Perfil antitumoral e toxicológico da goma da catingueira (cenostigma pyramidale) em camundongos swiss transplantados com sarcoma 180

Abstract

Cancer is characterized as a public health problem, being one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. In view of this, it is important to produce new therapeutic forms, which are effective in tumor regression, together with the reduction of toxicity. Natural products are increasingly being used in anticancer treatment, this has motivated research, directing the development of antineoplastic drugs from natural products, given their biological properties. Polysaccharides (PS), of natural origin, are extensively studied, as they are a source of biological response modifiers and attract considerable attention due to their therapeutic properties combined with low toxicity, especially natural gums. Among the plant species from which gum can be obtained, Catingueira (Cenostigma pyramidale) has important records of use, both in popular medicine and in the presence of biological activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective and neuroprotective. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate the potential of catingueira gum isolated from Cenostigma pyramidale exudate (GCat) on tumor inhibition, as well as the toxicological parameters, through in vitro and in vivo assays. Initially, the MTT test was performed in different cell lines to assess the in vitro cytotoxicity of GCat. Subsequently, we attempted to evaluate the antitumor effect of GCat at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg/day using Sarcoma 180 tumor cells transplanted into Swiss mice. Toxicological profile was evaluated by analyzing the relative weight of organs and hematological parameters. The results showed that GCat did not present cytotoxic effects in vitro at the highest concentration of 300 μg/mL in the strains tested. As for in vivo results, the experimental model of Sarcoma 180 demonstrated that GCat inhibited tumor growth by 11.83% and 26% at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg/day, respectively. Furthermore, a significant difference was observed only in the positive control group, using 5-Fluouracil (5-FU, 20 mg/kg/day), with tumor inhibition of 63.19%. Regarding the relative weight of the organs, given the results obtained, there was no statistical difference in the excised organs of the animals treated with the two doses of GCat and with 5-FU. As for hematological data, no significant differences were observed between groups treated with GCat, however, significant differences were observed in the amount of total leukocytes and MPV (Mean Platelet Volume) in the Positive Control group (5-FU). Thus, it was possible to conclude, based on the work carried out, that GCat demonstrated moderate antitumor properties without significant toxicological effects. However, further studies must be carried out in order to evaluate the antitumor and toxicological effect at higher doses or to investigate the association effect of the gum with other chemotherapeutics.