Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-8-2020

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Yu-Dong Zhou

Second Advisor

Dale G. Nagle

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Antioxidants are well-known for their various health benefits. They are able to protect cells from being damaged by free radicals that are produced by vital biochemical processes. It has long been known that antioxidants are important in our everyday health, but their potential as disease preventers and potential therapeutic agents is a relatively new field of study. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol and well-known antioxidant, is found in plants, fruits, and products derived from them, like red wine. Resveratrol has been shown to have various properties, including antiaging, anti-aggregation of platelets, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. Because of their many health benefits, antioxidants have become a hot topic in cancer research. Oxidative stress, which occurs when there is an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants, has been shown to be a potential cause of cancer development. Our research group tested the effects of resveratrol, vitamins C and E, and the green tea catechin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), on various breast cancer cell lines, though this review will focus on the chemotherapeutic potential of resveratrol. In the experiments, breast cancer MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, BOM 231, and MCF-7-BOM cell lines were treated with various concentrations of resveratrol. A Sulforhodamine B viability assay was used to assess the percent inhibition of resveratrol on each cell line. The experiments showed that resveratrol is an inhibitor of breast cancer cells in a concentration and cell line dependent manner.

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