S-100 dendritic cells in normal and Dermatobia hominis infested cattle skin

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

Effect of annealing on the semicrystalline structure of normal and waxy corn starches

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

Casearin X, Its Degradation Product and Other Clerodane Diterpenes from Leaves of Casearia sylvestris: Evaluation of Cytotoxicity against Normal and Tumor Human Cells

An EtOH extract of the leaves of Casearia sylvestris afforded new clerodane diterpene, casearin X, together with the known compounds casearins B, D, L, and O, and caseargrewiin F Casearin X degraded to the corresponding dialdehyde when stored in CDCl(3). The diterpenes isolated were cytotoxic to human cancer cell lines, with caseargrewiin F being the most active and the new clerodane, casearin X, the second active compound with IC(50) values comparable to the positive control doxorubicin. All isolated diterpenes showed lower activities against normal human cells than against cancer cell lines, which might indicate a possible selective action on cancer cells. Casearin X dialdehyde was not cytotoxic to cancer cells indicating that the occurrence of these CO groups at C(18) and C(19) is incompatible with the cytotoxic activity.

Simultaneous observation of collagen and elastin in normal and pathological tissues: analysis of Sirius-red-stained sections by fluorescence microscopy

In order to observe collagen and elastic fibers simultaneously, sections of human aorta, skin, lung, liver, and bladder were stained by Sirius red and analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. In all cases, the fibers of collagen presented the characteristic fluorescent red-orange color that results from the interaction of this extracellular protein with the dye, whereas elastic fibers showed strong green fluorescence (intrinsic fluorescence). This method efficiently detects collagen and elastic fibers when these two structures are present and could have valuable applications in processes that involves both fibers.

Limonoids showing selective toxicity to DNA repair-deficient yeast and other constituents of Trichilia emetica

Bioactivity-directed fractionation of the MeCOEt extract of Trichilia emetica (Meliaceae) resulted in the isolation of the limonoids nymania 1 (1), drageana 4 (3), trichilin A (4), rohituka 3 (5),and Tr-B (7) and the novel seco-A protolimonoid 8. of these, nymania 1 and Tr-B showed selective inhibitory activity toward DNA repair-deficient yeast mutants. The isolation, structure elucidation, C-13 NMR spectral assignments, and biological activities of:these compounds are reported.

CHANGES IN VASCULAR-RESISTANCE DURING CAROTID OCCLUSION IN NORMAL AND BARORECEPTOR-DENERVATED RATS

In the present study, we investigated changes in mesenteric, renal, and hindquarter vascular resistance during the pressor response produced by bilateral carotid occlusion (BCO) in conscious, freely moving normal and denervated (aortic, carotid, or both) rats. BCO was performed using special previously implanted cuffs. In control normal rats, the increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) during early and late responses (37 +/- 4 and 21 +/- 2 mm Hg, respectively) was related to increased renal (125 +/- 12% and 45 +/- 10%) and mesenteric (38 +/- 13% and 41 +/- 5%) but not hindquarter (14 +/- 4% and 8 +/- 7%) vascular resistance. In aortic-denervated rats, the greater MAP increase in early and late responses (57 +/- 4 and 44 +/- 4 mm Hg, respectively) compared with normal rats was related to a marked increase in hindquarter (137 +/- 26% and 106 +/- 26%) and mesenteric (104 +/- 14% and 66 +/- 9%) vascular resistance. In carotid-denervated rats, MAP increase and change in vascular resistance were similar to those values observed in control rats. Sinoaortic-denervated rats showed a greater MAP increase (34 +/- 4 mm Hg) during late response and a reduced increase in renal vascular resistance (46 +/- 6%) during early response. The present results show that 1) the pressor response to BCO in normal rats is associated with an increase in renal and mesenteric vascular resistance, 2) the aortic baroreceptors buffer the increase in mesenteric and especially hindquarter vascular resistance during BCO, and 3) the reduced pressor response in late response is probably related to a reduced increase in renal vascular resistance during this component compared with the early response.

Partial purification and characterization of lysine-ketoglutarate reductase in normal and opaque-2 maize endosperms

