Javier Ávila-Román

Bioactive compounds isolated from microalgae in chronic inflammation and cancer

The risk of onset of cancer is influenced by poorly controlled chronic inflammatory processes. Inflammatory diseases related to cancer development include inflammatory bowel disease, which can lead to colon cancer, or actinic keratosis, associated with chronic exposure to ultraviolet light, which can progress to squamous cell carcinoma. Chronic inflammatory states expose these patients to a number of signals with tumorigenic effects, including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) activation, pro-inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins release and ROS production. In addition, the participation of inflammasomes, autophagy and sirtuins has been demonstrated in pathological processes such as inflammation and cancer. Chemoprevention consists in the use of drugs, vitamins, or nutritional supplements to reduce the risk of developing or having a recurrence of cancer. Numerous in vitro and animal studies have established the potential colon and skin cancer chemopreventive properties of substances from marine environment, including microalgae species and their products (carotenoids, fatty acids, glycolipids, polysaccharides and proteins). This review summarizes the main mechanisms of actions of these compounds in the chemoprevention of these cancers. These actions include suppression of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, stimulation of antimetastatic and antiangiogenic responses and increased antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

Chemoprevention with phytonutrients and microalgae products in chronic inflammation and colon cancer.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder caused by deregulated immune responses in a genetically predisposed individual. This is a complex process mediated by cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, cytoplasm nuclear receptors, among others. Recent data support a participation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and mitochondrial dysfunctions in IBD. Moreover, now it is evident that chronic degenerative pathologies, including IBD, share comparable disease mechanisms at the cellular level with alteration of the autophagy mechanisms. Mounting evidence suggests that the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) is dramatically increased in patients with chronic inflammatory disease. Chronic inflammation in IBD exposes these patients to a number of signals known to have tumorigenic effects including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation, proinflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins release and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Chemoprevention consists in the use of drugs, vitamins, or nutritional supplements to reduce the risk of developing, or having a recurrence of cancer. Numerous in vitro and animal studies have established the potential colon cancer chemopreventive properties of phytochemicals derived from both plants (curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin or genistein) and substances from marine environment, including microalgae species and their products. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which these naturally occurring compounds may mediate chemopreventive effects on cancer. These actions include induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, inhibition of cell proliferation, stimulation of antimetastatic and antiangiogenic responses and increased antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

Inhibition of Chronic Ulcerative Colitis-associated Adenocarcinoma Development in Mice by VSL#3

Background:Colorectal cancer is the most severe complication in inflammatory bowel disease. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the probiotic VSL#3 when administered as either preventive or concurrent treatment in the progression from chronic colitis to colon cancer. Methods:Mice were exposed to 5, 10, and 15 cycles of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS); each cycle consisted of 0.7% DSS for 1 week followed by distilled water for 10 days. VSL#3 was administered either from 2 weeks before the colitis induction or from the first day of the colitis until being killed. After each period, macroscopic and histological studies, as well as analysis of inflammatory and tumor biomarkers, were performed. Results:Prophylactic or concurrent VSL#3 administration attenuated the disease activity index score and colon inflammation after 5, 10, and 15 cycles of DSS, as well as reduced the histological alterations and the incidence of colonic dysplastic lesions at the 3 periods studied. None of the animals receiving VSL#3 as a concurrent treatment developed carcinoma, which is in contrast to 5% and 20% of the mice following preventive VSL#3 administration, developing carcinoma at the 10th and the 15th cycles of DSS, respectively. In addition, the probiotic reduced the proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1&bgr;, interleukin-6 production, cyclooxygenase-2 expression, and increased interleukin-10 levels in colon tissue at the 3 periods assayed. Conclusions:VSL#3 administration reduced chronic inflammation and prevented or delayed the development of dysplasia and carcinoma in a mouse model of chronic colitis-associated cancer.

Oxylipins from the microalgae Chlamydomonas debaryana and Nannochloropsis gaditana and their activity as TNF-α inhibitors.

