Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Infection by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical
cancer, highlighting the importance of studying compounds that may reduce
viral activity and its lesions/symptoms. The aromatic herb spearmint
(Mentha spicata) (MS) has proven anti-tumor properties [1]. Thus, this study
aimed to evaluate the effects of an hydroethanolic extract obtained from
spearmint in HPV16-transgenic (HPV+/-) mice. The extract was obtained
through maceration with ethanol/water (80:20, v/v), and the phenolic
composition was determined through HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS. Thirty-three
female mice (16 HPV-/- and 17 HPV+/-) were randomly divided into six
groups: Group (G) I – HPV-/- w/o Mentha (n=5); G II – HPV-/- w/ Mentha
(0.5 mg/ml; n=6); G III – HPV-/- w/ Mentha (0.55 mg/ml; n=5); G IV –
HPV+/- w/o Mentha (n=6); G V – HPV+/- w/ Mentha (0.5 mg/ml; n=6); G VI
– HPV+/- w/ Mentha (0.55 mg/ml; n=5). The spearmint extract was
administered in the animal’s drinking water for 28 days. During the study,
water and food intake as well the animals’ weights were recorded weekly.
Afterwards, the animals were sacrificed, and their organs were collected for
oxidative stress and genetic damage analysis. A total of thirteen compounds
were identified in the hydroethanolic extract, being salvianolic acid B,
rosmarinic acid and luteolin-7-O-glucuronide, the main compounds found.
Moreover, the compounds revealed to be stable in the drinking water
during the 5 tested days. Results show that HPV+/- (GIV, V and VI) have
lower weight but higher water and food intake, as expected. Analysis of
HPV+/- mice GIV showed a significant increase of superoxide dismutase
activity when compared with GV (p=0.0029) and VI (p=0.0011). This
suggests that group IV was subjected to a higher oxidative stress, as
expected. These results could also mean that MS is responsible for a
decrease in the oxidative stress known to be induced by HPV, which in turn
decreases SOD, further the role of MS as an antioxidant. Regarding genetic
damage, no statistically significant changes between groups were found in
the comet and micronucleus assays, implying that spearmint has no
influence on genotoxicity at the concentrations employed. There were no
significant differences concerning basal DNA damage between WT and
transgenic individuals as seen in other studies [2]. Further studies are
required to clarify the antioxidant and antigenotoxic effects of spearmint.
Description
Keywords
Spearmint (Mentha spicata) Research Subject Categories::MEDICINE::Morphology, cell biology, pathology
Citation
Jesus, T.M.; Silva-Reis, Rita; Pires, Maria João; Lanzarin, Germano; Félix, Luís; Venâncio, Carlos; Costa, Rui Miguel Gil; Bastos, Margarida M.S.M.; Medeiros, Rui; Nogueira, António José M.; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Rosa, Eduardo; Oliveira, Paula A. (2021). The anti-tumour effect of spearmint (Mentha spicata) in a HPV-16-transgenic mouse model. In Lillian Barros; Bruno Melgar Castañeda; Carlos Seiti Hurtado Shiraishi (Eds.) 1st Natural products application: Health, Cosmetic and Food. Bragança
Publisher
Instituto Politécnico de Bragança