Nitric oxide synthesis inhibition and cytotoxicity of Korean horse mussel Modiolus modiolus extracts on cancer cells in culture

Abstract

The Korean horse mussel extract was purified and fractionated by a bioassay-guided purification step. The final fraction contained seven steroid and one polycyclic aromatic compounds, in which cholest-7-en-3-ol, (3b,5a)-(58.7 %) was a main component followed by ergosta-7,22dien-3-ol (3b,5a,22E) (13.0 %). This extract exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activity determined solely through the nitric oxide inhibition assay in a dose-dependant manner with the IC 50 value of 9.6 lg/mL and no cytotoxic effect on the macrophages. Moreover, it also exhibited strong cytotoxicity with the IC 50 values of 21.4, 36.4, and 37.1 lg/mL against AGS, DLD-1, and HeLa cells, respectively. These results indicated that the horse mussel extract might be a functional ingredient in the prevention of inflammation and human cancers.