Abstract
Inflammation is known to be closely associated with the development of cancer. The study was launched in human cervical cancer HeLa cells to investigate the antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects of P2, a marine polypeptide fraction from an important fishery resource Arca subcrenata. The basic research showed that P2 could suppress the production of nitric oxide in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells as well as the secretion of inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF- α in human cervical cancer HeLa cells. For the molecular mechanisms, P2 was shown to downregulate the gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 and to inhibit the COX-2 and iNOS-related pathways in HeLa cells. In consequence, P2 might inhibit tumor development by blocking the interaction between tumor microenvironment and proinflammatory mediators. All findings indicate that P2 possesses the potential to be developed as a novel agent for cancer therapy.