title: Cytotoxic activity of pisosterol, a triterpene isolated from Pisolithus tinctorius (Mich.: Pers.) Coker & Couch, 1928.
abstract: Pisolithus tinctorius (Basidiomycete) is an ectomicorrhizal fungus found in the roots and soil surrounding of many species of eucalyptus and pine trees. The present work verified the cytotoxic potential of pisosterol, a triterpene isolated from P. tinctorius collected in the Northeast region of Brazil, on three different animal cell models: mouse erythrocytes, sea urchin embryos and tumor cells. Pisosterol lacked activity on mouse erythrocytes as well as on the development of sea urchin eggs, but strongly inhibited the growth of all seven tumor cell lines tested, especially the leukemia and melanoma cells (IC50 of 1.55, 1.84 and 1.65 microg/ ml for CEM, HL-60 and B16, respectively). The results found for pisosterol were compared with those of doxorubicin and etoposide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, 60430-270 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raquel Carvalho
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Montenegro
authors.forename: Paula C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.forename: Rômulo Augusto
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Feio Farias
authors.forename: Manoel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andrade-Neto
authors.forename: Franciglauber
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Silva Bezerra
authors.forename: Maria Elisabete A
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.forename: Manoel Odorico
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: de Moraes
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pessoa
authors.forename: Letícia V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Costa-Lotufo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010063:Ovum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D012617:Sea Urchins; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000187:drug effects; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014315:Triterpenes