Avaliação da atividade citotóxica de extratos do gênero ocotea em modelo experimental in vitro de células de câncer de mama

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women and has been the subject of scientific studies around the world with the clear objective of reducing its incidence and improving its treatment. Breast cancer ranks second as the cause of cancer related death in women. The available treatments are aggressive and mostly accompanied by strong adverse effects. The genus Ocotea has shown promising pharmacological properties, including cytotoxicity, although very little has been investigated regarding this property. In this context, the aim of the present study is to investigate the cytotoxicity of extracts from the genus Ocotea, select the most promising extract, and evaluate the cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities in an in vitro model of breast cancer cells. Therefore, breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and fibroblasts (CCD1059Sk) were cultured and treated with different extracts from 56 Ocotea species. The most promising extract, from O. villosa, was then evaluated for cytotoxicity and antiproliferative effect. The results of this study demonstrated that the crude extract of O. villosa showed cytotoxic action (IC50 = 100.00 ± 6.06 µg/mL), pro apoptotic, and antiproliferative effects. It also inhibited cell migration and colony formation (50% inhibition). It was not possible to confirm any influence of the extract on the cell cycle. Regarding the expression of the analyzed markers, an increase in the expression of CASP9, a pro-apoptotic marker, was highlighted. Thus, the results suggest that further studies of the crude extract of this species may contribute to a deeper elucidation of its mechanism of action and the discovery of new treatments or active principles against breast cancer.