Evaluation of cytotoxic activity of marine fungi isolated from sponges in Nha Trang bay

Marine fungi are evaluated as a potential source for new natural compounds with bioactivities of pharmaceutical values. In this study, 66 fungal strains, isolated from 37 sponge samples in Nha Trang bay, were determined for cytotoxic activity against two human cancer cell lines including cervical cancer (Hela) and breast cancer (MCF-7) cells using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The results showed that 46.9% (31/66) strains exhibited cytotoxic activity against both test cancer cell lines. Based on the analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequences, five isolates with significant anticancer activity were identified as Aspergillus sp. 1901NT-1.2.2, Talaromyces sp. 1901NT-1.39.3, Aspergillus subramanianii 1901NT-1.40.2, Phoma sp. 1901NT-1.45.1, and Penicillium sp. 1901NT-2.53.1. Our finding indicated that the sponge-derived fungi in Nha Trang bay might be a potential source for anticancer compounds and need for further study to discover new anticancer drugs.