Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
Department of Pharmacology, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain.
Mar Drugs. 2021 Sep 23;19(10):531. doi: 10.3390/md19100531.
Acute inflammation is a key component of the immune system's response to pathogens, toxic agents, or tissue injury, involving the stimulation of defense mechanisms aimed to removing pathogenic factors and restoring tissue homeostasis. However, uncontrolled acute inflammatory response may lead to chronic inflammation, which is involved in the development of many diseases, including cancer. Nowadays, the need to find new potential therapeutic compounds has raised the worldwide scientific interest to study the marine environment. Specifically, microalgae are considered rich sources of bioactive molecules, such as carotenoids, which are natural isoprenoid pigments with important beneficial effects for health due to their biological activities. Carotenoids are essential nutrients for mammals, but they are unable to synthesize them; instead, a dietary intake of these compounds is required. Carotenoids are classified as carotenes (hydrocarbon carotenoids), such as α- and β-carotene, and xanthophylls (oxygenate derivatives) including zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, fucoxanthin, lutein, α- and β-cryptoxanthin, and canthaxanthin. This review summarizes the present up-to-date knowledge of the anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of microalgal carotenoids both in vitro and in vivo, as well as the latest status of human studies for their potential use in prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancer.
急性炎症是免疫系统对病原体、有毒物质或组织损伤反应的一个关键组成部分，涉及刺激防御机制，旨在清除致病因素并恢复组织内稳态。然而，失控的急性炎症反应可能导致慢性炎症，这与许多疾病的发展有关，包括癌症。如今，寻找新的潜在治疗化合物的需求引起了全世界科学界对海洋环境的研究兴趣。具体而言，微藻被认为是生物活性分子的丰富来源，例如类胡萝卜素，它们是天然的异戊二烯类色素，由于其生物活性，对健康有重要的有益作用。类胡萝卜素是哺乳动物的必需营养素，但它们自身无法合成，而是需要通过饮食摄入这些化合物。类胡萝卜素可分为类胡萝卜素（烃类类胡萝卜素），如 α-和 β-胡萝卜素，以及叶黄素（含氧衍生物），包括玉米黄质、虾青素、岩藻黄质、叶黄素、α-和 β-隐黄质和角黄素。本综述总结了微藻类胡萝卜素在体外和体内的抗炎和抗癌活性的最新知识，以及它们在预防和治疗炎症性疾病和癌症方面的潜在用途的最新人体研究状况。
