ALOYSIA POLYSTACHYA ANTI-CANCER ACTION IN COLORECTAL CANCER

ALEJANDRA GRACIELA PALMA; BERNACCHIA JULIANA LOURDES; MILENI SOARES MACHADO; PAOLA DI LEO LIRA; VALERIA MOSCATELLI; MARÍA CECILIA LIRA; FRANCISCO DAMIÁN ROSA; IARA CASTELLANOS; MARÍA FLORENCIA QUINTANILLA; MARÍA FERNANDA RUBIO; DAIANA RETTA; MÓNICA ALEJANDRA COSTAS

Congreso; SAIC (Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica); 2022

Previously we have shown that extracts from the plant Aloysia polystachya (AP) have a cytotoxic action in colorectal cancer cells but its lower in non-tumoral cells. The coactivator of nuclear recep- tors RAC3 is overexpressed in several types of cancer, like col- orectal cancer, but its expression is low in non-tumoral cells. This molecule is co-activator of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR), a modulator of intestinal balance, whose expression is increased in tumors. The aim of this work was to investigate the molecular mech- anisms of AP cytotoxic action and its possible components involved with this effect in colorectal cancer. Since RAC3 expression and AP cytotoxicity are low in non-tumoral cells, and RAC3 is coactivator of AHR and NF-ĸB, we first decided to analyze if these molecules were involved in AP effect. When colorectal cancer HCT116 cells were incubated with AP extract we found by immunofluorescence assay that the nuclear translocation of these molecules were increased and that AHR and RAC3 co-localized in these cells. Then, we com- pared the biological activity of two AP plants grown in different parts of Argentina and found that both were capable to induce cytotoxic- ity in HCT116 cells (1:2 dilution % cytotoxicity: Buenos Aires 46%, p