Fucoidan inhibits the migration and proliferation of HT-29 human colon cancer cells via the phosphoinositide-3 kinase/Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin pathways

Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide, has a variety of biological activities, including anti-cancer, anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the underlying mechanisms of fucoidan as an anti-cancer agent remain to be elucidated. The present study examined the anti-cancer effect of fucoidan on HT-29 human colon cancer cells. The cell growth of HT29 cells was significantly decreased following treatment with fucoidan (200 μg/ml). In addition, fucoidan inhibited the migration of HT-29 cells by decreasing the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 in a dose-dependent manner (0–200 μg/ml). The underlying mechanism of these inhibitory effects included the downregulation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) by treatment with fucoidan. Furthermore, fucoidan increased the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and decreased cancer sphere formation. The present study suggested that fucoidan exerts an anti-cancer effect on HT-29 human colon cancer cells by downregulating the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway. Therefore, fucoidan may be a potential therapeutic reagent against the growth of human colon cancer cells.