Apoptotic activity of crude polysaccharides derived from Spirulina platensis and Chlorella protothecoides in pancreatic cancer cells

This study investigated the apoptotic activity of crude polysaccharides derived from two food-related microalgae, Spirulina platensis (SP) and Chlorella protothecoides (CP), against pancreatic cancer cells.Crude polysaccharides were prepared from dried microalgal biomass through ethanol treatment, hot-water extraction, ethanol precipitation, acetone dehydration, and drying.SP and CP crude polysaccharides were assessed in BxPC-3 and HPDE cells using a WST-1 assay.At 10 mg/mL, BxPC-3 cell viability was 75.07±1.66%and 59.08±11.79%after SP and CP treatment, respectively; the difference was not statistically significant (paired t-test, p =0.116).CP treatment showed relatively high HPDE cell viability (97.80±2.21%).CP was selected for exploratory apoptosis analyses on the basis of its observed cell viability profile, without assuming superiority over SP.Annexin V/PI staining showed an increase in the apoptotic cell population following CP treatment.A single Western blot experiment revealed qualitative differences in CHOP, DR5, and Bax band patterns; these observations were not quantitatively validated across independent experiments.These findings provide preliminary evidence of an apoptosis-associated response to CP crude polysaccharide in BxPC-3 cells, without establishing comparative apoptotic potency or a specific signaling mechanism.