Potential of four marine-derived fungi extracts as anti-proliferative and cell death-inducing agents in seven human cancer cell lines

ObjectiveTo evaluate the in vitro anticancer activity of crude ethyl acetate extracts of the culture of four marine-derived fungi Aspergillus similanensis KUFA 0013 (E1), Neosartorya paulistensis KUFC 7897 (E2), Neosartorya siamensis KUFA 0017 (E4) and Talaromyces trachyspermus KUFC 0021 (E3) on a panel of seven human cancer cell lines.MethodsEffects on cell proliferation, induction of DNA damage and cell death were assessed by MTT and clonogenic assays, comet assay and nuclear condensation assay, respectively.ResultsThe proliferation of HepG2, HCT116 and A375 cells decreased after incubation with the extracts E2 and E4. The anti-proliferative effect was confirmed by morphologic alterations and by clonogenic assay. Both extracts also induced cell death in HepG2 and HCT116 cells. Doxorubicin was used as a positive control and showed in vitro anticancer activity.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated, for the first time, that extracts of Neosartorya paulistensis and Neosartorya siamensis have selective anti-proliferative and cell death activities in HepG2, HCT16 and A375 cells. The bioactivity of these extracts suggests a potential for biotechnological applications and substantiates that both should be further considered for the elucidation of the molecular targets and signal transduction pathways involved.