Prostate cancer research progresses
Prostate cancer is the second most commonly occurring cancer in men and the leading cause of cancer death amongst men worldwide.
An emerging clinical concern in the treatment of some types of prostate cancer is resistance over time to the common chemotherapy medication docetaxel. It is therefore important to understand the pathways of drug resistance and prostate cancer metastasis and to identify new potential therapeutics.
Recently published in vitro research examined the potential effects of high purity fucoidan on the metastasis of docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer cells. The study found that the fucoidan reduced the motility of docetaxel resistant cells by binding to P-selectin, inactivated the signalling pathway NF-κB p50, downregulated the inflammatory cytokine receptor IL-1R, and decreased the expression of the inflammatory enzyme Cox2. A synergistic effect of fucoidan and docetaxel was also reported, with the combined treatment showing significant anticancer effects on the viability of the docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer cells.
The high purity fucoidan derived from Fucus vesiculosus seaweed was produced in Australia by Marinova Pty Ltd.
Researchers concluded that a fucoidan-based combination chemotherapy may exert beneficial effects and assist in the future treatment of docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer.
The full paper, ‘Active Targeting of P-Selectin by Fucoidan Modulates the Molecular Profiling of Metastasis in Docetaxel-Resistant Prostate Cancer’ was published in a special edition of Marine Drugs.