Use of grape polyphenols against carcinogenesis: Putative molecular mechanisms of action using in vitro and in vivo test systems

Polyphenols are present in foods and beverages and are related to sensorial qualities such as color, bitterness, and astringency, which are relevant in wine, tea, grape juice, and other products. These compounds occur naturally in forms varying from simple phenolic acids to complex polymerized tannins. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that grape-derived products elaborated in the presence of skins and seeds, such as wine and grape juice, are natural sources of flavonoids in the diet. Carcinogenesis is a multistep process that is characterized by genetic, epigenetic, and phenotypic changes. With increasing knowledge of these mechanisms, and the conclusion that most cases of cancer are preventable, efforts have focused on identifying the agents with potential anticancer properties. The use of grape polyphenols against the carcinogenesis process seems to be a suitable alternative for either prevention and/or therapeutic purposes. The aim of this article is to show the molecular data generated from the use of grape polyphenols against carcinogenesis using in vivo and in vitro test systems. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition.

C-H center dot center dot center dot O and N-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds in liquid amides investigated by Monte Carlo simulation

Monte Carlo simulations of liquid formamide, N-methylformamide (MF), and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) have been performed in the isothermal and isobaric ensemble at 298 K and 1 atm, aiming to investigate the C-H ... O and N-H ... O hydrogen bonds. The interaction energy was calculated using the classical 6-12 Lennard-Jones pairwise potential plus a Coulomb term on a rigid six-site molecular model with the potential parameters being optimized in this work. Theoretical values obtained for heat of vaporization and liquid densities are in good agreement with the experimental data. The radial distribution function [RDF, g(r)] obtained compare well with R-X diffraction data available. The RDF and molecular mechanics (MM2) minimization show that the C-H ... O interaction has a significant role in the structure of the three liquids. These results are supported by ab initio calculations. This Interaction is particularly important in the structure of MF. The intensity of the N-H ... O hydrogen bond is greater in the MF than formamide. This could explain some anomalous properties verified in MF. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Theoretical studies on the stability of N-methylformamide in both liquid and gas phases

Ab initio (restricted Hartree-Fock and DFT) and molecular mechanics calculations at MM2 level were performed for N-methylformamide (NMF) molecule and for three dimers in order to investigate the relative stability of the cis and trans conformers. The ab initio calculations show that no intramolecular interaction is relevant for the stability of the conformers explored. The trans conformer is the most stable. The MM calculations revealed that a double H-bonded cyclic cis-cis dimer is the most stable among the studied dimers, followed by a 'linear' H-bonded trans-trans dimer. This 'linear' dimer, however, is prevalent in the liquid phase. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

C - H ⋯ 0 and N - H ⋯ 0 hydrogen bonds in liquid amides investigated by monte carlo simulation

Monte Carlo simulations of liquid formamide, N-methylformamide (MF), and N, N-dimethytformamide (DMF) have been performed in the isothermal and isobaric ensemble at 298 K and 1 atm, aiming to investigate the C-H ⋯ O and N-H ⋯ O hydrogen bonds. The interaction energy was calculated using the classical 6-12 Lennard-Jones pairwise potential plus a Coulomb term on a rigid six-site molecular model with the potential parameters being optimized in this work. Theoretical values obtained for heat of vaporization and liquid densities are in good agreement with the experimental data. The radial distribution function [RDF, g(r)] obtained compare well with R-X diffraction data available. The RDF and molecular mechanics (MM2) minimization show that the C-H ⋯ O interaction has a significant role in the structure of the three liquids. These results are supported by ab initio calculations. This interaction is particularly important in the structure of MF. The intensity of the N - H ⋯ O hydrogen bond is greater in the MF than formamide. This could explain some anomalous properties verified in MF. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

L-Histidine-europium(III) complex: A spectroscopical study

Chemical characterization as well as spectroscopical study of the L-histidine-europium(III) complex were developed both experimental and theoretically. Molecular mechanics (MM) simulation was performed in order to have indication of the compound structure and the Eu 3+ chemical environment. The Simple Overlap Model (SOM) was applied to predict spectroscopic quantities as 5D 0→ 7F 0/ 5D 0→ 7F 2 intensity ratio, 5D 0→ 7F 1 transition splitting and the intensity Ω λ parameters (λ = 2 and 4). Satisfactory results are obtained with 0.1 and 2/3 as the effective charges of the nitrogen (gN) and oxygen (gO) respectively, and their polarizabilities (α) depend on the distance. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Structure and weak hydrogen bonds in liquid acetaldehyde

Monte Carlo simulations have been performed to investigate the structure and hydrogen bonds formation in liquid acetaldehyde. An all atom model for the acetaldehyde have been optimized in the present work. Theoretical values obtained for heat of vaporisation and density of the liquid are in good agreement with experimental data. Graphics of radial distribution function indicate a well structured liquid compared to other similar dipolar organic liquids. Molecular mechanics minimization in gas phase leads to a trimer of very stable structure. The geometry of this complex is in very good agreement with the rdf. The shortest site-site correlation is between oxygen and the carbonyl hydrogen, suggesting that this correlation play a important role in the liquid structure and properties. The O⋯H average distance and the C-H⋯O angle obtained are characteristic of weak hydrogen bonds.