Lysine-ketoglutaratc reductase catalyzes the first step of lysine catabolism in maize (Zea mays L.) endosperm. The enzyme condenses L-lysine and α-ketoglutarate into saccharopine using NADPH as cofactor. It is endosperm-specific and has a temporal pattern of activity, increasing with the onset of kernel development, reaching a peak 20 to 25 days after pollination, and thereafter decreasing as the kernel approaches maturity. The enzyme was extracted from the developing maize endosperm and partially purified by ammonium-sulfate precipitation, anion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, and affinity chromatography on Blue-Sepharose CL-6B. The preparation obtained from affinity chromatography was enriched 275-fold and had a specific activity of 411 nanomoles per minute per milligram protein. The native and denaturated enzyme is a 140 kilodalton protein as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme showed specificity for its substrates and was not inhibited by either aminoethyl-cysteine or glutamate. Steady-state product-inhibition studies revealed that saccharopine was a noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to α-ketoglutarate and a competitive inhibitor with respect to lysine. This is suggestive of a rapid equilibriumordered binding mechanism with a binding order of lysine, α-ketoglutarate, NADPH. The enzyme activity was investigated in two maize inbred lines with homozygous normal and opaque-2 endosperms. The pattern of lysine-ketoglutarate reductase activity is coordinated with the rate of zein accumulation during endosperm development. A coordinated regulation of enzyme activity and zein accumulation was observed in the opaque-2 endosperm as the activity and zein levels were two to three times lower than in the normal endosperm. Enzyme extracted from L1038 normal and opaque-2 20 days after pollination was partially purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Both genotypes showed a similar elution pattern with a single activity peak eluted at approximately 0.2 molar KCL. The molecular weight and physical properties of the normal and opaque-2 enzymes were essentially the same. We suggest that the Opaque-2 gene, which is a transactivator of the 22 kilodalton zein genes, may be involved in the regulation of the lysine-ketoglutarate reductase gene in maize endosperm. In addition, the decreased reductase activity caused by the opaque-2 mutation may explain, at least in part, the elevated concentration of lysine found in the opaque-2 endosperm.

Pulpal lesions in normal and cyclosporin a treated rats

The objective of this study was to examine the development of pulpal lesions in the lower molar of control and cyclosporin A (CyA) treated rats. The pulps of the first lower molars of 20 normal and 20 CyA treated rats were exposed and left open into the oral cavity. Five animals of each group were killed at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after the pulp exposure. The specimens were sectioned sagittally at a thickness of 7 μm and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The pulpal lesions were similar for both normal and CyA treated rats in all studied periods and the differences between both groups were not statistically significant by the Student t test at the 5% (0.05) level of significance, indicating that the immunosuppression did not alter the evolution of the inflammatory process. Copyright © 1997 by The American Association of Endodontists.

Microscopic, morphometric and ultrastructural analysis of anastomotic healing in the intestine of normal and diabetic rats

The purpose of this study was to investigate if experimental alloxanic diabetes could cause qualitative changes in intestinal anastomoses of the terminal ileum and distal colon in rats, as compared to controls. 192 male Wistar rats, weighing ± 300g were split into four experimental groups of 48 animals each, after 3 months of follow-up: a control group with ileum anastomoses (G1), a control group with colon anastomoses (G2), a diabetic group with ileum anastomoses (G3) and a diabetic group with colon anastomoses (G4). Animals were evaluated and sacrificed on days 4, 14, 21 and 30 after surgery, and fragments of the small and large intestine where the anastomoses were performed were removed. Samples from 6 animals from each sacrifice moment were submitted to ultrastructural analysis of the collagen fibers using a scanning electron microscope and samples from another 6 animals were submitted to histopathology and optical microscopy studies using picrosirius red-staining. Histopathological analysis of picrosirius red-stained anastomosis slides using an optical microscope at 40x magnification showed that the distribution of collagen fibers was disarranged and also revealed a delay in scar tissue retraction. The morphometric study revealed differences in the collagen filled area for the ileum anastomoses 14 days post surgery whereas, in the case of colon anastomoses, differences were observed at days 4 and 30 post surgery, with higher values in the diabetic animals. Ultrastructure analysis of the ileum and colon anastomoses using a scanning electron microscope revealed fewer wide collagen fibers, the presence of narrower fibers and a disarranged distribution of the collagen fibers. We conclude that diabetes caused qualitative changes in scar tissue as well as in the structural arrangement of collagen fibers, what could explain the reduced wound strength in the anastomosis of diabetic animals. © J. A. Barth Verlag in Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.

Long-term orange juice consumption is associated with low LDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B in normal and moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects

Abstract. Background: This study investigated the hypothesis that long-term orange juice consumption (≥ 12 months) was associated with low risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adult men and women with normal and moderately high cholesterol blood levels. Methods. The sample consisted of 103 men (18-66 y) and 26 women (18-65 y); all were employees of an orange juice factory with daily access to free orange juice. The results showed that 41% of the individuals consumed 2 cups (480 mL) of orange juice per day for at least twelve months, while 59% of the volunteers are non-consumers of orange juice. Results: Orange juice consumers with normal serum lipid levels had significantly lower total cholesterol (-11%, p <0.001), LDL-cholesterol (-18%, p < 0.001), apolipoprotein B (apo B) (-12%, p < 0.01) and LDL/HDL ratio (-12%, p < 0.04) in comparison to non-consumers, as did the consumers with moderate hypercholesterolemia: lower total cholesterol (-5%, p <0.02), LDL-cholesterol (-12%, p <0.03), apolipoprotein B (-12%, p <0.01) and LDL/HDL ratio (-16%, p <0.05) in comparison the non-consumers counterparts. Serum levels of homocysteine, HDL- cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-1, body composition and the dietary intake of food energy and macronutrients did not differ among orange juice consumers and non-consumers, but vitamin C and folate intake was higher in orange juice consumers. Conclusion: Long-term orange juice consumers had lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, apo B and LDL/HDL ratio and an improvement of folate and vitamin C in their diet. © 2013 Aptekmann and Cesar; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.