The Bioactivity of Fucoxanthin from Undaria pinnatifida in Vitro

Fucoxanthin, a marine carotenoid, can be found in marine algae and some marine invertebrates, has remarkable biological properties for human health. It is known that fucoxanthin has anti-cancer activity on some human cancer cells such as human colon cancers, leukemia cells, prostate cancer cells, breast cancer cells. In this study, the fucoxanthin was extracted from Undaria pinnatifida, after purification by silica gel ion exchange column and TLC, the purity of fucoxanthin was reached to 95%. For anti-oxidant activity, the extracted fucoxanthin from Undaria pinnatifida had strong properties on hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (EC₅₀ = 7.03 μM) and ferrous metal ions chelating activity (EC₅₀ = 30.22 μM). For immunomodulatory activitiy, the fucoxanthin can activate proliferation of RAW 264.7 and protect it from DOX-induced and LPS-stimultaed cell damage. For anti-cancer activity, the extracted fucoxanthin could inhibit proliferation of HT1080, MDA-MB-231 and U-2 OS cells. Therefore, the fucoxanthin could be used as potential functional food additives in food industry.