mgr inż. Paulina Furdak

ORCID: 0009-0002-7870-2339

The topic of my dissertation is „Antioxidant properties and cytotoxic effect of garlic extracts on selected cancer cells”.

Studies show that different types of garlic may have different composition, antioxidant and antiproliferative effects. Amongst functional foods, garlic and its by-products stand out given their rich phytochemical profile. A comprehensive analytical approach becomes necessary to fully address garlic preparations health-promoting activities, considering the coexistence of several active ingredients from different chemical families. The main objective of the ongoing research will be to determine the effect of extracts from different types of garlic and its selected components on the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells of PEO1 and SKOV-3 lines differing in invasiveness and normal human lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5 line) in vitro and also to evaluate their antioxidant properties. Among others, black garlic (fermented white garlic), fresh and dried bear garlic, granulated garlic will be used for the study. In addition, the activity of alliinase in the cytotoxicity of different types of garlic will be evaluated. Antioxidants present in the tested extracts show the ability to reduce the level of oxidative stress in normal cells while having a toxic effect on cancer cells. Free radicals in high concentrations can endanger the body and damage cell-building biomolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipids which may play a key role in the development of diseases in which cell proliferation is impaired. The results of the obtained studies may be helpful in finding such components of garlic that have potential anticancer effects. Specific dietary components may prove to be a potential new therapy to help treat cancer. The ongoing research may contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of cytotoxic action of the tested compounds and the development of personalized therapy to help treat a specific type of cancer.

Publication:

  • Furdak P, Pieńkowska N, Kapusta I, Bartosz G, Sadowska-Bartosz I. Comparison of Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Effects of Various Forms of Garlic and Ramsons. Molecules. 2023; 28(18):6512. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28186512
  • Furdak P, Pieńkowska N, Bartosz G, Sadowska-Bartosz I. Extracts of Common Vegetables Inhibit the Growth of Ovary Cancer Cells. Foods. 2022; 11(16):2518. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11162518
  • Pieńkowska N, Bartosz G, Furdak P, Sadowska-Bartosz I. Delphinidin Increases the Sensitivity of Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines to 3-bromopyruvate. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(2):709. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22020709

Abstract after REDOX BIOLOGY CONGRESS 2022; Furdak P, Bartosz G, Pieńkowska N, Sadowska-Bartosz I. Role of oxidative stress in the cytotoxic action of extracts of vegetables and medicinal herbs on human ovary cancer cells. Free Radical Biology and Medicine 2022; 189:33.