As per the studies conducted on SK-Hep1 cell line, n-hexane fraction of S. japonicaof Phaeophyceae family activates caspase-dependent as well as caspase-independentcell apoptosis in hepatocellular cancer cell and also disturbs the calcium homeostasisthat produces ER stress (Jo et al. 2012). ER stress is produced by the disruption ofcalcium homeostasis and therefore upregulates ER stress-related genes, TRAF2,ATF6α, Bip, CHOP and phospho-JNK, that lead to cell apoptosis. In human prostatecancer cells (267B1/K-ras), S. japonica extract induces cell cycle arrest andapoptosis and has shown to have potential for preventing cancer (Jung et al. 2014).
