Marine and Soil Fungi Extracts with Antiproliferative Activity Induce Morphological Alterations in Breast Cancer Cells

Cancer is one leading cause of death in world today, with high human and social costs [1]. Research of new anticancer drugs with a higher efficiency and specificity for cancer cells has been a hard work. In the last decades, bioprospection of marine environments has brought to light some new compounds with a promising anticancer activity [2]. Some of them are acting by inhibition of cell proliferation and/or induction of cell death mechanisms such as apoptosis [3]. In this vein, the aim of this study was to assess morphological alterations induced by marine-derived fungi extracts, that previously showed antiproliferative activity on a breast cancer cell line (MCF7) evaluated by both light and electron microscopy. The crude ethyl acetate extracts tested were obtained from a marine fungus Neosartorya laciniosa KUFC 7896 (E7) and a soil fungus Neosartorya fischeri KUFC 6344 (E2). MCF7 cells were incubated with the IC50 (determined by MTT assay) of E2 and E7 for 48h. Doxorubicin (an antitumor drug) was used as a positive control. Effects on cell morphology were first observed on phase contrast microscopy. Then cells were collected, the pellet fixed and semithin sections (1 µm thick) were performed and stained with methylene blue/azure II and Sudan black. For ultrastructural morphology analysis, ultrathin sections (∼ 90 nm thick) were observed and photographed in a JEOL 100CXII electron microscope.