not show any significant in vitro cytotoxic effect, but showed a strong in vivo antitumor effect. The inhibition rates of Melanoma B-16 tumor development was 75,8% at the dose of 25 mg/kg/day when treated by intraperitoneal route (p < 0,05). The histopathological analysis of liver and kidney showed that the kidneys were affected by SVHV-treatment, presenting some hemorragic areas. The enzymatic activity of alanine aminotransferase, was augmented in mice with tumor or treated with SVHV by oral route. In hematological analyses, these groups showed a higher percentage of neutrophils, while the group with tumor or treated with SVHV by intraperitoneal route showed a reduction in the percentage of monocytes. It was also demonstrated that SVHV acts as an immunomodulatory agent, stimulating macrophages in vitro, causing paw edema in rats and neutrophil migration to the intraperitoneal cavity. In conclusion, SVHV has some interesting antitumour activity that is associated with its immunostimulanting properties.