Determinação do potencial antitumoral de diterpenos isolados das folhas de Casearia sylvestris Swarts

• Autor(a) principal: Ferreira, Paulo Michel Pinheiro
• Data de Publicação: 2007
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC)
• Texto Completo: http://www.repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/2616
• topic: Antineoplásicos; Ensaios de Seleção de Medicamentos Antitumorais

Knowing the importance of mammalian cell culture in evaluating the cytotoxicity of new substances with therapeutic action, this work initially examined the cytotoxicity (by MTT assay) and hemolytic activity of 7 clerodane diterpenoids (acid hardiwickiico, casearins L, O and U and its degradation product, and casearins X and Y) isolated from leaves of Casearia sylvestris against a panel of 9 tumor cell lines and on mouse erythrocytes. All diterpenes studied showed no hemolytic effect, while casearin U (Cas U) was found to be the most active against tumor cells. Cytotoxic activity of Cas U seems to depend on the ring structure formed by carbons C-18 and C-19, since acid hydrolysis and ring opening led to a decrease or total loss of bioactivity. Subsequently, studies on the mechanism of action of Cas U (0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 µg/mL) revealed a concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability as determined by trypan blue dye exclusion and in DNA synthesis assayed by BrdU incorporation, where this antiproliferative mechanism of Cas U was not found to be dependent on an inhibitory action on topoisomerase I. Morphological analysis assessed by hematoxylin/eosin and ethidium bromide/acridine orange staining showed alterations in the pattern of cell death toward necrosis according to concentration, as seen by membrane disintegration and pyknotic nuclei (1.6 µg/mL). However, there also were cell volume reduction, and condensation and fragmentation of nuclear chromatin, consistent signs with apoptosis. DNA fragmentation was examined by flow cytometry and genotoxicity determined with the comet assay, and Cas U activity was found to be dependent on concentration but did not differ between normal (human peripheral lymphocytes) and malignant (HL-60) cells. Antitumor activity of Cas U was tested in mice transplanted with sarcoma 180 (10 and 25 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally; 25 mg/kg/day, orally), and only the highest intraperitoneal dose was found to effective, leading to 90 % inhibition of tumor growth, with reversible changes in the kidneys. These findings point to the potential of Cas U as a model molecule to synthesize new compounds with anticancer properties.