Triterpenes from the Protium heptaphyllum resin - chemical composition and cytotoxicity

• Autor(a) principal: Lima,Ewelyne M.
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Nascimento,Andrews M., Lenz,Dominik, Scherer,Rodrigo, Meyrelles,Silvana S., Boëchat,Giovanna A.P., Andrade,Tadeu U., Endringer,Denise C.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-695X2014000400399
• topic: α-Amyrin; β-Amyrin; Almíscar; Angiotensin converting; enzyme activity; Caspase-3; TNF-α

Protium heptaphyllum (Aubl) Marchand, Burseraceae, is popularly used as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent. However, the cellular mechanism of action remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the chemical composition of P. heptaphyllum resin and cytotoxicity on a breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). The chemical composition of the resin was determined by Gas Chromatography coupled to a Mass Spectrometer. The cytotoxicity was evaluated using an MTT assay. Annexin V-FITC, caspase-3, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme activity and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF- α) assays were performed to evaluate apoptosis and inflammatory events. The resin consisted of triterpenes, such as α- and β-amyrin. Cytotoxicity was only observed in fractions enriched with α- and β-amyrin. The resin and fractions elicited antiproliferative activity, increased activity of caspase-3 and ACE, and a decrease in the TNF-α level. Altogether, the resin and fractions enriched with α- and β-amyrin promoted cytotoxicity and apoptosis.