Potencial terapêutico do óleo essencial de Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris em células tumorais

As plantas têm um papel fundamental na medicina tradicional, uma vez que apresentam várias propriedades terapêuticas, incluindo anti-inflamatória, antioxidante e antitumoral. Um dado interessante, mostra que atualmente, mais de 60% dos fármacos utilizados na clínica para o tratamento de diversos cancros derivam de compostos naturais ou são inspirados na estrutura química dos mesmos. Desta forma, o importante papel das plantas na descoberta de novos fármacos tem merecido, ao longo dos anos, a devida atenção e interesse por parte de investigadores e clínicos. A Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris (R. segetum), utilizada na medicina tradicional para tratar problemas digestivos ou prevenir infeções do trato respiratório, é um exemplo de planta medicinal que deve ser estudado. Deste modo, o estudo desenvolvido mostra o potencial antitumoral do óleo essencial da R. segetum, identificando a sua capacidade para suprimir a atividade proliferativa das células tumorais e reduzir significativamente o tamanho do tumor em modelos celulares 3D. Este trabalho fornece indicações do mecanismo antitumoral do óleo essencial da R. segetum, bem como sugere o estudo aprofundado do mesmo para o desenvolvimento de futuras estratégias terapêuticas para o tratamento do cancro.

Autores e Afiliações:

Ellie Beeby^1#, Mariana Magalhães^2,3#, Marco F.L. Lemos⁵, Isabel M. Pires¹, Célia Cabral^2,3,5

¹Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, HU6 7RX, UK

²University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Clinic Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Faculty of Medicine, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal

³University of Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal

⁴MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Polytechnic of Leiria, 2520-641, Peniche, Portugal

⁵Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal

^# These authors contributed equally.

Abstract:

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The past few years have witnessed an increasing interest in essential oils (EOs) as potential therapeutic agents against a wide variety of pathologies, including cancer. EOs extracted from Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris (R. segetum) are a clear example of a phytoproduct with therapeutic applications, as it is widely used in traditional medicine due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and these properties were already validated by previous studies. Although, it is well established that inflammation is a key hallmark of cancer, with a key role promoting tumorigenesis, and being chronic inflammation often associated with tumorigenic processes, there are no previous studies regarding the assessment of the antitumoural potential of R. segetum EOs. 

Aim of the study: The present study intends to be the first to evaluate the antitumoural proprieties of R. segetum EO phytoproducts in cancer cell models. 

Materials and methods: For this, R. segetum EOs were extracted from plants collected at either flowering (RS_Fl) or fruiting (RS_Fr) stage. The impact on proliferation and viability of treatment with R. segetum EO extracts was assessed using in vitro 2D and 3D models.

Results: Both R. segetum EOs presented effective antiproliferative/viability effects, evidence noted by low IC50 values in 2D models, and significant reduction of spheroid size in 3D in vitro models. Mechanistically, treatment with R. segetum EOs was associated with an altered G1 (associated with p21 stabilisation), and subsequent induction of apoptosis.

Conclusions: Overall, these results indicate that R. segetum EOs have potential as suitable antitumoural therapeutic agents.

Revista: Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874120334012?via%3Dihub