Dietary intervention with green dwarf banana flour (Musa sp AAA) prevents intestinal inflammation in a trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid model of rat colitis

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

Green Brazilian propolis action on macrophages and lymphoid organs of chronically stressed mice

Stress is a generic term that summarizes how psychosocial and environmental factors influence physical and mental well-being. The interaction between stress and immunity has been widely investigated, involving the neuroendocrine system and several organs. Assays using natural products in stress models deserve further investigation. Propolis immunomodulatory action has been mentioned and it has been the subject of scientific investigation in our laboratory. The aim of this study was to evaluate if and how propolis activated macrophages in BALB/c mice submitted to immobilization stress, as well as the histopathological analysis of the thymus, bone marrow, spleen and adrenal glands. Stressed mice showed a higher hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation by peritoneal macrophages, and propolis treatment potentiated H2O2 generation and inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production by these cells. Histopathological analysis showed no alterations in the thymus, bone marrow and adrenal glands, but increased germinal centers in the spleen. Propolis treatment counteracted the alterations found in the spleen of stressed mice. New research is being carried out in order to elucidate propolis immunomodulatory action during stress.

In vitro Cytotoxic Effect of Brazilian Green Propolis on Human Laryngeal Epidermoid Carcinoma (HEp-2) Cells

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

Follicular diameter range based on morphological features in Synbranchus marmoratus (Bloch, 1795) (Teleostei, Synbranchiformes, Synbranchidae) from the South-central region of Brazil

The morphological characteristics of Synbranchus marmoratus female germ cells in various development stages were described in details; then measurements of ovarian follicle diameters were taken from primary and secondary growth as during these development stages the oocyte size varied considerably along the fish growth. The results were correlated to total fish length, using the individuals division in six size classes. It was possible to group oocytes by stages according to histological characteristics but not according to morphometric diameter, as there was a wide variation in diameter in each stage and overlap between different maturation stages. These data make available new information on the reproductive biology of Synbranchidae. (c) 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Occurrence of Amphiorchis solus (Simha & Chattopadhyaya, 1970) (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) Infecting the Green Turtle Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758 (Testudines: Cheloniidae) in Brazil

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

Active-site properties of Phrixotrix railroad worm green and red bioluminescence-eliciting luciferases

The luciferases of the railroad worm Phrixotrix (Coleoptera: Phengodidae) are the only beetle luciferases that naturally produce true red bioluminescence. Previously, we cloned the green- (PxGR) and red-emitting (PxRE) luciferases of railroad worms Phrixotrix viviani and P. hirtus[OLE1]. These luciferases were expressed and purified, and their active-site properties were determined. The red-emitting PxRE luciferase displays flash-like kinetics, whereas PxGR luciferase displays slow-type kinetics. The substrate affinities and catalytic efficiency of PxRE luciferase are also higher than those of PxGR luciferase. Fluorescence studies with 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid and 6-p-toluidino-2-naphthalene sulfonic acid showed that the PxRE luciferase luciferin-binding site is more polar than that of PxGR luciferase, and it is sensitive to guanidine. Alutagenesis and modelling studies suggest that several invariant residues in the putative luciferin-binding site of PxRE luciferase cannot interact with excited oxyluciferin. These results suggest that one portion of the luciferin-binding site of the red-emitting luciferase is tighter than that of PxGR luciferase, whereas the other portion could be more open and polar.

Geographical variation in the golden-striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica Bocage, 1864 and the description of a newly recognized subspecies

Morphological and genetic data for the Iberian golden- striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica, demonstrate the existence of two groups with southern and northern ranges, connected by a zone of intergradation in central Portugal. Because reproductive isolation between them is incomplete we consider the groups to be subspecies. The type locality of C. lusitanica ( Bucaco near Lousa) is situated inside the mixed zone. This necessitates identification of the nominotypical subspecies. We sequenced a fragment of mitochondrial DNA from one of the species' syntypes and we determined what position over a latitudinal transect maximizes the morphological discrimination between the groups. Both approaches indicate that C. lusitanica from Bucaco represents the southern subspecies. A new subspecies of C. lusitanica is described from a northern locality ( Valongo near Porto in northwestern Portugal). A lectotype is designated for Chioglossa lusitanica.

