Naturals and semisynthetics metabolites from twigs of Nectandra leucantha Ness & Mart. (Lauraceae): molecular characterization, potential evaluation and mechanism antitumoral against melanoma

Abstract

Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive and lethal cancer resulted of mutations in the melanocytes, which in the later stages the current therapy is ineffective. Therefore, alternative therapies are required to induce the cytotoxic effects against tumor and at the same time do not damage the patient body. Plants produce and accumulate many compounds which have pharmacological effects, many of which have been exploited in the treatment and prevention of diseases, amongst which cancer. Aiming the chemo-pharmacological study, in this work will be held the isolation and structural characterization of compounds, with in vitro and in vivo antitumoral activity against murine melanoma (B16F10), from branches of Nectandra leucantha Nees & Mart. In view, the hexane and MeOH extracts will be prepared, which will be submitted to evaluation of the cytotoxic potential against murine melanoma cells. The potentially active extract will be subjected to a bioguided fractionation and active metabolites will be purified by chromatographic techniques and their structures determined by spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. After isolation of bioactive compounds, they will be subject to SAR tests, through different molecular modifications to find out it pharmacophore groups. In continuation, the bioactive compounds will be evaluated for their cytotoxicity mechanism induced in tumor cells, addressing phenotypic, morphological and molecular induced cytotoxicity aspects and its possible anti-tumor effect in vivo. Thus, this project intends to add new prototypes with proven antitumoral activity and chemo-taxonomic contributions for species under study. (AU)