Can seagrass treat liver cancer?

 Can seagrass treat liver cancer? 

Ragu.Raman@timesofindia.com 07.04.2025

Chennai : Researchers from the University of Madras have found that emodin, a natural compound extracted from seagrass, demonstrates promising results in treating liver cancer. Currently, treatment is mainly surgical removal, organ transplantation, and localised therapies, only effective during the early to middle stages. Researchers obtained emodin from Halodule uninervis, a seagrass variety found in the Gulf of Mannar, Rameswaram. They collec ted samples across autumn, winter, spring, and summer. “Seagrass from the spring season (March) exhibited the highest phytoconstituents and demonstrated a significant reduction in the growth of liver cancer cells (HepG2),” researchers stated in their paper “Understanding the molecular mechanism of emodin in inhibiting hepatocellular carcinoma: An in vitro and in vivo approach”, recently published in the ‘Chemical Papers’ journal. “A ladder pattern of DNA fragments was observed in cancer cells treated with emodin, but not in untreated cells. This DNA ladder pattern is characteristic of apoptosis, indicating that emodin induces programmed cancer cell death,” said professor S Elumalai, lead author of the paper. The researchers observed that emodin treatment successfully reduced size and number of tumour nodules. Mice getting emodin treatment showed varying degrees of liver structure restoration. “The recovery highlights the potential therapeutic efficacy of emodin in restoring liver function and structure in the context of chemically induced liver cancer,” Elumalai said. The research team included Parthasarathi Perumal and Umamaheswari Arthanari. Further studies should examine emodin absorption, movement through the body, and possible combined effects with existing liver cancer treatments to enhance clinical use. Hepatocellular carcinoma is among the six most frequently diagnosed cancers globally. Risk factors include long-term alcohol use, consuming aflatoxin-contaminated foods, metabolic conditions, and autoimmune hepatitis.