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.

Targeting antimalarial metabolites from the actinomycetes associated with the Red Sea sponge Callyspongia siphonella using a metabolomic method.

Malaria is a persistent illness that is still a public health issue. On the other hand, marine organisms are considered a rich source of anti­infective drugs and other medically significant compounds. Herein, we reported the isolation of the actinomycete associated with the Red Sea sponge Callyspongia siphonella. Using "one strain many compounds" (OSMAC) approach, a suitable strain was identified and then sub-cultured in three different media (M1, ISP2 and OLIGO). The extracts were evaluated for their in-vitro antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum strain and subsequently analyzed by Liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HR-MS). In addition, MetaboAnalyst 5.0 was used to statistically analyze the LC-MS data. Finally, Molecular docking was carried out for the dereplicated metabolites against lysyl-tRNA synthetase (PfKRS1). The phylogenetic study of the 16S rRNA sequence of the actinomycete isolate revealed its affiliation to Streptomyces genus. Antimalarial screening revealed that ISP2 media is the most active against Plasmodium falciparum strain. Based on LC-HR-MS based metabolomics and multivariate analyses, the static cultures of the media, ISP2 (ISP2-S) and M1 (M1-S), are the optimal media for metabolites production. OPLS-DA suggested that quinone derivatives are abundant in the extracts with the highest antimalarial activity. Fifteen compounds were identified where eight of these metabolites were correlated to the observed antimalarial activity of the active extracts. According to molecular docking experiments, saframycin Y3 and juglomycin E showed the greatest binding energy scores (-6.2 and -5.13) to lysyl-tRNA synthetase (PfKRS1), respectively. Using metabolomics and molecular docking investigation, the quinones, saframycin Y3 (5) and juglomycin E (1) were identified as promising antimalarial therapeutic candidates. Our approach can be used as a first evaluation stage in natural product drug development, facilitating the separation of chosen metabolites, particularly biologically active ones.

Screening and Molecular Docking of Bioactive Metabolites of the Red Sea Sponge Callyspongia siphonella as Potential Antimicrobial Agents.

Marine sponges create a wide range of bioactive secondary metabolites, as documented throughout the year. Several bioactive secondary metabolites were isolated from different members of Callyspongia siphonella species. This study aimed for isolation and structural elucidation of major metabolites in order to investigate their diverse bioactivities such as antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities. Afterwards, a molecular docking study was conducted, searching for the possible mechanistic pathway of the most bioactive metabolites. Extraction, fractionation, and metabolomics analysis of different fractions was performed in order to obtain complete chemical profile. Moreover, in vitro assessment of different bioactivities was performed, using recent techniques. Additionally, purification, structural elucidation of high features using recent chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques was established. Finally, AutoDock Vina software was used for the Pharmacophore-based docking-based analysis. As a result, DCM (dichloromethane) fraction exerted the best antibacterial activity using disc diffusion method; particularly against S. aureus with an inhibition zone of 6.6 mm. Compound 11 displayed a considerable activity against both MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphyllococcus aureus) and Staphyllococcus aureus with inhibition ratios of 50.37 and 60.90%, respectively. Concerning anti-biofilm activity, compounds 1 and 2 displayed powerful activity with inhibition ratios ranging from 39.37% to 70.98%. Pharmacophore-based docking-based analysis suggested elongation factor G (EF-G) to be a probable target for compound 11 (siphonellinol C) that showed the best in vitro antibacterial activity, offering unexplored potential for new drugs and treatment candidates.

Bioactive Brominated Oxindole Alkaloids from the Red Sea Sponge Callyspongia siphonella.

In the present study, LC-HRESIMS-assisted dereplication along with bioactivity-guided isolation led to targeting two brominated oxindole alkaloids (compounds 1 and 2) which probably play a key role in the previously reported antibacterial, antibiofilm, and cytotoxicity of Callyspongia siphonella crude extracts. Both metabolites showed potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 8 and 4 µg/mL) and Bacillus subtilis (MIC = 16 and 4 µg/mL), respectively. Furthermore, they displayed moderate biofilm inhibitory activity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (49.32% and 41.76% inhibition, respectively), and moderate in vitro antitrypanosomal activity (13.47 and 10.27 µM, respectively). In addition, they revealed a strong cytotoxic effect toward different human cancer cell lines, supposedly through induction of necrosis. This study sheds light on the possible role of these metabolites (compounds 1 and 2) in keeping fouling organisms away from the sponge outer surface, and the possible applications of these defensive molecules in the development of new anti-infective agents.

Cytotoxic Metabolites from Callyspongia siphonella Display Antiproliferative Activity by Inducing Apoptosis in HCT-116 Cells.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the antiproliferative effect of the isolated metabolites from Callyspongia siphonella. METHODS: Different chromatographic methods have been done on the organic extract of the marine sponge aiming at isolating the bioactive metabolites. The cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds has been evaluated against the human colorectal cancer cell line; HCT-116, employing SRB assay. The flow cytometry assay was applied to measure the cell cycle analysis. RESULTS: Six metabolites (1-6) were obtained. The compounds 4-6 exhibited IC50 values (µM ± SD) of 95.80± 1.34, 14.8 ± 2.33, and 19.8 ± 3.78, respectively. Cell cycle distribution analysis revealed that sipholenol A (5) and sipholenol L (6) induced G2/M and S phase arrest with concomitant increase in the pre-G cell population. Furthermore, 5 and 6 increased the nuclear expression of the pro-apoptotic protein-cleaved caspase-3 that effectively drives cellular apoptosis via caspase-3-dependent pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The antiproliferative activity of 5 and 6 can be recognized, at least partly, due to their ability to induce cellular apoptosis. SUMMARY: Several metabolites were isolated from the marine sponge Callyspongia siphonella. Sipholenol A and sipholenol L exhibited effective cytotoxicity against HCT-116 cells. The observed cytotoxicity involves induction of cellular apoptosis. Abbreviation used: A549 (human lung carcinoma), Caco-2 (Human ColonCarcinoma), CHCl3 (Chloroform), HCT 116 (Human Colon Carcinoma), HepG2 (Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma), HT-29 (Human Colorectal Adenocarcinoma), MCF-7 (Michigan Cancer Foundation-7; Human Breast Adenocarcinoma), MeOH (Methanol), NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), PBS (Phosphate Buffered Saline), PC-3 (Human Prostate Cancer), PTLC (Preparative Thin Layer Chromatography), RPMI-1640 (Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium), TLC (ThinLayer Chromatography).