Erosão hídrica de Latossolo Vermelho muito argiloso relevo ondulado em área de pós-plantio de eucalipto no Vale do Rio Doce, região Centro Leste do Estado de Minas Gerais

The erosion caused by running water constitutes important cause of environmental degradation and productivity reduction, which justifies its evaluation in areas of eucalypt commercial plantations, mainly in ondulated slope conditions. The present study was intended to evaluate the influence of different management systems, in an undulated eucalypt pos-planting area, upon soil and water losses by erosion. The experiment was installed in a very clayey Red Latosol (Oxisol) under three eucalypt management systems (downhill planting with burning of crop residues - EDq; downhill planting with maintenance of crop residues on soil surface - ED; level planting with maintenance of crop residues on soil surface - EN), native forest (FN), bare soil (SD), and native pasture (PN). The soil and water losses evaluations were performed in standard plots installed in the field. All eucalypt systems presented very low values of soil losses in relation to the established tolerance limit, indicating the adequacy of these management systems concerning water erosion. The sustainability of these environments regarding erosion is indicated by the fact that soil losses in eucalipt were very close to those observed in native forest (reference).

Toxicidade de fármacos nitrofurânicos

During the structural designing of new drugs, it is possible predict the influence of specific chemical groups on pharmacological activity. Among these, the nitro group has potential antiparasitic activity, being present in many antimicrobial drugs, such as metronidazole, nitrofurazone, furazolidone, oxamniquine and chloramphenicol. Also, the introduction of the nitro group into a molecule can modify the physicochemical and electronic properties of the substance. Besides antimicrobial drugs, this group is also found in other drug classes, such as antiulcer, anti-inflamatory and anxiolytic. However, the use of the nitro group in drug design has encountered restrictions, due to the associated toxicity. This article is a review of the toxicity of nitrofuran compounds, as well the possible mechanisms involved and the strategy of latentiation by molecular modification to decrease their toxicity.

Possible mechanism by which zinc protects the testicular function of rats exposed to cigarette smoke

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in testicular function of rats due to cigarette smoke exposure and the possible mechanism by which zinc protects against these alterations. Methods: MaleWistar rats (60 days old) were randomly divided into 3 groups: control (G1, n = 10); exposed to cigarette smoke (G2, n = 10; 20 cigarettes/day/9 weeks) and exposed to cigarette smoke and supplemented with zinc (G3, n = 8; 20 cigarettes/day/9 weeks; 20 mg/kg zinc chloride daily for 9 weeks, by gavage). After the treatment period, the animals were euthanized, and materials were collected for analyses. Results: G2 rats showed a reduction in body mass; impaired sperm concentration, motility, morphology and vitality; and increased malonaldehyde and thiol group levels and superoxide dismutase activity as compared to G1. Zinc prevented the reduction of sperm concentration and the excessive increase of lipid peroxidation and induced an increase in plasma testosterone levels, wet weight of testis and thiol group concentration. Conclusions: Exposure to cigarette smoke led to harmful effects on testicular function at least partially due to the exacerbation of oxidative stress. Supplementary zinc had an important modulator/protector effect on certain parameters. The mechanism of zinc protection can be through an increase of SH concentration. Thus, zinc supplementation may be a promising addition to conventional treatments for male infertility related to smoking. Copyright © 2012 by Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences.

