THE PARASITOID, Cotesia flavipes (CAMERON) (HYMENOPTERA: BRACONIDAE), INFLUENCES FOOD CONSUMPTION AND UTILIZATION BY LARVAL Diatraea saccharalis (F.) (LEPIDOPTERA: CRAMBIDAE)

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

Eugenia calycina Cambess extracts and their fractions: Their antimicrobial activity and the identification of major polar compounds using electrospray ionization FT-ICR mass spectrometry

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Erythrocyte selenium concentration predicts intensive care unit and hospital mortality in patients with septic shock: a prospective observational study

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Resistance training with excessive training load and insufficient recovery alters skeletal muscle mass-related protein expression

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

Leuconostoc mesenteroides SJRP55: a bacteriocinogenic strain isolated from Brazilian water buffalo mozzarella cheese

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

Structural characterization of novel chemotactic and mastoparan peptides from the venom of the social wasp Agelaia pallipes pallipes by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Inhibition of diethylnitrosamine-initiated alcohol-promoted hepatic inflammation and precancerous lesions by flavonoid luteolin is associated with increased sirtuin 1 activity in mice

Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is an established risk for hepatic inflammation and carcinogenesis. Luteolin is one of the most common flavonoids present in plants and has potential beneficial effects against cancer. In this study, we examined the effect and potential mechanisms of luteolin supplementation in a carcinogen initiated alcohol-promoted pre-neoplastic liver lesion mouse model. C57BL/6 mice were injected with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) [i.p. 25 mg/kg of body weight (BW)] at 14 days of age. At 8 weeks of age mice were group pair-fed with Lieber-DeCarli liquid control diet or alcoholic diet [ethanol (EtOH) diet, 27% total energy from ethanol] and supplemented with a dose of 30 mg luteolin/kg BW per day for 21 days. DEN-injected mice fed EtOH diet displayed a significant induction of pre-neoplastic lesions, a marker associated with presence of steatosis and inflammation. Dietary luteolin significantly reduced the severity and incidence of hepatic inflammatory foci and steatosis in DEN-injected mice fed EtOH diet, as well the presence of preneoplastic lesions. There was no difference on hepatic protein levels of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) among all groups; however, luteolin supplementation significantly reversed alcohol-reduced SIRT1 activity assessed by the ratio of acetylated and total forkhead box protein O1 (FoXO1) and SIRT1 target proliferator-activated receptor gamma, coactivator 1 alpha (PGC1α). Dietary intake of luteolin prevents alcohol promoted pre-neoplastic lesions, potentially mediated by SIRT1 signaling pathway.

Antioxidant activity of apple extract protects against rat tongue carcinogenesis induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide

Several studies have shown that apple (Malus sp.) has many components able to exert chemopreventive activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemopreventive potential of apple extract following medium-term oral carcinogenesis assay induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) by means of histopathological analysis and gene expression of antioxidant enzymes, such as CuZnSOD, MnSOD and catalase. A total of 30 male Wistar rats were distributed into five groups, as follows (n = 6 per group): Group 1 - negative control group (non-treated group); Group 2 - received 4NQO during 8 weeks in drinking water and treated with apple extract by gavage between the 1st and 4th weeks daily (initiation phase); Group 3 - received 4NQO for 8 weeks in drinking water and treated with apple extract by gavage between the 5th and 8th weeks daily (promotion phase); Group 4 - received apple extract by gavage for eight consecutive weeks only; and Group 5 - received 4NQO for 8 weeks in drinking water daily. Histopathological analysis revealed that apple extract protect oral lesions induced by 4NQO at initiation or promotion phase. Higher gene expression of CuZnSOD and MnSOD enzymes were noticed in groups treated with apple extract as well. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the apple extract is able to modulate medium-term oral carcinogenesis assay as a result of antioxidant activity.

