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Cytotoxic furanosesquiterpenoids and steroids from Ircinia mutans sponges

Fatemeh Heidary Jamebozorgi1,2, Morteza Yousefzadi1,3, Omidreza Firuzi2

  • 1Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Pharmaceutical Biology
|May 27, 2021
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

This study identified potent cytotoxic steroids in the sponge Ircinia mutans, with compounds from summer collections showing significant anti-cancer activity. These steroids show promise for future anticancer drug development.

Area of Science:

  • Marine Natural Products Chemistry
  • Pharmacognosy
  • Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

  • The marine sponge *Ircinia mutans* (Irciniidae) is known to possess antimicrobial and cytotoxic compounds.
  • Investigating seasonal variations in chemical constituents can reveal novel bioactive molecules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the cytotoxic constituents present in two seasonal collections (winter and summer) of *Ircinia mutans*.
  • To evaluate the anti-proliferative activity of isolated compounds against human cancer cell lines.

Main Methods:

  • Sponge extraction using methanol-dichloromethane.
  • Purification and characterization via column chromatography, GC-MS, and NMR spectroscopy.
  • Anti-proliferative activity assessed using the MTT colorimetric assay against MOLT-4 (leukemia), MCF-7 (breast), and HT-29 (colon) cancer cells.

Main Results:

  • Three furanosesquiterpenoids (furodysin, *ent*-furodysinin, furoircin) and ten sterols were identified.
  • Steroids from winter collections showed cytotoxic activity (IC50 values ranging from 1.1 to 13.0 μg/mL).
  • Steroids from summer collections exhibited potent cytotoxicity, particularly against MOLT-4 cells (IC50 = 1.1 ± 0.2 μg/mL).

Conclusions:

  • *Ircinia mutans* is a significant source of cytotoxic steroids.
  • Furoircin is identified as a new natural product.
  • The isolated steroids demonstrate high cytotoxic potential, warranting further investigation for anticancer drug development.
Keywords:
Furanosesquiterpenescholesterolergosterolmarine spongestigmasterolγ-sitosterol

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