Abstract

BIOCONJUGATE OF CHITOSAN AND ETHAMBUTOL: IN VITRO ANTITUMOR ACTIVITY ON HUMAN CERVICAL CARCINOMA CELLS

Oliveira M.E.F.A.G., Montenegro L.M.L and *Amorim R. V. S.

ABSTRACT

Cancer and tuberculosis are two of the main causes of morbidity, and together they are a major public health problem around the world. Genital tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which currently remains a public health problem, especially in developing countries. Thus, this work aims to develop and evaluate a bioconjugate of Chitosan (CS) and Etambutol (ETH) and its potential for antituberculosis and anticancer action to overcome both diseases with a single formulation. In this sense, the CS/ETH bioconjugate in a 1:1 mass ratio (w/w) and your minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the reference strain Mtb ATCC H37Rv were evaluated. In vitro cytotoxicity assays were performed by using the method of bromide (MTT) in HeLa cells. The results obtained from the MIC for the CS/ETH bioconjugate indicated a better antimycobacterial activity of 1 μg / mL, 50% lower when compared to the pure ETH tested in the H37Rv strains. The evaluation of the anticancer activity of the CS/ETH conjugate showed a greater IC50 than the pure ETH, with significant statistical difference (p = 0.25). It is concluded that CS / ETH formed a promising bioconjugate against Mtb and cervical cancer tumor cells. Both are preliminary studies that have not been adopted in clinical practice but may contribute to drug development.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; Cervical cancer; Chitosan; bioconjugate.