The anticancer activity of laccase from white rot fungus Cerrena unicolor on the example of its action on Caov-3 and NIH:OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells.

Introduction and objective: According to epidemiological data, ovarian cancer is diagnosed in 240,000 women per year, which is why it is the seventh most common cancer among women worldwide. In addition, among gynaecological cancers it is characterized by the highest mortality. However, there is still no effective treatment, which is why maintenance therapies have a decisive impact on the quality of life of patients. Cerrena unicolor is an example of a medical fungus that produces a laccase enzyme (LAC), as well as synthesizing low-molecular secondary metabolites with a wide spectrum of biological activity. LAC, as demonstrated previously, shows cytotoxic and anti-side activity against cancer cells. The aim of the study was to assess the anti-cancer properties of the extract from the mushroom Cerrena unicolor against ovarian cancer cells.

Material and methods: The study was carried out on two cellular lines of ovarian cancer: NIH:OVCAR-3 and Caov-3, differing in sensitivity to platinum compounds. In the first stage of the study, the values of the concentration of Cerrena unicolor extract were determined, at which point growth and proliferation were inhibited without a cytotoxic effect in the tested cell lines. For this purpose, classic MTT and BrdU tests were used. The second stage of the study consisted in examining the impact of the preparation on the proliferative and migration potential of cancer cells, using the ECIS system.

Results: The study showed that the examined laccase showed cytotoxic and antiproliferative effect on the cells of the tested cancer lines.

Conclusions: Following previous and current studies on Cerrena unicolor, extracts obtained from this fungus can be safely used in anticancer therapy or chemoprevention with no significant harmful effects on normal cells.