CHEMICAL PROFILE AND CITOTOXIC POTENCIAL OF A MARINE-DERIVED FUNGUS Trichoderma harzianum

Purpose: The species Trichoderma harzianum is characterized by presenting colonies with considerable microscopic variation, which is able to present light green, dark green or yellowish green coloration, this vary according to the light. This species is considered one of the most representative of the genus and also widely used in biological control. T. harzianum has the ability to parasitize other fungi in a complex interaction process. Several classes of compounds have previously been isolated from T. harzianum including anthraquinones, lactones, alkyl pyrones, peptides and others. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical profile and cytotoxic activity of the crude extract of T. harzianum associated to the ascidian Aplidium accarense . Methods: The preparation of the extract was carried out in MeOH by cold maceration during three days, resulting in the crude extract (1A3), and then subjected to C-18 filtration using a MeOH/H 2 O gradient (10% to 100% methanol), giving the fractions 1A3_A to 1A3_E. The extract and fractions were analyzed by TLC and HPLC-DAD. The extract was in vitro evaluated for cytotoxic activity against normal human fibroblasts cells (GM07492A). Results: The chromatographic procedure performed with extract 1A3 provided fractions of distinct chemical profiles. 1A3 showed IC 50 =403.1 ± 34.1 μg/mL compared to control cells, presenting cytotoxicity. Conclusion : Looking for the active compounds produced by the fungus T. harzianum, further chemical studies are underway following this preliminary approach.