Development of polymeric nanoparticles with Brazilian red propolis and in vitro and in vivo evaluation of antitumor effect in urological cancers

Abstract

The urologic cancers are a huge public health problem with high mortality rates. Ninety percentages of urologic cancers are prostate cancer (PC), bladder cancer (BC) and testicle cancer TC). The effectiveness of therapies to PC and CB are low with high recurrence rates and side effects. Thus, there is a research by new therapeutic strategies such as natural products. Propolis, resulted from gathering of Apis mellifera bee, is used in infections treatment and exhibit antitumor activity. In special, the Red Brazilian Propolis (RBP), grown at Alagoas state of Brazil, has been highlighted showing even better results than others propolis types. However, due to the unfavorable physical-chemical proprieties of natural products, like high lipophilicity, instability e low availability, the encapsulation of natural products in nanoparticles is an interesting strategy. In this way, the aim of this project is the development and characterization of polymeric nanoparticles with RBP, as well its biological evaluation in in vitro and in vivo models of prostate and bladder cancer. The extract will be characterized by UPLC-PDA-MS. The nanoparticle will be obtained by nanoprecipitation method and will be characterized by different physical-chemical techniques. After these analysis and optimization of nanoparticles production, in vitro assay in tumor cell culture in 2D and 3D will be done as well molecular assays. The in vivo efficacy and toxicity of formulations will be performed in xenograft models of PC and BC. Thus, in this project expect the development of nanostructured formulation for the future treatment of prostate cancer (PC) and bladder cancer (BC) with natural product Red Brazilian Propolis (RBP) as well as the development of a platform for cytotoxicity studies of nanostructures in 3D and the evaluation of efficacy and toxicity of RBP in in vivo models of PC and CB that until now never were investigate. (AU)