Louisiana Via Research Day Book 2026

Biomedical Research: Section 1

Biomedical Research: Section 1

Lise-Carla Honore, OMS-II; Kaitlin Wiley, OMS-II; Kasia Michalak, MSc; Maysoon Makhlouf, PhD; Zakaria Abd Elmageed, PhD; Hassan Ebrahim, PhD VCOM-Louisiana 1 THE LABDANE COMMUNIC ACID INDUCES APOPTOTIC CELL DEATH AND ATTENUATES THE PROLIFERATION, MIGRATION, COLONIZATION OF BREAST CANCER CELLS

Francheska Brzazgon, OMS-II; Hannah Khairandish, OMS-II; Kayla Griffith, OMS-II; Rose Pwint, OMS-II; Kasia Michalak, MSc; Zakaria Abd Elmageed, PhD; Hassan Ebrahim, PhD VCOM-Louisiana 2 ANTI-BREAST CANCER POTENTIAL OF NATURAL RESINS: BIOACTIVE DAMMAR FRACTIONS DOWNREGULATE ONCOGENIC C-MET RECEPTOR TYROSINE KINASE IN TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER (TNBC)

Context: Labdanes are a class of terpenoid natural products and distributed in many plants and some insects. Labdane diterpenes (C20) have been found to exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Communic acid (1R,2R,3S,4R)-labda-8(17),12 diene-15,16-dioic acid) is a naturally occurring labdane diterpene found in different plant species, including those in the Salvia and Tetraclinis genera. Previous studies reported various biological activities of communic acid include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antimicrobial properties. Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer related death, behind lung cancer. It is a highly heterogenous disease, characterized by a wide range of subtypes that vary in their biological features, clinical presentation, and response to treatment. Objective and/or Hypothesis: As a part of an ongoing project to discover novel anticancer molecules from natural extracts, we explored the anticancer effects of the diterpene communic acid against multiple breast cancer cell lines.

Methods: MTT assay was conducted to evaluate the effect of communic acid on the growth of BC cells, while scratch assay was used to monitor its antimigratory effect. Furthermore, Western blot was used to evaluate the molecular effects of communic acid against BC cells. Results: Communic acid attenuated the growth, migration, and colonization of BC cells at low µM concentrations. Furthermore, communic acid significantly activated executioner caspases and induced apoptotic cell death of BC cells, as demonstrated by Western blot analysis. Our ongoing research focuses on the discovery of the macromolecular target mediating the anticancer effect of communic acid in BC cells. Conclusions: Communic acid is unique bioactive diterpene potentially inducing apoptotic cell death and attenuating the proliferation and migration, and colonization of multiple BC cells.

Context: Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American women and the second leading cause of cancer-related death, behind lung cancer. Approximately, 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with BC in her lifetime. Projections for 2025 estimate that 316,950 women will be diagnosed with invasive BC and 42,170 women will die from the disease complications. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive BC subtype with highest potential for metastasis and recurrence, and it accounts for 10-15% of all BC cases. TNBC is more prevalent in younger women and Black population. Unlike other breast cancer subtypes, TNBC lacks the expression of hormonal receptors (estrogen and progesterone receptors) and the overexpression of HER-2. Chemotherapy remains the mainstay treatment for TNBC, as hormone therapies and HER-2 targeted therapies are inherently ineffective. The development resistance to the current treatments, combined with deleterious adverse effects, warrant the need for the development of novel therapies to manage TNBC. C-Met is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is frequently overexpressed or hyperactivated in TNBC

and is associated with tumor aggressiveness, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion and metastasis, chemotherapy resistance and poor prognosis. Objective and/or Hypothesis: Herein, we explored the anti-breast cancer potential of dichloromethane extract from Dammar resin (Anthoshorea hypochra) and its purified fractions against TNBC cell lines. Methods: MTT assay was used to evaluate the proliferation of cancerous cells, while scratch assay was used to monitor cell migration. Western blot was used to uncover the potential molecular target mediating the anticancer effect of Dammar resin. Results: The extract and its fractions effectively suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion, and colonization of TNBC cells at very low µg/ mL concentrations. At the molecular level, bioactive fraction III-76 significantly suppressed the expression of the oncogenic c-Met in a dose-dependent manner, as demonstrated by Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses. Our ongoing research focuses on the dynamics

of c-Met downregulation and its associated downstream signaling pathways.

Conclusions: Resin-derived natural products offer a unique resource for the discovery of novel c-Met-targeted biomolecules for the control of aggressive TNBC.

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2026 Research Recognition Day