Cancer-fighting potentials of algal polysaccharides as nutraceuticals

Cancer has been listed as one of the world's five incurable diseases by the World Health Organization and causes tens of thousands of deaths every year. Unfortunately, anticancer agents either show limited efficacy or show serious side effects. The algae possess high nutritional value and their polysaccharides have a variety of biological activities, especially anti-cancer and immunomodulatory properties. Algal polysaccharides exert anti-cancer effects by inducing apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, anti-angiogenesis, and regulating intestinal flora and immune function. Algal polysaccharides can be combined with nanoparticles and other drugs to reduce the side effects caused by chemotherapy and increase the anticancer effects. This review shows the signal pathways related to the anti-cancer mechanisms of algal polysaccharides, including their influence on intestinal flora and immune regulation, the application of nanoparticles, and the effects on combination therapy and clinical trials of cancer treatments.