Cytotoxic and apoptotic activities of marine sponge Stylissa massa hexane and methanol extracts against breast cancer cell

Abstract

Breast cancer is common among Filipino women. Statistical results indicate that one in every 13 Filipino women is expected to develop breast cancer in today’s generation, as stated by the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology (2015). It is associated with the failure of the body to maintain its normal homeostasis and its exposure to harmful chemicals that can result in the proliferation of abnormal cells. The marine environment has abundant potential marine sponges that may play significant roles in drug development for their uniquely structured and unexploited novel compounds. Hence, the in-vitro cytotoxic and apoptotic activity of marine sponge Stylissa massa extract collected from the aquatic resources of Barangay Tando, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, Philippines, was investigated. The freshly chopped marine sponge was extracted using methanol and partitioned with n-hexane. The extracts were tested on MCF-7, a breast cancer cell line, for their cytotoxicity using MTT Assay. The apoptotic activities were detected using Annexin V-FITC assay kit by fluorescence microscopy and Caspase-Glo 3/7 assays. Both extracts contain alkaloids and amino acids. They inhibited the growth of MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 values of 25 μg/mL and 90 μg/mL for hexane and methanol extract, respectively. These results showed significant cytotoxic and apoptotic activity of hexane and methanol extracts of S. massa. Thus, this marine sponge should be given attention as a potential local source of compounds with apoptotic activity for cancer.