Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: MARIANA FARIAS ALVES DA SILVA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : MARIANA FARIAS ALVES DA SILVA
DATE: 04/07/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: VIDEOCONFERÊNCIA
TITLE:

Co-encapsulation of phytol modulates colloidal properties and methotrexate release from polylactic nanoparticles as potential strategy for improving chemotherapy efficacy

KEY WORDS:

Methotrexate. Phytol. Nanoparticle co-delivery. Antiproliferative activity. HeLa cancer cells.

PAGES: 156
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Farmácia
SUMMARY:

Despite advances in oncology treatments, the lack of drug specificity for neoplastic

tissue remains a significant challenge, contributing to the high incidence of adverse

effects. Phytol, a bioactive secondary metabolite of chlorophyll, shows promising

anticancer activity, while methotrexate (MTX) is widely used as a

chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of malignant tumors. Nanoparticles have

been explored as drug delivery vehicles, enabling site-specific release and

overcoming limitations imposed by biological barriers. This study aimed to

characterize co-encapsulated nanoparticles containing phytol and methotrexate,

functionalized with polyethyleneimine (PEI), to assess a potential increase in

antiproliferative activity in cancer cells, particularly in HeLa cells. Physicochemical

characterization revealed nanoparticles with an average size of 250 nm, a

polydispersity index (PdI) below 0.2, spherical morphology, encapsulation

efficiency over 90%, and stability throughout the evaluation period. The formulation

also showed good cytocompatibility with L929 cells at a PLA concentration of 5

µg/mL. In terms of biological efficacy, the functionalized nanoparticles

demonstrated significant antiproliferative effects in HeLa cells, reducing cell

viability by 63% in the MTT assay after 24 hours of exposure. Additionally, further

tests, including zeta potential, pH, and infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR

ATR), confirmed the stability of the formulations. The results suggest that the

functionalized nanoparticle platform for co-encapsulation of phytol and MTX holds

great potential for in vitro biological activity studies and may be promising for future

applications in cancer treatment.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externo à Instituição - VERA LÚCIA PERUSSI POLEZ - EMBRAPA
Externa ao Programa - 1644341 - ANA CAROLINA LUCHIARI - UFRNPresidente - 2276354 - LEANDRO DE SANTIS FERREIRA
Externo ao Programa - 2962496 - RAFAEL BARROS GOMES DA CAMARA - UFRN