title: Cytotoxic effects of ergone, a compound isolated from Fulviformes fastuosus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mushrooms inspired the cuisines of many cultures and conventional medicaments for cancer. However, a substantial number of mushroom species are yet unexplored, possessing an unknown chemical, biological and pharmacological profiles. Fulviformes fastuosus is a terrestrial mushroom, which is commonly found in Sri Lankan woodlands. The current study was aimed at isolation and characterization of a potent cytotoxic compound from F. fastuosus and investigating the apoptotic effect induced by the active principle against cancer and normal cell lines.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bioactivity guided isolation of active principles from the methanol extract of F. fastuosus was performed by a rapid extraction and isolation method using different chromatographic techniques. Potential cytotoxic compound was identified using one and two dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Isolated compound was screened for in vitro cytotoxicity against Hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2), Muscle rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) and Rat Wistar liver normal (CC-1) cell lines using 3 4, 5-(dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2-5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell viability assay. Apoptotic features of cells were observed via microscopic examination and ethidium bromide/acridine orange fluorescent staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The interpretation of spectral data resulted in the identification of the chemical structure as ergosta-4,6,8 (14),22-tetraen-3-one (ergone). Ergone exhibited promising cytotoxic properties against RD cells with less cytotoxicity effect on CC-1 cells. In addition, ergone also possesses a strong cytotoxic effect against HepG-2 cells showing low toxic level for CC-1 cells. Apoptotic features of treated cells were detected via morphological characterization and ethidium bromide/acridine orange staining.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study elaborates the isolation of a potent cytotoxic compound; ergone, from F. fastuosus via a rapid and efficient isolation method. Importantly, ergone has exhibited greater cytotoxic activity against RD cells with high selectivity index compared to cytotoxicity against HepG-2 cells. Ergone can be used in the development of therapeutic strategies for curbing rhabdomyosarcoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Colombo, 03, Sri Lanka. diluarchive@gmail.com.|Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, 03, Sri Lanka. diluarchive@gmail.com.|Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Colombo, 03, Sri Lanka. diluarchive@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Dilusha
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fernando
authors.affiliation: The Hussain Ebrahim Jamal Research Institute of Chemistry, ICCBS, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan. achyutraj05@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Achyut
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adhikari
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Colombo, 03, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Chandrika
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nanayakkara
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Colombo, 03, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: E Dilip
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: de Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, Colombo, 03, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wijesundera
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, 03, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Preethi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soysa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000737:chemistry*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002783:Cholestenones; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D004875:Ergosterol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy; D015394:Molecular Structure; D019042:Muscle Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D051381:Rats; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D013188:Sri Lanka; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D002783:Cholestenones; C015860:ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one; D004875:Ergosterol
keywords: Cytotoxic activity; Ergone; Fulviformes fastuosus; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Isolation method; Mushrooms; Rhabdomyosarcoma