Evaluation of cell death induction by Copaifera duckei oleoresin and polyaltic acid in MCF-7 cell line

• Grant number: 14/13094-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: September 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy
• Principal Investigator: Raquel Alves dos Santos
• Grantee: Cristiane Yumi Fukuoka
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria Adjunta de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação. Universidade de Franca (UNIFRAN). Franca , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 11/13630-7 - Chemical and pharmacological validation of extracts and active compounds of Copaifera species, AP.TEM

Abstract

The use of botanical sources to obtain new chemical entities with pharmacological properties has been of fundamental importance to humans since the beginning of civilization. Based on ethnopharmacological evidences, a great number of drugs had their biological and pharmacological properties elucidated by scientific experimentation. Likewise, the Copaifera genus present in Brazilian flora has been used in popular medicine once its oleoresin exhibits anti-inflammatory, healing, antimicrobial and antitumoral properties. Preliminary data from our group demonstrated the significative cytotoxicity of Copaifera duckei oleoresin (Cd-OR) and its majoritary compound polyaltic acid (PA) in different tumoral cell lines. Therefore, the main goal of the present study is to evaluate the genotoxic and apoptotic potential of these two substances in the tumoral breast cell line MCF-7, as well as its ability in modulate the transcriptional expression of genes involved in the response to DNA damage and cell death regulation.