Exploring the in vivo anti-cancer potential of Neosetophomone B in leukemic cells using a zebrafish xenograft model

Exp Cell Res. 2024 Feb 1;435(1):113907. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2023.113907. Epub 2024 Jan 4.

Abstract

Neosetophomone B (NSP-B) is a unique meroterpenoid fungal secondary metabolite that has previously demonstrated promising anti-cancer properties against various cancer cell lines in vitro. However, its in vivo anti-cancer potential remaines unexplored. To fill this gap in our knowledge, we tested NSP-B's in vivo anti-cancer activity using a zebrafish model, an organism that has gained significant traction in biomedical research due to its genetic similarities with humans and its transparent nature, allowing real-time tumor growth observation. For our experiments, we employed the K562-injected zebrafish xenograft model. Upon treating these zebrafish with NSP-B, we observed a marked reduction in the size and number of tumor xenografts. Delving deeper, our analyses indicated that NSP-B curtailed tumor growth and proliferation of leukemic grafted xenograft within the zebrafish. These results show that NSP-B possesses potent in vivo anti-cancer properties, making it a potential novel therapeutic agent for addressing hematological malignancies.

Keywords: Cell proliferation; Fungal secondary metabolites; Leukemia; Neosetophomone B; Xenograft model; Zebrafish.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Heterografts
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms*
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
  • Zebrafish* / metabolism