The chemical study of the microalgae Chlamydomonas debaryana and Nannochloropsis gaditana has led to the isolation of oxylipins. The samples of C. debaryana have yielded the compounds (4Z,7Z,9E,11S,13Z)-11-hydroxyhexadeca-4,7,9,13-tetraenoic acid (1), (4Z,7E,9E,13Z)-11-hydroxyhexadeca-4,7,9,13-tetraenoic acid (2), (4Z,6E,10Z,13Z)-8-hydroxyhexadeca-4,6,10,13-tetraenoic acid (3), (4Z,8E,10Z,13Z)-7-hydroxyhexadeca-4,8,10,13-tetraenoic acid (4), and (5E,7Z,10Z,13Z)-4-hydroxyhexadeca-5,7,10,13-tetraenoic acid (5), which are derived from the fatty acid 16:4Δ(4,7,10,13) together with the compound (5Z,9Z,11E,15Z)-13-hydroxyoctadeca-5,9,11,15-tetraenoic acid (7) derived from coniferonic acid (18:4Δ(5,9,12,15)). In addition, the known polyunsaturated hydroxy acids 11-HHT (6), (5Z,9Z,11E)-13-hydroxyoctadeca-5,9,11-trienoic acid (8), (13S)-HOTE (9), (9E,11E,15Z)-13-hydroxyoctadeca-9,11,15-trienoic acid (10), 9-HOTE (11), 12-HOTE (12), 16-HOTE (13) and (13S)-HODE (14) have also been obtained. The chemical study of N. gaditana has led to the isolation of the hydroxy acid (15S)-HEPE (15) derived from EPA (20:5Δ(5,8,11,14,17)). The structures of the isolated compounds were established by spectroscopic means. The optical activity displayed by oxylipins 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14, and 15 suggests the occurrence of LOX-mediated pathways in C. debaryana and N. gaditana. In anti-inflammatory assays, all the tested compounds inhibited the TNF-α production in LPS-stimulated THP-1 macrophages. The most active oxylipin was the C-16 hydroxy acid 1, which at 25μM caused a 60% decrease of the TNF-α level.

Expression patterns of sirtuin 1-AMPK-autophagy pathway in chronic colitis and inflammation-associated colon neoplasia in IL-10-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND Interleukin-10-deficient (IL-10 (-/-)) mice spontaneously develop chronic colitis and adenocarcinoma through the dysplasia sequence. Autophagy malfunction is associated to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC) pathogenesis. Autophagy is regulated by silent information regulator-1 (SIRT1), a NAD+-dependent histone deacetylase. Our aim was to investigate the expression changes of SIRT1-AMPK-autophagy pathway in the progression from chronic colitis to CRC. METHODS We studied C57BL/6-IL-10-deficient mice between 6 and 18weeks of age. Macroscopic and histological analysis, and characterization of inflammatory and tumor biomarkers were performed. RESULTS IL-10-deficient mice developed colitis from the age of 6weeks onward. The severity of inflammation and dysplasia, and the proliferative activity increased gradually with age. IL-10 (-/-) mice were characterized by improved levels of TNF-α and decreased expression of SIRT1. Moreover, our findings show an increase in p-AMPK expression and an activation of the autophagy in IL-10 (-/-) mice from all stages, evidenced by the accumulation of LC3-II protein, the increase in Beclin 1 expression and the reduction in Bcl-2 levels. CONCLUSIONS SIRT1-AMPK-autophagy pathway may be involved in the maintenance of chronic inflammation and dysplasia development in the IL-10-deficient mice model. Modulation of this pathway could be a novel strategy for IBD and CRC treatment.

Goniothalamin prevents the development of chemically induced and spontaneous colitis in rodents and induces apoptosis in the HT-29 human colon tumor cell line.

