Prostate cancer ranks second in incidence worldwide. To date, there are no available therapies to effectively treat advanced and metastatic prostate cancer. Sulforaphane and vitamin D alone are promising anticancer agents in vitro and in vivo, but their low bioavailability has limited their effects in clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe identification of new drugs with few or no adverse effects is of great interest worldwide. In cancer therapy, natural products have been used as chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents. Plants from the Brazilian savannah belonging to the Byrsonima genus are popularly known as muricis and have attracted much attention due to their various pharmacological activities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatocellular carcinoma is the seventh most common type of cancer in the world, with limited treatment options. A promising strategy to treat cancer is to associate chemotherapeutics and plant bioactive compounds. Here, we examined whether diallyl disulfide (DADS; 50-200 μM) and sorafenib (SORA; 8 μM), either alone or in combination, were toxic to hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) in vitro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceutics
April 2022
Metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) is resistant to several chemotherapeutic agents. Brachydin A (BrA), a glycosylated flavonoid extracted from , displays a remarkable antitumoral effect against in vitro mPCa cells cultured as bidimensional (2D) monolayers. Considering that three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures provide a more accurate response to chemotherapeutic agents, this study investigated the antiproliferative/antimetastatic effects of BrA and the molecular mechanisms underlying its action in mPCa spheroids (DU145) in vitro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA diet deficient in donors of methyl group, such as methionine, affects DNA methylation and hepatic lipid metabolism. Methionine also affects other epigenetic mechanisms, such as microRNAs. We investigated the effects of methionine-supplemented or methionine-deficient diets on the expression of chromatin-modifying genes, global DNA methylation, the expression and methylation of genes related to lipid metabolism, and the expression of microRNAs in mouse liver.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide. Serjania marginata Casar. (SM) displays anti-inflammatory properties and has been used to treat gastrointestinal disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDifferent species of the genus have been used in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation, fever, ulcers, diabetes, and diarrhea. We analyzed the phytochemical profile of the hydroethanolic extract from leaves by electrospray ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection, and examined whether it alone and in combination with cisplatin interfered with cell proliferation and death processes in HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and FGH (human gingival fibroblasts) cells. Five compounds were identified in the extract: gallic acid, myricetin-3---l-arabinopyranoside, quercetin-3---d-galactopyranoside, myricetin-3---l-rhamnopyranoside, and myricetin-3---d-galactopyranoside.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOxidative stress is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of several gastrointestinal diseases. Sulforaphane (SFN), a bioactive compound found in cruciferous vegetables, activates the redox-sensitive nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). In addition to its protective role, SFN exerts cytotoxic effects on cancer cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDietary phenolic compounds such as caffeic and chlorogenic acid exert an antiproliferative effect and modulate the gene-specific DNA methylation status in human breast tumor cells, but it remains unclear whether they interfere with global DNA methylation in human leukemia cells. We examined whether caffeic and chlorogenic acid (1-250 µM) exert antitumor action in human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) and human acute T-cell leukemia cells (Jurkat). Caffeic and chlorogenic acid did not reduce cell viability in the two cell lines, as assessed using the neutral red uptake and MTT assays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Chem Toxicol
February 2020
Abnormal epigenetic alterations are one of the keystones of cancer development. Epigenetic targeting drugs have become a promising and effective cancer therapy strategy. However, due to the high toxicity and unclear mechanisms of action of these drugs, natural compounds that cause epigenetic modulation have also been studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPouteria ramiflora (Mart.) Radlk., popularly known as curriola, is commonly used in Brazil as medicinal plant to treat worm infections, dysentery, pain, inflammation, hyperlipidemia, and obesity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrazilian flora biodiversity has been widely investigated to identify effective and safe phytotherapeutic compounds. Among the investigated plant species, the Byrsonima genus exhibits promising biological activities. This study aimed at evaluating the cytotoxicity of B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: The Brazilian "Cerrado" is an important source of natural products, such as Myrcia bella Cambess (MB, also known as "mercurinho"). MB leaves are popularly used for the treatment of diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders; however, only its hypoglycemic activity has been experimentally described.
Aim Of The Study: Because MB is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, the present study characterized biological activities of hydroalcoholic MB extract in human normal and tumor gastric cells.