Copaiba oil effect on experimental jaw defect in Wistar rats

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of copaiba oil on jaw defects repair in Wistar rats treated with bioglass or adipose tissue. METHODS: A jaw defect was randomly created in forty-two rats and filled with bioglass or adipose tissue. The two groups (Gbio and Gcell) were subdivided in three subgroups with seven animals each according to gavage administration: control (distillated water), oil (copaiba oil) and melox (meloxicam). Euthanasia was performed after forty post-operative days. The bone formation was analyzed regarding the histological aspects. RESULTS: The osteoclasts activity was observed only in four subgroups (p=0.78). Regarding the osteoblasts presence, it was very similar between the subgroups, the difference was due to Gcell-melox (p=0.009) that presented less osteoblastic activity. The inflammatory cells were more evident in Gcell-melox subgroup, however, there was no difference in comparison with the other subgroups (p=0.52). Bone formation was observed in all subgroups, just two animals showed no bone formation even after 40 days. More than 50% of bone matrix mineralization was observed in 56% (23 animals) of the analyzed areas. The bone matrix mineralization was not different between subgroups (p=0.60). CONCLUSIONS: The subgroups that received copaiba oil showed bone repair, although not statistically significant in comparison to subgroups treated whit meloxicam or controls. Copaiba oil administered by gavage had no effect on bone repair in this experimental model.

Produção de biodiesel através da hidroesterificação do óleo de andiroba (Carapa guianensis, Aubl.) via Catalise Heterogenea Acida

O processo de hidroesterificação (hidrolise seguida de esterificação) se constitui como uma alternativa ao processo convencional de produção de biodiesel, pois permite o uso de matérias-primas de qualquer teor de água e de ácidos graxos. O biodiesel foi gerado a partir da esterificação do óleo de andiroba com alto teor de ácidos graxos sendo utilizado o oxido de nióbio em pó da CBMM (HY-340) como catalisador. Para execução dos experimentos foi utilizado um reator autoclave (batelada). A reação de hidrolise foi conduzida na temperatura de 300°C, ~1200psi e razão molar água/óleo de 20. Nas reações de esterificação foram observados os efeitos da razão molar metanol/acido graxo (1,2; 2,1 e 3,0), da temperatura (150, 175 e 200oC) e da concentração de catalisador (0, 10 e 20% m/m) tendo como resposta a conversão e a taxa inicial da reação. Os dados foram conduzidos segundo um planejamento experimental (fatorial com 23 e adição de 3 pontos centrais) analisado pelo programa Statistica. A conversão das reações de esterificação foi monitorada a partir de medidas titulometricas de acidez das alíquotas, retiradas nos tempos de 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45 e 60 min. Nos experimentos de esterificação a maior conversão obtida foi 96,1% com temperatura de 200oC, 20% m/m de catalisador e razão molar metanol/acido igual a 3,0. Eliminando o catalisador e considerando os mesmos niveis para as outras duas variáveis analisadas (temperatura e razão molar), foi obtida uma conversão de 95,3%, porem foi observada uma taxa de conversão menor tendo-se um aumento de 35 minutos no tempo de reação comparando com a reação catalisada.

Antinociceptive effects of the essential oil of Mentha x villosa leaf and its major constituent piperitenone oxide in mice

Mentha x villosa Huds (Labiatae) is an aromatic herb widely used in folk medicine. Since the essential oil of the herb has many pharmacological activities, including antispasmodic effects, we determined whether the oil and its major constituent, piperitenone oxide (PO), have antinociceptive activity. The essential oil of M. x villosa (EOMV) and PO administered orally at 200 mg/kg (vehicle: 0.1% Tween 80 in water) significantly reduced the writhings induced by acetic acid from control values of 59.5 ± 3.1 s (N = 10) to 31.9 ± 2.8 s (N = 10) and 23.8 ± 3.4 s (N = 10), respectively. When administered at 100 and 200 mg/kg, EOMV reduced the paw licking time for the second phase of the formalin test from the control value of 20.6 ± 2.1 s (N = 13) to 5.3 ± 2.2 s (N = 12) and 2.7 ± 1.2 s (N = 18), respectively. At 100 and 200 mg/kg, PO reduced this second phase to 8.3 ± 2.7 s (N = 12) and 3.0 ± 1.2 s (N = 10), respectively. This effect of EOMV and PO was not reversed by naloxone. EOMV and PO had no significant effect on the first phase of the formalin test. As evaluated by the hot-plate and tail immersion test, EOMV and PO, at doses up to 200 mg/kg, showed no analgesic activity. These results show that EOMV and PO have antinociceptive activity and suggest that this effect is probably an indirect anti-inflammatory effect, which does not involve the central nervous system.