Chitosan/tripolyphosphate nanoparticles loaded with paraquat herbicide: An environmentally safer alternative for weed control

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

Two-stage rumenostomy in buffaloes

Background: Rumenostomy may be performed for therapeutic and digestibility research purposes in bovines, small ruminants and camelids. Several studies requires romenostomy in buffaloes in order to sample ruminal content for laboratorial assays. However, complications and outcome of rumenostomy was poorly studied in buffaloes. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to describe a two-stage rumenostomy technique in buffaloes, focused on intra and post-operative period.Materials, Methods & Results: Nine Murrah buffaloes were submitted to a 36-h and 12-h of food and water fastening. The animals were given acepromazine and maintained in standing position. Flank local anesthesia was carried out. A circular skin incision was carried out in the center of the left flank, followed by divulsion of the external and internal obliques and transversus abdominus muscles, and incision of the peritoneum. Subsequently, a segment of the dorsal aspect of the rumen was grasped and pulled through the flank incision. The rumen was attached to the peritoneum and skin incision margins in four points (dorsal, ventral, cranial and caudal). Additional simple interrupted sutures attaching the rumen serosa to the skin were applied subsequently. Four additional interrupted horizontal mattress sutures were applied equidistantly, taking bites only in the skin and rumen serosa. Following 12 h, the second stage was carried out. The buffaloes were prepared and restrained as performed for the first stage. A circular flap was excised from the exteriorized rumen and the silicone romenostomy cannula was placed. Clinical parameters, postoperative recovery, weight and behavioral pain scale were assessed. Positioning and anesthesia regimen were adequate for the achievement of the procedure. However, two animals fell in the restraint chute during the first surgical stage. Mild ischemia of the exteriorized rumen segment was observed on the second surgical stage, which resulted in less hemorrhage and enhanced cannula positioning. Complete cicatrization and permanent adhesion of the rumen to the skin were achieved. No ruminal leakage to the abdominal cavity occurred. No signs of pain were reported. There were few cases of laxity of the romenostomy opening leading to drop of cannula, myiasis on the margin of the stoma site and few cases of mild ruminal content leakage on the long-term assessment.Discussion: Restraint in standing position was considered adequate, although lateral recumbence constitutes another option. However, higher risk of contamination and technical difficulties in placing the cannulas are expected if lateral recumbence is considered. In other trials using acepromazine, no accidental recumbence occurred. Xylazine was also indicated for chemical restraint of buffaloes. It is known that flexible cannulas provide better anatomic adjustment and adaptation as well as being effective for sampling ruminal content, as seen in the current study. Ruminal leakage is one of the most frequent complications of romenostomy, which may affect animal's welfare. The animals in the current study presented no variations on the body score, even though on those presenting cannula loosening or ruminal content leakage. Moreover, no significant changes of the ruminal content parameters were noticed. Myiasis was also reported following ruminal surgical interventions, which were mainly attributed to extensive breeding. Loss of the cannula, subcutaneous emphysema and suture dehiscence are common complications of romenostomy. Nonetheless, none of those complications were found on the current study. Thus, romenostomy was feasible and efficient for sampling and performing assays of the ruminal content in buffaloes.

