Dados do Resumo

Título

Urolithin as a Promising Agent in Cancer Prevention: Insights into Its Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential

Introdução

Urolithin, a metabolite derived from polyphenols found in foods like pomegranates, has shown potential in cancer prevention. Studies suggest it may help reduce tumor risk by modulating metabolic pathways and inflammatory processes, as well as influencing autophagy and cancer-related gene expression. These properties make urolithin a promising substance for cancer prevention and adjunctive treatment strategies.

Objetivo

Investigate urolithin's potential in cancer prevention, focusing on its ability to modulate metabolic pathways and inflammatory processes, and analyze its impact on autophagy and cancer-related gene expression.

Métodos

This is an integrative literature review conducted in August 2024, focusing on articles indexed in the MEDLINE database, available through the Virtual Health Library (BVS) Regional Portal and PUBMED. Descriptors used were “urolithins,” “cancer,” and “prevention and control,” with the Boolean operator AND for term intersection. A total of 19 studies were found using this search strategy, and 11 were used for this review. Included were clinical studies, case series, and full articles reporting clinical cases related to the potential of urolithin in cancer prevention, studies on specific cancers such as colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer, and literature reviews on the topic, published in English between 2019 and 2024. Excluded were incomplete texts, duplicate studies, non-oncology case reports, and previous meta-analyses.

Resultados

In HT-29 colon cancer cytology, Uro-A and Uro-B 30 μg/ml acted by stopping mitosis in G2. In the Caco-2 cell line, Uro-A 50 μM and IsoUro-A 150 μM caused cell cycle arrest in the S and G2 phases, in 24 to 48 hours of exposure. Uro-C, on the other hand, had an inhibitory concentration of 50% of RKO, HCT116 and DLD1 cells, at concentrations of 28.81 μM, 23.06 μM and 14.7 μM, respectively, exposed for 72 hours. In LNCap cytology Prostate Cancer, the doses used were Uro-A and Uro-B 40 μM each, and Uro-C with 35.2 ± 3.7 μM, demonstrating cell cycle arrest in the S and G2 phases.With regard to Breast Cancer, action was demonstrated against cells overexpressing the aromatase enzyme at a dosage of 50 μM of Uro-A and 50 μM of IsoUro-A.In relation to Uterine Cancer with Ishikawa cells, prevention of metastasis was proven with Uro-A 20 μM, decreasing the activity of Rac1 and PAK mRNA, with a consequent decrease in remodeling of the metastatic cell cytoskeleton.

Conclusões

Considering the analyses proposed in the studies dealing with the biochemical principles of urolithin in the fight against the main cancers mentioned above, it is very important to tackle this clinical pathology. In this respect, this metabolite should be the target of research that corroborates its role as a blocker of mitoses that evolve into metastatic processes, whether in approaches related to adjusting the cell cycle, or in its role of controlling cells that express carcinogenic enzymes.

Palavras Chave

urolithins; Câncer; prevention and control