title: Evaluation of antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities of methanol extract and its fractions from the Mediterranean sponge.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Without doubt, natural products have been, and still are, the cornerstone of the health care armamentarium. Of all natural sources, the marine environment is clearly the last great frontier for pharmaceutical and medical research.
  
  
  METHODS
  This work progresses in the direction of identifying component(s) from the Mediterranean sponge, Spongia officinalis with pharmacological activities. In the present study we investigated the efficacy of methanol extract and its semi-purified fractions (F2, F3) from Spongia officinalis for their in vivo anti-inflammatory activity using the carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats and their in vitro antiproliferative effects by their potential cytotoxic activity using the MTT colorimetric method and clonogenic inhibition against three human cancer cell lines (A549, lung cell carcinoma, HCT15, colon cell carcinoma and MCF7, breast adenocarcinoma).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fractions F2 and F3 showed interesting anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities in a dose dependent manner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study indicates that the methanolic extrac and its fractions from Spongia officinalis are a significant source of compounds with the antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory activities, and this may be useful for developing potential chemopreventive substances.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Pharmacologie des Médicament Anticancéreux, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Institut Bergonie, 229 cours de l'Argonne, Bordeaux Cedex, 33076, France. afefd@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Afef
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dellai
authors.forename: Monia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deghrigue
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laroche-Clary
authors.forename: Hedi Ben
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Masour
authors.forename: Nabil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chouchane
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.forename: Abderrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouraoui