Induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by Negombata magnifica sponge in hepatocellular carcinoma

In silico directed evolution of Anabas testudineus AtMP1 antimicrobial peptide to improve in vitro anticancer activity

Various studies have demonstrated that directed evolution is a powerful tool in enhancing protein properties. In this study, directed evolution was used to enhance the efficacy of synthesised Anabas testudineus AtMP1 antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. The modification of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and prediction of peptide properties using bioinformatic tools were carried out using four databases, including ADP3, CAMP-R3, AMPfun, and ANTICP. One modified antimicrobial peptide (AMP), ATMP6 (THPPTTTTTTTTTTTTTAAPARTT), was chosen based on its projected potent anticancer effect, taking into account factors such as amino acid length, net charge, anticancer activity score, and hydrophobicity. The selected AMPs were subjected to study in deep-learning databases, namely ToxIBTL and ToxinPred2, to predict their toxicity. Furthermore, the allergic properties of these antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were verified by utilising AllerTOP and AllergenFP. Based on the results obtained from the database study, it was projected that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) demonstrate a lack of toxicity towards human cells that is indicative of the broader population. After 48 hours of incubation, the IC50 values of ATMP6 against the HS27 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines were found to be 48.03 ± 0.013 µg/ml and 7.52 ± 0.027 µg/ml, respectively. The IC50 values of the original peptide ATMP1 against the MDA-MB-231 and HS27 cell lines were determined to be 59.6 ± 0.14 µg/ml and 8.25 ± 0.14 µg/ml, respectively, when compared. Furthermore, the results indicated that the injection of ATMP6 induced apoptosis in the MDA-MB-231 cell lines. The present investigation has revealed new opportunities for advancing novel targeted peptide therapeutics to tackle cancer.

Red Sea Sponge Callyspongia siphonella Extract Induced Growth Inhibition and Apoptosis in Breast MCF-7 and Hepatic HepG-2 Cancer Cell Lines in 2D and 3D Cell Cultures

Introduction

The increasing incidence of cancer diseases necessitates the urgent exploration of new bioactive compounds. One of the trends in drug discovery is marine sponges which is gaining significant support due to the abundant production of natural pharmaceutical compounds obtained from marine ecosystems. This study evaluates the anticancer properties of an organic extract from the Red Sea sponge Callyspongia siphonella (C. siphonella) on HepG-2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines.

Methods

C. siphonella was collected, freeze-dried, and extracted using a methanol-dichloromethane mixture. The extract was analyzed via Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Cytotoxic effects were assessed through cell viability assays, apoptosis detection, cell cycle analysis, mitochondrial membrane potential assays, scratch-wound healing assays, and 3D cell culture assays.

Results

Fifteen compounds were identified in the C. siphonella extract. The extract showed moderate cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and HepG-2 cells, with IC50 values of 35.6 ± 6.9 μg/mL and 64.4 ± 8 μg/mL, respectively, after 48 hours of treatment. It induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase in MCF-7 cells and the S phase in HepG-2 cells. Apoptosis increased significantly in both cell lines, accompanied by reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. The extract inhibited cell migration, with notable reductions after 24 and 48 hours. In 3D cell cultures, the extract had IC50 values of 5.1 ± 2 μg/mL for MCF-7 and 166.4 ± 27 μg/mL for HepG-2 after 7 days of treatment, showing greater potency in MCF-7 spheres compared to HepG-2 spheres.

Discussion and Conclusion

The anticancer activity is attributed to the bioactive compounds. The C. siphonella extract's ability to induce apoptosis, disrupt mitochondrial membrane potential, and arrest the cell cycle highlights its potential as a novel anticancer agent. Additional research is required to investigate the underlying mechanism by which this extract functions as a highly effective anticancer agent.

Marine Sponge Aaptos suberitoides Extract Improves Antiproliferation and Apoptosis of Breast Cancer Cells without Cytotoxicity to Normal Cells In Vitro

The anticancer effects and mechanisms of marine sponge Aaptos suberitoides were rarely assessed, especially for methanol extract of A. suberitoides (MEAS) to breast cancer cells. This study evaluated the differential suppression effects of proliferation by MEAS between breast cancer and normal cells. MEAS demonstrated more antiproliferation impact on breast cancer cells than normal cells, indicating oxidative stress-dependent preferential antiproliferation effects on breast cancer cells but not for normal cells. Several oxidative stress-associated responses were highly induced by MEAS in breast cancer cells but not normal cells, including the generations of cellular and mitochondrial oxidative stress as well as the depletion of mitochondrial membrane potential. MEAS downregulated cellular antioxidants such as glutathione, partly contributing to the upregulation of oxidative stress in breast cancer cells. This preferential oxidative stress generation is accompanied by more DNA damage (γH2AX and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine) in breast cancer cells than in normal cells. N-acetylcysteine reverted these MEAS-triggered responses. In conclusion, MEAS is a potential natural product for treating breast cancer cells with the characteristics of preferential antiproliferation function without cytotoxicity to normal cells in vitro.

Marine Demospongiae: A Challenging Treasure of Bioactive Compounds

In the last decades, it has been demonstrated that marine organisms are a substantial source of bioactive compounds with possible biotechnological applications. Marine sponges, in particular those belonging to the class of Demospongiae, have been considered among the most interesting invertebrates for their biotechnological potential. In this review, particular attention is devoted to natural compounds/extracts isolated from Demospongiae and their associated microorganisms with important biological activities for pharmacological applications such as antiviral, anticancer, antifouling, antimicrobial, antiplasmodial, antifungal and antioxidant. The data here presented show that this class of sponges is an exciting source of compounds, which are worth developing into new drugs, such as avarol, a hydroquinone isolated from the marine sponge Disidea avara, which is used as an antitumor, antimicrobial and antiviral drug.

Cultivation of fractionated cells from a bioactive-alkaloid-bearing marine sponge Axinella sp

Sponges are among the most primitive multicellular organisms and well-known as a major source of marine natural products. Cultivation of sponge cells has long been an attractive topic due to the prominent evolutionary and cytological significance of sponges and as a potential approach to supply sponge-derived compounds. Sponge cell culture is carried out through culturing organized cell aggregates called 'primmorphs.' Most research culturing sponge cells has used unfractionated cells to develop primmorphs. In the current study, a tropical marine sponge Axinella sp., which contains the bioactive alkaloids, debromohymenialdisine (DBH), and hymenialdisine (HD), was used to obtain fractionated cells and the corresponding primmorphs. These alkaloids, DBH and HD, reportedly show pharmacological activities for treating osteoarthritis and Alzheimer's disease. Three different cell fractions were obtained, including enriched spherulous cells, large mesohyl cells, and small epithelial cells. These cell fractions were cultivated separately, forming aggregates that later developed into different kinds of primmorphs. The three kinds of primmorphs obtained were compared as regards to appearance, morphogenesis, and cellular composition. Additionally, the amount of alkaloid in the primmorphs-culture system was examined over a 30-d culturing period. During the culturing of enriched spherulous cells and developed primmorphs, the total amount of alkaloid declined notably. In addition, the speculation of alkaloid secretion and some phenomena that occurred during cell culturing are discussed.

Caspase Cascade Activation During Apoptotic Cell Death of Human Lung Carcinoma Cells A549 Induced by Marine Sponge Callyspongia aerizusa

Introduction

In this study, Callyspongia aerizusa (CA), one of the most popular marine sponges for cancer therapy research, was investigated for its phytochemical compounds and evaluated for its anticancer activity in various cell lines. Since lung cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer, a solution from this marine source is a good choice to address the resistance to anticancer agents. Elucidation of the underlying mechanism of cell death elicited by a CA extract in human lung carcinoma cells A549 was undertaken.

Methods

The presence of secondary metabolites in CA methanol extract was revealed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and evaluated on four cancerous cell lines and a non-cancerous cell line using Cell Counting Kit-8. Since the activity of CA extract in A549 cells was then evaluated through clonogenic assay, morphological detection of apoptosis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot assay, were also presented in this study.

Results

GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of two ergosteroids, ergost-22-en-3-one, (5β,22E), and ergost-7-en-3-ol, (35β) in the sponge extract that was suggested to suppress A549 cells (IC₅₀ 9.38 μg/mL), and another cancerous cell’s viability (IC₅₀ 3.12–10.72 μg/mL) in 24 h, but not in the non-cancerous cells. Moreover, CA extract was also able to reduce the colony-forming ability of A549 cells, and through A549 cells morphology seems that apoptosis is the underlying mechanism of cell death. Further, the treatment with CA extract induced the up-regulation of caspase-9, caspase-3, and PARP-1, and the down-regulation of BCL-2, in both mRNA and proteins expression level, promoting apoptotic cell death via caspase cascade.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that the compounds in CA extract possess the ability to induce apoptotic cell death in A549 cells and could become a promising candidate for future anticancer therapy.

