Chemical constituents of ostracod Heterocypris salina extract, anticancer and antimicrobial activity: in silico supported in vitro study

Abstract

Background The majority of bioactive compounds derived from the sea have been extracted from aquatic invertebrates. While Ostracods are a diverse class of crustaceans that inhabit marine, brackish, and freshwaters, there are no available studies testing Ostracoda in the medical field. Objective The aim of this work was to produce H. salina on a large scale to evaluate its crude extract for anticancer and antimicrobial activities. Materials and methods Ostracod, Heterocypris salina was collected from its habitat in the eastern side of Lake Manzalla, Egypt, and the species was cultured in Soaba System of the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF), Al-Khairia City, Egypt). Crude extract of Heterocypris salina was prepared and the extract was tested as an anticancer against different human cancer cell lines. Also, the extract was investigated as antimicrobial against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, chemical composition of the extract by GC-MS analysis and molecular docking were also studies. Results and conclusion Ostracod Heterocypris salina was cultured, at day 50 of the culturing, about 500 L of the culturing pond was harvested using plankton to collect the biomass of H. salina. A methanol extract of H. salina was prepared and showed a moderate to good anticancer effect against liver (HepG2), lung (A549), colon (HCT), and breast (MCF7) cancer cell lines with IC50 values in the range of 12.8–23.2 µg/ml), being safe for the healthy cells of the same organs. Also, the H. salina extract showed activity against three tested Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Salmonella typhi) and two Gram-positive (Sarcina lutea and Bacillus cereus) bacteria. GC-MS analysis of H. salina extract revealed the presence of 11 compounds including ethyl iso-allocholate (23.1%), 9(Z)-octadecenamide, (Z)-(20.6%), oleic acid (12.3%), palmitic acid (11.65%), and α-amyrin (10.73%). Moreover, a molecular docking study was performed in order to determine the possible binding interactions of the test compounds with the essential amino acids in the binding site of thymidylate kinase (TMK).