Purple pitanga extract and loaded liposomes effects in a tumorous Caenorhabditis elegans model

The Purple Pitanga Extract (PPE) demonstrated apoptotic and anti-cancer effects in previous studies with cells. Therefore, the investigation of specific pathways involved in the development of cancer using in vivo models is necessary. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PPE and PP-loaded liposomes (PPL) using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) that develop the multivulva (Muv) phenotype caused by the gain of function of let-60 (gf), a homologous of the human Ras. Treatment for 48h up to 100 μg CAE/mL of PPE was safe for the mutant worms and decreased the Muv phenotype formation, improving the egg-laying. PPE promoted an increase in the worms longevity, with activation of DAF-16 and apoptosis. However, the PPL formulation failed to expand the safe concentrations and improve the extract effectiveness. In worms with let-60 gf, PPL formulation did not demonstrate a suitable option for chronic treatment. However, PPE modulated the apoptotic signaling, which resulted in an effect against the Muv phenotype. These results demonstrated that it is possible to use a non-mammal hyperplasia model to evaluate new alternative therapies with reduced side effects against cellular targets involved with the tumorigenesis processes and that PPE is promising in reducing tumor formation.