title: In vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of crude extracts obtained from Brazilian Chromobacterium sp isolates.
abstract: Natural products produced by microorganisms have been an important source of new substances and lead compounds for the pharmaceutical industry. Chromobacterium violaceum is a Gram-negative β-proteobacterium, abundant in water and soil in tropical and subtropical regions and it produces violacein, a pigment that has shown great pharmaceutical potential. Crude extracts of five Brazilian isolates of Chromobacterium sp (0.25, 2.5, 25, and 250 µg/mL) were evaluated in an in vitro antitumor activity assay with nine human tumor cells. Secondary metabolic profiles were analyzed by liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry resulting in the identification of violacein in all extracts, whereas FK228 was detected only in EtCE 308 and EtCE 592 extracts. AcCE and EtCE 310 extracts showed selectivity for NCI/ADR-RES cells in the in vitro assay and were evaluated in vivo in the solid Ehrlich tumor model, resulting in 50.3 and 54.6% growth inhibition, respectively. The crude extracts of Chromobacterium sp isolates showed potential and selective antitumor activities for certain human tumor cells, making them a potential source of lead compounds. Furthermore, the results suggest that other compounds, in addition to violacein, deoxyviolacein and FK228, may be involved in the antitumor effect observed.
authors.affiliation: Centro Pluridisciplinar de Pesquisas Químicas, Biológicas e Agrícolas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brasil. clbeatriz@cpqba.unicamp.br
authors.forename: C B A
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: I M O
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: A L T G
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Spindola
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Eberlin
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Tinti
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Foglio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fantinatti-Garboggini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002861:Chromobacterium / Q000378:metabolism*; D045424:Complex Mixtures; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D045424:Complex Mixtures; D007211:Indoles; C063155:violacein