The effect of 9,11-secosterol, a newly discovered compound from the soft coral Gersemia fruticosa, on the growth and cell cycle progression of various tumor cells in culture

Abstract

A new 9,11-secosterol, 24-nor-9,11-seco-11-acetoxy-3β,6α-dihydroxycholest-7,22(E)-dien-9-one, was found to exhibit growth inhibitory (IC 50 below 10 μM) and cytotoxic activities against human leukemia K562, human cervical cancer HeLa, and Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vitro. The cytostatic concentrations of the compound generally caused the G 2/M block in the cell cycle progression, but differences between the three tumor cell lines in the events leading to cell death were remarkable. While inhibiting cell proliferation, 9,11-secosterol caused accumulation of HeLa and K562 cells in the metaphase of mitosis. So, abnormal mitosis can play an important role in the cytotoxicity of 9,11-secosterol in these cell lines. In the Ehrlich ascites tumor cell line the increasing concentrations of the drug (up to 40 μM) did not cause an immediate cell killing. Instead, due to continued DNA synthesis without entry into mitosis, cells with high DNA ploidy were produced. It was shown that the cytoskeletal systems such as microtubules and microfilaments were not damaged by the action of 9,11-secosterol. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism of the cytotoxic effect of 9,11-secosterol. (Steroids 59: 274–281, 1994)