Nowadays, natural products are highly investigated in cancer research due to their wide distribution, numerous beneficial effects, and minimal side effects. Maslinic acid (MA) is found in different plant sources, but is mainly obtained from the olive tree []. This pentacyclic triterpene has an anti-tumor effect in various types of cancer, namely, colon cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, renal carcinoma, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, myeloma, pancreatic cancer, skin cancer, and leukemia, among others. It has reduced bioavailability due to its low solubility in aqueous solutions []; thus, to improve it, various formulations can be prepared. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the in vitro and in ovo effects of a maslinic acid nanoemulsion (MA-NE). The MA-NE was tested on two melanoma cell lines, A375 and SK-MEL-28, and on the chorioallantoic membrane, CAM. The sample produced a dose-dependent decrease in the human melanoma cell lines. In the tumor angiogenesis model, the formulation decreased cell migration. The results obtained indicate that MA-NE has an anti-melanoma effect and reduces tumor development within the tumor angiogenesis model. Further studies will be performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of action.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, I.Z.M.-P. and Ș.A.; methodology, I.Z.M.-P., E.-A.M., L.B., D.M., L.V. and Ș.A.; validation, I.Z.M.-P., Ș.A., C.A.D. and C.D.; investigation, I.Z.M.-P., D.U., E.-A.M., L.B., D.M., L.V. and Ș.A.; data curation, D.U., E.-A.M. and L.B.; writing—original draft preparation, I.Z.M.-P.; writing—review and editing, Ș.A. and C.D.; supervision, C.D. and C.A.D.; project administration, I.Z.M.-P.; funding acquisition, I.Z.M.-P. and C.A.D. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, CNCS-UEFISCDI, Project number PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2019-1231, within PNCDI III, PD 206/2020. Project Director Ioana Zinuca Magyari-Pavel.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Data are contained within the abstract.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
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