Toxins from the Caribbean sea anemone Bunodeopsis globulifera increase cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity of lung adenocarcinoma cells

Lung cancer causes 1.4 million deaths worldwide while non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents 80-85% of the cases. Cisplatin is a standard chemotherapy against this type of cancer; however, tumor cell resistance to this drug limits its efficacy. Sea anemones produce compounds with pharmacological activities that may be useful for augmenting cisplatin efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacological activities of crude venom (CV) from the sea anemone Bunodeopsis globulifera and four derived fractions (F1, F2, F3 and F4) to test their increase efficiency cisplatin cytotoxicity in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Results Pre-exposure to CV, F1 and F2 fractions increases cisplatin cytotoxicity in human lung adenocarcinoma cells under specific conditions. Exposure to CV at 50 μgmL-1 induced a reduction of approximately 50% in cell viability, while a similar cytotoxic effect was observed when cell culture was exposed to F1 at 25 μgmL -1 or F2 at 50 μgmL-1. The cell culture exposure to F1 (10 μgmL-1) fraction combined with cisplatine (25 μM) provoked a decrease in MTT reduction until 65.57% while F2 (25 μgmL-1) fraction combined with cisplatin (10 μM) provoked a decrease in MTT reduction of 72.55%. Conclusions The F1 fraction had the greatest effect on the lung adenocarcinoma cell line compared with CV and F2. The combination of antineoplastic drugs and sea anemone toxins might allow a reduction of chemotherapeutic doses and thus mitigate side effects.

Toxins from the Caribbean sea anemone Bunodeopsis globulifera increase cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity of lung adenocarcinoma cells

Background: Lung cancer causes 1.4 million deaths worldwide while non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents 80-85% of the cases. Cisplatin is a standard chemotherapy against this type of cancer; however, tumor cell resistance to this drug limits its efficacy. Sea anemones produce compounds with pharmacological activities that may be useful for augmenting cisplatin efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacological activities of crude venom (CV) from the sea anemone Bunodeopsis globulifera and four derived fractions (F1, F2, F3 and F4) to test their increase efficiency cisplatin cytotoxicity in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Results: Pre-exposure to CV, F1 and F2 fractions increases cisplatin cytotoxicity in human lung adenocarcinoma cells under specific conditions. Exposure to CV at 50 μgmL-1 induced a reduction of approximately 50% in cell viability, while a similar cytotoxic effect was observed when cell culture was exposed to F1 at 25 μgmL -1 or F2 at 50 μgmL-1. The cell culture exposure to F1 (10 μgmL-1) fraction combined with cisplatine (25 μM) provoked a decrease in MTT reduction until 65.57% while F2 (25 μgmL-1) fraction combined with cisplatin (10 μM) provoked a decrease in MTT reduction of 72.55%. Conclusions: The F1 fraction had the greatest effect on the lung adenocarcinoma cell line compared with CV and F2. The combination of antineoplastic drugs and sea anemone toxins might allow a reduction of chemotherapeutic doses and thus mitigate side effects.

Toxins from the Caribbean sea anemone Bunodeopsis globulifera increase cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity of lung adenocarcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer causes 1.4 million deaths worldwide while non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents 80-85% of the cases. Cisplatin is a standard chemotherapy against this type of cancer; however, tumor cell resistance to this drug limits its efficacy. Sea anemones produce compounds with pharmacological activities that may be useful for augmenting cisplatin efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacological activities of crude venom (CV) from the sea anemone Bunodeopsis globulifera and four derived fractions (F1, F2, F3 and F4) to test their increase efficiency cisplatin cytotoxicity in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. RESULTS: Pre-exposure to CV, F1 and F2 fractions increases cisplatin cytotoxicity in human lung adenocarcinoma cells under specific conditions. Exposure to CV at 50 µgmL-1 induced a reduction of approximately 50% in cell viability, while a similar cytotoxic effect was observed when cell culture was exposed to F1 at 25 µgmL -1 or F2 at 50 µgmL-1. The cell culture exposure to F1 (10 µgmL-1) fraction combined with cisplatine (25 µM) provoked a decrease in MTT reduction until 65.57% while F2 (25 µgmL-1) fraction combined with cisplatin (10 µM) provoked a decrease in MTT reduction of 72.55%. CONCLUSIONS: The F1 fraction had the greatest effect on the lung adenocarcinoma cell line compared with CV and F2. The combination of antineoplastic drugs and sea anemone toxins might allow a reduction of chemotherapeutic doses and thus mitigate side effects.

