RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Red propolis, an exclusive variety of propolis found in the northeast of Brazil has shown to present antitumour activity, among several other biological properties. This article aimed to help to evaluate the underlying molecular mechanisms of the potential anticancer effects of red propolis on tumour, Hep-2, and non-tumour cells, Hek-293. METHODS: Differentially expressed proteins in human cell lines were identified through label-free quantitative MS-based proteomic platform, and cells were stained with Giemsa to show morphological changes. KEY FINDINGS: A total of 1336 and 773 proteins were identified for Hep-2 and Hek-293, respectively. Among the proteins here identified, 16 were regulated in the Hep-2 cell line and 04 proteins in the Hek-293 line. Over a total of 2000 proteins were identified under MS analysis, and approximately 1% presented differential expression patterns. The GO annotation using Protein Analysis THrough Evolutionary Relationships classification system revealed predominant molecular function of catalytic activity, and among the biological processes, the most prominent was associated to cell metabolism. CONCLUSION: The proteomic profile here presented should help to elucidate further molecular mechanisms involved in inhibition of cancer cell proliferation by red propolis, which remain unclear to date.