The effect of selected sesquiterpenes on antioxidant enzymes in Caco-2 cell line

Charles University Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Biochemical Sciences Candidate: Tomáš Janíček Supervisor: PharmDr. Hana Svobodová, Ph.D. Title of diploma thesis: The effect of selected sesquiterpenes on antioxidant enzymes in Caco-2 cell line Colorectal carcinoma is a very frequent type of malignant neoplasms, while the Czech Republic has the sixth highest incidence of this disease globally. Current chemotherapy is often not an ideal option, and there is an effort to find substances that could replace it or reduce its dosage, and therefore its adverse effects. A promising source of natural substances is the Chinese tree Myrica rubra, whose extracts have inhibited the proliferation of many tumour cell lines. Also, in several colon carcinoma cell lines, the growth inhibition was observed after their cultivation with the essential oil from the M. rubra's leaves (SMR), with the Caco-2 line being the most sensitive. The main sesquiterpenes of SMR β-caryophyllene, α-humulene (α-HUM), trans-nerolidol (t-NER) and valencene proved the antiproliferative effects on this cell line too. α-HUM and t-NER showed the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on colon carcinoma cells. The aim of our work was to find out how SMR, α-HUM and t-NER at concentrations of 25 and 50 μg/ml, influence..