Caracterização fitoquímica e ensaios biológicos de Coleus blumei Benth

Coleus blumei Benth (Lamiaceae), popularly known in Brazil as heart-hurt or coleus-of-Java is an ornamental plant widely used due to the color of its leaves. Several species of the genus Coleus present compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial and allopathic activities due to the presence of chemicals such coleonol, forskolin and rosmarinic acid. Therefore, this study aimed to carry out phytochemical study and biological tests to evaluate the antibacterial, antioxidant and allopathic activities of the 70% ethanol extract and its fractions ethyl acetate, dichloromethane and end aqueous fraction leaf of Coleus blumei Benth. The plant extract was prepared by turbolisis from the powder of dried leaves, as a solvent for extraction using 70% ethanol. The ethanol extract was fractionated with solvents dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. The phytochemical study identified the presence of saponins, free anthraquinones, flavonoids and anthocyanidins. In evaluating the antibacterial dichloromethane fraction showed activity against all microorganisms tested both in agar diffusion test and microdilution test. The 70% ethanol extract showed activity against the micro-organisms S. aureus and S. epidermidis in agar diffusion test and against all microorganisms tested in microdilution test. The ethyl acetate fraction showed activity against the micro-organism S. aureus in the agar diffusion test and against all microorganisms tested in microdilution test. The end aqueous fraction showed no activity against any micro-organism tested. In the test of evaluation activity allopathic dichloromethane fraction showed greater inhibition of seed germination and growth of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), followed by 70% ethanolic extract, the ethyl acetate fraction and the end aqueous fraction. In testing the antioxidant activity with DPPH ethyl acetate fraction showed higher antioxidant activity followed... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Avaliação do potencial antioxidante, citotóxico e fotoprotetor de extratos de Hymenaea courbaril L. e Hymenaea stigonocarpa Mart. ex Hayne

Pós-graduação em Biociências - FCLAS

Compostos bioativos benéficos presentes em castanhas e nozes

Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse relationship between nuts, including walnuts, intakes and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers. The nuts contain phenolics compounds and flavonoids and are rich in tocopherol, phytosterols, and squalene. They are sources of carbohydrates, essential fatty acids and minerals. Since walnuts contain high levels of n-3 fatty acids and low unsaturated fatty acids, high levels of vitamin E, pholyphenols, flavonoids, arginine and fiber. The compounds possible beneficial effects are due to their antioxidant and antiproliferative activities, which are linked to a reduced risk for developing atherosclerosis and cancer. In recent years, the consumers have been showing an increased interest in nuts and walnuts because of their nutritional qualities and their potential beneficial effects on people’s health This review aims to describe the importance of beneficial bioactive compounds present in nuts and walnuts.

Efeitos dos derivados vegetais de condimentos nas características de qualidade e vida de prateleira de linguiça de frango fresca

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Propriedades antimicrobianas, físico-mecânicas e de liberação de fluoreto do cimento de ionômero de vidro associado ao hexametafosfato de sódio microparticulado e nanoparticulado

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Avaliação dos efeitos de aloe-emodin em células uroteliais imortalizadas e neoplásicas cultivadas in vitro

Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller), popularly known in Brazil as babosa, has a long history of use as medicinal plant for different therapeutic purposes. The components of the plant extract are present in various products of human use, mainly for nutritional and cosmetics purposes. However, some studies suggest that this extract might also have carcinogenic activity. The aloe vera extract is a complex mixture of bioactive compounds. The study of isolated compounds may contribute to elucidate contradictory results about the effects related to the consumption of the plant, as well as their mechanisms of action. One of the most important compound from Aloe vera is aloe-emodin, which is a secondary metabolite generated in the intestinal tract. Putative antimicrobial and antitumor effects were previously attributed to aloe-emodin. Although the exposure of urothelial cells to aloe-emodin was already reported in the literature, only one study showed its effects on urothelial cells, suggesting that aloe-emodin inhibits the viability of T24 cancer cells due to apoptosis induction. Since there is no sufficient information about the effects of aloe-emodin on urothelial cells, and low efficiency in the treatment of bladder cancer currently, the present study aims to evaluate the hypothesis that the treatment with aloe-emodin could impact the behavior of other urothelial cell lines in vitro. Therefore, the in vitro IC50 exposure of aloe-emodin to human immortalized neoplastic urothelial cells will be determinated in order to verify possible differences in the behavior of urothelial cells in vitro treated with aloe-emodin in comparison with untreated cells. Furthermore, differences between cell lines will be also evaluated

Estudos sobre a aplicação do pentacloreto de nióbio na síntese de derivados de 4-aril-3,4-di- hidrocumarinas

