Induction of apoptosis by Aaptos sp., fractions in human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor with the highest incidence among women. Reduced chemotherapeutic efficacy of current anticancer drugs result in further screened for novel alternative chemotherapeutic agents of natural origin. Marine secondary metabolites are promising sources of unexploited drugs that have a wide structural diversity and have shown a variety of biological activities. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to determine the cytotoxic effects and mode of cell death exerted by three fractions, F-1, F-2 and F-3 fractions prepared from Aaptossp., marine sponge on human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. The three fractions produced potent cytotoxicity effects with IC50values at 72 hr of less than 30 μg/ml in the order of F-1 > F-2 > F-3. MCF-7 cell death exerted by the fraction was found to be mediated by apoptosis based on the exposure of phosphatidylserine and presence of DNA fragmentation in treated cells. Therefore, bioactive compounds present in these fractions are responsible in inducing apoptosis and thus, possessed potential to be candidates for chemotherapeutic drugs.