title: Extract from the zooxanthellate jellyfish Cotylorhiza tuberculata modulates gap junction intercellular communication in human cell cultures.
abstract: On a global scale, jellyfish populations in coastal marine ecosystems exhibit increasing trends of abundance. High-density outbreaks may directly or indirectly affect human economical and recreational activities, as well as public health. As the interest in biology of marine jellyfish grows, a number of jellyfish metabolites with healthy potential, such as anticancer or antioxidant activities, is increasingly reported. In this study, the Mediterranean "fried egg jellyfish" Cotylorhiza tuberculata (Macri, 1778) has been targeted in the search forputative valuable bioactive compounds. A medusa extract was obtained, fractionated, characterized by HPLC, GC-MS and SDS-PAGE and assayed for its biological activity on breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKa). The composition of the jellyfish extract included photosynthetic pigments, valuable ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids, and polypeptides derived either from jellyfish tissues and their algal symbionts. Extract fractions showed antioxidant activity and the ability to affect cell viability and intercellular communication mediated by gap junctions (GJIC) differentially in MCF-7 and HEKa cells. A significantly higher cytotoxicity and GJIC enhancement in MCF-7 compared to HEKa cells was recorded. A putative action mechanism for the anticancer bioactivity through the modulation of GJIC has been hypothesized and its nutraceutical and pharmaceutical potential was discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sciences of Food Production, National Research Council, Unit of Lecce, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy. antonella.leone@ispa.cnr.it
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Raffaella Marina
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lecci
authors.forename: Miriana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Durante
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piraino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D008297:Male; D037401:Scyphozoa / Q000737:chemistry*; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D014020:Tissue Extracts