Monday Dec 1 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Researchers in
South Korea suggested that carotenoids from marine Chlorella ellipsoidea and
freshwater Chlorella vulgaris effectively may be used to prevent human cancer.
The main carotenoid from C. ellipsoidea was violaxanthing
with two minor xanthophylls namely antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin, and the
carotenoid from C. vulgaris was almost entirely lutein, the researchers found.
Cha KH and colleagues found that both semipurified
extracts of C ellipsoidea and C. vulgaris inhibited HCT116 cancer cell growth
in a dose-dependent manner.
Both when used
together enhanced apoptosis, programmed cell death that is missing in cancer
cells.
They also found that C. ellipsoidea extract was 2.5 times
more effective than C. vulgaris extract at inducing apoptotic effect.
The authors wrote "These results indicate that
bioactive xanthophylls of C. ellipsoidea might be useful functional ingredients
in the prevention of human cancers."
The study was published in the Oct 23, 2008 issue of
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a journal published by the American Chemical Society.
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