Colon cancer is the third most incident type of cancer worldwide. One of the most important risk factors for colon cancer development are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), thus therapies focusing on IBD treatment have great potential to be used in cancer prevention. Nature has been a source of new therapeutic and preventive agents and the racemic form of the styryl-lactone goniothalamin (GTN) has been shown to be a promising antiproliferative agent, with gastroprotective, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects. As inflammation is a well-known tumor promoter, the major goal of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic and preventive potentials of GTN on chemically induced and spontaneous colitis, as well as the cytotoxic effects of GTN on a human colon tumor cell line (HT-29). GTN treatments inhibited TNBS-induced acute and chronic colitis development in Wistar rats, reducing myeloperoxidase levels and inflammatory cells infiltration in the mucosa. In spontaneous-colitis using IL-10 deficient mice (C57BL/6 background), GTN prevented colitis development through downregulation of TNF-α, upregulation of SIRT-1 and inhibition of proliferation (PCNA index), without signs of toxicity after three months of treatment. In HT-29 cells, treatment with 10μM of GTN induced apoptosis by increasing BAX/BCL2, p-JNK1/JNK1, p-P38/P38 ratios as well as through ROS generation. Caspase 8, 9 and 3 activation also occurred, suggesting caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway, culminating in PARP-1 cleavage. Together with previous data, these results show the importance of GTN as a pro-apoptotic, preventive and therapeutic agent for IBD and highlight its potential as a chemopreventive agent for colon cancer.

Anti-inflammatory effects of an oxylipin-containing lyophilised biomass from a microalga in a murine recurrent colitis model.

Diet and nutritional factors have emerged as possible interventions for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which are characterised by chronic uncontrolled inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. Microalgal species are a promising source of n-3 PUFA and derived oxylipins, which are lipid mediators with a key role in the resolution of inflammation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of an oxylipin-containing lyophilised biomass from Chlamydomonas debaryana on a recurrent 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis mice model. Moderate chronic inflammation of the colon was induced in BALB/c mice by weekly intracolonic instillations of low dose of TNBS. Administration of the lyophilised microalgal biomass started 2 weeks before colitis induction and was continued throughout colitis development. Mice were killed 48 h after the last TNBS challenge. Oral administration of the microalgal biomass reduced TNBS-induced intestinal inflammation, evidenced by an inhibition of body weight loss, an improvement in colon morphology and a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-17. This product also down-regulated colonic expressions of inducible nitric oxide, cyclo-oxygenase 2 and NF-κB, as well as increased PPAR-γ. In addition, lyophilised microalgal biomass up-regulated the expressions of the antioxidant transcription factor nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 and the target gene heme oxygenase 1. This study describes for the first time the prophylactic effects of an oxylipin-containing lyophilised microalgae biomass from C. debaryana in the acute phase of a recurrent TNBS-induced colitis model in mice. These findings suggest the potential use of this microalga, or derived oxylipins, as a nutraceutical in the treatment of IBD.

Microalgae-derived oxylipins decrease inflammatory mediators by regulating the subcellular location of NFκB and PPAR-γ

&NA; Oxylipins (OXLs) are bioactive molecules generated by the oxidation of fatty acids that promote the resolution of acute inflammation and prevent chronic inflammatory processes through molecular mechanisms that are not well known. We have previously reported the anti‐inflammatory activity of microalgae‐derived OXLs and OXL‐containing biomass in two inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) models: 2,4,6‐trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)‐induced acute colitis and TNBS‐induced recurrent colitis. In this study, we examined the in vitro anti‐inflammatory mechanism of action of the most abundant OXLs isolated from Chlamydomonas debaryana (13S‐HOTE and 13S‐HODE) and Nannochloropsis gaditana (15S‐HEPE). These OXLs decreased IL‐1&bgr; and IL‐6 pro‐inflammatory cytokines production as well as iNOS and COX‐2 expression levels in THP‐1 macrophages. In addition, OXLs decreased IL‐8 production in HT‐29 colon cells, the major chemokine produced by these cells. The interaction of OXLs with NF&kgr;B and PPAR‐&ggr; signaling pathways was studied by confocal microscopy. In THP‐1 macrophages and HT‐29 colon cells, stimulated by LPS and TNF&agr; respectively, a pre‐treatment with 13S‐HOTE, 13S‐HODE and 15S‐HEPE (100 &mgr;M) resulted in a lower nuclear presence of NF&kgr;B in both cell lines. The study of the subcellular localization of PPAR‐&ggr; showed that the treatment of THP‐1 and HT‐29 cells with these OXLs caused the migration of PPAR‐&ggr; into the nucleus. Colocalization analysis of both transcription factors in LPS‐stimulated THP‐1 macrophages showed that the pre‐treatment with 13S‐HOTE, 13S‐HODE or 15S‐HEPE lowered nuclear colocalization similar to control value, and increased cytosolic localization above control level. These results indicate that these OXLs could act as agonist of PPAR‐&ggr; and consequently inhibit NF&kgr;B signaling pathway activation, thus lowering the production of inflammatory markers, highlighting the therapeutic potential of these OXLs in inflammatory diseases such as IBD. Graphical abstract Figure. No caption available.