Primmorph extracts and mesohyls of marine sponges inhibit proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro

Cancer recurrence and severe side effects of currently being used chemotherapeutic agents reduce their clinical efficacy. Thus, there is a constant need to develop alternative anticancer drugs. Sustainable supply is an important challenge facing marine-based drug discovery. Primmorph, a 3D cell culture system, could provide a sustainable source to produce metabolites for anticancer drugs from marine sponges. In the present work, the anticancer activity of primmorph extracts and mesohyls of Negombata magnifica, Hemimycle arabica, Crella spinulata, and Stylissa carteri sponges was evaluated. Antiproliferative activity was studied in terms of cytotoxicity, colony formation, cell cycle, and apoptosis. Migration was assessed by migration assay and matrix metalloproteinase activity. The expression of proliferation and migration-related genes was analyzed using real time PCR. Migration and proliferation activities of HepG2 cells were inhibited by treatment with primmorph extracts and mesohyls of N. magnifica, H. arabica, and C. spinulata. The mesohyl of S. carteri did not show any anticancer activity although the primmorph extract led to cell cycle arrest. Among the selected sponge species, the primmorph extract of C. spinulata was the most promising anticancer agent regarding antiproliferative and antimigratory activities. In addition, primmorph extracts have the advantage of working under well-defined and controlled conditions, which allows the easy application as a bioreactor.

Apoptosis induction on human breast cancer T47D cell line by extracts of Ancorina sp

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women. Alternative medicine with high efficacy is needed for breast cancer treatments, for example induction of apoptosis using natural products. It has been found that many natural apoptosis-inducing compounds are isolated from marine sponge. The objective of this study is to analyze the ability of extracts of the sponge Ancorina sp. to induce apoptosis on human breast cancer T47D cell line and find out its mechanism. Methods: T47D cells were treated with crude extracts of methanol, dichloromethane:methanol (1:1) and dichloromethane Ancorina sp. for 24 h, and doxorubicin was used as a positive control. Methods used for this study were MTT assay to examine cell viability and determine IC 50 of the three extracts, while the percentage of apoptosis and caspase-3 were investigated by flow cytometry. Results: IC 50 values of methanol, dichloromethane:methanol (1:1), and dichloromethane extract were 84.25, 121.45, and 99.85μg/mL respectively. The percentages of apoptotic cells after treatment with methanol, dichloromethane:methanol (1:1), and dichloromethane extracts were 88.68, 27.54 and 53.63% respectively, whereas the percentage of caspase-3 was 77.87, 12.66 and 12.97%, respectively. Conclusions: These results revealed that all extracts of Ancorina sp. have strong or moderate cytotoxicity and have the ability to induce apoptosis on T47D human breast cancer cell line. However, methanol crude extract has high efficacy to induce apoptosis through caspase-3 activation compared to the other extracts. Hence methanol extract warrants further investigation as a natural medicine for human breast cancer.

Apoptosis induction on human breast cancer T47D cell line by extracts of Ancorina sp

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women. Alternative medicine with high efficacy is needed for breast cancer treatments, for example induction of apoptosis using natural products. It has been found that many natural apoptosis-inducing compounds are isolated from marine sponge. The objective of this study is to analyze the ability of extracts of the sponge Ancorina sp. to induce apoptosis on human breast cancer T47D cell line and find out its mechanism. Methods: T47D cells were treated with crude extracts of methanol, dichloromethane:methanol (1:1) and dichloromethane Ancorina sp. for 24 h, and doxorubicin was used as a positive control. Methods used for this study were MTT assay to examine cell viability and determine IC 50 of the three extracts, while the percentage of apoptosis and caspase-3 were investigated by flow cytometry. Results: IC 50 values of methanol, dichloromethane:methanol (1:1), and dichloromethane extract were 84.25, 121.45, and 99.85μg/mL respectively. The percentages of apoptotic cells after treatment with methanol, dichloromethane:methanol (1:1), and dichloromethane extracts were 88.68, 27.54 and 53.63% respectively, whereas the percentage of caspase-3 was 77.87, 12.66 and 12.97%, respectively. Conclusions: These results revealed that all extracts of Ancorina sp. have strong or moderate cytotoxicity and have the ability to induce apoptosis on T47D human breast cancer cell line. However, methanol crude extract has high efficacy to induce apoptosis through caspase-3 activation compared to the other extracts. Hence methanol extract warrants further investigation as a natural medicine for human breast cancer.