In vitro cytotoxic evaluation of bioactive compounds derived from Talaromyces minioluteus

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.

2 Department of Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants, College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq.

Abstract

Objective
The prevalence of cancer has recently been increasing globally, highlighting the importance of investigation for new, more efficient and safer anticancer drugs. Different species of Talaromyces provide high-potential bioactive metabolites, such as phenolic, polyphenols, steroids, terpenoids, anthraquinones and alkaloids that can be widely used in several medical applications. However, the full pharmaceutical potential of such species, particularly those isolated from soil, is not fully documented. The aim of this study is to determine the cytotoxicity of the secondary metabolites of an isolated Talaromyces strain.
Materials and methods
The isolated fungal strain was identified and confirmed by both molecular and morphological analyses. Further, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was carried out to detect the secondary metabolites of isolated fungus. The MTT method was used to evaluate in vitro cytotoxic activity of the crude extracts of isolated fungus against human lung carcinoma (A549), colorectal carcinoma (SW480), and normal dermal fibroblasts (HDFn).
Results
The fungal identity as Talaromyces minioluteus was confirmed by morphological and ITS- based molecular analysis. HPLC detected several bioactive compounds in the crude extracts of isolated fungus. The crude extract of Talaromyces minioluteus was observed to have anticancer effects against A549 and SW480, the values of IC50 were 62.5 µg/mL for A549 and 78.2 µg/mL for SW480. The IC50 for normal HDFn was higher (>200 µg/mL), showing the high cytotoxicity against lung and colorectal carcinoma cells.
Conclusions
The crude extract of Talaromyces minioluteus has a high cytotoxicity against lung and colorectal carcinoma cells. The presence of secondary metabolites is responsible for this effect due to their main roles in apoptosis induction and tumour growth inhibition. Based on the current results, Talaromyces minioluteus is considered a valuable source of bioactive metabolites. Further research on this isolated fungus should be undertaken to investigate the underlying mechanisms by which bioactive metabolites exert their impacts.

Keywords

References

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Agricultural Biotechnology Journal
Volume 17, Issue 4
November 2025
Pages 453-468

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