Cytotoxic activity of fungal strains isolated from the ascidian Eudistoma vannamei.
The cytotoxic activity at 50 μg/ml of extracts obtained from eleven fungal strains associated to Eudistoma vannamei, an endemic ascidian from Northeast Brazil, against two cell lines, i.e., the HCT-8 (colon cancer) and the MDA-MB-435 (melanoma) cell lines, was investigated. The most promising extract (EV10) was obtained from a fungus identified as Aspergillus sp. by molecular analysis and was selected for bioassay-guided isolation of its active principals. Large-scale fermentation of EV10 in potato-dextrose broth followed by chromatographic purification of the active extract from the liquid medium allowed the isolation of the isocoumarins mellein, cis-4-hydroxymellein, and trans-4-hydroxymellein, besides penicillic acid. All isolated compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity against the tumor cell lines MDA-MB-435 and HCT-8 and revealed penicillic acid as the only cytotoxic compound (cell growth inhibitions >95%).
Departamento de Química Orgânica e Inorgânica, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, P.O. Box 6044, 60.455-970, Fortaleza-CE, Brazil.
Tasso G C
TG
Montenegro
Felipe A R
FA
Rodrigues
Paula C
PC
Jimenez
Alysson L
AL
Angelim
Vânia M M
VM
Melo
Edson
E
Rodrigues Filho
Maria da Conceição F
Mda C
de Oliveira
Letícia V
LV
Costa-Lotufo
D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D005658:Fungi / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D049934:Isocoumarins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D009793:Ochratoxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D010398:Penicillic Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D014561:Urochordata / Q000382:microbiology*
D049934:Isocoumarins; D009793:Ochratoxins; D010398:Penicillic Acid; C120538:ochracin