Antitumor activity of the lipid fraction of the spores of an anaerobic bacterium Clostridium butyricum

Antitumor activity of the preparation of the lipid fraction of Clostridium butyricum spore extract was demonstrated in vivo on a transplantable mouse model of breast cancer. At a specific scheme of application, inhibition of tumor growth and improved survival dynamics compared to the control group were observed. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of the lipid fraction of the spore extract revealed, apart from a saturated hydrocarbon, cholesterol ester, cetyl palmitate, triacyl glycerol, and palmitic acid, also a phenolic lipid bound in a complex with a peptide component. Acetone extraction of the lipid pool revealed a phenolic lipid. According to the TLC and 1H-NMR spectrum of the acetone extract of the lipid fraction of C. butyricum spores, the structure of the phenolic lipid was proposed, n -butyl benzoate substituted in the para position. The phenolic lipid is suggested to be responsible for the biological activity of the spore’s lipid fraction.