Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (white mold): cytotoxic, mutagenic and antimalarial effects

Abstract

The fungi rejected in high amount Sclerotinia sclerotiorum infects economically important crops and vegetables. There is evidence that compounds from this fungus have mutagenic and cytotoxic effects against colon adenocarcinoma. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the biological effects of acetate fraction (AcOET) and its fraction (F3) of sclerotia from S. sclerotiorum by exploring its activities on mutagenisis, oxidative stress, cancer and malaria. A chemical profile was determined by UHPLC-HRMS analysis identifying β-D-glucan, norditerpenoid dilactone, sclerolide and others compounds. For anti-proliferative assay the AcOET fraction (HCT8 19.8 μg/mL and A549 101.8 μg/mL) and F3 (HCT8 123.1 μg/mL and A549 277.6 μg/mL) exhibited higher GI50 values to cancer cells than IMR90 non-cancer cells (16.05 μg/mL to AcOET and 12.73 μg/mL to F3). Regards oxidative stress, the results showed that the all AcOET fraction concentrations tested on IMR90 non-cancer cell increased ROS production (by five-fold) in more intense way than in tested cancer cells. The in vivo study showed an increase of follow biomarkers: % DNA in comet tail in peripheral blood (129.00-212.00%) and liver cells (260.00-296.00%); micronucleated cells for erythrocytes (147.82%-239.13%) colon (173.68%-223.68%) and lipid peroxidation (149.00% and 200.00%). These results indicate the sclerotia as genotoxic and mutagenic agent, as possible due to their oxidative stress effects. The effects against IMR90 cells was observed with low IC50 values while against Plasmodium falciparum the IC50 values was higer than the cell, which indicates that our sample presented cytotoxic activities more so to the IMR90 cells than to P. falciparum. Furthermore, the GI50 in IMR90 value is low, which may be reached by human comsumption of sclerotia contaminated foods. This aspect warrants a more detailed investigation, since this contamination may lead to fungal toxic effects with a risk to human health.