Introduction: Natural phytochemicals are considered safe to use as
therapeutic agents. There is a growing trend toward exploring anticancer effects
of crude algal extracts or their active ingredients. Euglena tuba, a microalga,
contains excellent antioxidant potential. However, the anticancer property of E.
tuba has not been explored. This study investigates the chemical profiling as
well as antitumor property of methanolic extract of E. tuba (ETME) against
Dalton’s lymphoma (DL) cells. Materials and Methods: E. tuba, procured
from northern part of India, was extracted in 70% methanol, dried at room
temperature, and stored at –20 C for future use. A freshly prepared
aqueous solution of ETME of different concentrations was employed into each
experiment. The ETME mediated anti-tumor response in Dalton’s lymphoma was
evaluated in the inbred populations of BALB/c (H2d) strain of mice of either sex
at 8–12 weeks of age. The cytotoxicity of ETME in cancer cells, effects on
morphology of cell and nucleus, alteration in the mitochondrial membrane
potential, and level of expression of proapoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, cyt C, Bax
and p53) were done using known procedures. Results: The ETME contained
high content of total alkaloids (96.02 3.30 mg/100 mg), flavonoids (15.77
2.38 mg/100 mg), carbohydrate (12.71 0.59 mg/100 mg), ascorbic
acid (12.48 2.59 mg/100 mg), and phenolics (0.94 0.05 mg/100 mg).
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis indicated the presence of
23 phytochemicals with known anticancer properties. DL cells treated with ETME
exhibited significant and concentration dependent cytotoxicity. Florescent
microscopy and flow cytometry of ETME treated DL cells indicated significant
repair in cellular morphology and decreased mitochondrial potential,
respectively. Western blot analysis displayed up-regulation of proapoptotic
proteins (Bax, Cyt-c, p53) and down regulation of anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl)
in DL cells treated with ETME. Conclusions: The findings of this study
clearly indicated that the anticancer property of ETME was mediated via reduction
in mitochondrial potential and induction of apoptotic mechanism. Further studies
are warranted to explore the anticancer activities of active ingredients present
in this microalga of pharmaceutical importance.