Abstract
The present study aimed to examine the potential anticancer properties of fixed oil obtained from Maltese mushroom (Cynomorium coccineum L.), an edible, non-photosynthetic plant, used in traditional medicine of Mediterranean countries to treat various ailments and as an emergency food during the famine. We investigated the effect of the oil, obtained from dried stems by supercritical fractioned extraction with CO2, on B16F10 melanoma and colon cancer Caco-2 cell viability and lipid profile. The oil, rich in essential fatty acids (18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6), showed a significant growth inhibitory effect on melanoma and colon cancer cells. The incubation (24 h) with non-toxic oil concentrations (25 and 50 μg/mL) induced in both cancer cell lines a significant accumulation of the fatty acids 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6 and an increase of the cellular levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) with anticancer activity. Moreover, the oil exhibited the ability to potentiate the growth inhibitory effect of the antitumor drug 5-fluorouracil in Caco-2 cells and to influence the melanin content in B16F10 cells. The results qualify C. coccineum as a resource of oil, with potential benefits in cancer prevention, for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.
Highlights
Cynomorium coccineum L. (Cynomoriaceae) is a perennial, holoparasitic, edible, and non-photosynthetic plant widespread in the Mediterranean countries [1,2,3]
Taking into account the great interest in the potential anticancer properties of nonconventional vegetable oils obtained from plants/herbs used in traditional medicine [13,14,15], the main objective of this work is to demonstrate the potential health role of C. coccineum fixed oil, naturally rich in essential fatty acids, in melanoma and colon cancer prevention
We studied and compared the cytotoxicity, and the modulatory effect on lipid composition in two different tumor cell lines, murine melanoma cells (B16F10 cells) and human colon adenocarcinoma cells, of the oil obtained from C. coccineum samples (Figure 1A,B) collected in Sardinia
Summary
Cynomorium coccineum L. (Cynomoriaceae) is a perennial, holoparasitic, edible, and non-photosynthetic plant widespread in the Mediterranean countries [1,2,3]. The plant, known under different names (Maltese mushroom, Fungus melitensis, champignon or éponge de Malt, fungo di Malta, and tarthuth in Arabic countries) has been used as a medicinal remedy in many cultures and an emergency food during the famine [1,2,3,4,5]. We studied the chemical composition and the biological activity of the fixed oil isolated from Maltese mushroom (MM) collected in the island of Sardinia [12]. C. coccineum fixed oil did not show a toxic effect on intestinal epithelial cells after 24 h of incubation [12], inducing significant changes in fatty acid composition, with a significant accumulation of essential fatty acids (18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6). Preliminary results showed that MM oil affects viability in colon adenocarcinoma cells [12]
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