مرکز تحقیقات بیولوژی کاربردی تکوین جانوری

Background: Anti-cancer potential of marine natural products such as polysaccharides represented therapeutic potential in oncological researches. In this study, total
polysaccharide from brittle star [Ophiocoma erinaceus (O. erinaceus)] was extracted
and chemopreventive efficacy of Persian Gulf brittle star polysaccharide was investigated in HeLa human cervical cancer cells.
Methods: To extract polysaccharide, dried brittle stars were ground and extracted
mechanically. Then, detection of polysaccharide was performed by phenol sulfuric
acid, Ultra Violet (UV)-sulfuric acid method and FTIR. The anti proliferative activity
of isolated polysaccharide was examined by MTT assay and evaluation of cell death
was done through morphological cell changes; Propodium Iodide staining, fluorescence microscopy and caspase-3, -9 enzymatic measurements. To assess its underlying
mechanism, expression of Bax, Bcl-2 was evaluated.
Results: The polysaccharide detection methods demonstrated isolation of crude polysaccharide from Persian Gulf brittle star. The results revealed that O. erinaceus polysaccharide suppressed the proliferation of HeLa cells in a dose and time dependent
manner. Morphological observation of DAPI and Acridine Orange/Propodium Iodide
staining was documented by typical characteristics of apoptotic cell death. Flow
cytometry analyses exhibited the accumulation of treated cells in sub-G1 region. Additionally, polysaccharide extracted induced intrinsic apoptosis via up-regulation of
caspase-3, caspase-9 and Bax along with down-regulation of Bcl-2 in HeLa cells.
Conclusion: Taken together, the apoptosis inducing effect of brittle star polysaccharide via intrinsic pathway confirmed the anti tumor potential of marine polysaccharide. Therefore, these findings proposed new insight into anti cancer properties of brittle star polysaccharide as a promising agent in cervical cancer treatment