Marine Actinobacteria from the Gulf of California: diversity, abundance and secondary metabolite biosynthetic potential.

The Gulf of California is a coastal marine ecosystem characterized as having abundant biological resources and a high level of endemism. In this work we report the isolation and characterization of Actinobacteria from different sites in the western Gulf of California. We collected 126 sediment samples and isolated on average 3.1-38.3 Actinobacterial strains from each sample. Phylogenetic analysis of 136 strains identified them as members of the genera Actinomadura, Micromonospora, Nocardiopsis, Nonomuraea, Saccharomonospora, Salinispora, Streptomyces and Verrucosispora. These strains were grouped into 26-56 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on 16S rRNA gene sequence identities of 98-100 %. At 98 % sequence identity, three OTUs appear to represent new taxa while nine (35 %) have only been reported from marine environments. Sixty-three strains required seawater for growth. These fell into two OTUs at the 98 % identity level and include one that failed to produce aerial hyphae and was only distantly related (≤95.5 % 16S identity) to any previously cultured Streptomyces sp. Phylogenetic analyses of ketosynthase domains associated with polyketide synthase genes revealed sequences that ranged from 55 to 99 % nucleotide identity to experimentally characterized biosynthetic pathways suggesting that some may be associated with the production of new secondary metabolites. These results indicate that marine sediments from the Gulf of California harbor diverse Actinobacterial taxa with the potential to produce new secondary metabolites.

Palmyrolide A, an unusually stabilized neuroactive macrolide from Palmyra Atoll cyanobacteria.

Palmyrolide A (1) is a new neuroactive macrolide isolated from a marine cyanobacterial assemblage composed of Leptolyngbya cf. and Oscillatoria spp. collected from Palmyra Atoll. It features a rare N-methyl enamide and an intriguing t-butyl branch; the latter renders the adjacent lactone ester bond resistant to hydrolysis. Consistent with its significant suppression of calcium influx in cerebrocortical neurons (IC(50) = 3.70 µM), palmyrolide A (1) showed a relatively potent sodium channel blocking activity in neuro-2a cells (IC(50) = 5.2 µM), without appreciable cytotoxicity.

Alotamide A, a novel neuropharmacological agent from the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya bouillonii.

Alotamide A (1), a structurally intriguing cyclic depsipeptide, was isolated from the marine mat-forming cyanobacterium Lyngbya bouillonii collected in Papua New Guinea. It features three contiguous peptidic residues and an unsaturated heptaketide with oxidations and methylations unlike those found in any other marine cyanobacterial metabolite. Pure alotamide A (1) displays an unusual calcium influx activation profile in murine cerebrocortical neurons with an EC50 of 4.18 microM.

Antibiotic terpenoid chloro-dihydroquinones from a new marine actinomycete.

As part of our continuing interest in exploring the chemistry of actinomycete bacteria uniquely adapted for survival in ocean sediments, we encountered several new strains, which by 16S rDNA sequence-based phylogenetic analysis were recognized as members of a new genus (tentatively called MAR4) within the family Streptomycetaceae. We report here the isolation and structure elucidation of three new chlorinated dihydroquinones (1-3) and one previously reported analogue, 4, from our strain CNQ-525, isolated from ocean sediments collected at a depth of 152 m near La Jolla, California. The compounds formally possess new carbon skeletons, but are related to several previously reported metabolites of the napyradiomycin class. The structures of the new molecules, which possess significant antibiotic properties and cancer cell cytotoxicities, were assigned by comprehensive spectral measurements and by comparison with NMR and other spectral data from the antibiotic A80915C (5), the full stereostructure of which was recently assigned by X-ray diffraction methods.