ISOLATION OF MICROORGANISMS FROM MARINE SEDIMENTS AND PROSPECTING FOR CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY

• Grant number: 25/09280-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Biochemical and Molecular Pharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Leticia Veras Costa Lotufo
• Grantee: Matheus Henrique da Silva Moura
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/08735-1 - ProspecMar network: prospecting marine natural resources, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

Marine microorganisms are recognized as a promising source of bioactive compounds, including those with cytotoxic activity. To explore this potential, cultivable bacteria will be isolated from sediments collected on Brazilian islands and assessed for cytotoxic activity. Initially, treated sediment samples will undergo dilution and plating methods for bacterial isolation. Colonies will be selected based on distinct phenotypic characteristics, followed by cultivation and purification using the streak plate technique. Once purity is confirmed, the bacteria will be stored in glycerol and cultivated in liquid medium A1. The fermentation broth will be extracted with ethyl acetate and concentrated on a rotary evaporator. The resulting dry mass will be resuspended in methanol and dried in an oven. Crude extracts will be subjected to MTT assays on the human tumor cell line HCT-116, in triplicate and at a single dose, to evaluate the antiproliferative activity. Microorganisms whose extracts show activity will be identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. The isolation of bacteria is the starting point for chemical studies and contributes to increasing the collection of cultivable strains, expanding biotechnological possibilities.