Morphomolecular identification, metabolic profile, anticancer, and antioxidant capacities of Penicillium sp. NRC F1 and Penicillium sp. NRC F16 isolated from an Egyptian remote cave

Background There is a pressing need to screen for new sources of potent bioactive compounds to help in treating current widespread diseases. Fungi represent the perfect candidates that can fulfill this need owing to their ability to produce bioactive compounds. Objective To screen for fungi from a novel source, chemically analyze their extracts, and evaluate some of their bioactivities. Materials and methods Soil samples from El Shekh Sayed bat cave in Asyut, Egypt, were targeted as a novel source of fungi. Silylated ethyl acetate extracts were prepared from isolates of interest, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer chemical analyses were performed on these extracts to identify existing metabolites. Moreover, the extracts were evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant and anticancer activities against human colon cancer (HCT116) and human breast cancer (MCF7) cell lines. Results and conclusion A total of 31 strains were isolated from the bat cave, and two of them were identified as Penicillium sp. NRC F1 and Penicillium sp. NRC F16. Chemical analyses of their silylated ethyl acetate extracts resulted in the detection of 114 compounds. Penicillium sp. NRC F1 and Penicillium sp. NRC F16 extracts have recorded antioxidant activities of 74.41±0.59 and 65.58±1.55%, respectively. The Penicillium sp. NRC F1 extract has exerted a cytotoxicity of 95.72±1.13 and 97.29±0.61% against HCT116 and MCF7 cell lines, respectively, whereas the Penicillium sp. NRC F16 extract has recorded 95.43±1.4 and 97.08±1.07%, respectively, against the same cell lines. The results propose these strains as bioactive metabolite producers and encourage further in vivo investigations to confirm their potency.