Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Despite advances in modern therapeutic strategies, cancer remains the second
leading cause of death worldwide. Therefore, there is a constant need to develop more efficient anticancer
targeting strategies. The anticancer therapeutic proprieties of medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds
have been reported for several years, making natural extracts and/or compounds derived from these a promising
source of novel anticancer agents. Sand dune plants are subjected to severe environmental stresses, leading to the
development of adaptations, including the production of secondary metabolites with a wide range of bioactivities,
such as: anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, hypoglycaemic, hypotensive, antinociceptive, antioxidant
and anticancer.
Aim of the study: The anticancer potential of sand dune plants remains under-investigated, so this research describes
the characterisation of the composition of bioactive EOs from sand-dune plants of Peniche (Portugal), and
assessment of their activity in vitro and potential mechanism of action.
Materials and methods: EOs were extracted from six sand-dune species of plants from Peniche sand dunes: Crithmum
maritimum L., Seseli tortuosum L., Artemisia campestris subsp. maritima (DC.) Arcang., Juniperus phoenicea var. turbinata
(Guss.) Parl., Otanthus maritimus (L.) Hoffmanns. & Link, and Eryngium maritimum L.. EOs composition was fully
characterised chemically using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The assessment of anticancer
activity and mechanism of action was performed in vitro using breast and colorectal cancer 2D and 3D spheroid cell
line models, through cell proliferation assay, western blotting analysis, and cell cycle analysis.
Results: EOs from the majority of the species tested (S. tortuosum, A. campestris subsp. maritima, O. maritimus, and E.
maritimum) were mainly composed by hydrocarbon compounds (sequisterpenes and monoterpenes), showing antiproliferative
activity in both 2D and 3D models. EO extracted from S. tortuosum and O. maritimus were identified as
having the lowest IC50 values for both cell lines when compared with the other species tested. Furthermore, this
antiproliferative activity was associated with increased p21 expression and induction of apoptosis.
Conclusions: The present study suggests that EOs extracted from S. tortuosum and O. maritimus present promising
cytotoxic properties. Further evaluation of the extracts and their key components as potential anticancer agents
should therefore be explored.
Description
Keywords
Antitumoral properties Essential oils Natural products Sand-dune plants
Citation
Beeby, Ellie; Magalhães, Mariana; Poças, Juliana; Collins, Thomas; Lemos, Marco F.L.; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Cabral, Célia; Pires, Isabel M. (2020). Secondary metabolites (essential oils) from sand-dune plants induce cytotoxic effects in cancer cells. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. ISSN 0378-8741. 258, p. 1-9