Cunninghamella elegans NRRL-1393 is an oleaginous fungus able to synthesize and accumulate unsaturated fatty acids, amongst which the bioactive gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) has potential anti-cancer activities. C. elegans was cultured in shake-flask nitrogen-limited media with either glycerol or glucose (both at ≈60 g/L) employed as the sole substrate. The assimilation rate of both substrates was similar, as the total biomass production reached 13.0-13.5 g/L, c. 350 h after inoculation (for both instances, c. 27-29 g/L of substrate were consumed). Lipid production was slightly higher on glycerol-based media, compared to the growth on glucose (≈8.4 g/L vs. ≈7.0 g/L). Lipids from C. elegans grown on glycerol, containing c. 9.5% w/w of GLA, were transformed into fatty acid lithium salts (FALS), and their effects were assessed on both human normal and cancerous cell lines. The FALS exhibited cytotoxic effects within a 48 h interval with an IC50 of about 60 μg/mL. Additionally, a suppression of migration was shown, as a significant elevation of oxidative stress levels, and the induction of cell death. Elementary differences between normal and cancer cells were not shown, indicating a generic mode of action; however, oxidative stress level augmentation may increase susceptibility to anticancer drugs, improving chemotherapy effectiveness.
Keywords: Cunninghamella elegans; cancer; cell lines; fatty acid lithium salts; gamma-linolenic acid; glycerol; microbial lipids; oxidative stress; polyunsaturated fatty acids; response surface methodology.