The moving gardens: Reef fishes grazing, cleaning, and following green turtles in SW Atlantic

Reef fishes may associate with marine turtles and graze on their shells, or clean their head, neck and flippers. on a reef flat at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, SW Atlantic, we recorded green turtles (Chelonia mydas) grazed, cleaned and followed by reef fishes. The green turtle seeks specific sites on the reef and pose there for the grazers and/or cleaners. Fishes recorded associated to green turtles included omnivorous and herbivorous reef species such as the dam-selfish Abudefduf saxatilis and the surgeonfishes Acanthurus chirurgus and A. coeruleus. The turtle is followed by the wrasse Thalassoma noronhanum only while engaged in foraging bouts on benthic algae. Following behaviour is a previously unrecorded feeding association between turtles and fishes.

Separation and partitioning of Green Fluorescent Protein from Escherichia coli homogenate in poly(ethylene glycol)/sodium-poly(acrylate) aqueous two-phase systems

The partitioning of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in poly(ethylene glycol)/Na-poly(acrylate) aqueous two-phase systems (PEG/NaPA-ATPS) has been investigated. The aqueous two-phase systems are formed by mixing the polymers with a salt and a protein solution. The protein partitioning in the two-phase system was investigated at 25 degrees C. The concentration of the GFP was measured by fluorimetry. It was found that the partitioning of GFP depends on the salt type, pH and concentration of PEG. The data indicates that GFP partitions more strongly to the PEG phase in presence of Na2SO4 relative to NaCl. Furthermore, the GFP partitions more to the PEG phase at higher pH. The partition to the PEG phase is strongly favoured in systems with larger tie-line lengths (i.e. systems with higher polymer concentrations). The molecular weight of PEG is important since the partition coefficient (K) of GFP gradually decreases with increasing PEG size, from K ca. 300-400 for PEG 400 to K equal to 1.19 for PEG 8000. A separation process was developed where GFP was separated from a homogenate in two extraction steps: the GFP is first partitioned to the PEG phase in a PEG 3000/NaPA 8000 system containing 3 wt% Na2SO4, where the K value of GFP was 8. The GFP is then re-extracted to a salt phase formed by mixing the previous top-phase with a Na2SO4 solution. The K-value of GFP in this back-extraction was 0.22. The total recovery based on the start material was 74%. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Corticolous green algae from tropical forest remnants in the northwest region of São Paulo State, Brazil

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

Comparison of the photodynamic fungicidal efficacy of methylene blue, toluidine blue, malachite green and low-power laser irradiation alone against Candida albicans

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

Photodynamic inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli biofilms by malachite green and phenothiazine dyes: An in vitro study

Objectives: The organization of biofilms in the oral cavity gives them added resistance to antimicrobial agents. The action of phenothiazinic photosensitizers on oral biofilms has already been reported. However, the action of the malachite green photosensitizer upon biofilm-organized microorganisms has not been described. The objective of the present work was to compare the action of malachite green with the phenothiazinic photosensitizers (methylene blue and toluidine blue) on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli biofilms.Methods: The biofilms were grown on sample pieces of acrylic resin and subjected to photodynamic therapy using a 660-nm diode laser and photosensitizer concentrations ranging from 37.5 to 3000 mu M. After photodynamic therapy, cells from the biofilms were dispersed in a homogenizer and cultured in Brain Heart Infusion broth for quantification of colony-forming units per experimental protocol. For each tested microorganism, two control groups were maintained: one exposed to the laser radiation without the photosensitizer (L+PS-) and other treated with the photosensitizer without exposure to the red laser light (L-PS+). The results were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis.Results: The best results for S. aureus and E. coli biofilms were obtained with photosensitizer concentrations of approximately 300 mu M methylene blue, with microbial reductions of 0.8-1.0 log(10); 150 mu M toluidine blue, with microbial reductions of 0.9-1.0 log(10); and 3000 mu M malachite green, with microbial reductions of 1.6-4.0 log(10).Conclusion: Greater microbial reduction was achieved with the malachite green photosensitizer when used at higher concentrations than those employed for the phenothiazinic dyes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy: Photodynamic Antimicrobial Effects of Malachite Green on Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae, and Candida

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

Equivalence of many-photon Green's functions in the Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau and Klein-Gordon-Fock statistical quantum field theories

Using the functional integral formalism for the statistical generating functional in the statistical (finite temperature) quantum field theory, we prove the equivalence of many-photon Greens functions in the Duffin-Kennner-Petiau and Klein-Gordon-Fock statistical quantum field theories. As an illustration, we calculate the one-loop polarization operators in both theories and demonstrate their coincidence.

Intense blue and green photoluminescence emissions at room temperature in barium zirconate powders

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)