No abstract

DNA topoisomerases (topo) I and II are molecular targets of several potent anticancer agents. Thus, inhibitors of these enzymes are potential candidates for anticancer development. Traditionally, Nerita albicilla had been used in Kei Island, Southern Maluku, Indonesia to treat liver disease including cancer. The paper reports on the chemical composition of Nerita albicilla and its topo I inhibitor of hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts. Topoisomerase-I inhibitor activity was determined using the method reported by TopoGEN. The proximate analysis described that Nerita albicilla dried powder contained 12.45% ± 0.05% moisture; 9.17% ± 0.03% ash; 62.05% ± 0.10% protein; 5.58% ± 0.08% fat; 6.60% ± 0.02% crude fiber and 4.15% ± 0.24% carbohydrate (by difference). Furthermore, the protein consisted of 11 essential amino acids and six non-essential amino acids. It contained significant amount of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) valine, leucine, isoleucine (a total of 187.8 mg g-1 protein) and lower content of aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine and histidine (a total of 111.26 mg g-1 protein). The protein score was 92.2. The yield of hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Nerita albicilla were 2.05% ± 0.05%, 1.56% ± 0.06% and 6.99% ± 0.14%, respectively. All extracts showed topoisomerase-I inhibitor activities. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of methanol extract was 2.50 µg mL-1. Chemical screening of the extracts showed that they contained steroidal and alkaloid compounds. The investigation revealed that Nerita albicilla contains active compounds that could be potential for nutraceutical or pharmaceutical development.