Les organismes marins, dont les microalgues, constituent un champ d’investigation majeur pour la découverte de nouveaux médicaments anticancéreux. Pour mettre en évidence de nouvelles molécules anticancéreuses, nous avons adopté une démarche bioguidée sur des extraits de microalgues marines présentant une activité antiproliférative. Ce travail a conduit à l’isolement de la violaxanthine, pigment caroténoïde époxydé, et à la démonstration de son activité antiproliférative, cytotoxique, pro-apoptotique et pro-nécrotique sur la lignée cellulaire de cancer du sein MCF-7. Des caroténoïdes tels que la fucoxanthine sont déjà connus pour présenter une activité anticancéreuse liée à leur fonction époxyde. Cependant, cette étude est la première à montrer le potentiel de la violaxanthine.Afin d’isoler d’autres pigments microalgaux potentiellement anticancéreux, des méthodes de CLHP efficaces ont été développées pour leur analyse et leur purification. Puis, des méthodes classiques d’extraction de pigments issus de microalgues ont été comparées à des méthodes d’extraction innovantes. Cette étude a permis de montrer l’intérêt de la technologie micro-onde en termes d’efficacité et de rapidité pour l’extraction des pigments de microalgues frustulées (diatomées). Plus largement, ce travail confirme le potentiel des microalgues marines comme source de molécules anticancéreuses, et démontre l’intérêt de la technologie micro-onde pour l’extraction de molécules à activité biologique issues de produits naturels. / Marine organisms, including microalgae, constitute a major field of investigation for the discovery of new anticancer drugs. To obtain new anticancer compounds, we used a bio-guided methodology on microalgae extracts showing antiproliferative activity. This work led to the isolation of violaxanthin, an epoxycarotenoid pigment, and to the demonstration of its antiproliferative, cytotoxic, pro-apoptotic and pro-necrotic activity. Carotenoids such as fucoxanthin are already known to have anticancer activity related to the epoxide. However, this is the first study demonstrating the potential of violaxanthin.In order to isolate other pigments with anticancer activity , efficient HPLC methods were developed for their analysis and purification. Then, conventional methods of pigments extraction from microalgae were compared to innovative methods of extraction. This study demonstrates the interest of microwave technology in terms of efficiency and rapidity for the pigments extraction from frustulated microalgae (diatoms).To conclude, this work confirms the potential of marine microalgae as a source of anticancer drugs, and demonstrates the interest of microwave technology for the extraction of biologically active molecules from natural products.

Potato cultivars exhibit a wide variation in skin and flesh colour due to the presence of pigments. This study established that potato cultivars differ greatly with respect to types and concentrations of carotenoids in tubers. A total of 46 cultivars were evaluated for quantitative and qualitative carotenoid composition in different growing seasons, locations, storage conditions and disease symptoms. Factors controlling carotenoid accumulation were also tested by developing an in vitro minituber system as a new high-throughput model system for carotenogenesis in potato tubers. Tuber flesh colour was found to correlate with total carotenoid content in potato cultivars grown in both New Zealand and Netherlands. The main carotenoids identified in 32 potato cultivars in New Zealand were lutein, neoxanthin, violaxanthin and β-carotene. The ratio of these carotenoids varies between cultivars. Neoxanthin was detected in only 13 cultivars (10.59 to 69.21µg/g DW); violaxanthin was found only in 1 cultivar (32.76 µg/g DW). Whereas lutein and β-carotene were found in most of the cultivars but the concentration varied from (0.00 to 160.63 µg/g DW) and (0.00 to 13.62 µg/g DW) respectively. The main carotenoids identified in 12 cultivars grown in the Netherlands were neoxanthin, violaxanthin and lutein, whereas zeaxanthin was not found in any of the cultivars analysed. Marked differences were observed between the same potato cultivars grown in New Zealand and the Netherlands. Therefore cultivars were analysed over a second growing season to assess stability in carotenoids composition. The carotenoid profiles of the potato tubers grown for two different seasons showed highly significant differences between the cultivars, the seasons, the carotenoid pigments, and all combinations of interactions, indicating the complex nature of factors influencing carotenoid composition. Reflectance colorimeter measurement of yellow hue component in this study confirmed that the higher the total carotenoid content, the greater the yellow intensity colour. Eight cultivars were grown at three locations in New Zealand and Agria and Desiree were grown at eight locations in the Netherlands to further investigate the stability of carotenoid composition. Highly significant differences were observed between the cultivars, the locations, the carotenoid pigments, and all combinations of interactions, which emphasises that changes in carotenoid composition are complex and the responses are not consistent across cultivars. Reflectance colorimeter measurement of yellow hue component confirmed the relationship between the yellow colour intensity of tuber flesh, as well as confirming the interaction between colour and locations. Disease and post harvest storage conditions markedly influenced the levels of total carotenoid, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein and β-carotene in potatoes. The magnitude of these effects depends on the cultivar, time of storage, and the intensity of powdery scab symptoms. Results showed that long term storage resulted in the accumulation of neoxanthin, violaxanthin and zeaxanthin with a concomitant decreased of lutein, β-carotene and total carotenoid content. Genotypes infected with disease (lower and higher scab score) resulted in accumulation of violaxanthin, β-carotene and total carotenoid with a concomitant decreased in neoxanthin and lutein. A high-throughput model system for investigating carotenoid biogenesis in potato tubers was developed. This involved in vitro potato minitubers and was validated by assessing the effects of environmental variables, such as drought stress, light intensity and nutrient availability on carotenoid accumulation. Light influenced the presence of zeaxanthin, whereas water stress and nutrient strength influenced the accumulation of neoxanthin and violaxanthin. Although these factors had an effect on the carotenoid content and profile, the most influential factor appeared to be cultivar selection.