ATLA::Alternatives to Laboratory Animals

Volume 30, Number 1

Cytostatic properties of a novel compound derived from Penicillium pinophilum: an in vitro study.

Annalaura Stammati,¹ Rosario Nicoletti,² Salvatore De Stefano,³ Franco Zampaglioni¹ And Flavia Zucco⁴

¹Laboratorio di Tossicologia Comparata ed Ecotossicologia, Istituto Superiore di Sanitá, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; ²Istituto Sperimentale per il Tabacco, Via Vitiello 66, 84018 Scatati, Italy; ³Istituto per la Chimica di Molecole di Interesse Biologico, CNR, Via Toiano 6, 80072 Arco Felice, Italy; ⁴Istituto di Neurobiologia e Medicina Molecolare, CNR, Viale Marx 15143, 00137 Rome, Italy

SUMMARY

3-0-Methylfunicone (OMF), a secondary metabolite produced by Penicillium pinophilum, inhibits the in vitro growth of plant pathogenic fungi. This specific property suggested that the compound could be used against other fungal pathogenic activities, including dermatological ones. However, for such applications, toxicological side-effects should be taken into account, in order to prevent other types of risk to mammalian cells. Therefore, investigations were made of the basic toxicity of OMF toward a human tumour cell line. The compound was found to have a cytostatic effect, which represents a counter-indication to its use as a therapeutic agent in dermatology, but suggests that it may have potential as an antitumour agent. This study confirmed the validity of in vitro systems for preliminary assays on new compounds, in order to avoid the use of animals in toxicological studies.

Keywords: Penicillium pinophilum, 3-0-methylfunicone, cell cultures, viability, oxygen consumption, apoptosis