Efeito de um extrato de Artemísia Vulgaris L. marcação in vitro de constituintes sanguíneos com tecnécio-99m em ratos wistar

Artemisia vulgaris L..is used in folk medicine and in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This medicinal plant has been utilized as anticonvulsive, analgesic, antispasmodic effect, rheumatic pains, menstrual dyspepsia, asthenia, epilepsy, hepatitis, fevers, anemia and to expel parasites. In nuclear medicine, blood constituents are labeled with technetium-99m (99mTc) and used as radiopharmaceuticals (radiobiocomplexes). Authors have been described that synthetic and/or natural drugs could modify the labeling of blood constituents with 99mTc. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of an aqueous extract of Artemisia vulgaris L. on the labeling of blood constituents with 99mTc. Blood samples withdrawn of Wistar rats were incubated with Artemisia vulgaris L, stannous chloride and 99mTc, as pertechnetate ion. Aliquots of plasma (P) and blood cells (BC) were isolated. Aliquots of P and BC were also precipitated with trichloroacetic acid and soluble (SF) and insoluble (IF) fractions were separated. The radioactivity in each fraction was counted and the percentages of radioactivity (%ATI) were calculated. Artemisia vulgaris L. extract decreased significantly (p<0.05) the %ATI on BC and on IF-BC. The analysis of the results indicates that the extract could have substances that could interfere on the transport of stannous through the erythrocyte membrane altering the labeling of blood cells with 99mTc. Working in this study was a multidisciplinary group, with Phisical therapists, Biomedicals, Physicals, Pharmacists, Biologists, Statistics and Physicians.

Multiplicação do nematoide Meloidogyne paranaensis e velocidade de enraizamento de estacas caulinares em sete espécies de plantas medicinais

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Agronomia e Medicina Veterinária, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Agronomia, 2016.

青蒿反义鲨烯合酶基因对烟草的转化

利用反义技术研究生物代谢途径以及对其生物合成进行调控成为植物次生代谢研究领域内一个重要手段之一，并与新兴的RNAi技术一起成为本领域内重要的研究热点。在植物类异戊二烯代谢途径中存在着羟甲基戊二酰辅酶A还原酶(HMGR)、法呢基焦磷酸合酶（FPS）和鲨烯合酶（SQS）等几种关键的分支酶，他们被认为在异戊二烯类的生物合成中发挥着关键的调节作用。其中，鲨烯合酶处于HMGR和FPS的下游，并与倍半萜合酶等利用共同的前体－法呢基二磷酸（FPP），以FPP起始合成一系列的下游产物。因此，FPP成为类异戊二烯途径中的关键调节点之一。本论文基于此目的，利用反义技术研究了FPP合成鲨烯这一途径受到抑制对其他以FPP为生物合成前体的代谢支路的影响。 利用植物双元转化载体pBI121，将青蒿中鲨烯合酶基因的cDNA（约1.5kb）序列插入到pBI121中，取代原有的GUS序列，构建成植物转化载体pBIASS。以根癌农杆菌为介导，将青蒿鲨烯合酶反义基因序列导入到烟草，整合到其基因组中 ，成功获得转基因植株。对转基因烟草进行分子检测表明，外源鲨烯合酶基因的序列已经稳定整合到烟草基因组中，并对内源的烟草鲨烯合酶基因表达产生影响。转基因烟草中检测到内源鲨烯合酶基因的mRNA的水平降低。对鲨烯合酶下游产物之一的胆固醇的含量分析显示，活性减低的鲨烯合酶使胆固醇的生物合成下降约40％左右。同时，另一条以FPP为共同前体的二萜代谢途径产物之一GA3的含量得到了提高，比对照提高约30％。

