In vitro leishmanicidal, antibacterial and antitumour potential of anhydrocochlioquinone A obtained from the fungus Cochliobolus sp.

The bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract of the fungus Cochliobolus sp. highlighted leishmanicidal activity and allowed for anhydrocochlioquinone A (ANDC-A) isolation. MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectra of this compound were in agreement with those published in the literature. ANDC-A exhibited leishmanicidal activity with EC 50 value of 22.4 microgram/mL (44 mu M) and, when submitted to the microdilution assay against Gram-ositive and Gram-negative bacteria, showed a minimal inhibitory concentration against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25295 of 128 microgram/mL (248.7 mu M). It was also active against five human cancer cell lines, showing IC50 values from 5.4 to 20.3 mu M. ANDC-A demonstrated a differential selectivity for HL-60 (SI 5.5) and THP-1 (SI 4.3) cell lines in comparison with Vero cells and was more selective than cisplatin and doxorubicin against MCF-7 cell line in comparison with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. ANDC-A was able to eradicate clonogenic tumour cells at concentrations of 20 and 50 mu M and induced apoptosis in all tumour cell lines at 20 mu M. These results suggest that ANDC-A might be used as a biochemical tool in the study of tumour cells biochemistry as well as an anticancer agent with durable effects on tumours.