Esterification of <i>p</i>-Coumaric Acid Improves the Control over Melanoma Cell Growth
Joana I. Carmo-Martins,
Michelangelo B. Gonzatti,
Marina T. Varela,
Maria Eduarda P. Sousa,
Lucas V. S. Costa,
Elaine Guadelupe Rodrigues,
João Paulo S. Fernandes,
Alexandre C. Keller
Affiliations
Joana I. Carmo-Martins
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Division of Immunology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, <i>campus</i> São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-062, Brazil
Michelangelo B. Gonzatti
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Division of Immunology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, <i>campus</i> São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-062, Brazil
Marina T. Varela
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Environmental, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, <i>campus</i> Diadema, Diadema 09913-030, Brazil
Maria Eduarda P. Sousa
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Division of Immunology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, <i>campus</i> São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-062, Brazil
Lucas V. S. Costa
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Division of Immunology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, <i>campus</i> São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-062, Brazil
Elaine Guadelupe Rodrigues
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Division of Cell Biology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, <i>campus</i> São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-062, Brazil
João Paulo S. Fernandes
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Environmental, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, <i>campus</i> Diadema, Diadema 09913-030, Brazil
Alexandre C. Keller
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Division of Immunology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, <i>campus</i> São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-062, Brazil
Previous studies reported that p-coumaric acid modulates melanoma growth. Because the esterification of p-coumaric acid (p-CA) enhanced its activity as an antimelanogenic agent, we aimed to determine the antitumor potential of two derivatives, the ethyl and butyl esters, against the murine B16-F10 and the human SK-MEL-25 melanoma cells. Cell viability was determined in vitro by the lactate dehydrogenase release and violet crystal absorption assays. The cell proliferation rate and cell cycle behavior were determined by the colony formation assay and flow cytometry analysis. Although p-CA, at the concentration of 1 mM, failed to exert a significant antitumor activity, the ethyl and butyl ester derivatives caused substantial tumor cell death at doses p-CA-treated mice. Thus, the esterification of p-coumaric acid improved the control over the proliferation of murine and human melanoma cells and can be considered an approach for designing novel anticancer agents.