水稻GA3应答基因表达谱微阵列分析与OsGAS1功能初步研究

利用反义技术研究生物代谢途径以及对其生物合成进行调控成为植物次生代谢研究领域内一个重要手段之一，并与新兴的RNAi技术一起成为本领域内重要的研究热点。在植物类异戊二烯代谢途径中存在着羟甲基戊二酰辅酶A还原酶(HMGR)、法呢基焦磷酸合酶（FPS）和鲨烯合酶（SQS）等几种关键的分支酶，他们被认为在异戊二烯类的生物合成中发挥着关键的调节作用。其中，鲨烯合酶处于HMGR和FPS的下游，并与倍半萜合酶等利用共同的前体－法呢基二磷酸（FPP），以FPP起始合成一系列的下游产物。因此，FPP成为类异戊二烯途径中的关键调节点之一。本论文基于此目的，利用反义技术研究了FPP合成鲨烯这一途径受到抑制对其他以FPP为生物合成前体的代谢支路的影响。 利用植物双元转化载体pBI121，将青蒿中鲨烯合酶基因的cDNA（约1.5kb）序列插入到pBI121中，取代原有的GUS序列，构建成植物转化载体pBIASS。以根癌农杆菌为介导，将青蒿鲨烯合酶反义基因序列导入到烟草，整合到其基因组中 ，成功获得转基因植株。对转基因烟草进行分子检测表明，外源鲨烯合酶基因的序列已经稳定整合到烟草基因组中，并对内源的烟草鲨烯合酶基因表达产生影响。转基因烟草中检测到内源鲨烯合酶基因的mRNA的水平降低。对鲨烯合酶下游产物之一的胆固醇的含量分析显示，活性减低的鲨烯合酶使胆固醇的生物合成下降约40％左右。同时，另一条以FPP为共同前体的二萜代谢途径产物之一GA3的含量得到了提高，比对照提高约30％。

