Prospecção de bactérias associadas a esponjas do Parque Estadual Marinho Banco do Álvaro com potencial anticâncer

Abstract

Cancer is a disease characterized primarily by uncontrolled cell proliferation, tissue invasion, and metastasis. Responsible for approximately 12 million deaths per year, it is the second leading cause of death worldwide, with breast cancer being the most common in Brazil, followed by prostate and colorectal cancer. Therefore, the development of new anticancer therapies is crucial for mitigating this disease. In this sense, the search for marine natural products is gaining increasing notoriety and relevance in the production of new antitumor drugs. Marine sponges stand out as the predominant group between the marine invertebrates in bioprospecting research. The literature reports various biologically active compounds isolated from these animals, such as alkaloids, fatty acids, steroids, terpenoids, among others, exhibiting cytotoxic activity. However, it is believed that most of these molecules are produced by associated microorganisms. Given this, the present study aimed to investigate the anticancer potential of molecules produced by bacteria associated with marine sponges from the Banco do Álvaro Marine State Park in the state of Maranhão. Three species of sponges were collected off the coast of Maranhão, later identified as Clathria nicoleae, Cinachyrella kuekenthali and Coelocarteria amadoi. Specimens were processed for microorganism isolation using solid culture media containing sea water and agar (SWA) or sea water, starch, casein and yeast extract and ágar (SCA) supplemented with cycloheximide. Bacterial growth was observed only in medium SCA, resulting in eight isolated strains: six of C. kuekenthali, one of C. nicoleae, and one of C. amadoi. These were then subjected to organic extraction using ethyl acetate. Four extracts of C. kuekenthali were subjected to the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay to evaluate their antiproliferative activity on the human colorectal cancer cell line HCT-116 at 50 μg/mL during 72 h incubation. All four extracts analyzed showed approximately 100% growth inhibition. The results obtained in this work are promising , potentially serving as a source for future investigations into bioactive compounds, thus contributing to research on anticancer drugs.