APVV

Phytochemicals from traditional utilitarian plants and their impact on the physiology of the chosen cancer cells

SK-PL-21-0051

The main aim of the project is to identify intracellular processes at various levels after application of extracts from fruits and leaves of selected traditional utilitarian plant species containing bioactive compounds to various cancer cell lines to contribute to the explanation of the mechanism of action and potential use in prevention and treatment of diseases of civilization as is cancer.

The scientific focus of the project is divided into two stages:

The first stage (Slovak party) will be focused on testing extracts from fruits and leaves of selected species of traditional plants on human cancer cell lines in order to identify intracellular processes and mechanisms of action of phytochemicals (cell viability, structural changes and metabolic processes in cells by monitoring parameters such as lysosome functionality, plasma membrane integrity, superoxide radical formation, reactive oxygen species, determination of enzyme activity and expression of genes involved in apoptosis and inflammation, etc. (COX-1, COX-2, Bcl-2, Bax, etc.)).

The second stage (Polish party) will be focused on the analysis of the influence of extracts from fruits and leaves of selected species of traditional plants on the differentiation of Caco-2 cells by measuring enzymatic activity (alkaline phosphatase and disaccharidases (sucrase-isomaltase, beta -galactosidase)) and expression of the specific protein of the brush border; analysis of proliferation and several metabolic parameters of human hepatoma cell line, lipid droplet (LDs) formation, as well as the analysis of the mitochondrial membrane potential; monitoring the immunomodulatory effect of bioactive compounds (nitric oxide production and respiratory burst as inflammatory humoral responses).

01/01/2022 – 31/12/2023

University of Agriculture, Krakow (Poland)

Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Nitra (Slovakia)