Chemical Characterization and Cytotoxic Potential of a Chloroform Fraction Obtained from Marine Plant Thalassia testudinum

Abstract

Marine plants and algae represent a prolific source of new bioactive metabolites with multiple pharmacological applications. The hydroethanolic extract of marine angiosperm Thalassia testudinum is enriched in polyphenols and glucopyranosides and it has demonstrated cytoprotective and antioxidant properties in different models, however, the non-polar components of this extract have not been fully characterized and their cytotoxic capacity has not been evaluated. In this work, it was obtained and characterized a chloroform fraction from T. testudinum hydroethanolic extract. By GC-MS analysis 69 compounds were identified, where palmitic acid was the main component. Our study also revealed a cytotoxic potential of this organic fraction in the cell lines A549 (human lung carcinoma) and EA.hy926 (human immortalized endothelial cells).