title: In vitro cell-based assays for evaluation of antioxidant potential of plant-derived products.
abstract: Several plant-derived compounds have been screened by antioxidant assays, but many of these results are questionable, since they do not evaluate the pharmacologic parameters. In fact, the development of better antioxidants stills a great challenge. In vitro cell-based assays have been employed to assess the antioxidant effect of various compounds at subcellular level. Cell-based assays can also reveal compounds able to enhance the antioxidant pathways, but without direct radical scavenging action (which could not be detected by traditional assays). These methodologies are general of easy implementation and reproducible making them suitable for the early stages of drug discovery. Hydrogen peroxide, a nonradical derivative of oxygen, can be employed as an oxidative agent in these assays due its biochemical properties (presence of all biological systems, solubility) and capacity to induce cell death. Truthfully, if their limitations are understood (such as difference on cell metabolism when in in vitro conditions), these cell-based assays can provide useful information about the pathways involved in the protective effects of phytochemicals against cell death induced by oxidative stress, which can be exploited to develop new therapeutic approaches.
authors.affiliation: a Mestrado em Biologia Parasitária, Universidade Ceuma , São Luís , Brazil ;
authors.forename: Luís Cláudio
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Nascimento da Silva
authors.affiliation: b Laboratório de Bioquímica de Proteínas, Departamento de Bioquímica , Universidade Federal de Pernambuco , Recife , Brazil ;
authors.forename: Clovis Macêdo
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bezerra Filho
authors.affiliation: b Laboratório de Bioquímica de Proteínas, Departamento de Bioquímica , Universidade Federal de Pernambuco , Recife , Brazil ;
authors.forename: Raiana Apolinário de
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Paula
authors.affiliation: a Mestrado em Biologia Parasitária, Universidade Ceuma , São Luís , Brazil ;
authors.forename: Cristiane Santos
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Silva E Silva
authors.affiliation: c Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Departamento de Microbiologia , Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz , Recife , Brazil ;
authors.forename: Larissa Isabela
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Oliveira de Souza
authors.affiliation: d Laboratório de Produtos Naturais, Departamento de Bioquímica , Universidade Federal de Pernambuco , Recife , Brazil.
authors.forename: Márcia Vanusa da
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: b Laboratório de Bioquímica de Proteínas, Departamento de Bioquímica , Universidade Federal de Pernambuco , Recife , Brazil ;
authors.forename: Maria Tereza Dos Santos
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Correia
authors.affiliation: c Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Departamento de Microbiologia , Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz , Recife , Brazil ;
authors.forename: Regina Célia Bressan Queiroz de
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D001688:Biological Products; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001688:Biological Products; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Cell culture; molecular tools; natural products; oxidative stress