Morphological and molecular characterization of Prostatic Cancer Cells: Cinnamic acid Derivative Effects
Progetto Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most common causes of malignancy in men with increasing incidence and more than 1.4 million new cases in 2020 (1). Currently, although androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the principal treatment to reduce the progression of PC, may lead the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer promoting tumor metastasis formation (2).
Several strategies are pursued to expand the treatment options in PC, including the use of natural products (NPs) exhibiting antitumor properties. Nature offers a complex network of biosynthetic pathways producing organic molecules crucial to support life. Since ancient times NPs have reached therapeutic importance as pharmaceutical remedies. Among the NP, Cinnamomum cassia (Chinese cinnamon), Panax ginseng, coffee beans, curcumin, cocoa, fruits, cereals, vegetables and honey are widely studied, for their biological activity and different beneficial functions for the organism. Common in these NPs is the presence of cinnamic acid (CA) in the chemical structure. CA, a natural aromatic carboxylic acid, is a key chemical found in all green plants, is a readily available and low cytotoxic compound, and has been reported to exert antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic properties (3,4).
The cis- and trans-isoforms of CA have been evaluated regarding their effectiveness in inhibiting invasive lung adenocarcinoma cells. Underlying mechanisms for the cytotoxic action of CAs include inhibition of DNA synthesis, suppression of NF-kB activation, production of IL-8, inhibition of histone deacetylase, and antioxidant effects (5).
Different studies strongly point out that chronic inflammation is involved in the progression of cancer (6). and continuous inflammatory stimulation, links the process of inflammation with angiogenesis, one of the hallmarks of tumor progression (7).
Despite great progress in NP as anti-cancer drug, there are still many challenges, such as a low response rate, drug resistance, the treatment efficacy and the anti-cancer drug clinical success. Thymol and menthol are essential oils (EOs) presented in natural plants chemically classified as monoterpenes, known for their multiple biological activities such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities (8). So due to the medical and industrial interest in searches for new molecules to overcome challenges, we will carry out the synthesis of novel natural compounds by a reaction of esterification between cinnamic acid and thymol and menthol to increase the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiangiogenic activities of cinnamic acid, with the aim to evaluate their interaction with the morphological and molecular profile in in vitro models of prostatic cancer.