The Microalga <i>Skeletonema marinoi</i> Induces Apoptosis and DNA Damage in K562 Cell Line by Modulating NADPH Oxidase

Abstract

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disease that activates multiple signaling pathways, causing cells to produce higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases (NOXs) are a major generator of ROS in leukemia, and marine natural products have shown promising activities for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the marine microalga Skeletonema marinoi (S.M.), a ubiquitous diatom that forms massive blooms in the oceans, on the human leukemia cell line K562. The effects of S.M. extract on cell viability, production of ROS, nitric oxide (NO), and apoptosis were examined. In this preliminary work, S.M. was able to decrease cell viability (p p p p p < 0.05) in the K562-treated cells.

Keywords

• <i>Skeletonema marinoi</i>
• leukemia
• oxidative stress
• apoptosis