STEROL COMPOSITION AND ANTI-ATHEROSCLEROSIS EFFECTS OF XESTOSPONGIA MUTA EXTRACTS BY INCREASING TRANSCRIPTIONAL ACTIVITY OF SR-B1 PROMOTER

Methanolic crude extract, diethyl ether fraction and sterol composition of Xestospongia muta were screened for cytotoxicity activity against HepG2 (liver hepatocellular) cells by MTS assay. Potential sterol mixture was profile using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS analysis), and luciferase assay were performed to further analyze its potentially on anti-atherosclerosis effects by increasing transcriptional activity of SR-B1 promoter. The result indicates that methanolic crude extract, diethyl ether fraction and sterol mixture (F2) does not exhibit cytotoxicity activity against HepG2 cell line with IC₅₀ (>100 µg/mL, 94.45 ± 1.506 µg/mL and 55.30 ± 3.761 µg/mL). Cisplatin was used as a positive control, and the IC₅₀ values against HepG2 cells were 3.22 ± 1.342 µg/mL. Sterol composition determines using GC-MS from diethyl ether fraction revealed 3 major sterols; cholesterol, stigmasterol, and ethanethioic acid. The mixture of different sterol analyses using luciferase assay showed potential on the ability to act as a ligand to activate the SR-B1 promoter. These preliminary findings suggested that sterol mixture from diethyl ether fraction is potential to be further investigated to develop other alternatives of anti-atherosclerosis agent.