Apoptotic and Autophagic Cell Death Effects of the Hexane Extract of Tropical Marine Algae Halymenia durvillei against Human Glioblastoma Cells: In vitro and in silico Studies

Glioblastoma (GBM) considered as aggressive brain cancer with high mortality rate in patients even after surgical resection. Resistant to chemotherapy is the major problem in GBM therapy. Discovery of novel bioactive compounds from algae is being investigated as alternative sources for potential treatment as well as prevention in glioblastoma. This study revealed the effects of marine red algae extract from hexane solvent fraction of Halymenia durvillei (HDHE) on proliferation and cell death in A172 human GBM cells. HDHE decreased proliferation and promoted cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase. HDHE induced apoptotic cell death in A172 cells through mitochondrial membrane dysfunction, the decrease of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein expression, and activation of caspase 3/7. Moreover, HDHE increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and accumulation of LC3-II, an autophagic marker. The docked conformation of palmitic acid, a major component of HDHE, showed a high affinity binding to TP53 and Beclin-1 as cell death-related target molecules. This research conclusively demonstrated that HDHE might serve as a potent anticancer agent against glioblastoma by promoting apoptotic and autophagic cell death in A172 human GBM cells. HIGHLIGHTS The palmitic acid-enriched extract of red alga Halymenia durvillei (HDHE) could inhibit proliferation of A172 human glioblastoma cells by arresting cell cycle at G2/M phase HDHE could induce both caspase-dependent apoptotic and autophagic death of A172 cells Palmitic acid, a major component of HDHE, showed a high affinity binding to TP53 and Beclin-1 The extract could be beneficial to develop as chemopreventive agents or food supplements against glioblastoma GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT