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Protective effects of fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol against tributyltin-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells

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Abstract

Tributyltin (TBT) is a biocide extremely toxic to a wide range of organisms, which has been used for decades for industrial purposes. Fucoxanthin is a natural carotenoid that is isolated from seaweed, and fucoxanthinol is a major primary metabolite of fucoxanthin. Although fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol have been reported to possess anti-oxidant activities in vitro, little is known as to whether they protect against TBT-induced oxidative stress in cultured cells. In the present study, the protective effect of fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol against oxidative stress induced by TBT was investigated. The data showed that incubation of HepG2 cells with 0.2 μM TBT significantly increased cell apoptosis, whereas treatment with fucoxanthin or fucoxanthinol (3 μM) significantly recovered cell viability. In addition, fucoxanthinol treatment significantly decreased the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in HepG2 cells incubated with TBT. Moreover, fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol markedly increased the expression level of Bcl-2/Bax. These results demonstrated that both fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol effectively prevented cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells treated with TBT, and the protective effect was likely associated with decreased intracellular ROS and MDA and increased Bcl-2/Bax levels.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Ocean Public Welfare Scientific Research Special Appropriation Project (201405017) and the Program for Xiamen Southern Oceanographic Center (14GST69NF33). Professor John Hodgkiss of the City University of Hong Kong is thanked for his help with English.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, China

    Jie Zeng, Jinpeng Ruan, Zhenggang Yang, Chonggang Wang & Zhenghong Zuo

  2. Engineering Research Center of Marine Biological Resource Comprehensive Utilization, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, 184 Daxue Road, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Yiping Zhang & Zhuan Hong

  3. Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, China

    Yiping Zhang & Zhuan Hong

Authors
  1. Jie Zeng
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  2. Yiping Zhang
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  3. Jinpeng Ruan
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  4. Zhenggang Yang
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  5. Chonggang Wang
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  6. Zhuan Hong
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  7. Zhenghong Zuo
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Correspondence to Zhuan Hong or Zhenghong Zuo.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Jie Zeng and Yiping Zhang are co-first authors.

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Zeng, J., Zhang, Y., Ruan, J. et al. Protective effects of fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol against tributyltin-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 5582–5589 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0661-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0661-3

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