Cytotoxic Effect of Extracts From The Moroccan Marine Sponge on Human Prostate Cancer Cell Line

Khadija BARY, Belkassem ELAMRAOUI, Fatima Ezzahra LAASRI, Mohamed EL MZIBRI, Laila BENBACER, Toufiq BAMHAOUD

Marine sponges have been prominently featured in the area of cancer research. Here, we evaluated the cytotoxicity of aqueous and dichloromethane extracts of Cliona viridis, a marine sponge, collected from the Moroccan coast. Using the WST 1 assay, dichloromethane extract displayed significant cytotoxicity against human prostate cancer cell line PC3 with IC₅₀ value of 150 µg /ml while the aqueous extract had no effect on the cell proliferation. These data highlight the potential of C. viridis for future drug discovery against major diseases, such as prostate cancer. Further studies are necessary for chemical characterization of the active principles and more extensive biological evaluations.