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Anticancer Properties of Essential Oils and Other Natural Products
Publication . Blowman, K.; Magalhães, M.; Lemos, M.F.L.; Cabral, C.; Pires, I.M.
Essential oils are secondary metabolites with a key-role in plants protection, consisting primarily of terpenes with a volatile nature and a diverse array of chemical structures. Essential oils exhibit a wide range of bioactivities, especially antimicrobial activity, and have long been utilized for treating various human ailments and diseases. Cancer cell prevention and cytotoxicity are exhibited through a wide range of mechanisms of action, with more recent research focusing on synergistic and antagonistic activity between specific essential oils major and minor components. Essential oils have been shown to possess cancer cell targeting activity and are able to increase the efficacy of commonly used chemotherapy drugs including paclitaxel and docetaxel, having also shown proimmune functions when administered to the cancer patient. The present review represents a state-of-the-art review of the research behind the application of EOs as anticancer agents both in vitro and in vivo. Cancer cell target specificity and the use of EOs in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic strategies are also explored.
ant(6)-I Genes encoding aminoglycoside O-nucleotidyltransferases are widely spread among Streptomycin resistant strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli
Publication . Hormeño, Lorena; Ugarte-Ruiz, María; Palomo, Gonzalo; Borge, Carmen; Florez-Cuadrado, Diego; Vadillo, Santiago; Píriz, Segundo; Domínguez, Lucas; Campos, Maria; Quesada, Alberto
In-vitro setting and multiplication of Pulicaria microcephala, an endemic species from Berlengas Island
Publication . Franco, Inês; Mouga, Teresa; Afonso, Clélia
Oxidative stress responses and cellular energy allocation changes in microalgae following exposure to widely used human antibiotics
Publication . Aderemi, Adeolu O.; Novais, Sara C.; Lemos, Marco F.L.; Alves, Luís M.; Hunter, Colin; Pahl, Ole
The individual effect of four human antibiotics on the microalgae Raphidocelis subcapitata was investigated following a 120-h exposure. The effects were assessed by analyzing growth, and biochemical parameters related with: 1) antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage by measuring superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels; and 2) cellular energy allocation (CEA) by quantifying the content in energy reserves, which represents the energy available (Ea), and the electron transport system activity that represents a measure of oxygen and cellular energy consumption (Ec). Growth yield inhibitory concentrations of sulfamethoxazole (18–30%), clarithromycin (28.7%), ciprofloxacin (28%) and erythromycin (17–39%) were found to elicit a considerable increase in Ec, thereby causing a significant decrease in the CEA. The elevated Ec can be a result of the need to respond to oxidative stress occurring under those conditions given the significant increase in SOD activity at these levels. For sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin and ciprofloxacin, the antioxidant responses do not
seem to be enough to cope with the reactive oxygen species and prevent oxidative damage, given the elevated LPO levels observed. A stimulatory effect on growth yield was observed (up to 16%) at ciprofloxacin lowest concentration, which highly correlated with the increase in CEA. Based on the no observed effect concentration (NOECs) and/or effective concentration (EC10) results, Ec, SOD and CEA were more sensitive than the classical endpoint of growth rate for all the tested antibiotics. By revealing the antibiotic stress effects in R. subcapitata at the cellular level, this study suggests CEA as a more reliable indicator of the organisms’ physiological status.
Algae from Portuguese Coast Presented High Cytotoxicity and Antiproliferative Effects on an In vitro Model of Human Colorectal Cancer
Publication . Alves, Celso; Pinteus, Susete; Rodrigues, Ana; Horta, André; Pedrosa, Rui
Background: The marine environment has shown to be an interesting
source of new antitumor agents, representing an important tool in cancer
research. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor
activities of 12 algae from Peniche coast (Portugal) on an in vitro model
of human colorectal cancer (Caco‑2 cells). Materials and Methods: The
antitumor potential was accessed by evaluating Caco‑2 cell’s viability and
proliferation through the 3‑[4, 5‑dimethylthiazol‑2‑yl]‑2, 5‑diphenyl tetrazolium
bromide and calcein‑AM methods. Results: The dichloromethane extracts
of Asparagopsis armata and Sphaerococcus coronopifolius induced the
highest decrease on cell’s viability (1 mg/mL; 24 h), 98.96% ± 0.39%
and 98.08% ± 0.89%, respectively, followed by the methanolic extracts
of S. coronopifolius (96.47% ± 1.26%) and A. armata (92.68% ± 1.17%).
Regarding cell proliferation, the highest decrease of Caco‑2 cell’s proliferation
(1 mg/mL; 24 h) was induced by the dichloromethane extract of A. armata
(100% ± 0.48%), S. coronopifolius (99.04 ± 0.51%), and Plocamium
cartilagineum (95.05% ± 1.19%). The highest potency was shown by
the dichloromethane extract of S. coronopifolius in both, cytotoxicity and
antiproliferative tests, with an IC50 of 21.3 and 36.5 µg/mL, respectively.
Conclusion: The extracts of A. armata and S. coronopifolius are promising
sources of new bioactive molecules with application in cancer therapeutics.
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Funding agency
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Funding programme
5876
Funding Award Number
UID/MAR/04292/2013