A neglected natural source for targeting glioblastoma

Area of Science:

• Marine natural products
• Cancer biology
• Drug discovery

Background:

• Brain tumors, particularly malignant gliomas, represent a significant unmet medical need.
• Natural products from marine organisms are a rich source of novel therapeutic compounds.
• Ochridaspongia rotunda is a freshwater sponge with unexplored biochemical potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity of the methanol extract of Ochridaspongia rotunda against brain tumor cell lines.
• To assess the selectivity of the extract towards cancer cells versus normal cells.
• To investigate the genotoxic potential of the extract.

Main Methods:

• Cytotoxicity was assessed using the MTT assay against Neuro-2A, U-251 MG, and U-87 MG cell lines.
• The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined for the extract against each cell line and normal cells.
• Genotoxicity was evaluated using the micronucleus test at the chromosomal level.

Main Results:

• The O. rotunda extract demonstrated significant cytotoxicity against the malignant glioma U-251 MG cell line with an IC50 of 1.87 ± 0.09 μg/mL at 96 hours.
• The extract exhibited low cytotoxicity towards normal cells (IC50 of 321.14 ± 11.29 μg/mL at 96 hours), indicating a 5-fold selectivity for U-251 MG over U-87 MG cells.
• The micronucleus test revealed no significant genotoxicity of the O. rotunda extract compared to doxorubicin.

Conclusions:

• The methanol extract of Ochridaspongia rotunda possesses potent and selective cytotoxic activity against malignant glioma cells.
• The extract demonstrates a favorable safety profile with minimal toxicity to normal cells and no significant genotoxicity.
• Ochridaspongia rotunda represents a promising source for the development of novel anti-brain tumor agents.