Red algae compounds show promise against immune diseases and skin cancer

Compounds found in red algae may help treat immune system diseases and skin cancer, ERR reports, citing a study involving Estonian researchers.

An international research team found that the compounds’ effects depended directly on the temperature used to extract them. Cold and hot alkaline buffer solutions produced substances that affected cells in different ways.

The researchers studied the warm-water marine red alga Gracilaria corticata and the polysaccharides extracted from it. The team included researchers from Sri Lanka, Tallinn University, the National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, and the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

Compounds extracted with a cold solution effectively stimulated the immune system. They made cells that engulf pathogens much more active and increased their production of nitric oxide nearly tenfold.

Compounds obtained with a hot solution promoted the growth of normal skin cells and wound healing. At the same time, they attacked melanoma cells and slowed their division.

The researchers said the algae-derived compounds appear to alter how cells function. The substances extracted with a cold solution signal immune cells to attack by changing how they use the amino acid arginine. The hot-extracted compounds disrupt the metabolism of cancer cells while providing normal skin cells with fuel and protection from oxidative damage.

The findings could eventually help scientists develop new and safer treatments for immune diseases and skin cancer. However, the researchers noted that the current results are based only on laboratory studies, so it is not yet clear whether the algae polysaccharides will work in living animals or humans in the same way.

The study was published in the journal iScience.