Marine-Derived Penicillium purpurogenum Reduces Tumor Size and Ameliorates Inflammation in an Erlich Mice Model

Abstract

Background: This study addresses the antitumoral properties of Penicillium purpurogenum isolated from a polluted lagoon in Northeastern Brazil. Methods: Ethyl Acetate Extracellular Extract (EAE) was used. The metabolites were studied using direct infusion mass spectrometry. The solid Ehrlich tumor model was used for antitumor activity. Female Swiss mice were divided into groups (n = 10/group) as follows: The negative control (CTL−), treated with a phosphate buffered solution; the positive control (CTL+), treated with cyclophosphamide (25 mg/kg); extract treatments at doses of 4, 20, and 100 mg/kg; animals without tumors or treatments (Sham); and animals without tumors treated with an intermediate dose (EAE20). All treatments were performed intraperitoneally, daily, for 15 days. Subsequently, the animals were euthanized, and the tumor, lymphoid organs, and serum were used for immunological, histological, and biochemical parameter evaluations. Results: The extract was rich in meroterpenoids. All doses significantly reduced tumor size, and the 20 and 100 mg/kg doses reduced tumor-associated inflammation and tumor necrosis. The extract also reduced the cellular infiltration of lymphoid organs and circulating TNF-α levels. The extract did not induce weight loss or renal and hepatic toxic changes. Conclusions: These results indicate that P. purpurogenum exhibits immunomodulatory and antitumor properties in vivo. Thus, fungal fermentation is a valid biotechnological approach to the production of antitumor agents.

Antitumor Effect of Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) Seed Extract in LNCaP Cells and in the Solid Ehrlich Carcinoma Model

“…Cyclophosphamide is a drug that reduces the risk of recurrence and mortality in early breast cancer [41]. Although the use of cyclophosphamide in vitro would be unfeasible, since its action depends on a primary conversion that occurs in the liver [42], it modulates inflammation and the immune response in the Ehrlich model, and is used as a reference drug in in vivo breast cancer experimental models [20,[43][44][45].…”

Identification of Antimicrobial Peptides Isolated From the Skin Mucus of African Catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

“…As a result, aquatic-derived bioactive compounds have been reported to play a critical role to human health and nutrition. Notable examples include fish-derived clotting factors (Fomina et al, 2020), Seaweed antioxidants (Zerrifi et al, 2018), common water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes anticancer phytochemicals (Mtewa et al, 2021), anti-obesity polysaccharides from red algae (Yang et al, 2019), novel conopeptides from marine snails (Zhang et al, 2021), antiinflammatory cembranoids from soft coral (Peng et al, 2020), novel AMPs from sea weed, Porphyra yezoensis (Jiao et al, 2019), anchovy fish-derived antioxidant peptides (Najafian and Babji, 2018), Marine-derived Penicillium purpurogenum anti-tumor metabolites (Teles et al, 2020), Salmon calcitonin anti-glycemic and anti-osteoporosis peptides (Chesnut et al 2008), and fish-derived CF-14 AMPs (Li et al, 2019) among others. Despite, these tremendous contributions to drug leads, majority of the studies seem to focus much few highly valued species of marine habitats, with far limited emphasis on freshwater biochemical compounds.…”

Marine Natural Products as Anticancer Agents

“…Teles and collaborators [ 12 ] reported the antitumor properties of a Penicillium purpurogenum ethyl acetate extracellular extract, rich in meroterpenoids, using an Erlich mouse model. The extract decreased tumor-associated inflammation and necrosis without causing weight loss nor renal and hepatic toxicity.…”