A Promising Natural Anticancer Compound Derived from Gymnoascus dankaliensis

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of malignant cells and is universally estimated to be a common cause of death. No decisive treatment has been identified to cure cancer; therefore, scientists have focused on developing safe and effective treatments. The activity of natural compounds isolated from living organisms, such as fungi, has been investigated in cancer cells. This study aimed to isolate and analyze natural products, as secondary metabolites (SM), of the fungus Gymnoascus dankaliensis (G. dankaliensis) and identify their activity against SR and HCT-18 (HRT-18) cell lines. G. dankaliensis was isolated from dung samples and identified using a molecular method. The internal transcribed spacer region was amplified from the isolated genomic DNA and sequenced afterward. The isolate was grown on a rice medium as a solid-state fermentation medium to extract natural metabolite products using the ethyl acetate extraction method. The GC-MS analyzed the compound of the natural extract, and the activity of the natural extract was identified against SR and HCT-18 cell lines. The results revealed the ability of G. dankaliensis to produce a natural product as an SM composed of five compounds. The growth of the treated SR and HCT-8 cell lines with the natural extract was inhibited after incubation for 27 h, with the IC50 being 3.57 and 8.61 µg/mL on the HCT-18 and SR cell lines, respectively. In conclusion, the natural extract isolated from the SM of G. dankaliensis showed activity against cancer cells, affecting the SR and HCT-18 cell lines, compared to the control. These results revealed that the product is a promising anticancer treatment.