Coumarin is a natural active compound that can be found in many plants. The coumarins have many properties such as bronchodilator, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticoagulant, antibiotics, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial and antiviral, thus, they are widely used in medical applications. More recently the coumarin derivatives have attracted the interest of many research groups in the field of new materials, for example the possibility of their use as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) and lasers. The MCRs are defined as a process in which three or more reactants are combined in the same reaction pot, resulting in products with good structural complexity a single step, in addition to economy of atoms and selectivity and is a very important feature in modern synthetic methodology. In this work we investigated the use of niobium pentachloride as catalyst of the multicomponent reactions between phenolic derivatives, various aromatic aldehydes and β-diester derivatives in the synthesis of 4-aryl-3,4-dihydrocoumarin derivatives. The reactions were carried out at room temperature, under inert atmosphere (N2), using dichloromethane anhydrous (CH2 Cl2) as solvent, with a reaction time of most 120 hours. The products were isolated by column chromatography on silica gel and submitted to spectrometric and spectroscopic analysis. The results show that NbCl5 is an excellent agent for promoting the synthesis of 4-aryl-3,4-dihydrocoumarin derivatives through multicomponent reactions, obtaining yields varying from 45 to 95%

Avaliação da citotoxicidade e atividade antioxidante de plantas condimentares

Pós-graduação em Biociências - FCLAS

Efeito antimicrobiano e citotóxico do óleo essencial de Cymbopogon citratus sobre células odontoblastóides

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and cytotoxic effect of essential oil (EO) of lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus). From the agar diffusion method, different concentrations of EO (0.135%, 0.2% and 1%), and control solutions (chlorhexidine (Chx), distilled water (Ad) and cereal alcohol (Ac)) were applied on cultures of Candida albicans (C.a), Streptococcus mutans (S.m), Streptococcus sobrinus (S.sob) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (L.a). For C.a, S.m and S.sob, the largest inhibition zones in descending order were: Chx, Ac and EO 1%, while the latter two were statistically similar (Mann-Whitney, p> 0.05). For L.a, the largest inhibition halo was observed for the Chx, followed by EO at 1%, 0.2%, 0.135% and Ac. For evaluation of cytotoxicity, the following groups were set: G1: 0,1% EO; G2: pure EO; G3 (positive control): H2 O2 ; G4: cereal alcohol; and G5 (negative control): culture medium – DMEM. The solutions were applied on the cultured MDPC-23 cells, which were plated (30,000 cells/cm2 ) in wells of 24 well-dishes. Cell metabolism was evaluated by MTT assay. Considering G5 (negative control) as 100% of cell metabolism, it was observed for G1, G2, G3 and G4 a percentage reduction in cell metabolism of 29.6%, 82%, 81.2% and 33.4%, respectively. It was concluded that the low concentration of 0,1% OE (C. citratus) was able to inhibit the growth of the strains tested as well as caused mild cytotoxicity to the cultured MDPC-23 cells.

Estudos das interações do peptídeo antimicrobiano Polybia MP1 com membranas modelo: mecanismo de ação e especificidade

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effects of Ciprofloxacin-containing Scaffolds on Enterococcus faecalis Biofilms

