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  • Citotoxicity of marine cyanobacteria from the portuguese coast agains breast cancer cells
    Publication . Costa, Margarida; Leão, Pedro; Ribeiro, Maria João; Costa-Rodrigues, João; Garcia, Mónica; Barros, Piedade; Fernandes, Helena; Vasconcelos, Vítor; Martins, Rosário
    The marine environment possesses an unmeasured chemical and biological diversity, being considered an extraordinary resource for the discovery of new therapeutic drugs. Between others, marine cyanobacteria have emerged as a prominent source of bioactive secondary metabolites with a promising anticancer potential, as the described and intensively studied dolastatins.
  • Cytotoxicity of picocyanobacteria strains of the genera Cyanobium on osteosarcoma cells
    Publication . Martins, Rosário; Costa, Margarida; Garcia, Mónica; Barros, Piedade; Costa-Rodrigues, João; Vasconcelos, Vítor; Fernandes, Maria
    Marine cyanobacteria have been recognized as an important source of bioactive compounds. The cytotoxicity on cancer cell lines has been extensively explored and several cyanobacteria metabolites are already described as potential anticancer compounds or are considered useful templates for the design of new anticancer drugs. The majority of compounds have been isolated from filamentous or colonial cyanobacteria that growth in high densities along shores. In contrast, picoplanktonic forms have rarely been explored since, for these strains, there is a need for culture for biomass production. From our LEGE cyanobacteria culture collection we selected a panel of seven strains of the picocyanobacteria genera Cyanobium in order to explore it’s potential as anticancer agents. Strains were cultured under laboratory conditions. Freeze-dried biomass was extracted using methanol and dichloromethane to a crude extract and then fractionated using hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. The cytotoxicity of crude extracts and fractions was evaluated in the osteosarcoma cell line MG63 by the reduction of the bromide 3-(4,5-dimetil-tiazol-2-il)-2,5-difenil-tetrazolio (MTT) and confirmed by the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. From the results, four of the seven Cyanobium strains were found to induce a significant decrease in cell viability. The highest percentage of inhibition of tumor cells growth was observed within the ethyl acetate, which is therefore, promising in terms of isolation of bioactive compounds
  • Cytotoxic activity of marine cyanobacteria against cancer cell lines
    Publication . Ribeiro, Maria João; Costa, Margarida; Leão, Pedro; Barros, Piedade; Vasconcelos, Vítor; Martins, Rosário
    Marine cyanobacteria possess an extensive capacity to produce compounds that were found to induce biological activities against cell lines and organisms. Many of the marine cyanobacteria compounds already described were found to induce toxicity against cancer cells.
  • Cytotoxicity of marine cyanobacteria extracts on osteosarcoma cells
    Publication . Costa-Rodrigues, João; Costa, M. M.; Costa, S.; Garcia, M.; Fernandes, M. H.; Vasconcelos, V.; Barros, Piedade; Martins, Rosário
    Marine cyanobacteria have been identified as a rich source of secondary metabolites with potential pharmacological applications. Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anticancer activities are some examples of properties described for cyanobacteria compounds, being the cytoxicity against cancer cell lines one of the most documented. The Laboratory of Ecotoxicology Genomics and Evolution (LEGE) — CIIMAR, Porto, Portugal, possesses a large collection of cyanobacteria strains isolated from the Portuguese coast. In order to investigate the interest of genera such as Cyanobium, Synechocystis, Synechococcus, Leptolyngbya and Pseudoanabaena which are genera that have been largely overlooked in terms of bioactivity, we have been screening their ability to induce cytotoxicity on human cancer cell lines. Assays have been conducted with a crude extract obtained by a dichloromethane and methanol extraction of freeze dried biomass and three fractions obtained using Si column chromatography with a gradient from 100% hexane, to 100% ethyl acetate to 100% methanol. The cytotoxicity of cyanobacteria crude extract and fractions has been evaluated by the MTT assay at 24, 48 and 72 h. Here we present the results concerning the cytotoxicity of 24 cyanobacteria strains on the osteosarcoma cell line MG63. The results show both inhibitory and stimulatory effects on cell growth within the same cyanobacteria strain. However, five cyanobacteria strains were found to induce a decrease in cell viability that reached the 80% within the ethyl acetate fraction, which makes this fraction interesting for the isolation and characterization of new bioactive compounds.