青蒿素生物合成调控的研究章焰生

青蒿 (Artemisia annua) 是目前唯一用来生产抗疟药剂青蒿素的一种药用植物，由于青蒿植株中青蒿素的含量过低，使得青蒿素的生产不能满足市场的需要，提高青蒿植株中青蒿素的含量显得尤为重要，本论文围绕着调控青蒿素的生物合成作出了以下一些研究： 一、紫穗槐二烯合酶基因启动子的克隆 　紫穗槐二烯合酶是参与青蒿素生物合成的一个关键酶，以法呢基焦磷酸为底物，催化形成青蒿素分子所具有的杜松烯环状结构, 此酶被认为是青蒿素分支途径中的第一个关键限速酶，因此它的表达水平高低关系着流向青蒿素生物合成的碳流量。为了了解紫穗槐二烯合酶的表达模式，用Tail-PCR的方法我们从青蒿高产株系001中克隆得到紫穗槐二烯合酶基因的两个启动子，分别命名为AMSP1与AMSP2，序列比较分析可看出两启动子有三处大的差异片段，由此推测紫穗槐二烯合酶基因在青蒿基因组中可能是一个多拷贝形式存在，Southern杂交验证了这一点，结果表明，紫穗槐二烯合酶基因在青蒿基因组中至少存在三个copy;利用PLACE数据库对克隆的启动子的顺式作用元件进行分析，发现其中有光、茉莉酸甲酯等调控元件。5'RACE分析确定了紫穗槐二烯合酶基因的转录起始位点位于翻译起始位点上游44bp处。通过PCR的方法，我们对启动子AMSP2进行5′端缺失，缺失的5个启动子片段克隆进报告基因GUS的上游，以进行下一步启动子的特性分析。 二、紫穗槐二烯合酶的表达特性分析 　　RT-PCR半定量分析表明：光正调控于紫穗槐二烯合酶的转录表达，黑暗培养条件下，青蒿植株中紫穗槐二烯合酶的转录水平较低，一旦进行光照培养，紫穗槐二烯合酶的转录水平显著上升;茉莉酸甲酯对青蒿植株中紫穗槐二烯合酶的表达调控具有光依赖性，在连续黑暗条件下，茉莉酸甲酯对紫穗槐二烯合酶的转录水平并无影响，而在正常光照与黑暗循环培养条件下，茉莉酸甲酯明显诱导了青蒿植株中紫穗槐二烯合酶的转录表达。鉴于在正常的培养条件下，茉莉酸甲酯正调控于紫穗槐二烯合酶的转录表达，我们研究了茉莉酸甲酯对青蒿植株中青蒿素生物合成的影响，结果表明，茉莉酸甲酯并未促进青蒿素的生物合成，却诱导了青蒿素生物合成的前体青蒿酸的生物合成。 三、真空介导农杆菌转化青蒿植株瞬时表达系统的建立 　　探讨了真空强度、青蒿苗龄、农杆菌的浓度、共培养方式、共培养时间以及光对青蒿植株瞬时表达的影响，结果表明真空强度70－80mbar、30天的青蒿苗龄以及侵染农杆菌浓度OD600为2.0时有利于青蒿植株的瞬时表达;液体共培养极大地抑制了外源基因在青蒿植株的瞬时表达，固体共培养与滤纸共培养适合于青蒿植株的瞬时表达系统，二者之间无明显差异;共培养时间也是影响基因瞬时表达的关键因素，结果表明，3天或4天较2天共培养有利于外源基因在青蒿植株的瞬时表达;光对青蒿植株的瞬时表达有极大地抑制作用，而黑暗条件适合于青蒿植株的瞬时表达;此系统可用于不同基因型的青蒿植株。 四、青蒿过氧化物酶基因的克隆及功能分析 　　利用RACE方法，从青蒿高产株系001中克隆了一个第三大类植物过氧化物酶的cDNA。克隆的青蒿过氧化物酶氨基酸序列与白羽扇豆、辣根菜、小麦、烟草、蕃茄的过氧化物酶的同源性分别为42.0%、36.2%、38.9%、33.6%和32.8%。青蒿过氧化物酶的编码区被克隆进原核表达载体PET-30a，并在大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)pLysS中诱导表达，过量表达产物主要以包涵体形式存在，但也有相当一部分可溶性蛋白出现。表达的蛋白具有明显催化抗坏血酸、愈创木酚的过氧化物酶活性，催化愈创木酚活性大约是催化抗坏血酸的1.8倍。氨基酸同源性分析与过氧化反应表明克隆的过氧化物酶属于植物第三大类过氧化物酶。青蒿过氧化物酶间接促进了青蒿细胞提取液中青蒿酸向青蒿素的生物转化，但不能直接以青蒿酸作为催化底物。 五、外源赤霉素处理与开花对青蒿素、青蒿酸生物合成的影响 　　研究结果发现在青蒿的营养生长期喷施外源赤霉素明显促进了青蒿素的生物合成，同时青蒿酸含量呈下降趋势;从营养期至生殖期，青蒿酸的含量逐渐下降，至开化前期青蒿酸含量下降到最低，从开化前期至开花后期，青蒿酸的含量无多大变化，随着青蒿的发育，从营养生长期至开花期，青蒿素的含量呈上升趋势，至开化盛期时青蒿素含量达到最高。外源赤霉素处理与开花打破了青蒿素生物合成的瓶颈，诱导了青蒿酸向青蒿素的生物转化。

黄花蒿提取物的杀虫活性

黄花蒿精油对米象、玉米象、绿豆象和蚕豆象等 4种仓库害虫具有很强的熏杀活性 ,其甲醇和乙醇提取物对小菜蛾、菜青虫、大菜粉蝶、银纹夜蛾和斜纹夜蛾幼虫也具有一定的杀虫活性。

