title: Methanolic extracts from brown seaweeds Dictyota cilliolata and Dictyota menstrualis induce apoptosis in human cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cells.
abstract: Carcinoma of the uterine cervix is the second most common female tumor worldwide, surpassed only by breast cancer. Natural products from seaweeds evidencing apoptotic activity have attracted a great deal of attention as new leads for alternative and complementary preventive or therapeutic anticancer agents. Here, methanol extracts from 13 species of tropical seaweeds (Rhodophytas, Phaeophyta and Chlorophyta) collected from the Northeast of Brazil were assessed as apoptosis-inducing agents on human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa). All extracts showed different levels of cytotoxicity against HeLa cells; the most potent were obtained from the brown alga Dictyota cilliolata (MEDC) and Dictyota menstrualis (MEDM). In addition, MEDC and MEDM also inhibits SiHa (cervix carcinoma) cell proliferation. Studies with these two extracts using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy showed that HeLa cells exposed to MEDM and MEDC exhibit morphological and biochemical changes that characterize apoptosis as shown by loss of cell viability, chromatin condensation, phosphatidylserine externalization, and sub-G1 cell cycle phase accumulation, also MEDC induces cell cycle arrest in cell cycle phase S. Moreover, the activation of caspases 3 and 9 by these extracts suggests a mitochondria-dependent apoptosis route. However, other routes cannot be ruled out. Together, these results point out the methanol extracts of the brown algae D. mentrualis and D. cilliolata as potential sources of molecules with antitumor activity.
authors: Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Polímeros Naturais (BIOPOL), Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59078-970, Brazil. dayanne_gomes@hotmail.com.|Programa dePós-graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59078-970, Brazil. dayanne_gomes@hotmail.com.
authors: Dayanne Lopes
authors: DL
authors: Gomes
authors: Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Polímeros Naturais (BIOPOL), Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59078-970, Brazil. cinthiatelles@yahoo.com.br.|Programa dePós-graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59078-970, Brazil. cinthiatelles@yahoo.com.br.
authors: Cinthia Beatrice Silva
authors: CB
authors: Telles
authors: Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Polímeros Naturais (BIOPOL), Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59078-970, Brazil. marispc_bio@yahoo.com.br.|Intituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN), Macau, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59500-000, Brazil. marispc_bio@yahoo.com.br.
authors: Mariana Santana Santos Pereira
authors: MS
authors: Costa
authors: Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Polímeros Naturais (BIOPOL), Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59078-970, Brazil. biolottus23@yahoo.com.br.
authors: Jailma
authors: J
authors: Almeida-Lima
authors: Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Polímeros Naturais (BIOPOL), Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59078-970, Brazil. leandro-silva-costa@hotmail.com.|Intituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN), Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59200-000, Brazil. leandro-silva-costa@hotmail.com.
authors: Leandro Silva
authors: LS
authors: Costa
authors: Laboratório de Imunologia das Doenças Infecciosas, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), João Pessoa-PB 58051-900, Brazil. tat.keesen@gmail.com.
authors: Tatjana Souza Lima
authors: TS
authors: Keesen
authors: Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Polímeros Naturais (BIOPOL), Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59078-970, Brazil. hugo@cb.ufrn.br.|Programa dePós-graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-RN 59078-970, Brazil. hugo@cb.ufrn.br.
authors: Hugo Alexandre Oliveira
authors: HA
authors: Rocha
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D053453:Caspase 9; D059447:Cell Cycle Checkpoints / Q000187:drug effects; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012624:Seaweed / Q000737:chemistry*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D053148:Caspase 3; D053453:Caspase 9