Topical Application of Glycolipids from Isochrysis galbana Prevents Epidermal Hyperplasia in Mice

Chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis have a significant impact on society. Currently, the major topical treatments have many side effects, making their continued use in patients difficult. Microalgae have emerged as a source of bio-active molecules such as glycolipids with potent anti-inflammatory properties. We aimed to investigate the effects of a glycolipid (MGMG-A) and a glycolipid fraction (MGDG) obtained from the microalga Isochrysis galbana on a TPA-induced epidermal hyperplasia murine model. In a first set of experiments, we examined the preventive effects of MGMG-A and MGDG dissolved in acetone on TPA-induced hyperplasia model in mice. In a second step, we performed an in vivo permeability study by using rhodamine-containing cream, ointment, or gel to determinate the formulation that preserves the skin architecture and reaches deeper. The selected formulation was assayed to ensure the stability and enhanced permeation properties of the samples in an ex vivo experiment. Finally, MGDG-containing cream was assessed in the hyperplasia murine model. The results showed that pre-treatment with acetone-dissolved glycolipids reduced skin edema, epidermal thickness, and pro-inflammatory cytokine production (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17) in epidermal tissue. The in vivo and ex vivo permeation studies showed that the cream formulation had the best permeability profile. In the same way, MGDG-cream formulation showed better permeation than acetone-dissolved preparation. MGDG-cream application attenuated TPA-induced skin edema, improved histopathological features, and showed a reduction of the inflammatory cell infiltrate. In addition, this formulation inhibited epidermal expression of COX-2 in a similar way to dexamethasone. Our results suggest that an MGDG-containing cream could be an emerging therapeutic strategy for the treatment of inflammatory skin pathologies such as psoriasis.

Fucoxanthin-Containing Cream Prevents Epidermal Hyperplasia and UVB-Induced Skin Erythema in Mice

Microalgae represent a source of bio-active compounds such as carotenoids with potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. We aimed to investigate the effects of fucoxanthin (FX) in both in vitro and in vivo skin models. Firstly, its anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated in LPS-stimulated THP-1 macrophages and TNF-α-stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes, and its antioxidant activity in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. Next, in vitro and ex vivo permeation studies were developed to determine the most suitable formulation for in vivo FX topical application. Then, we evaluated the effects of a FX-containing cream on TPA-induced epidermal hyperplasia in mice, as well as on UVB-induced acute erythema in hairless mice. Our results confirmed the in vitro reduction of TNF-α, IL-6, ROS and LDH production. Since the permeation results showed that cream was the most favourable vehicle, FX-cream was elaborated. This formulation effectively ameliorated TPA-induced hyperplasia, by reducing skin edema, epidermal thickness, MPO activity and COX-2 expression. Moreover, FX-cream reduced UVB-induced erythema through down-regulation of COX-2 and iNOS as well as up-regulation of HO-1 protein via Nrf-2 pathway. In conclusion, FX, administered in a topical formulation, could be a novel natural adjuvant for preventing exacerbations associated with skin inflammatory pathologies as well as protecting skin against UV radiation.