Possible imunotoxicological action of geopropolis associated with chemotherapy on human monocytes

• Grant number: 15/02638-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2015
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Ethnopharmacology
• Principal Investigator: José Maurício Sforcin
• Grantee: Lucas Pires Garcia Oliveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The popularly known stingless bees can produce propolis or geopropolis. Propolis is made by bees from plant exudates, resins, balsams, pollen, wax, and bee gland secretions, showing several pharmacological properties. Regarding geopropolis, some species of Meliponinae add soil to its composition. In recent decades, several studies have been published on propolis and immunity, but there are few works found on geopropolis and its immunomodulatory action. In a recent work from our group, we evaluated its chemical composition and the inhibitory action on human laryngeal epidermoid carcinoma (HEp-2) cells. Considering the resistance of tumor cells to various chemotherapeutic agents, we investigated the association of geopropolis with conventional antitumor drugs (carboplatin, methotrexate and doxorubicin), in order to advance in the understanding of the main mechanisms by which this natural product would act on tumor cells, favoring or not the action of drugs. Since the combination of chemotherapeutic agents and geopropolis may be an effective anti-tumor therapy, this study aims to investigate the cytotoxic and immunomodulatory action of these associations on human monocytes, in order to assess a possible damage to normal cells of tumor-bearing individuals.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

GARCIA OLIVEIRA, LUCAS PIRES; CONTE, FERNANDA LOPES; CARDOSO, ELIZA DE OLIVEIRA; CONTI, BRUNO JOSE; SANTIAGO, KARINA BASSO; GOLIM, MARJORIE DE ASSIS; CRUZ, MARIA TERESA; SFORCIN, JOSE MAURICIO. Immunomodulatory/inflammatory effects of geopropolis produced by Melipona fasciculata Smith in combination with doxorubicin on THP-1 cells. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, v. 68, n. 12, p. 1551-1558, DEC 2016. (15/02638-8)