Dual Mechanism of <i>Amphiroa anceps</i>: Antiangiogenic and Anticancer Effects in Skin Cancer

Abstract

Skin cancer is diagnosed usually at the last stage and the available conventional treatments are costly and have various side-effects. It is therefore necessary to design a biocompatible alternative treatment approach. In our present study, the liposomal formulation of marine red algae Amphiroa anceps is investigated for its anticancer activity against skin cancer. The aqueous extract (HA) and the liposomal formulated aqueous extract (NHA) of A. anceps are characterized using Raman spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM reveals the size of NHA to be around 150-230 nm. In HPLC, two prominent peaks at the retention time of 5.233 min and 5.775 min are observed. NHA exhibits anticancer activity in skin cancer cells (A375) dose-dependently, and the cell viability 100 µg/mL is 16% ± 2%. The in vitro biocompatibility assays using fibroblast cell viability and haemolysis assay, show that the NHA is safe and highly biocompatible. A step forward, the Chorioallantoic Membrane Assay assay reveals HA and NHA have anti-angiogenesis activity. Our study elucidates that NHA induces anticancer activity by cell necrosis and reducing new blood vessel formation, and can be a safe and promising therapeutic agent for cancer management.