Introduction: Antibiotic-containing polymer-based nanofibers (hereafter referred to as scaffolds) have demonstrated great potential for their use in regenerative endodontics from both an antimicrobial and cytocompatibility perspective. This study sought to evaluate in vitro the effects of ciprofloxacin (CIP)-containing polymer scaffolds against Enterococcus faecalis biofilms. Methods: Human mandibular incisors were longitudinally sectioned to prepare radicular dentin specimens. Sterile dentin specimens were distributed in 24-well plates and inoculated with E. faecalisfor biofilm formation. Infected dentin specimens were exposed to 3 groups of scaffolds, namely polydioxanone (PDS) (control), PDS + 5 wt% CIP, and PDS + 25 wt% CIP for 2 days. Colony-forming units (CFU/mL) (n = 10) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (n -= 2) were performed to quantitatively and qualitatively assess the antimicrobial effectiveness, respectively. Results: PDS scaffold containing CIP at 25 wt% showed maximum bacteria elimination with no microbial growth, differing statistically (P < .05) from the control (PDS) and from PDS scaffold containing CIP at 5 wt%. Statistical differences (P < .05) were also seen for the CFU/mL data between pure PDS (5.92-6.02 log CFU/mL) and the PDS scaffold containing CIP at 5 wt% (5.39 5.87 log CFU/mL). SEM images revealed a greater concentration of bacteria on the middle third of the dentin specimen. after 5 days of biofilm formation. On scaffold exposures, SEM images showed similar results when compared with the CFU/mL data. Dentin specimens exposed to PDS + 25 wt% CIP scaffolds displayed a practically bacteria-free surface. Conclusions: On the basis of the data presented, newly developed antibiotic-containing electrospun scaffolds hold promise as an intracanal medicament to eliminate biofilm/infection before regenerative procedures.

Effects of dipyrone, meloxicam, or the combination on hemostasis in conscious dogs

To compare the effects of dipyrone, meloxicam, and of the combination of these drugs on hemostasis in dogs. Prospective, blinded, randomized crossover study. Research laboratory at a veterinary teaching hospital. Six adult dogs. Animals received 4 intravenous treatments with 15-day washout intervals: control (physiological saline, 0.1 mL/kg), meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg), dipyrone (25 mg/kg), and dipyrone-meloxicam (25 and 0.2 mg/kg, respectively). A jugular catheter was placed for drug injection and for collecting samples for whole blood platelet aggregation (WBPA) and thromboelastometry assays at baseline, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 hours after treatment administration. The percent change from baseline of lag time and of the area under the curve (AUC) of impedance changes in response to collagen-induced platelet activation were recorded during WBPA. Thromboelastometry-derived parameters included clotting time, clot formation time, alpha-angle, and maximum clot firmness. The buccal mucosal bleeding time was evaluated by a blinded observer at baseline, 1, 3, and 5 hours after treatment injection. No significant changes in WBPA and thromboelastometry were recorded in the control treatment. Dipyrone significantly (P < 0.05) increased the lag time for 2 hours and decreased the AUC for 3 hours after injection. Meloxicam did not alter WBPA. Dipyrone-meloxicam significantly increased lag time for 2 hours and decreased the AUC for 5 hours after treatment injection. Experimental treatments did not differ from the control treatment for thromboelastometry and buccal mucosal bleeding time. While meloxicam does not alter hemostasis by the methods evaluated, dipyrone inhibits platelet aggregation for up to 3 hours. Meloxicam-dipyrone combination causes more prolonged inhibition of platelet function than dipyrone alone. Decreased platelet aggregation induced by dipyrone and dipyrone-meloxicam does not appear to impact the viscoelastic properties of the blood clot nor increase the risk of bleeding in dogs without preexisting hemostatic disorders.

Conformational changes of the HsDHODH N-terminal microdomain via DEER spectroscopy

The human enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (HsDHODH) has been studied for being a target for development of new antineoplasic and antiproliferative drugs. The synthetic peptide N-t(DH) represents the N-terminal microdomain of this enzyme, responsible for anchoring it to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Also, it is known to harbor quinones that are essential for enzyme catalysis. Here we report structural features of the peptide/membrane interactions obtained by using CD and DEER spectroscopic techniques, both in micelles and in lipid vesicles. The data revealed different peptide conformational states in micelles and liposomes, which could suggest that this microdomain acts in specific regions or areas of the mitochondria, which can be related with the control of the quinone access to the HsDHODH active site. This is the first study to report on conformational changes of the HsDHODH N-terminal microdomain through a combination of CD and DEER spectroscopic techniques.