Poster Presenter

Efficacy of Algae Containing PPAR Agonistic Activities in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Wen-Chuan Hsieh, Yi-Ling Chen, and Ih-Jen Su
Taiwan

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most important malignancies in Taiwan. The medical therapy for HCC, however, is unsatisfactory and most advanced diseases die within two years. Recently, agonists of peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) have been found to exhibit inhibition of HCC growth in vitro and in vivo. Chlorella sorokiniana (C. sorokiniana, Crypto-Algae®), a product of natural algae, has been widely used and been certified as a health food supplement for metabolic syndrome in Taiwan. Biochemical analysis of C. sorokiniana revealed that this alga contains PPAR-a/g agonists. Therefore, we tested the effects of C. sorakiniana on hepatoma cell line-Huh7 and HepG2. Our results showed that extract of C. sorakiniana can induce cell death through apoptosis and down-regulate pAkt/mTOR signaling pathway in Huh7 and HepG2. In SCID mice model, we also found that this extract could effectively inhibit the growth of Huh7 and HepG2-induced HCC. If used in combination with the chemotherapeutic agent- Sorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, synergistic effect of tumor growth inhibition was observed. Therefore, the algae extract containing PPAR agonists may be a potential therapeutic agent for HCC. Whether other functional components responsible for HCC therapy, besides PPAR agonists, exist in algae remain to be investigated.