Adriana V. Gomes

Ms. Adriana V. Gomes

Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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6 September 2022 in Molecules
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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SSShirley A. R. Arnie dos Reis Sancha
Shirley A. R. Arnie dos Reis Sancha
AGAdriana V. Gomes
Adriana V. Gomes
JLJoana Loureiro
Joana Loureiro
Lucília SaraivaLucília Saraiva
Lucília Saraiva
Ricardo FerreiraRicardo Ferreira
Ricardo Ferreira
Aiming to find Amaryllidaceae alkaloids against breast cancer, including the highly aggressive triple-negative breast cancer, the phytochemical study of Pancratium maritimum was carried out. Several Amaryllidaceae-type alkaloids, bearing scaffolds of the haemanthamine-, homolycorine-, lycorine-, galanthamine-, and tazettine-type were isolated (3–11), along with one alkamide (2) and a phenolic compound (1). The antiproliferative effect of compounds (1–11) was evaluated by the sulforhodamine B assay against triple-negative breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468, breast cancer cells MCF-7, and the non-malignant fibroblast (HFF-1) and breast (MCF12A) cell lines. The alkaloids 3, 5, 7, and 11 showed significant growth inhibitory effects against all breast cancer cell lines, with IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) values ranging from 0.73 to 16.3 µM. The homolycorine-type alkaloid 7 was selected for further investigation in MDA-MB-231 cells. In the annexin-V assay, compound 7 increased cell death by apoptosis, which was substantiated, in western blot analyses, by the increased expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax, and the decreased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL. Consistently, it further stimulated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The antiproliferative effect of compound 7 was also associated with G2/M cell cycle arrest, which was supported by an increase in the p21 protein expression levels. In MDA-MB-231 cells, compound 7 also exhibited synergistic effects with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs such as etoposide.