Endectocide activity of a pour-on formulation containing 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin in cattle

The present work aimed to evaluate, through ten different studies, the therapeutic efficacy of a new pour-on formulation, containing 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin, against parasites of cattle. Results obtained on trials against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus showed that the pour-on combination of 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin obtained superior efficacy indexes against this ectoparasite, when compared with formulations containing 0.5 per cent ivermectin, 1 per cent ivermectin and the combination of 1 per cent abamectin +20 per cent levamisole. The results of efficacy of the ivermectin+abamectin and the 0.5 per cent ivermectin against Haematobia irritans were similar. Against Cochliomyia hominivorax larvae, all pour-on formulations tested (1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin, 0.5 per cent ivermectin and 0.5 per cent abamectin), as well as 1 per cent doramectin administered subcutaneously, were considered ineffective. Cattle medicated with 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin, pour-on, remained free from parasitism by Dermatobia hominis larvae during 42 days (96 per cent efficacy), while values superior to 90 per cent were obtained by 0.5 per cent ivermectin (92 per cent) and 0.5 per cent abamectin (93 per cent) until the 42nd and 35th days post treatment, respectively. Against Haemonchus placei and Oesophagostomum radiatum, the pour-on of ivermectin+abamectin showed better efficacy than the 0.5 per cent ivermectin and 0.5 per cent abamectin. As to Cooperia punctata, there was no difference regarding efficacy results obtained by the avermectins combination and abamectin. The pour-on combination of 1.5 per cent ivermectin +0.5 per cent abamectin obtained high efficacy against R. (B.) microplus, D. hominis and some species of cattle gastrointestinal helminths when compared with formulations of 0.5 per cent ivermectin and 0.5 per cent abamectin administered through the same route.

The long-term administration of calcineurin inhibitors decreases antioxidant enzyme activity in the rat parotid and submandibular salivary glands

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mass spectrometry study of N-alkylbenzenesulfonamides with potential antagonist activity to potassium channels

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

Changes in polyamine, total protein and total carbohydrate content and peroxidase activity during the lifetime of chrysanthemum faroe

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the changes in polyamine (PA) content, peroxidase (POX) activity and levels of total protein and total soluble carbohydrates throughout the lifetime of leaves and inflorescences of chrysantemum 'Faroe' treated with gibberellic acidd (GA3) (used in production practices) and kept at room temperature and cold storage. The treatments were composed of four doses of GA3 (0, 15, 30 and 45 mg L-1) applied at the beggining of flower bud formation (28 days after transplanting of seedlings). After harvesting, the stems (95% of the expanded ligule) were stored at 10ºC and 95% relative humidity for 48 hrs, or kept at room temperature. For biochemical analysis samples of leaves and inflorescences were collected at the 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th day after harvest. The application of GA3 in the field and cold storage increased the content of PAs. There was an increase in POX activity in leaves and inflorescences during postharvest and this increase was related to oxidation of the PAs studied. The amount of proteins and carbohydrates in chrysantemum 'Faroe' decreased during the storage at 25ºC and under cold conditions.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid Combined with Physical Activity Reduces Body Fat Accumulation But Does Not Modify Lean Body Mass in Male and Female Wistar Rats

Several biological and clinical studies have suggested that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) prevents body fat accumulation and increases lean body mass. CLA is available as a concentrated dietary supplement and is purported to provide the aforementioned benefits for people who perform physical activity. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a CLA-supplemented diet combined with physical activity on the body composition of Wistar rats. Two groups of Wistar rats of both sexes, between 45 and 60 days old, were fed a diet containing 5.5% soybean oil (control group) or a CLA-supplemented diet (0.5% CLA and 5.0% soybean oil) (test group). Half the rats in both groups were assigned to exercise by running on a treadmill. The biochemical and anatomical body compositions were analyzed. In both groups, CLA had no effect on the dietary consumption or the weight of the liver, heart, and lungs. However, it did influence the overall weight gain of exercised male rats and the chemical and anatomical body composition in exercised and sedentary rats of both sexes. The results confirm that a CLA-supplemented diet with and without physical activity reduced body fat accumulation in rats of both sexes. However, there is no evidence of an increase in the lean body mass of the exercised rats.

