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Anticancer effect of fucoidan in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib

Byeongsang Oh1, Jihun Kim2, Weidong Lu3

  • 1Dana-Faber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA ; Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : Ecam
|March 4, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Dietary fucoidan (DF) alone did not inhibit cancer cell growth. However, when combined with lapatinib, DF showed synergistic effects in some cancer cells but antagonistic effects in others, indicating complex interactions.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Marine Biotechnology

Background:

  • Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide from brown seaweed, shows anti-cancer properties in preclinical studies.
  • Limited research exists on the combined efficacy of dietary fucoidan (DF) with conventional cancer therapies.
  • EGFR/ERBB2 amplification is a key driver in several aggressive cancers, targeted by drugs like lapatinib.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the in vitro efficacy of dietary fucoidan (DF) as a monotherapy and in combination with lapatinib.
  • To assess the impact of DF on the sensitivity of EGFR/ERBB2-amplified cancer cell lines to lapatinib.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized six EGFR/ERBB2-amplified human cancer cell lines (OE19, NCI-N87, OE33, ESO26, MKN7, BT474).
  • Evaluated the sensitivity of these cell lines to DF alone and in combination with lapatinib.
  • Assessed cell growth inhibition and drug interaction (synergy/antagonism).

Main Results:

  • Dietary fucoidan (DF) alone did not significantly inhibit the growth of EGFR/ERBB2-amplified cancer cells in vitro.
  • Combination of DF with lapatinib demonstrated synergistic cell growth inhibition in OE33 cells.
  • DF antagonized lapatinib's action in ESO26, NCI-N87, and OE19 cancer cell lines.

Conclusions:

  • Dietary fucoidan (DF) exhibits variable effects when combined with the EGFR/ERBB2 inhibitor lapatinib.
  • DF can potentiate or diminish the efficacy of targeted cancer therapy depending on the cancer cell type.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these interactions and explore potential synergistic antitumor activities of DF with chemotherapy and targeted agents.

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