Isolation of acetylated bile acids from the sponge Siphonochalina fortis and DNA damage evaluation by the comet assay.

LAURA P. PATIÑO CANO; SUSANA A.BARTOLOTTA; NATALIA A. CASANOVA; GASTÓN E. SILESS; ERIKA PORTMANN; LAURA SCHEJTER; JORGE A. PALERMO; MARTA A. CARBALLO

STEROIDS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2013 vol. 78 p. 982 - 986

0039-128X

From the organic extracts of the sponge Siphonochalina fortis, collected at Bahía Bustamante, Chubut, Argentina, three major compounds were isolated and identified as deoxycholic acid 3, 12- diacetyl ester (1), cholic acid 3, 7, 12- triacetyl ester (2) and cholic acid 3, 7- diacetyl ester (3). This is the first report of acetylated bile acids in sponges and the first isolation of compound 3 as a natural product. The potential induction of DNA lesions by the isolated compounds was investigated using the comet assay in lymphocytes of human peripheral blood as in vitro model. The results showed that the administration of the bile acid derivatives would not induce DNA damages, allowing us to consider acetylated bile acids as nontoxic metabolites at the tested concentrations. The possible role of acetylated fatty acids as a chemical defense mechanism is discussed as well as their seasonal and geographical variation and their influence on the previously observed genotoxicity of the organic extract of S. fortis.