Crab, a kind of marine animal that has a unique status in evolution, has many bioactive substances with special functions. In the present study, we investigated the antitumor effects of four different extracts derived from crab shell (aqueous and methanolic extracts of burned and normal crab shell powder). Aqueous and methanolic extracts of burned crab shell powder were shown to be cytotoxic and inhibit the in vitro proliferation of human laryngeal carcinoma tumor cell lines (Hep-2) and human Rhabdomyosarcoma cell line (RD) and one murine mammary adenocarcinoma tumor cell line (AMN3), in dose and time dependant manner. These results suggest that the burned crab shell powder have an antitumor effect that needs more investigations.
