Evaluation of Cytotoxicity of the Methanolic Extract of Red Sea Marine Sponge Xestospongia Testudinaria and Its Related Compounds Against MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells

Breast cancer is a leading cause of death and one of the most common fatal medical conditions in the world. Chemical compounds of various types have been identified in the Red Sea marine sponge , including sterol esters, sterols, indole alkaloids, and brominated polyunsaturated fatty acids. These compounds have demonstrated promising biological features, which in cludes anti-inflammatory, cancer preventive, and antioxidant capacities. The cytotoxic potential of was assessed by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and morphological alterations in MCF-7 cell line. Furthermore, the flow cytometry was also utilized to assess apoptosis and identify changes in the cell cycle; besides, cell migration was assessed by scratch wound-healing assay. A significant dose-dependent decrease in the percentage of MCF-7 cell viability was observed with IC 39.8 ug/mL. Functional studies were performed on MCF-7 to show that raises apoptotic cell death and induces growth arrest at the G1/G0 while inhibiting cell migration in scratch assay. These results demonstrated that extract has an inhibitory effect on breast cancer cells proliferation, migration and induce apoptosis. Thus, it holds great promise as a potential treatment for breast cancer.