Marine molluscs from the family Muricidae are the source of a homeopathic remedy Murex, which is used to treat a range of conditions, including
cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro bioactivity of egg mass extracts of the Australian muricid Dicathais orbita, in comparison to the Murex remedy, against human
carcinoma and
lymphoma cells. Liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to characterize the chemical composition of the extracts and homeopathic remedy, focusing on biologically active brominated
indoles. The MTS (
tetrazolium salt) colorimetric assay was used to determine effects on cell viability, while
necrosis and apoptosis induction were investigated using flow cytometry (
propidium iodide and
Annexin-V staining, resp.). Cells were treated with varying concentrations (1-0.01 mg/mL) of crude and semi-purified extracts or preparations (dilute 1 M and concentrated 4 mg/mL) from the Murex remedy (4 h). The Murex remedy showed little
biological activity against the majority of cell lines tested. In contrast, the D. orbita egg extracts significantly decreased cell viability in the majority of
carcinoma cell lines. Flow cytometry revealed these extracts induce
necrosis in HT29
colorectal cancer cells, whereas apoptosis was induced in Jurkat cells. These findings highlight the biomedical potential of Muricidae extracts in the development of a natural
therapy for the treatment of neoplastic
tumors and
lymphomas.