title: Cytotoxicity of fucosterol containing fraction of marine algae against breast and colon carcinoma cell line.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Marine algae produce different secondary metabolites with a wide range of biological activities. Many studies have been achieved on the screening of biological effects of marine organisms and a lot of active compounds were isolated and characterized.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In an attempt to find cytotoxic compound of hexane fraction, isolation, identification, and cytotoxicity of active compound of this fraction were performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, total methanolic (70%) extract and partition fractions of hexane, chloroform (CHCl(3)), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and MeOH-H(2)O of Sargassum angustifolium, Chondria dasyphylla, and Ulva flexuosa, collected from coastlines of the Persian Gulf in south of Iran, were studied against colon carcinoma (HT-29), colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2), breast ductal carcinoma (T47D), and Swiss mouse embryo fibroblast (NIH 3T3) cell lines by MTT assay.
  
  
  METHODS
  IC(50) (median growth inhibitory concentration) values were calculated by Sigmaplot (10) software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hexane fraction of Chondria dasyphylla (IC(50) 82.26 ± 4.09 μg/ml) and MeOH-H(2)O fraction of Ulva flexuosa (IC(50) 116.92 ± 8.58 μg/ml) showed cytotoxic activity against proliferation of T47D cells. Hexane fraction of Sargassum angustifolium was also observed for cytotoxicity against T47D and HT-29 cell lines (IC(50) 166.42 ± 26.7 and 190.24 ± 52.8 μg/ml), respectively. An investigation of a component from the hexane fraction of Sargassum angustifolium yielded a steroidal metabolite, fucosterol, with cytotoxicity in T47D and HT29 (IC(50) 27.94 ± 9.3 and 70.41 ± 7.5 μg/ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicated that fucosterol, the most abundant phytosterol in brown algae, is responsible for cytotoxic effect of this extract against breast and colon carcinoma cell lines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 14155-6451, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khanavi
authors.forename: Razieh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gheidarloo
authors.forename: Nargess
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sadati
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza Shams
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ardekani
authors.forename: Seyed Mohammad Bagher
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.forename: Shohreh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tavajohi
authors.forename: Seyed Nasser
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Ostad