Bioprospecting for Pigments Produced by Phytopathogenic Fungi with Antiproliferative Potential

Abstract This work aimed to bioprospect the antiproliferative activity of 13 ethyl acetate extracts of pigmented strains of phytopathogenic fungi of the genera Epiccocum and Fusarium . The antiproliferative activity of extracts was tested against six solid tumor cell lines: A-549 (lung), HBL-100 (breast), HeLa (cervix), SW1573 (lung), T-47D (breast), and WiDr (colon). Ten extracts from strains of Epicoccum sorghinum (Sacc.) Aveskamp, Gruyter & Verkley, Epicoccum nigrum Link, Didymellaceae, Fusarium graminearum Schwab, and Fusarium sp., Nectriaceae, showed antiproliferative activity against at least one cell line, with GI 50 values ≤ 50 μg/ml. Three of them exhibited a strong antiproliferative activity (GI 50 < 2.5 μg/ml) against two cell lines. Furthermore, the extract of E . sorghinum showed a total growth inhibition (TGI) value < 5 μg/ml against the SW1573 and WiDr cell lines. The mycochemical study of this strain of E. sorghinum allowed the isolation and confirmation of the presence of the pigments altersolanol A and macrosporin, fungal metabolites previously reported with cytotoxic activity against cancer cells. While this work presents preliminary results related to the antiproliferative potential of pigment-producing phytopathogenic fungi, it fully opens the possibility of continuing to investigate these fungi as a source of substances with antiproliferative potential against cancer cell lines. Graphical Abstract