Cytostatic properties of a novel compound derived from Penicillium pinophilum: an in vitro study.
3-O-Methylfunicone (OMF), a secondary metabolite produced by Penicillium pinophilum, inhibits the in vitro growth of plant pathogenic fungi. This specific property suggested that the compound could be used against other fungal pathogenic activities, including dermatological ones. However, for such applications, toxicological side-effects should be taken into account, in order to prevent other types of risk to mammalian cells. Therefore, investigations were made of the basic toxicity of OMF toward a human tumour cell line. The compound was found to have a cytostatic effect, which represents a counter-indication to its use as a therapeutic agent in dermatology, but suggests that it may have potential as an anti-tumour agent. This study confirmed the validity of in vitro systems for preliminary assays on new compounds, in order to avoid the use of animals in toxicological studies.
Stammati
Annalaura
A
Laboratorio di Tossicologia Comparata ed Ecotossicologia, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00162 Rome, Italy.
Nicoletti
Rosario
R
De Stefano
Salvatore
S
Zampaglioni
Franco
F
Zucco
Flavia
F
D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000187:drug effects; D010407:Penicillium / Q000378:metabolism*; D011753:Pyrones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
C450900:3-O-methylfunicone; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D011753:Pyrones; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase