Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Via Volta 4, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
Department of Pharmacy, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
Biomolecules. 2024 Aug 28;14(9):1075. doi: 10.3390/biom14091075.
Biological evolution has generated a vast array of natural compounds produced by organisms across all domains. Among these, secondary metabolites, selected to enhance an organism's competitiveness in its natural environment, make them a reservoir for discovering new compounds with cytotoxic activity, potentially useful as novel anticancer agents. Slime secretions, the first barrier between epithelial surfaces and the surrounding environment, frequently contain cytotoxic molecules to limit the growth of parasitic organisms. Planarians, freshwater Triclads, continuously secrete a viscous mucus with multiple physiological functions. The chemical composition of planarian mucus has been only partially elucidated, and there are no studies reporting its cytotoxic or cytostatic effects. In this study, we developed a protocol for collecting mucus from specimens and we demonstrated that it inhibits the growth of cancer cells by activating cytostatic and ROS-dependent cytotoxic mechanisms inducing lipid droplet accumulation and mitochondrial membrane reorganization. Although further research is needed to identify the specific chemicals responsible for the anticancer activity of planarian mucus, this work opens up numerous research avenues aimed at better understanding the mechanisms of action of this product for potential therapeutic applications.
生物进化产生了大量的天然化合物，这些化合物由所有生物领域的生物体产生。其中，次生代谢产物是为了增强生物体在自然环境中的竞争力而被选择的，它们是发现具有细胞毒性的新化合物的宝库，这些化合物可能作为新型抗癌药物具有潜在的用途。粘液分泌物是上皮表面与周围环境之间的第一道屏障，其中经常含有抑制寄生虫生长的细胞毒性分子。扁形动物，即淡水三肠目动物，不断分泌一种具有多种生理功能的粘性粘液。扁形动物粘液的化学成分仅部分阐明，并且没有研究报道其细胞毒性或细胞抑制作用。在这项研究中，我们开发了一种从标本中收集粘液的方案，并证明它通过激活细胞抑制和 ROS 依赖性细胞毒性机制来抑制癌细胞的生长，这些机制诱导脂滴积累和线粒体膜重组。虽然需要进一步的研究来确定负责扁形动物粘液抗癌活性的特定化学物质，但这项工作为更好地理解该产品的作用机制开辟了许多研究途径，以期将其用于潜在的治疗应用。
