TOXICOLOGIC PATHOLOGY LAB

ABOUT MAIN ACHIEVEMENTES TOP PAPERS 2018-2023 RESEARCH TEAM CURRENT PROJECTS PUBLICATIONS SERVICES

 Director 

 

ABOUT

Under construction.

 

  tp-ucibio-1htoxrun@iucs.cespu.pt 

 

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS

Generation of drug-resistant cellular models. We generated two HGSC cell lines with induced PTX resistance and P-gp overexpression suitable to test new and more effective P-gp inhibitors (https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.752127). Moreover, since OVCAR 8 has intrinsic Carboplatin resistance, our two OVCAR8 Paclitaxel resistant models are also suitable to test the efficacy of drugs to revert platinum-taxane resistance. The generation of powerful tools to study chemoresistance in an HGSC setting is crucial to discover effective drugs to treat double-resistant tumours. In the same line, we established an AML MDR subline – HL60-CDR – which presents several resistance mechanisms, providing an in vitro model to test new compounds to circumvent multi-drug resistance in myeloid leukaemia (https://doi.org/10.1080/1120009X.2022.2097432). Creating cellular models that mimic drug-induced changes is crucial for drug screening and to develop therapeutic strategies to overcome drug resistance. 

Histology Based Approach to Evaluate Drug-Induced Alterations in Protein Expression. We developed a new histology-based method (cell microarray) to evaluate morphological changes and biomarker expression changes after drug exposure in cellular models (https://doi.org/10.36255/cell-microarray). Cell microarrays allow the analysis of several samples side by side on a single microscopic slide, minimizing the volume of reagents used and the biomarker evaluation in its cellular localization (e.g., nuclear, cytoplasm and membrane). Applied to drug-induced alterations, these cell microarrays can comprise multiple samples/conditions in a single histology block, allowing the evaluation of the phenotypic kinesis of cancer cell lines before and after exposure to different drugs and the identification of putative therapy response biomarkers.

The effect of high-fat and sugar-rich foods on cells and tissues. We evaluated the effects induced by the early consumption of high-sugar (HS) and high-energy diets (HED) on the liver and adipose tissue structure in male rats, addressing the contrasting effects of both unhealthy diets on metabolic function, local inflammation, and oxidative stress (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-022-02092-2). This study revealed the long-lasting negative effects of the consumption of HS and HED diets on liver, adipose tissue, and metabolic-related parameters, with HED leading to a more pronounced adiposity and distinct hepatic phenotype characterized by increased inflammation and oxidative stress.

 

TOP PAPERS 2018-2023

Nunes, M., Silva, P. M. A., Coelho, R., Pinto, C., Resende, A., Bousbaa, H., Almeida, G. M., & Ricardo, S. (2021). Generation of Two Paclitaxel-Resistant High-Grade Serous Carcinoma Cell Lines With Increased Expression of P-Glycoprotein. Frontiers in oncology, 11, 752127. https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.752127

Nunes, M., Nunes, D., & Ricardo, S. (2023). Cell Microarray: An Approach to Evaluate Drug-Induced Alterations in Protein Expression. In C. M. Sergi (Ed.), Advancements in Cancer Research. Exon Publications. https://doi.org/10.36255/cell-microarray

Nogueira, S., Garcez, F., Sá, S., Moutinho, L. C., Cardoso, A., Soares, R., Fonseca, B. M., & Leal, S. (2022). Early unhealthy eating habits underlie morpho-functional changes in the liver and adipose tissue in male rats. Histochemistry and cell biology, 157(6), 657–669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-022-02092-2

 

RESEARCH TEAM

PhD Members 

Collaborators

PhD Students

MSc Students

ERASMUS Students

Research Fellowship

Under construction.

Volunteers

Under construction.

Research Technician

Under construction.

 

CURRENT PROJECTS

 
 
FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) FUNDED PROJECTS
 
 
CESPU FUNDED PROJECTS
 

 

PUBLICATIONS

Almeida-Nunes, D. L., Silvestre, R., Dinis-Oliveira, R. J., & Ricardo, S. (2024). Enhancing Immunotherapy in Ovarian Cancer: The Emerging Role of Metformin and Statins. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(1), 323. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010323

Rocha, S., Alves, A., Antunes, C., Rodrigues, P., Casal, G. (2024) Characterization of novel aurantiactinomyxon types (Cnidaria, Myxosporea) from the oligochaete Ilyodrilus templetoni (Southern, 1909), with a comprehensive phylogeny of the collective group. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 203: 108043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2023.108043

Almeida-Nunes, D.L.; Silva, J.P.N.; Nunes, M.; Silva, P.M.A.; Silvestre, R.; Dinis-Oliveira, R.J.; Bousbaa, H.; Ricardo, S. Metformin Impairs Linsitinib Anti-Tumor Effect on Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 11935. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252211935

Carraro, M.L., Marques, S., Silva, A.S., Freitas, B., Silva, P.M.A., Pedrosa, J., De Marco, P., Bousbaa, H., Fernandes, C., Tiritan, M.E., Silva, A.M.S., Pinto, M.M.M. (2020). Synthesis of New Chiral Derivatives of Xanthones with Enantioselective Effect on Tumor Cell Growth and DNA Crosslinking. ChemistrySelect 5 2020, , 10285 – 10291. doi.org/10.1002/slct.202002588

 

AFFILIATION

English affiliation:

- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University Institute of Health Sciences - CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal.

- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Toxicologic Pathology Research Laboratory, University Institute of Health Sciences (1H-TOXRUN, IUCS-CESPU), 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal.

Portuguese affiliation:

Laboratório Associado i4HB - Instituto de Saúde e Bioeconomia, Instituto Universitário de Ciências da Saúde - CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal.

- UCIBIO - Unidade de Biociências Moleculares Aplicadas, Laboratório de Investigação em Patologia Toxicológica, Instituto Universitário de Ciências da Saúde (1H-TOXRUN, IUCS-CESPU), 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal.

 

SERVICES

Under construction.