Anti-cancer compounds from marine fungi in Khanh Hoa
Finding new solutions to fight cancer from marine resources
The need to develop new anti-cancer drugs that are biologically based, highly effective and have fewer side effects is becoming more and more urgent. Marine science and technology has recorded many achievements in finding and discovering new anti-cancer drugs from marine organisms. Khanh Hoa, with its nearly 385 km long coastline and diverse ecosystem, is an ideal place to exploit marine microbial resources. Previous studies have shown that fungi originating from the sea in Khanh Hoa waters are diverse and have the potential to create new bioactive substances. However, the source of this microorganism has not been investigated in detail. Therefore, research to evaluate the anti-cancer potential of microfungal strains isolated from the sea in Khanh Hoa waters is very necessary.
Dr. Phan Thi Hoai Trinh and her colleagues proposed and were approved by the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology to implement the project: "Research on the acquisition of anti-cancer compounds from marine fungi isolated from marine microbes in Khanh Hoa waters" (code: VAST06.02/21-22), with the goal of effectively exploiting resources and determining the fermentation and separation process to obtain metabolites with high anti-cancer activity from potential marine fungal strains.
Sharing about the motivation for research, Dr. Phan Thi Hoai Trinh said: Research on natural compounds from Vietnamese marine fungi is the direction of the late Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Minh Ly, former Director of Nha Trang Institute of Technology Research and Application and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Thanh Van. As a student, she not only has the opportunity to study and work at the Institute but is also inspired and passionate about research from teachers and teachers. More importantly, the research team received support in scientific exchange and cooperation with experienced scientists from Russia and South Korea. On that basis, since 2015, the team has carried out many studies to obtain bioactive ingredients from marine microfungi, especially from the Central Sea. As a result, many new natural compounds have been discovered, contributing to the addition of natural compounds from the sea.
Dr. Phan Thi Hoai Trinh affirmed that it is necessary to continue to promote research on anti-cancer compounds from marine fungi, especially in Khanh Hoa waters. This not only helps to exploit new anti-cancer compounds but also enhances the medicinal value of marine microbial resources.
Dr. Phan Thi Hoai Trinh at the lab
New research and discoveries
During the study, the team successfully isolated 65 fungal strains from 36 oceanic samples collected in Nha Trang Bay. Screening showed that 30/65 strains of the fungus showed toxic activity against breast cancer (MCF-7) and cervical cancer (Hela) cell lines in humans. In particular, the study classified 11 strains of fungi with high anti-cancer activity, including five strains of the genus Aspergillus, two strains of the genus Penicillium, three strains of the genus Fusarium and one strain of the genus Trichoderma. The study also determined the appropriate fermentation conditions for the fungal strain Aspergillus sp. 1901NT-1.2.2, with a fermentation time of 22 days, a sea salt concentration of 30 g/L and a pH of 8.0, to obtain high levels of anti-cancer compounds.
According to the author, the biggest difficulty in the research process is that the fermented extract from the selected fungal strain Aspergillus sp. 1901NT-1.2.2 has a very diverse substance spectrum, making it difficult to separate and obtain clean compounds. Therefore, although many compounds were detected through HPLC-MS analysis, the group only obtained two main compounds, vismione E and endocrocin, which have effective toxic activity against human cancer cell lines, namely cervical cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. Vismione E compound has a significant toxic effect on breast cancer cells (MCF-7). In particular, this compound can also reduce the viability, metastasis and proliferation of MCF-7 cells as well as prevent the cell cycle in the G1 phase.
The team predicts that the anti-cancer activity of vismione E may be due to its effect on the cell proliferation apparatus or nucleotide synthesis. The molecular pairing of vismione E with predicted targets suggests that inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase 2 (IMDH2) may be considered as one of the molecular targets for further research in the future.
Dr. Phan Thi Hoai Trinh added: Fortunately, at the time of implementing the project, the team was also researching the separation of metabolic compounds from the fungal strain Lopadostoma pouzarii 168CLC-57.3. The results have obtained seven more natural compounds, of which two new compounds have been discovered, two compounds gliorosein and balticolid have toxic activity in cancer cells. Also in this study, the team successfully developed a fermentation process for the fungal strain Aspergillus sp. 1901NT-1.2.2 to obtain a high content of the anti-cancer compound vismione E.
Research diagram of the acquisition of the anticancer compound vismione E from the fungal strain Aspergillus sp. 1901NT-1.2.2
The research results affirm the great potential of marine fungi from Khanh Hoa waters in detecting anti-cancer compounds, opening up application opportunities in cancer treatment. The research team has published the results in prestigious domestic and international scientific journals. At the same time, scientists have stored 65 strains of marine microorganisms at the marine microbial collection of the Nha Trang Institute of Research and Application of Technology, creating a solid foundation for further research.
In addition to anti-cancer compounds, marine fungi also promise applications in the treatment of many other diseases such as antibiotics, cardiovascular protection and antioxidants. Currently, the team is also expanding research, looking for potential compounds from marine fungal strains for further research to develop new probiotics capable of safely and effectively controlling dengue transmission vectors.
With 16 years of research, Dr. Phan Thi Hoai Trinh is the author and co-author of 44 articles, of which 26 articles have been published in SCI/SCIE international journals. In addition to research, Dr. Phan Thi Hoai Trinh also participates in writing books and guiding students and postgraduate students in the field of biotechnology. The results achieved are the motivation for her and her team to continue researching and exploiting biological compounds from marine microorganisms, in order to develop anti-cancer drugs and other products, making an important contribution to disease prevention and treatment and public health protection.
Translates by Phuong Ha
Link to Vietnamese version
