Assessment of antitumoral and antimicrobial effects of a maslinic acid derivative

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Maslinic acid, a naturally occurring triterpene, has been reported to possess several therapeutic effects including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiparasitic properties. Structural changes of the compound led to the development of new derivatives in order to expand the spectrum of activities. OBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND The present study was purposed to assess the in vitro antitumoral and antibacterial effects of a maslinic acid derivative, namely benzyl (2α, 3β) 2,3-diacetoxy-olean-12- en-28-amide (EM2). MATERIALS AND METHODS Four compound concentrations (12.5, 25, 50 and 100 µM) were evaluated for their cytotoxic effect on A375 human melanoma and B164A5 murine melanoma cell lines using the MTT assay. Furthermore, EM2 was tested on ten bacterial strains by means of agar disk diffusion method with the assessment of the inhibition zone diameters at 24h period of time. RESULTS EM2 elicited a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on both melanoma cell lines. Regarding the antibacterial activity, EM2 determined a significant growth inhibition on Streptococcus pyogenes (20 ± 0.26 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (13 ± 0.19 mm). CONCLUSIONS The tested maslinic acid derivative is a promising antitumoral agent against skin cancer and antimicrobial agent against cocci bacteria. Graphical abstract: EM2 in vitro effect