Natural products are among one of the most promising fields in finding new molecular targets in cancer therapy. Laryngeal carcinoma is one of the most common cancers affecting the head and neck regions, and is associated with high morbidity rate if left untreated. The aim of this study was to examine the antiproliferative effect of Araucaria angustifolia on laryngeal carcinoma HEp-2 cells. The results showed that A. angustifolia extract (AAE) induced a significant cytotoxicity in HEp-2 cells compared to the non-tumor human epithelial (HEK-293) cells, indicating a selective activity of AAE for the cancer cells. A. angustifolia extract was able to increase oxidative damage to lipids and proteins, and the production of nitric oxide, along with the depletion of enzymatic antioxidant defenses (superoxide dismutase and catalase) in the tumor cell line. Moreover, AAE was able to induce DNA damage, nuclear fragmentation and chromatin condensation. A significant increase in the Apoptosis Inducing Factor (AIF), Bax, poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3 cleavage expression were also found. These effects could be related to the ability of AAE to increase the production of reactive oxygen species through inhibition of the mitochondrial electron transport chain complex I activity and ATP production by the tumor cells. The phytochemical analysis of A. angustifolia, performed using High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) in MS and MS/MS mode, showed the presence of dodecanoic and hexadecanoic acids, and phenolic compounds, which may be associated with the chemotherapeutic effect observed in this study.
Araucaria angustifolia is a tree that belongs to Araucariaceae family and it is mainly found in Southern Brazil. This plant has a notable therapeutical history in folk medicine holding great socioeconomic and environmental importance. Until now, some studies were conducted to assess its chemical composition, biological and pharmacological properties. The studies have shown that the bark, knot, needles (leaves), seeds and bracts (sterile seeds) contain high concentrations of active compounds and exhibit different biological effects. In the folk medicine the different parts of this plant are used to treat various types of illnesses, such as shingles, respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases and some types of wounds. Bearing this in mind, this review focuses on all currently chemical and biological effects already reported for A. angustifolia and provide a novel perspective and useful information for future research.
The velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis is one of the most important pests of soybean crops in tropical America. By feeding on leaves, significant defoliation occurs resulting in reduced photosynthetic capacity required for plants' maintenance and growth, which subsequently can lead to crop losses and reduced agricultural productivity. Many studies have sought to look for compounds that have insecticidal effects. One class of compounds is phenolics, which are produced by plants and have been found to influence the behavior and development of defoliators, representing an important alternative approach to many synthetic insecticides. Particularly, Araucaria angustifolia is a plant rich in polyphenols, which are compounds able to alter cellular dynamics through modulating redox status. In this study, A. angustifolia extract (AAE) was added to the artificial diet of A. gemmatalis. The results demonstrated that AAE was able to reduce larval viability by inducing morphological changes and a delay in the insect's development. In addition, AAE was found to induce oxidative damage to lipids and proteins, as well as increased nitric oxide levels in A. gemmatalis larvae. AAE treatments also decreased the antioxidant defense systems, leading to a redox imbalance. The reduction in viability in A. gemmatalis was positively correlated with oxidative markers, suggesting that redox imbalance can lead to larvae's death. These results suggest that AAE possess
Cancer cells present differential metabolism compared to normal cells. Multiple molecular mechanisms converge to alter cellular metabolism, and some of these include a process of metabolic reprogramming which provides advantages to tumor cells in energy generation, growth and proliferation. Tumor energy production is basically dependent on glucose driven to glycolysis (Warburg effect), but it also happens by means of fatty acids and glutamine metabolism. Among the current challenges in cancer therapy, the tumor cell resistance and the absence of selectivity of anti-cancer agents stand out. It has been already shown that polyphenols are able to exert differential effects on normal and tumor cells. However, the exact mechanisms of these actions are not fully understood. In our previous study, we showed that a polyphenols-rich extract (PE) from Araucaria angustifolia held a selective capacity to inhibit the proliferation of human larynx HEp-2 cancer cells with minimal cytotoxicity to normal epithelial cells. We hypothesized that the effect presented by PE have happened by reversing the "Warburg effect" on cancer cells and inhibiting the mitochondrial electron transport chain complex I activity along with ATP depletion on these cells. In this research highlight we will discuss the effects of the PE on mitochondrial metabolism and their possible role in the modulation of mitochondrial sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) on tumor (HEp-2) and normal (HEK-293) cells, which may help to clarify the tumor selectivity exhibited by polyphenols.
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