Can it be possible to use Caulerpa species for the treatment of some diseases?

S Cengiz; L Cavas; K Yurdakoc

doi:10.1055/s-0031-1282830

Planta Medica, Table of Contents

Can it be possible to use Caulerpa species for the treatment of some diseases?

S Cengiz ¹, L Cavas ², K Yurdakoc ²

¹Akdeniz University, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, 07058, Antalya-Turkey
²Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, 35160, Izmir-Turkey

Abstract

Many algae species have important secretions which are used for defensive purposes. These secretions generally have significant potential in terms of pharmaceutical industry. Among these secretions caulerpenyne (CYN) which is the main metabolite of Caulerpa species may have an important position in medical investigations as a result of its determined properties such as cytotoxic, antiviral, antiproliferative and apoptotic effects (Lemée et al., 1993; Fischel et al., 1995; Galgani et al., 1996; Nicoletti et al., 1999; Barbier et al., 2001; Cavas et al., 2006).

In the present study, the inhibitory effects of CYN isolated from Caulerpa prolifera (Forsskål) J.V. Lamouroux (Caulerpaceae) on monoacylglycerol lipase and lipoxygenase were investigated. The results of the study presented that purified caulerpenyne inhibited soybean lipoxygenase with an IC₅₀ of 5.1µM.

The results of the investigation conducted with monoacylglycerol lipase revealed that the inhibition of this enzyme were well in line with CYN concentration. The IC₅₀ value of monoacylglycerol lipase inhibition with CYN was also determined as 98.4µM. In conclusion, Caulerpa species can be a promising material for the treatment of monoacylglycerol lipase and lipoxygenase related diseases.

Keywords: Caulerpa species, caulerpenyne, lipoxygenase, monoacylglycerol lipase, inhibition

Acknowledgement: We thank Prof.Dr. Georg Pohnert, Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena for sharing his valuable knowledge about CYN purification with us. The authors are grateful to the Research Foundation of Dokuz Eylül University (Project No: 2008. KB. FEN. 019) for financial support. Sevilay Cengiz thanks to The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) for the scholarship. TÜBİTAK Project (109T512) is also acknowledged for financial support.

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