Antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of three Turkish marine-derived fungi

Background: Marine-derived fungi are appraised as a favorable source for discovering new bioactive secondary metabolites. In the last few decades researchers have concentrated on marine-derived fungi to obtain new and pharmaceutically active bioactive secondary metabolites with therapeutic potential. Objective: In this study three marine-derived fungi were isolated and identified from marine invertebrates and investigated with regard to their antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Materials and methods: DPPH, SO, NO, and ABTS assays were used for monitoring free radical scavenging activity, and the MTT assay was used for testing cytotoxic activity against HCT-116 colon cancer cells. Results: According to the obtained results Malassezia restricta extract was shown to have the highest antioxidant and cytotoxic activities compared to the other tested fungi strains. Conclusion: This study is the first report about the antioxidant and cytotoxicity activity of Acremonium sclerotigenum, Aspergillus flavus, and M. restricta. This serves as a valuable preliminary study for activity-guided isolation of secondary metabolites.