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- Fattymess: fat diet-induced obesity in melanoma metastasisPublication . Correia, Joana; Costa, Raquel; Prudêncio, Cristina; Soares, Raquel; Coelho, PedroMelanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer characterized by a high metastatic potential and poor survival rate, leading to major morbidity/mortality. Overweight, obesity and diet composition have been identified as risk factors for many types of cancers. However, there are cancers where obesity is associated with favorable outcomes and this has been coined the “obesity paradox”. Preliminary data obtained by our research group disclosed paradoxical findings unveiling that obesity act as a two-edged sword in melanoma: potentiating primary tumor growth, and vascularity/angiogenesis, but at the same time decrease metastatic potential, thus preventing secondary tumor growth. In this exploratory research project, we propose to further explore and deepen the impact that fat-rich diets and obesity partake in melanoma etiology
- Brettanomyces yeast strains as probioticsPublication . Areal-Hermida, Lara; Coelho, Pedro; Gallardo, Ángeles Pichardo; Prudêncio, Cristina; Sieiro, Carmen; Prudêncio, Cristina; Coelho, PedroThe increasing demand for various functional foods has heightened interest in the characterization and selection of new probiotics. This interest is particularly focused on microbial strains to be incorporated into plant-based foods. Therefore, Kombucha, a fermented beverage traditionally prepared from tea, was selected as a source for isolating and characterizing probiotics. According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) guidelines, a microorganism must be capable of surviving the adverse conditions of the gastrointestinal tract and demonstrate the ability to adhere to the epithelium to be classified as probiotic. This study aimed to evaluate the probiotic potential of four yeast strains belonging to two species, Brettanomyces bruxellensis (UVIS5 and UVIS6) and B. anomalus (UVI57 and UVIS8), isolated from kombucha. All the strains showed high viability at 37 ºC, under acidic conditions, and in the presence of bile salts. The survival rate after 90 min of incubation in gastric juice was approximately 100% for all the strains. After additional incubation in duodenal juice with 0.3 or 10% bile salts, cell survival ranged from 98% to 100%, respectively. The ability of yeasts to adhere to intestinal cells was inferred by analyzing their self-aggregation and hydrophobicity and confirmed by testing their adherence to Caco-2 cells. The UVI57 and UVI58 strains stood out for their adhesion capacities. These findings highlight the robustness and adaptability of the studied strains under gastrointestinal stress as well as their promising adhesion properties to the intestinal epithelium. The results also support the selection of these strains for future research and their potential use in the development of new functional foods or probiotic supplements.