Anticancer potential and cytotoxic effect of some freshwater cyanobacteria

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the anticancer potential and cytotoxicity of some freshwater cyanobacterial extracts on Human Colon Carcinoma (HT29), Rat Brain Glioma (C6), Human Cervix Carcinoma (HeLa), Human Lung Carcinoma (A549), Human Breast Adenocarcinoma (MCF7), Human Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Hep3B) cancerous cells, African Green Monkey Kidney cells (Vero), and Human Amnion cells (FL).Methods: Chroococus minutus, Geitlerinema carotinosum, Nostoc linckia and Anabaena oryzae were collected from different freshwater habitats and identified. Each cyanobacterium was extracted with methanol. Antiproliferative activities of the cyanobacterial extracts were evaluated by [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT) using HT29, C6, HeLa, A549, MCF7, Hep3B, Vero, and FL cell lines. Cytotoxicity was determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay.Results: The cyanobacterial extracts showed varying antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects on cancer cells. G. carotinosum and N. linckia had significant inhibitory effect on C6 cell lines with half-maximal inhibitory (IC50) levels of 112.69 and 121.48 μg/mL, respectively. TGI values for G. carotinosum and N. linckia were 65.07 and 70.61 μg/mL, respectively. LC50 values for these two cyanobacteria were 386.64 and 760.55 μg/mL, respectively. In addition, cyanobacterium A. oryzae displayed excellent antiproliferative effect on MCF7 cancer cells (GI50 = 2.04 μg/mL). The extracts displayed the cytostatic effect on the cell lines.Conclusion: G. carotinosum, N. linckia and A. oryzae exhibit significant activity on various cancer cells. Hence these cyanobacteria may offer promise as anticancer agents.Keywords: Freshwater cyanobacteria, Anticancer, Cytotoxicity, Chroococus minutus, Geitlerinema carotinosum, Nostoc linckia, Anabaena oryzae