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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, October 2004, p. 3828-3833, Vol. 48, No. 10
0066-4804/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.48.10.3828-3833.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Antimicrobial Activity of Euplotin C, the Sesquiterpene Taxonomic Marker from the Marine Ciliate Euplotes crassus

Dianella Savoia,1* Claudio Avanzini,1 Tiziano Allice,1 Emanuela Callone,2 Graziano Guella,2 and Fernando Dini3

Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin,1 Department of Physics, University of Trento, Trento,2 Department of Ethology, Ecology and Evolution, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy3

Received 3 November 2003/ Returned for modification 9 February 2004/ Accepted 23 June 2004

Strains of the marine ciliate protist Euplotes crassus produce exclusive terpenoids called euplotins that play an ecological role. Among these derivatives, euplotin C is the main of four secondary metabolites isolated from cultures of this protozoon and represents the sesquiterpene taxonomic marker from E. crassus. Because different terpenoid metabolites of plant origin showed a certain antimicrobial activity, we assessed the compound euplotin C, purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography and solubilized in two solubility enhancers, against the protozoa Leishmania major and Leishmani infantum, the fungus Candida albicans, and nine strains of gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms. An activity of euplotin C against Leishmania promastigotes was demonstrated (50% lethal doses were 4.6 or 8.1 µg/ml depending on the agent used to solubilize the compound), while the effect was less evident on Candida and nearly absent on bacteria. A nonsignificant cytotoxicity (50% lethal dose, >200 µg/ml) against the J774 cell line was observed. A leishmanicidal activity was also shown by the living, euplotin-producing cells of E. crassus cultured together with promastigotes; this activity increased with time from 10 min to 6 h of incubation. This study provides an initial rationale for the evaluation of euplotin C and other similar natural products as alternative or possibly synergistic compounds for current antiprotozoon chemotherapeutics.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Turin, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, S. Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, Orbassano (TO) 10043, Italy. Phone: 39-0116705427. Fax: 39-0119038639. E-mail: dianella.savoia{at}unito.it.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, October 2004, p. 3828-3833, Vol. 48, No. 10
0066-4804/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.48.10.3828-3833.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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