Colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the USA and Europe. Despite aggressive therapies, many tumors are resistant to current treatment protocols and epidemiological data suggest that diet is a major factor in the etiology of colon cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity and the influence of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic (3,4-DHPAA), p-coumaric (p-CoA), vanillic (VA) and ferulic (FA) acids on cell viability, cell cycle progression, and rate of apoptosis in human colon adenocarcinoma cells (HT-29). The results showed that all compounds tested reduce cell viability in human colon cancer cells. 3,4-DHPAA promoted the highest effect antiproliferative with an increase in the percentage of cells in G0/G1 phase, accompanied by a reduction of cells in G2/M phase. Cell cycle analysis of VA and FA showed a decrease in the proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase (10.0 µM and 100.0 µM). p-CoA and FA acids increased the percentage of apoptotic cells and non-apoptotic cells. 3,4-DHPAA seems to be the substance with the greatest potential for in vivo studies, opening thus a series of perspectives on the use of these compounds in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer.

Coffee, besides being one of the most consumed stimulating beverages in the world, has important bioactive activities, which have been attracting increasing attention from researchers.

The objective of this research was to compare the physical and chemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of organic and conventional carrot (Daucus carota), green pepper (Capsicum annuum) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Five representative samples of conventional vegetables, certified organic and non-certified organic vegetables were gotten from farms and supermarkets in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The result shows that the organic carrot showed higher acidity (0.11 g % citric acid) and total sugar (5.68 g %) than those found in standard samples and certified organic ones (p<0.05). Regarding the density analysis and total soluble solids, there was no statistical difference between carrots, green peppers and lettuce from all types (p>0.05). It was observed that the vitamin C levels in carrot samples levels had no significant difference between the different forms of production (p>0.05). Conventional lettuce and certified organic pepper showed higher vitamin C than the other samples (p<0.05). The antioxidant activity of the samples was analysed by the capacity to reduce the DPPH (1,1diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) radical, in which carrot and conventional pepper showed lower antioxidant activity (p<0.05) when compared to organic samples. There were no significant differences among the different forms of production in the lettuce samples (p>0.05). Carrot and green pepper, with seal certification or not, showed higher capacity to reduce DPPH than the conventional ones, this suggests that the form of cultivation has a direct relationship with the nutritional values of the vegetables.

The aim of this research was to determine some important quality parameters and the antioxidant activity of organic and conventional oranges, limes and apples. Five samples of organic fruits with seal certification, organic fruits without seal certification and conventional fruits were acquired from supermarkets and farm in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Organic lime and orange showed higher mean values of acidity, being 4.5 and 34.8% higher, when compared to conventional fruit, respectively. There were no statistical differences (p>0.05) among organic lime and orange with seal certification, organic without seal certification and conventional fruits regarding the values of density and ascorbic acid. Total soluble solids of organic with seal certification and organic without seal certification in lime was 47.4 and 25.8% higher than conventional fruits. Few statistical differences were observed in acidity and total sugar for Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) and Lime (Citrus aurantifolia (Christm) Swingle). In relation to the apple samples, there is no significant difference between the physicochemical analyzes of organic and conventional cultivars. Regarding antioxidant activity, an increase in the percentage of reduction of DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical was observed in organic with seal certification lime (18.4%) and orange (22.2%) in comparison to conventional fruit. In general, small differences were observed in chemical quality parameter contents of organically and conventionally grown fruits, however, organic fruits, sealed or not, showed higher antioxidant activity than conventional fruits, suggesting that modulation of these parameters due to alterations in the cultivation practice is unique to the specific species and cultivar of vegetables.

O câncer é o principal problema de saúde pública no mundo e está entre as quatro principais causas de morte prematura. A sua etiologia tem uma forte associação com fatores dietéticos. Com base nestas informações, a produção de alimentos funcionais vem ganhando destaque na indústria alimentícia devido ao fato de os consumidores estarem mais conscientes da relação entre boa alimentação e a saúde, e por isso tem aumentado a procura por alimentos que além de nutrir proporcionem benefícios, como por exemplo os produtos lácteos fermentados. A pesquisa foi realizada nas bases de dados como PubMed, Google Scholar e Scielo, considerando artigos publicados em português, inglês e espanhol entre os anos de 2003 e 2022, sobre composição e relação entre produtos lácteos e câncer. Os produtos lácteos fermentados são ricos em muitas vitaminas e minerais altamente biodisponíveis e seus benefícios estão associados aos peptídeos bioativos presente nos alimentos. Além disso, esses produtos possuem propriedades antioxidantes, anticarcinogênicas, antimutagênicas e são excelentes matrizes para veiculação de bactérias probióticas. Dado o exposto, o desenvolvimento de alimentos lácteos funcionais requer o apoio de pesquisas científicas e deve considerar as expectativas do consumidor, o processo tecnológico, as técnicas adequadas de análise e marketing e as vantagens nutricionais. Mais estudos são necessários para a melhor compreensão dos mecanismos de ação e da relação entre produtos lácteos e câncer.

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