Abstract

The Magellan ecoregion, located in the sub-Antarctic portion of Chile, is marked as a continental portion of high latitude that presents low periods of photoperiod and luminosity in the winter and high in the summer. Seasonal variations in the chemical composition of seaweeds may influence their reproductive state and biomass, and thus their prospection into food, cosmetological or pharmacological use. The objectives of the present study were to determine the fatty acids (FAs) profile of the red seaweed Mazzaella laminarioides in vegetative, tetrasporophitic, and cystocarpic phases in winter and summer, and assess the antitumoral activity of these FAs against T24 bladder cancer cells. The algal extracts consisted of nineteen FAs, and composition varied according to the reproductive state and the season the algae were collected. Cell viability decreased in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Most significant cytotoxic activity of FAs, as well as the highest chromatin condensation observed by DAPI staining was at a concentration of 200 mu g/mL in 24 and 48 h. The results indicate that FAs derived from M. laminarioides have potential to reduce the proliferation in BC cells.