Effects of fucoxanthin on autophagy and apoptosis in SGC‐7901cells and the mechanism

Autophagy and apoptosis are involved in the development of a variety of cancers. Fucoxanthin is a natural compound known to have antitumor effects, so we aimed to explore its effects on autophagy and apoptosis in gastric cancer SGC7901 cells. Specifically, we performed methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay, transmission electron microscopy, real‐time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, immunofluorescence assay, and cell apoptosis analysis to clarify the role of fucoxanthin in SGC‐7901 cells. Our results indicate that fucoxanthin significantly inhibits the viability of SGC‐7901 cells, effectively inducing both autophagy and apoptosis by up‐regulating the expressions of beclin‐1, LC3, and cleaved caspase‐3 (CC3), and by down regulating Bcl‐2. Fucoxanthin‐induced autophagy also seems to occur before, and may promote apoptosis. In conclusion, our study shows that fucoxanthin decreases cell viability and induces autophagy in the human SGC‐7901 gastric cancer cell line. Furthermore, fucoxanthin may induce SGC‐7901 cell apoptosis via an autophagy signaling pathway that is dependent on beclin‐1 and bcl‐2.