Metabolic Profiling and In Vitro Assessment of the Biological Activities of the Ethyl Acetate Extract of Penicillium chrysogenum “Endozoic of Cliona sp. Marine Sponge” from the Red Sea (Egypt)

Abstract

Marine sponge-derived endozoic fungi have been gaining increasing importance as promising sources of numerous and unique bioactive compounds. This study investigates the phytochemical profile and biological activities of the ethyl acetate extract of Penicillium chrysogenum derived from Cliona sp. sponge. Thirty-six compounds were tentatively identified from P. chrysogenum ethyl acetate extract along with the kojic acid (KA) isolation. The UPLC-ESI-MS/MS positive ionization mode was used to analyze and identify the extract constituents while 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy were used for kojic acid (KA) structure confirmation. The antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities were assessed in vitro. Both the extract and kojic acid showed potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MIC 250 ± 0.82 µg/mL. Interestingly, the extract showed strong antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans with MIC 93.75 ± 0.55 and 19.53 ± 0.48 µg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, KA showed the same potency against Fusarium oxysporum and Cryptococcus neoformans with MIC 39.06 ± 0.85 and 39.06 ± 0.98 µg/mL, respectively. Ultimately, KA showed strong antioxidant activity with IC50 33.7 ± 0.8 µg/mL. Moreover, the extract and KA showed strong cytotoxic activity against colon carcinoma (with IC50 22.6 ± 0.8 and 23.4 ± 1.4 µg/mL, respectively) and human larynx carcinoma (with equal IC50 30.8 ± 1.3 and ± 2.1 µg/mL, respectively), respectively. The current study represents the first insights into the phytochemical profile and biological properties of P. chrysoenum ethyl acetate extract, which could be a promising source of valuable secondary metabolites with potent biological potentials.

Metabolites Profiling and In Vitro Biological Characterization of Different Fractions of Cliona sp. Marine Sponge from the Red Sea Egypt

“…The constituents were separated using a binary LC solvent system controlled by MassLynx software (version 4.1) Waters Corporation (Milford, MA, USA) to analyze the MS and MS 2 data. The reversed-phase separations were performed by an ACQUITY UPLC-BEH column [silica C 18 , 1.7 µm (particle size), 2.1 × 50 mm (inner diameter), Waters ® ] eluted with H 2 O + 0.1% formic acid (A) and Methanol+ 0.1% formic acid (B), HPLC grade, at 0.2 mL/min flow rate with the same gradient used by [ 19 , 69 ] as follows: 0–2 min 10% B isocratic; 2–5 min, linear gradient B 10 to 30%; 5–15 min, linear gradient from 30% to 70% B; 15–22 min, linear gradient from 70% to 90% B; 22–25 min, 90% B isocratic. Finally, the process included washing and reconditioning the column.…”

“…The antioxidant activity of the CT extract, and CH, CD, and CE fractions, was determined by the DPPH free radical scavenging assay as described by [ 19 , 71 , 72 ] with minor modifications. Briefly, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical in methanol (0.004% w / v ) was freshly prepared and stored at 10 °C in the dark.…”

“…Cliona sp. extract, and CH, CD, and CE fractions, were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity in two cell lines against HEB-2 and HCT-116 (Human larynx carcinoma and Colon carcinoma) using MTT assay as explained by [ 19 , 74 , 75 ]. Vinblastine sulphate and DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide) were used as positive and negative controls, respectively.…”

“…Stock solutions of the extract and fractions were prepared in 10% DMSO in ddH 2 O. The cytotoxicity was determined using the MTT assay as described by [ 19 , 75 ].…”

“…Based on the available literature, nothing was reported about the Cliona sp. collected from the Red Sea, Egypt, except by a study that described the isolation, metabolic profile, and biological properties of endozoic fungi derived from this sponge [ 19 ]. This motivated us to carry out the current work to investigate the chemical constituents of Cliona sp.…”