Antioxidant activities of eight Algerian plant extracts and two essential oils

Total phenol, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, flavone/flavonol and flavanones/dihydroflavonol contents of hydro-alcoholic extracts, obtained by sonication, from the aerial parts of Artemisia campestris L., Anthemis arvensis L., Haloxylon scoparium Pomel, Juniperus phoenicea L., Arbutus unedo L., Cytisus monspessulanus L., Thymus algeriensis Boiss et Reut, Zizyphus lotus L (Desf.) collected in Djebel Amour (Sahara Atlas, Algeria) were quantified by spectrophotometric methods. The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from Artemisia campestris L. and Juniperus phoenicea I aerial parts were also evaluated by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity of the extracts and essential oils was assessed measuring the capacity for preventing lipid peroxidation using two lipidic substrates (egg yolk and liposomes), the capacity for scavenging DPPH, ABTS, superoxide anion radicals, hydroxyl radicals and peroxyl radicals. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by measuring the capacity for inhibiting lipoxygenase. Reducing power and chelating capacity were also assayed. The results showed different amounts of total phenols depending on the method used: A. campestris extract had the highest levels of total phenols when the measurement was made at lambda = 280 nm, whereas H. scoparium and A. unedo extracts showed the highest levels of total phenols with Folin-Ciocalteau. C. monspessulanus had the highest levels of flavones/flavonols and flavanones/dihydroflavonols. The essential oils of A. campestris and J. phoenicea were mainly constituted by alpha-pinene, beta-pinene and sabinene; and a-pinene, respectively. The methods used for assaying the capacity for preventing lipid peroxidation revealed to be inadequate for extracts due to the great interferences detected. The essential oils were more active than the generality of extracts for scavenging peroxyl radicals and for inhibiting lipoxygenase, whereas A. unedo extract was the most active for scavenging ABTS, DPPH, superoxide anion radicals and it also had the best reducing capacity. In a general way, the great majority of the antioxidant activities correlated well with the phenol content although such correlation was not so clear with the flavonoid content. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genotoxic evaluation of the antimalarial drugs artemisinin and artesunate in human HepG2 cells and effects on CASP3 and SOD1 gene expressions

The malaria treatment recommended by the World Health Organization involves medicines derived from artemisinin, an active compound extracted from the plant Artemisia annua, and some of its derivatives, such as artesunate. Considering the lack of data regarding the genotoxic effects of these compounds in human cells, the objective of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, and expressions of the CASP3 and SOD1 genes in a cultured human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2 cells) treated with artemisinin and artesunate. We tested concentrations of 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, and 20 μg/mL of both substances with a resazurin cytotoxicity assay, and the concentrations used in the genotoxicity experiments (2.5, 5, and 10 μg/mL) and gene expression analysis (5 mg/mL) were determined. The results of the comet assay in cells treated with artemisinin and artesunate showed a significant dosedependent increase (P < 0.001) in the number of cells with DNA damage at all concentrations tested. However, the gene expression analysis revealed no significant change in expression of CASP3 or SOD1. Our data showed that although artemisinin and artesunate exhibited genotoxic effects in cultured HepG2 cells, they did not significantly alter expression of the CASP3 and SOD1 genes at the doses tested. ©FUNPEC-RP.

Efeito genotóxico da artemisinina e do artesunato em células de mamíferos

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnol��gico (CNPq)

Extratos vegetais e produtos naturais com potencial de uso no controle de Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) na cultura da videira

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

The Role of the Alternative Oxidase in Stabilizing the in Vivo Reduction State of the Ubiquinone Pool and the Activation State of the Alternative Oxidase

A possible function for the alternative (nonphosphorylating) pathway is to stabilize the reduction state of the ubiquinone pool (Qr/Qt), thereby avoiding an increase in free radical production. If the Qr/Qt were stabilized by the alternative pathway, then Qr/Qt should be less stable when the alternative pathway is blocked. Qr/Qt increased when we exposed roots of Poa annua (L.) to increasing concentrations of KCN (an inhibitor of the cytochrome pathway). However, when salicylhydroxamic acid, an inhibitor of the alternative pathway, was added at the same time, Qr/Qt increased significantly more. Therefore, we conclude that the alternative pathway stabilizes Qr/Qt. Salicylhydroxamic acid increasingly inhibited respiration with increasing concentrations of KCN. In the experiments described here the alternative oxidase protein was invariably in its reduced (high-activity) state. Therefore, changes in the reduction state of the alternative oxidase cannot account for an increase in activity of the alternative pathway upon titration with KCN. The pyruvate concentration in intact roots increased only after the alternative pathway was blocked or the cytochrome pathway was severely inhibited. The significance of the pyruvate concentration and Qr/Qt on the activity of the alternative pathway in intact roots is discussed.