Anti-cancer effects of plant-derived Micromonospora sp. M2 against A549 and MCF-7 cell lines

Abstract The huge diversity of secondary bioactive metabolites, such as antibiotic and anticancer compounds produced by Micromonospora sp., makes it an attractive target for study. Here, we explored the anti-proliferative activities of Micromonospora sp. M2 extract (MBE) in relation to its pro-oxidative activities in A549 and MCF7 cell lines. Anti-proliferative effects were assessed by treating cells with MBE. We found that treatment with MBE decreased cell proliferation and increased intracellular reactive oxygen species, and that these observations were facilitated by the suppression of the PI3K-AKT pathway, alterations to the Bcl/Bad ratio, and increased caspase activity. These observations also demonstrated that MBE induced apoptotic cell death in cell lines. In addition, the phosphorylation of P38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were upregulated following MBE treatment in both cell lines. Collectively, these results indicate that MBE acts as an anticancer agent via oxidative stress and JNK/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activation, enhancing apoptotic cell death in cell lines.