Percorrer por autor "Nunes, Joana Beatriz Dias"
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- Anticancer potential of compounds from a Brazilian native plant against the most relevant cancers in PortugalPublication . Nunes, Joana Beatriz Dias; Cerqueira, Fátima; Medeiros, Rui; Vieira, MónicaCancer is one of the leading causes of death in Portugal and worlwide, with particular relevance to breast, prostate, colon, lung, and pancreatic tumors. Despite the diversity of therapeutic strategies currently available, conventional treatments have substantial limitations. These include systemic toxicity, neoplastic resistance, and reduced selectivity for malignant cells. These limitations justify the ongoing search for alternatives with greater efficacy and safety. Natural compounds, due to their structural diversity and ability to modulate multiple celular pathways, have emerged as valuable sources for the development of new anticancer agentes. In the reearch that served as the basis for this thesis, the antitumor impact of extracts and fractions from the leaves and flowers of Parkia platycephala Benth., a species native to Brazil, was evaluated cell lines representativ of the tumors mentioned above. In addition, the non-tumor prostate cell line, HPrEpic, was introduced into the study to evaluate the selectivity of the extracts. Furthermore, the indirect effects mediated by macrophages were examined using conditioned media. The organic fractions of the leaves, particularly those obteined from ethyl acetate and hexane, showed significant antiproliferative activity, notably against prostate (PC-3) and pancreatic (BXPC-3) cell lines. In contrast, the flower fractions showed substantial selectivity for the BXPC-3 line, suggesting a distinct pharmacological profile among the natural compounds. These results provide evidence for the hypothesis that certain componentes of P. platycephala may exhibit selective activity in tumor cell survival mechanisms, highlighting the potential of natural products as a starting point for new, more targeted and less toxic oncological therapeutic approaches. Further studies are needed to validate the efficacy and safety profile of these fractions for potential therapeutic use. Such studies should include expanded replicates, additional non-tumor models,and in vivo validation.