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Patterns of chemical diversity in the marine ascidian Phallusia spp.: anti-tumor activity and metabolic pathway inhibiting steroid biosynthesis

3 Biotech volume 8, Article number: 251 (2018) Cite this article

Abstract

The complex nature of marine biodiversity is partially responsible for the lack of studies in Indian ascidian species, which often target a small number of novel biomolecules. We performed untargeted metabolomics using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) in two invasive ascidian species to investigate the inter-specific chemical diversity of Phallusia nigra and P. arabica in search of drug-like properties and metabolic pathways. The chemical profiling of individual ascidian species was obtained using GC–MS, and the metabolites were determined by searching in NIST library and literature data. The principal component analysis of GC–MS mass spectral variables showed a clear discrimination of these two ascidian species based on the chemical composition and taxonomy. The metabolites, lipids, macrolides, and steroids contributed strongly to the discrimination of these two species. Results of this study confirmed that GC–MS-based chemical profiling could be utilized as a tool for chemotaxonomic classification of ascidian species. The extract of P. nigra showed promising anti-tumor activity against HT29 colon cancer 35 µM and MCF7-breast cancer (34.76 µM) cells compared to P. arabica. Of the more than 70 metabolites measured, 18 metabolites that mapped various pathways linked to three metabolic pathways being impacted and altered in steroid biosynthesis, primary bile acid biosynthesis, and steroid hormone biosynthesis were observed to have changed significantly (p > 0.004, FDR < 0.01). Also, higher expression of this pathway was associated with more significant cytotoxicity in breast and colon carcinoma cells.

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Acknowledgements

Author Satheesh gratefully thanks the course Coordinator Prof. Emilio De Domenico and Prof. Salvatore Giacobbe, UNIME, for all the support and encouragement and approval for this submission. Authors thank Dr. Donatella Del Bufalo, Istituto Nationale Tumori Regina Elena, Roma, Italy, for tumor cell lines and guidance in MTT bioassay methods. Authors thank Mr. Subhash for his help in specimen collection.

Funding

Author Satheesh thanks the University of Messina for the award of Non-EU doctoral research fellowship during 2013–2015. Author Umamaheswari thanks Department of Science and Technology-SERB DST-SERB (SB/YS/LS-374/2013) for the award of Young Scientist award.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Science, University of Messina, Messina, 98166, Italy

    Satheesh Kumar Palanisamy

  2. Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, 620024, India

    Velusamy Arumugam & Umamaheswari Sundaresan

  3. National Institute of Ocean Technology, Pallikaranai, Chennai, 600100, India

    Magesh D. Peter

Authors
  1. Satheesh Kumar Palanisamy
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  2. Velusamy Arumugam
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  3. Magesh D. Peter
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  4. Umamaheswari Sundaresan
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Contributions

SKP and UM conceived and designed the research experiments; SKP and VA collected samples, extraction, data analysis and performed bioassays; MP performed GC–MS analysis and data analysis; SKP, UM, MP analyzed the data and wrote the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Satheesh Kumar Palanisamy.

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Palanisamy, S., Arumugam, V., Peter, M.D. et al. Patterns of chemical diversity in the marine ascidian Phallusia spp.: anti-tumor activity and metabolic pathway inhibiting steroid biosynthesis. 3 Biotech 8, 251 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-018-1273-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-018-1273-4

Keywords

  • Ascidian
  • Biomolecules
  • Cancer
  • Cytotoxicity
  • GC–MS
  • Multivariate statistical analysis