مرکز تحقیقات بیولوژی کاربردی تکوین جانوری

Cancer is the second important reason of mortality in the world. In this regard melanoma was
accounted as the most aggressive type of cutaneous cancer. Among drug extracted from natural products
from marine organisms have been focused investigations related to chemotherapeutic agents derived
from echinoderms such as sea cucumbers and starfish. In the present study, cytotoxic and apoptosis
inducing potential of Persian Gulf brittle stars dichloromethane extract were evaluated against melanoma
cancers. In this study, anti-proliferative effect of brittle stars dichloromethane extract on B16F10
melanoma cells examined by MTT assay and morphological characterization and death inducing effect
of Annexin-PI and PI flow cytometry. The data analysis was performed by SPSS software and p<0.05
were considered significant. The dichloromethane extract of brittle star revealed significant cytotoxic
effect on B16F10 melanoma cells with IC50= 31 µg/ml which is stronger than inhibitory effect of
methanol extract on melanoma cell growth. In addition, brittle star dichloromethane extract recruited
apoptotic pathway in the response of 31 µg/ml treatment. This study showed that certain concentrations
of dichloromethane brittle stars possess cytotoxic activity that can be used as an anticancer agent used in
clinical trial due to cell growth inhibition and apoptosis induction which offer therapeutic investigations
of dichloromethane brittle star extract as complementary for melanoma treatment and prevention