A comparative study based on the piceatannol isolated and as part of the bioactive content of the passion fruit bagasse extract (PFBE) in prostate cancer therapy

Abstract

Prostate cancer is an aging-associated disease and one of the greatest public health problems especially in western countries, being second leading cause of death in the USA, particularly in men over 50 years old. In attempt to find new treatments for this disease, studies using natural products has been emerged as a strategy in cancer prevention as well as the discovery of new substances for therapeutic interventions. The polyphenols compounds are secondary metabolites found in food of plant origin, and several studies have demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, as well as modulation of inflammatory and proliferative pathways in biological models. In this context, the phenolic compound piceatannol (3,4',3',5-trans- trihydroxystilbene) stands out due to its analogy to resveratrol, and also because its strong biological activity as an anti-inflammatory and anticancer agent. The mechanism underlying anticancer effects of piceatannol include: cell cycle arrest, pro-apoptotic effect, anti-inflammatory effect, and anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic activities, which makes it an interesting compound for chemopreventive applications. Thus, the aim of this project is to investigate the molecular mechanism of piceatannol activity against prostate cancer. For such purpose, human prostate cancer cell lines with diverse genetic makeup relevant to human disease will be treated with piceatannol itself or a natural extract from passion fruit bagasse (PFB), which is rich in piceatannol, and submitted to colony formation, cell migration, prostate sphere assays, besides immunocytochemistry and western immunoblotting. (AU)