Gracilaria corticata is a red alga which can be collected from many sea coasts around the world such as
China, India, Persian Gulf, etc. The Persian Gulf is a unique marine habitat infested with diverse
seaweeds. The aim of the present study is to explore anticancer potential of the crude extracts from G.
corticata which was collected from the Bushehr coast (South west of Iran). Here, different concentration
of the aqueous extract from G. corticata was tested for probable antitumoral activity on Jurkat and molt-
4 human lymphoblastic leukemic cell lines. The cells were treated by different concentration of algal
extract and the number of viable cells was determined by trypan blue. Also, cytotoxicity of the extract
was evaluated by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The results showed that 9.336 and 9.726
μg/μl of algal extract were the most effective concentrations against Jurkat and molt-4 cells,
respectively. The water crude extract of red alga G. corticata had significant anticancer activity and it
might be a good candidate for further investigations in order to develop a natural compound as an
anticancer agent which can be used for the production of potential anticancer drug and novel
pharmaceutical leads