Fucoidan from Turbinaria conoides: A multifaceted 'deliverable' to combat pancreatic cancer progression

The presence of occult metastases at the time of diagnosis together with the lack of effective chemotherapies pose a dire need for designing new and targeted therapeutics for pancreatic cancer. Fucoidans from brown algae can be regarded as potential candidates in view of their antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-angiogenic potential. Herein, we investigated the antioxidant and anti-cancer effects of fucoidans, sulfated polysaccharides from Turbinaria conoides (TCFE) in pancreatic cancer cell lines. TCFE exerted significant antioxidant activities against various free radicals. Significant inhibition of cell proliferation and, induction of apoptotic cell death were observed in pancreatic cancer cells in response to TCFE. Also, TCFE exhibited significant anti-angiogenic potential. Evidently, gelatin zymography revealed that TCFE inhibited matrix metalloproteases -2 and -9 activities in pancreatic cancer cells. These results clearly indicate that TCFE could serve as a potential 'deliverable' to alleviate pancreatic cancer progression by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis.