Detached leaves of Posidonia oceanica and Zostera marina creating nuisance at the shores were extracted by means of supercritical CO2 enriched with a co-solvent, compared with that of soxhlet extraction. The extracts and their active compounds which are phenylpropanoids (chicoric, p-coumaric, rosmarinic, benzoic, ferulic and caffeic acids) were screened for cytotoxicity in cancer cell lines including human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, SK-BR-3), human colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29), human cervix adenocarcinoma (HeLa), human prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3), Mus musculus neuroblastoma (Neuro 2A) cell lines and African green monkey kidney (VERO) as healthy cell line. Supercritical CO2 extracts proved to be more active than soxhlet counterparts. Particularly, Zostera marina extract obtained by supercritical CO2 at 250 bar, 80 °C, 20% co-solvent and a total flow rate of 15 g/min revealed the best IC50 values of 25, 20, 8 μg/ml in neuroblastoma, colon and cervix cancer cell lines. Among the major compounds tested, p-coumaric acid exhibited the highest cytotoxic against colon and cervix cell lines by with IC50 values of 25, 11 μg/ml. As for the effects on healthy cells, the extract was not cytotoxic indicating a selective cytotoxicity. Obtained supercritical CO2 extracts can be utilized as a supplement for preventive purposes.
Keywords: Cytotoxicity; Green extraction technologies; Phenylpropanoid; Posidonia oceanica; Seaweed waste; Supercritical fluid; Zostera marina.