Mining the deep Red-Sea brine pool microbial community for anticancer therapeutics

BACKGROUND: Microbial species in the brine pools of the Red Sea and the brine pool-seawater interfaces are exposed to high temperature, high salinity, low oxygen levels and high concentrations of heavy metals. As adaptations to these harsh conditions require a large suite of secondary metabolites, these microbes have a huge potential as a source of novel anticancer molecules. METHODS: A total of 60 ethyl-acetate extracts of newly isolated strains from extreme environments of the Red-Sea were isolated and tested against several human cancer cell lines for potential cytotoxic and apoptotic activities. RESULTS: Isolates from the Erba brine-pool accounted for 50% of active bacterial extracts capable of inducing 30% or greater inhibition of cell growth. Among the 60 extracts screened, seven showed selectivity towards triple negative BT20 cells compared to normal fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: In this study, we identified several extracts able to induce caspase-dependent apoptosis in various cancer cell lines. Further investigations and isolation of the active compounds of these Red Sea brine pool microbes may offer a chemotherapeutic potential for cancers with limited treatment options.