Evaluation of acute and sub-acute toxicity assessment of marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii

With positive effects on human health, several bioactive compounds from marine microalgae have been demonstrated for their diverse biological activities. As new technologies are emerging for the study of bioactive compounds from natural sources, determination of their toxicity profile becomes inevitable. Since diatoms are rich in minerals and produce secondary metabolites, diatoms were reported as potent anti-cancer agents. It has been proved that diatoms can be used as potentially effective carrier in treating cancer diseases especially in targeted drug delivery treatments. Various in vivo studies have shown that there are no significant symptoms of tissue damage in animal models, thus suggesting the aptness of a diatoms extract of Thalassiosira weissflogii in cancer treatments. The diatoms methanolic extract showed hopeful paths for further preclinical studies in discovering their pharmacological potential. In future, these marine diatoms which are rich in cytotoxic compounds against cancer cells will be connected for the discovery of new lead compounds. The diatoms of T. weissflogii could be further assessed for their efficiency against cancer models to attain targeted delivery and harmless treatment.