Update on the X-File on Algae

Discovery of Cancer Fighting Chemical in Blue-Green Algae

This was the headline in "The Honoloulou Adviser" February 9th, 1996. Edwin Tanji reported that researchers Richard Moore and Gregory Patterson had found that a naturally occuring chemical in Blue-green algae was a very effective inhibiting agent of tumor growth.

Cryptophycin was the chemical and one of several "very powerful chemicals" that were contained in the pond scum. Work is now underway to produce it synthetically in a form for testing on humans, hopefully within two years. This is under a contract drawn out by Eli Lily and Co. The findings were further endorsed by research at Wayne State University which showed that cryptophycin "will inhibit cancer cells but have less effect on normal cells". This report came to me from an article in "The Water Garden Journal" Summmer 96 - the journal for the International Water Lily Society. In it Jack Honeycutt of the IWLS adds that blue-green algae is being used by AIDS patients and sufferers, either as a cure or to treatment for Aids. The information was available on the internet.

Here is the Wikepedia insert on Crytophycin:
“Definition- Cryptophycin is a potent cytotoxin produced by cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc. It is also a promising drug in many cancer therapies.
Mode of Operation- Cryptophycin works by attacking the tubulin microfilaments found in eukaryotic cells and thereby preventing cell division and reproduction. The main hypothesis as to why the blue-green algae produce this energetically expensive compound is that it is used as a strong anti-fungal agent in order to prevent fungus or other types of algae from competing with the blue-green algae for nutrients and sunlight. This is necessary because the algae have no means of physically evading organisms that would settle on them or above them and block the sunlight that they need in order to photosynthesize. It has been found that the amount of cryptophycin being produced by any one alga at any given time depends on the current environmental conditions. The compound must be able to distinguish between destroying those microtubules that are foreign and its own cells so it has evolved to recognize cells which are proliferating too quickly to be its own cells by an as yet unknown mechanism. This property of cryptophycin allows it to recognize cancerous tumor cells, even those of “solid tumors” such as those in brain, colon, ovarian, prostate, pancreas, lung and breast cancers and it can destroy the cells of multi-drug resistant (MDR) tumors. These are the cancers that chemotherapy has the least ability to treat and account for eighty-five percent of all cancer deaths in the United States (Back, 2005).”

Also:(This is thanks to Koi mag in July 2007):

Some Algae can be Parasites

The fish disease known as 'velvet', (Piscinoodinium) is caused by a dinoflagellate that attacks living flesh. When its not on a fish it gains its nourishment from photosynthesis, like all plants apart from fungi, and has a greenish appearance.