Acute exercise decreases PTP-1B protein level and improves insulin signaling in the liver of old rats

It is now commonly accepted that chronic inflammation associated with obesity during aging induces insulin resistance in the liver. In the present study, we investigated whether the improvement in insulin sensitivity and insulin signaling, mediated by acute exercise, could be associated with modulation of protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP-1B) in the liver of old rats. Aging rats were subjected to swimming for two 1.5-h long bouts, separated by a 45 min rest period. Sixteen hours after the exercise, the rats were sacrificed and proteins from the insulin signaling pathway were analyzed by immunoblotting. Our results show that the fat mass was increased in old rats. The reduction in glucose disappearance rate (Kitt) observed in aged rats was restored 16 h after exercise. Aging increased the content of PTP-1B and attenuated insulin signaling in the liver of rats, a phenomenon that was reversed by exercise. Aging rats also increased the IRβ/PTP-1B and IRS-1/PTP-1B association in the liver when compared with young rats. Conversely, in the liver of exercised old rats, IRβ/PTP-1B and IRS-1/PTP-1B association was markedly decreased. Moreover, in the hepatic tissue of old rats, the insulin signalling was decreased and PEPCK and G6Pase levels were increased when compared with young rats. Interestingly, 16 h after acute exercise, the PEPCK and G6Pase protein level were decreased in the old exercised group. These results provide new insights into the mechanisms by which exercise restores insulin signalling in liver during aging. © 2013 Moura et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Androgen deprivation from pre-puberty to peripuberty interferes in proteins expression in pubertal and adult rat epididymis

Few studies have focused on experimental testosterone deprivation in immature animals. Therefore, this study used sexually immature rats aiming to evaluate the testes and epididymis histology and proteins expression in these organs on PND50 and 75, after premature antiandrogen exposure, from PND21 to 44. Although the androgen deprivation from pre-puberty up to peripuberty did not alter the histological organization of the testes and epididymis either at puberty or at adulthood, the treatment impaired the expression of specific proteins in epididymal tissue at puberty and adulthood (androgen receptor, calmodulin, Rab11A). These changes may be related to impaired epididymal function, sperm quality and fertility capacity as observed in a previous study. Further studies are necessary to better investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the impairment on reproductive competence of male rats after precocious hormonal injury. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Cysteine proteinase inhibitors regulate human and mouse osteoclastogenesis by interfering with RANK signaling

The cysteine proteinase inhibitor cystatin C inhibited RANKL-stimulated osteoclast formation in mouse bone marrow macrophage cultures, an effect associated with decreased mRNA expression of Acp5, Calcr, Ctsk, Mmp9, Itgb3, and Atp6i, without effect on proliferation or apoptosis. The effects were concentration dependent with half-maximal inhibition at 0.3 μM. Cystatin C also inhibited osteoclast formation when RANKL-stimulated osteoclasts were cultured on bone, leading to decreased formation of resorption pits. RANKL-stimulated cells retained characteristics of phagocytotic macrophages when cotreated with cystatin C. Three other cysteine proteinase inhibitors, cystatin D, Z-RLVG-CHN2 (IC50 0.1 μM), and E-64 (IC 50 3 μM), also inhibited osteoclast formation in RANKL-stimulated macrophages. In addition, cystatin C, Z-RLVG-CHN2, and E-64 inhibited osteoclastic differentiation of RANKL-stimulated CD14+ human monocytes. The effect by cystatin C on differentiation of bone marrow macrophages was exerted at an early stage after RANKL stimulation and was associated with early (4 h) inhibition of c-Fos expression and decreased protein and nuclear translocation of c-Fos. Subsequently, p52, p65, IκBα, and Nfatc1 mRNA were decreased. Cystatin C was internalized in osteoclast progenitors, a process requiring RANKL stimulation. These data show that cystatin C inhibits osteoclast differentiation and formation by interfering intracellularly with signaling pathways downstream RANK. © FASEB.

Investigação da toxicidade e da capacidade de recuperação do herbicida 2,4-D comercial (2,4-diclorofenoxiacético) empregando brânquias de tilápias, Oreochromis niloticus, como biomarcador

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Estrutura eletrônica de derivados de politieno[3,4-b]-tiofeno-co-benzoditiofeno para aplicação em camadas ativas de células solares orgânicas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Surface pressure-area isotherms for Langmuir monolayers and a docking molecular orientation of perylene tetracarboxylic derivatives on a water surface

The surface pressure-molecular area (pi-A) isotherms for Langmuir monolayers of four perylenetetracarboxylic (PTCD) derivatives, measured with varying subphase temperatures and compression speeds, are reported. The behavior of these PTCD derivatives at the water-air interface is modeled using the rigid docking method. This approach is the first attempt to model the molecular orientation of PTCD on the water surface to be compared with experimental Langmuir isotherms. Through this methodology, it would be possible to anticipate aggregation and determine if favorable spatial orientations of perylenes are generated on the water surface. The pi-A isotherm experiments show that these molecules can support high surface pressures, indicating strong packing on the water surface and that the isotherms are compression speed independent but temperature dependent. The molecular orientation and stacking was further examined in Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayers deposited onto glass and glass coated with Ag island films using UV-visible absorption and surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF) measurements.