Anti-cancer compounds from East Mediterranean seaweeds
This project is aimed to study the anti-cancer effect of the East Mediterranean seaweeds to point out seaweeds of interest for future investigation and to highlight the importance of understanding their chemical composition for future drugs development. By Integrating statistical models, we aim to supply deep insight into potential seaweed-based compounds for further research as anti-cancer agents. In this work frame, we conducted a thorough annual screening of 38 genera of East Mediterranean seaweeds for anti-cancer activity against non-small cell lung carcinoma (NCSLC) A549, prostate cancer (PC3), and colon carcinoma (HT29) cell lines. Based on our results, we focused on the red seaweeds Jania rubens and Asparagopsis teaxiformies as potential candidates for the isolation of bioactive compounds. We further analyze each extract with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HRMS-UHPLC) and analyzed the metabolomic profile through GNPS workflow to visualize the Molecular Network of natural products. Combining of the biological and the spectral data allows us to apply statistical models such as PLS-DA and Spearman’s correlation to point out compounds of interest with biological effect.
