出版社：Grupo de Pesquisa Metodologias em Ensino e Aprendizagem em Ciências
摘要：Cancer is one of the most important causes of death in the world. Mitochondrial dysfunctions – related to mutation or not –, oxidative stress and activation of immune cells are related to the pathophysiology of cancer, due to the induction of oncogenic factors by multiple pathways. Heretofore, the production and development of antitumor drugs for the treatment of cancer is still a barrier, until the formulation is available in safe conditions to patients. In this sense, the approach with plants of reported traditional use, such as Ayapana triplinervis, started to draw attention owing to the great observed potential of its secondary metabolites and the widespread use. Phytosterols and flavonoids are widely consumed as nutraceuticals and have reported antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Thus, the present integrative review aimed to gather the mechanisms by which compounds previously identified in A. triplinervis perform antitumor activity, in addition, we sought to present toxicological aspects attributed to these molecules. Based on a critical analysis of the selected literature, the present review gathers data, which show that the metabolites β-sitosterol, stigmasterol and kaempferol play a significant antitumor role through mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative pathways and modulation of genes. Regarding the toxicological aspects of these molecules, the present study emphasizes the importance of experimental designs in in vivo models, given the need to perform assertive calculations of effective doses – for antitumor activity – and toxic of these compounds.
