Cytotoxic Properties of Marine Sponge Thetya sp. Extract and Apoptosis Stimulation against Colorectal Cancer Cells

Finding the biologically active compounds from marine sources is of particular importance for cancer control. In the present study, the effect of cytotoxicity and apoptosis stimulation of marine sponge Thetya sp. extracts against colorectal cancer cells was evaluated.

Marine sponge Thetya sp. was caught from the Oman Sea in 2020 and extracted with solvents of methanol, chloroform, hexane and ethyl acetate. The extract was evaluated at concentrations of 900, 400, 200, 100, 50 and 30 µg/ml on the colorectal cancer cell line. Cytotoxicity test was performed by MTT method and the effect of apoptosis was performed by flowcytometry method.

The survival rate of colorectal cancer cells in methanolic extract of Thetya sp. at concentration of 900 µg/ml was 32.92%. The IC50 of the methanolic extract against colorectal cancer cells was 556.4 µg/ml. Chloroform extract of marine sponge with IC50=1330.995 µg/ml showed less effect for colorectal cancer cells than methanolic extract. Also, methanolic extract of marine sponge with 25% apoptosis and 14% primary colorectal cancer cell necrosis showed its effect at concentration of 756.4 µg/ml. Marine sponge Thetya sp. extracts had no significant cytotoxic effect on healthy cells. 

It seems that the total methanolic extract of marine sponge Thetya sp. has metabolites with anti-cancer properties that can inhibit colorectal cancer cells.