Abstract
Six new water extracts (E1–E6) were obtained from nest carton produced by jet black ants Lasius fuliginosus and tested for their biochemical and bioactive properties, including antioxidative and anticancer effects. The present study demonstrated significant qualitative and quantitative differences in the content of individual biochemical constituents, as well as bioactive properties between the investigated samples. All tested extracts demonstrated antioxidant properties (determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) methods), and the highest antioxidative potential was recorded in extracts E1 and E2 (188.96 and 313.67 μg/mL of ascorbic acid equivalent for ABTS and 176.42 and 202.66 μg/mL for DPPH reagent). Furthermore the six extracts exhibited strong inhibitory activity towards human melanoma cells of the A-375 CRL-1619 line in a dose-dependent manner. The most interesting chemopreventive activity was exhibited by extract E2, which inhibited the proliferation of A-375 cells to the greatest extent, while having a minimal effect on Vero cells. The effect on cancer cells has been confirmed using the Electric Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) technique. Significant impedance changes have been detected in A-375 and Vero cells following the administration of extract E2. The obtained results are really promising and constitute the basis for further research on the nest carton of jet black ant.
Highlights
IntroductionA discovery that revolutionized medicine was the isolation of penicillin from the Penicillium fungus in 1938, for which Fleming, Florey, and Chain were awarded the Nobel Prize some years later [3]
The carton from each of the six ant nests was different in color, granulation of wood material, and the proportion of individual fractions included in it (Figure 1C–H)
The problems of modern medicine relating to the increasing number of cases of cancer and diabetes and the lack of effective pharmacological agents for such diseases are encouraging the scientific community to search for, acquire and study new bioactive substances of natural origin with potential medical and pharmacological applications
Summary
A discovery that revolutionized medicine was the isolation of penicillin from the Penicillium fungus in 1938, for which Fleming, Florey, and Chain were awarded the Nobel Prize some years later [3] The demand for this kind of knowledge created a favorable climate for the development of such sciences as chemistry, which aimed to discover the compositions of substances of plant origin, and of animal and mineral provenance [4]. Arbiser et al [7] published a promising study in which they demonstrated that solenopsin A, the main alkaloid in the venom of fire ants Solenopsis invicta, exhibits anti-angiogenic activity Another example comes from the work of Sen et al [8], who isolated strains of the bacteria Pseudonocardia and Amycolatopsis, which display distinct anti-fungal activity, from the nests of harvester ants (Attini) and from the ants themselves. The results of work by Hasanuddin et al [9] are likewise promising: from material taken from the ants nests in plant Myrmecodia pendens in
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
