Pharmacology and toxicology of pahayokolide A, a bioactive metabolite from a freshwater species of Lyngbya isolated from the Florida Everglades.

Abstract

The genus of filamentous cyanobacteria, Lyngbya, has been found to be a rich source of bioactive metabolites. However, identification of such compounds from Lyngbya has largely focused on a few marine representatives. Here, we report on the pharmacology and toxicology of pahayokolide A from a freshwater isolate, Lyngbya sp. strain 15-2, from the Florida Everglades. Specifically, we investigated inhibition of microbial representatives and mammalian cell lines, as well as toxicity of the compound to both invertebrate and vertebrate models. Pahayokolide A inhibited representatives of Bacillus, as well as the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Interestingly, the compound also inhibited several representatives of green algae that were also isolated from the Everglades. Pahayokolide A was shown to inhibit a number of cancer cell lines over a range of concentrations (IC50 varied from 2.13 to 44.57 microM) depending on the cell-type. When tested against brine shrimp, pahayokolide was only marginally toxic at the highest concentrations tested (1 mg/mL). The compound was, however, acutely toxic to zebrafish embryos (LC50=2.15 microM). Possible biomedical and environmental health aspects of the pahayokolides remain to be investigated; however, the identification of bioactive metabolites such as these demonstrates the potential of the Florida Everglades as source of new toxins and drugs.

• Authors: John P Berry, Miroslav Gantar, Robert E Gawley, Minglei Wang, Kathleen S Rein
• Journal: Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology : CBP (Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol) Vol. 139 Issue 4 Pg. 231-8 (Dec 2004) ISSN: 1532-0456 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15683832 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Lyngbya Toxins
• Peptides, Cyclic
• pahayokolide A

Topics

• Animals
• Anti-Bacterial Agents (isolation & purification, toxicity)
• Artemia (drug effects)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Chlorophyta (drug effects)
• Cyanobacteria (drug effects, metabolism)
• Florida
• Fresh Water
• Humans
• Lyngbya Toxins (isolation & purification, toxicity)
• Peptides, Cyclic
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae (drug effects)
• Zebrafish