Anticancer Activity of Plant Tocotrienols, Fucoxanthin, Fucoidan and Polyphenols in Dietary Supplements

Plants and algae harbor diverse molecules with antioxidant activity that have been demonstrated to directly inhibit the growth of cancer cells and alleviate the oxidative damage side effects of certain antitumor therapies. Although supplementation with antioxidants alone or in combination with chemotherapy has shown promise in improving quality of life, further investigation is needed into the effects of antioxidant combinations on specific cancer cell lines. In this study, the in vitro cytotoxic and apoptotic properties of plant/algae natural compounds and dietary supplements were investigated on various human cancer cell lines, including bone, leukemia, colorectal, breast and prostatic cancers. Apple polyphenols, fucoxanthin, and plant tocotrienols exhibited cytotoxic effects across all lines, with tocotrienols particularly potent, showing a low half- inhibitory concentration (IC50) in bone cancer cells (4.3 μg/mL). Analysis of dietary supplements 2.1, 4.0 and 10.0, revealed that supplement 10.0 exhibited specific cytotoxic activity against the TIB-223 bone cancer line, with an IC50 of 126 μg/mL. Both tocotrienols and supplement 10.0, induced morphological changes, inhibited cell migration (anti-metastatic activity), and promoted apoptosis in TIB-223 cells, as demonstrated by caspase 3/7 activation. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of specific dietary supplements to enhance the anticancer effect of traditional chemotherapies for certain cancer types.