Cytotoxic Effects of Prodigiosin Pigment from Serratia marcescens on Tumor Cell Lines

Abstract

Prodigiosin is a secondary metabolite with red pigmentation produced by Serratia marcescens. Prodigiosin has been described for several biological activities, including antitumor. The study aimed to isolate S. marcescens that produces the prodigiosin pigment, purify it, and evaluate its activity against three human cancer cell lines, MM.1S, TP-53, and HL-60, with the HdFn normal cell line as a control. 145 urinary tract infection (UTI) samples and 35 soil samples were collected, and only 16 isolates were identified as S. marcescens using the VITEK system. The isolates were tested under primary and secondary screening to select the best prodigiosin-producing isolate. Isolate S2 had the highest productivity of the pigment (0.1704g/l). The pigment was purified by column chromatography, identified, and characterized using FTIR and UV-VIS spectroscopy. The pigment corresponded to prodigiosin, with a maximum absorption at 535 nm and a structural formula C₂₀H₂₅N₃O. High cytotoxic effects of prodigiosin were observed against TP-53 and HL-60 cell lines. The MM.1s were more pigment resistant. The cytotoxic activity showed IC₅₀ of 94.59 and 57.96 against HL-60 and TP-53 cell lines, respectively, and did not affect the normal cell line at all. Prodigiosin pigment exhibits cytotoxic effects on tumor cell lines and is safe for normal cell lines.