Linker for Activation of T-cell Family Member2 (LAT2) a Lipid Raft Adaptor Protein for AKT Signaling, Is an Early Mediator of Alkylphospholipid Anti-leukemic Activity

Lipid rafts are highly ordered membrane domains rich in cholesterol and sphingolipids that provide a scaffold for signal transduction proteins; altered raft structure has also been implicated in cancer progression. We have shown that 25 mu M 10-(octyloxy) decyl-2-(trimethylammonium) ethyl phosphate (ODPC), an alkylphospholipid, targets high cholesterol domains in model membranes and induces apoptosis in leukemia cells but spares normal hematopoietic and epithelial cells under the same conditions. We performed a quantitative (SILAC) proteomic screening of ODPC targets in a lipid-raft-enriched fraction of leukemic cells to identify early events prior to the initiation of apoptosis. Six proteins, three with demonstrated palmitoylation sites, were reduced in abundance. One, the linker for activation of T-cell family member 2 (LAT2), is an adaptor protein associated with lipid rafts in its palmitoylated form and is specifically expressed in B lymphocytes and myeloid cells. Interestingly, LAT2 is not expressed in K562, a cell line more resistant to ODPC-induced apoptosis. There was an early loss of LAT2 in the lipid-raft-enriched fraction of NB4 cells within 3 h following treatment with 25 mu M ODPC. Subsequent degradation of LAT2 by proteasomes was observed. Twenty-five mu M ODPC inhibited AKT activation via myeloid growth factors, and LAT2 knockdown in NB4 cells by shRNA reproduced this effect. LAT2 knockdown in NB4 cells also decreased cell proliferation and increased cell sensitivity to ODPC (7.5X), perifosine (3X), and arsenic trioxide (8.5X). Taken together, these data indicate that LAT2 is an early mediator of the anti-leukemic activity of alkylphospholipids and arsenic trioxide. Thus, LAT2 may be used as a target for the design of drugs for cancer therapy. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 11: 10.1074/mcp.M112.019661, 1898-1912, 2012.

Spectroscopic and Catalytic Characterization of a Functional (FeFeII)-Fe-III Biomimetic for the Active Site of Uteroferrin and Protein Cleavage

A mixed-valence complex, [Fe(III)Fe(II)L1(mu-OAc)(2)]BF4 center dot H2O, where the ligand H(2)L1 = 2-{[[3-[((bis-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)methyl)-2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzyl](pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino]methyl]phenol}, has been studied with a range of techniques, and, where possible, its properties have been compared to those of the corresponding enzyme system purple acid phosphatase. The (FeFeII)-Fe-III and Fe-2(III) oxidized species were studied spectroelectrochemically. The temperature-dependent population of the S = 3/2 spin states of the heterovalent system, observed using magnetic circular dichroism, confirmed that the dinuclear center is weakly antiferromagnetically coupled (H = -2JS(1).S-2, where J = -5.6 cm(-1)) in a frozen solution. The ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transitions are correlated with density functional theory calculations. The (FeFeII)-Fe-III complex is electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-silent, except at very low temperatures (<2 K), because of the broadening caused by the exchange coupling and zero-field-splitting parameters being of comparable magnitude and rapid spin-lattice relaxation. However, a phosphate-bound Fe-2(III) complex showed an EPR spectrum due to population of the S-tot = 3 state (J= -3.5 cm(-1)). The phosphatase activity of the (FeFeII)-Fe-III complex in hydrolysis of bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl)phosphate (k(cat.) = 1.88 x 10(-3) s(-1); K-m = 4.63 x 10(-3) mol L-1) is similar to that of other bimetallic heterovalent complexes with the same ligand. Analysis of the kinetic data supports a mechanism where the initiating nucleophile in the phosphatase reaction is a hydroxide, terminally bound to Fe-III. It is interesting to note that aqueous solutions of [Fe(III)Fe(II)L1(mu-OAc)(2)](+) are also capable of protein cleavage, at mild temperature and pH conditions, thus further expanding the scope of this complex's catalytic promiscuity.