Development of a novel method for the purification of C-phycocyanin pigment from a local cyanobacterial strain Limnothrix sp. NS01 and evaluation of its anticancer properties

C-phycocyanin (C-PC) pigment, as a natural blue dye, has particular applications in various fields. It is a water-soluble protein which has anticancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we introduce an efficient procedure for the purification of C-PC pigment, followed by conducting a comprehensive investigation of its cytotoxic effects on human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells and the underlying mechanisms. A novel four-step purification procedure including the adsorption of impurities with chitosan, activated charcoal, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and ion exchange chromatography was employed, achieving a high purity form of C-PC with purity index (PI) of 5.26. SDS-PAGE analysis showed the purified C-PC with two discrete bands, subunit α (17 kD) and β (20 kD), as confirmed its identity by Native-PAGE. A highly purified C-PC was employed to evaluate its anticancer activity and underlying molecular mechanisms of action. The inhibitory effects of highly purified C-PC on the proliferation of human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) have detected by MTT assay. The IC50 values for 24, 48, and 72 hours of exposure to C-PC were determined to be 5.92, 5.66, and 4.52 μg/μl, respectively. Flow cytometric analysis of cells treated with C-PC, by Annexin V/PI double staining, demonstrated to induce MCF-7 cells apoptosis. Also, the results obtained from propidium iodide (PI) staining showed that MCF-7 cells treated with 5.92 μg/μl C-PC for 24 h would arrest at the G2 phase and 5.66 and 4.52 μg/μl C-PC for 48 and 72 h could induce cell cycle arrest at both G2 and S phases. The oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction were evaluated to determine the possible pathways involved in C-PC-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Our findings clearly indicated that the treatment of MCF-7 cells with C-PC (IC50 for 24 h) increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Consequently, an increase in the lipid peroxidation (LPO) level and a reduction in the ATP level, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), glutathione (GSH) and its oxidized form (GSSG), occurred over time. The reduced expression levels of anti-apoptotic proteins, Bcl2 and Stat3, plus cell cycle regulator protein, Cyclin D1, using Real-Time PCR confirm that the C-PC-induced death of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells occurred through the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Collectively, the analyses presented here suggest that C-PC has the potential so that to develop it as a chemotherapeutic anticancer drug.