Anticancer potential in extracts produced by bacteria from Brazilian caves

• Grant number: 25/05777-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Biochemical and Molecular Pharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Leticia Veras Costa Lotufo
• Grantee: Eduardo Täubert Ferraro
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/02207-5 - Inventorying secondary metabolism applying metabolomic strategies: contribution to the Brazilian biodiversity valuation, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

Cancer is defined as a group of diseases characterized by the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in various tissues and organs and is one of the leading causes of global mortality. This scenario underscores the importance of discovering new compounds with anticancer activity for the development of innovative therapies. Natural products, particularly those derived from microorganisms from extreme environments, have shown great potential in the identification of novel bioactive agents. In this context, the present project focuses on the bioprospecting of compounds produced by cave-dwelling bacteria from the MicroCave-BR (ICB-USP) strain bank, collected in the Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR). These unique ecosystems exhibit distinctive environmental conditions, such as low light availability and nutrient scarcity, which drive microorganisms to develop unique secondary metabolites with bioactive properties that remain largely unexplored. The bacterial extracts will undergo screening using MTT assays to assess their ability to inhibit tumor cell growth, allowing for the evaluation of their anticancer efficacy. A more detailed investigation of the substances present in these extracts will be conducted using advanced techniques, such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and molecular network analysis, to explore the bioactive compounds responsible for the anticancer activity. The molecular identification of the bacteria will be done by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. As a pioneering study in Brazil, this research is expected to reveal novel substances from cave bacteria with anticancer properties.