Investigation of the effect of astaxanthin on breast and cervical cancer

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Among women, breast and cervical cancers are among the most commonly diagnosed types. Astaxanthin, a naturally occurring carotenoid derivative found abundantly in plants and marine organisms, is known for its strong antioxidant properties. In addition to its antioxidant capacity, astaxanthin exhibits various biological activities, including pro-apoptotic, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. This thesis aims to investigate astaxanthin's effects on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and HeLa cervical cancer cell lines. Specifically, the study focuses on evaluating the impact of astaxanthin treatment on cell viability and proliferation, wound healing capacity, changes in invasion potential, cytotoxic effects, and the expression levels of MMP2, MMP9, and NfkB genes at both mRNA and protein levels. The cytotoxicity assay assessed the viability and proliferative capacity of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer and HeLa cervical cancer cells. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of MMP2, MMP9, and NF-κB, at the same time, western blot analysis was performed to evaluate the corresponding protein expression levels. Additionally, invasion and migration assays were conducted to investigate astaxanthin's mechanistic effects on cancer cells' metastatic behavior. In the cytotoxicity analysis, astaxanthin was applied to cancer cells at concentrations ranging from 10 to 250 μM concentrations. The IC₅₀ value was determined to be 25 μM for the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line and 50 μM for the HeLa cervical cancer cell line. Migration and invasion assays demonstrated that these IC₅₀ doses effectively inhibited cell movement and invasive potential. Molecular analyses revealed that astaxanthin treatment induced changes in the mRNA and protein expression levels of MMP2, MMP9, and NfkB genes in both MDA-MB-231 and HeLa cells. Astaxanthin may be considered a potential therapeutic agent in cancer treatment due to its anticancer properties. However, to fully understand its molecular mechanisms of action on tumor cells, further comprehensive in vitro and in vivo studies are required.