Alcaloide marinho do extrato de tubastraea spp. como estratégia terapêutica em tumor cerebral

Abstract

Corals of the Tubastraea genus, known as sun coral, are a genus of coral with several known species that arrived in Brazil in the 1980s. This non- native coral is native to the Pacific and competes with native species, easily establishing itself in other habitats. It can currently be easily found along the coast of Brazil. Although sun coral is associated with invasion and environmental damage, its extract has been investigated for molecules present in its composition. Investigation of metabolites present in its extract, such as alkaloids, has pointed to bioactives associated with pharmacological activities, including antitumor activity. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive tumor of the central nervous system, and currently the gold standard therapeutic strategy prolongs survival by only 3 to 6 months. In accordance with the need to develop new therapies, an alkaloid present in the sun coral extract, known as 6-bromoindole-3-carboxaldehyde, was tested for its antitumor potential in vitro. The marine alkaloid was investigated using in silico tools, presenting characteristics suitable for its use in the pharmaceutical area, in addition to demonstrating significant cytotoxic effect in an in vitro model of GBM cells, in 2D and 3D models, via production of reactive oxygen species. In order to verify possible toxicity of the alkaloid, it was shown to be safe in the lower concentrations tested, causing coagulation of zebrafish embryos only in the highest concentrations and in early stages, absent in late stages of their development. According to the results obtained in this study, the alkaloid tested may be a future candidate to compose a bioactive drug or have the function of complementing the therapeutic strategy of GBM.