Effect of mangiferin on the development of periodontal disease: Involvement of lipoxin A(4), anti-chemotaxic action in leukocyte rolling

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

Synergism between plant extract and antimicrobial drugs used on Staphylococcus aureus diseases

Searches for substances with antimicrobial activity are frequent, and medicinal plants have been considered interesting by some researchers since they are frequently used in popular medicine as remedies for many infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to verify the synergism between 13 antimicrobial drugs and 8 plant extracts - guaco (Mikania glomerata), guava (Psidium guajava), clove (Syzygium aromaticum), garlic (Allium sativum), lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), ginger (Zingiber officinale), carqueja (Baccharis trimera), and mint (Mentha piperita) - against Staphylococcus aureus strains, and for this purpose, the disk method was the antimicrobial susceptibility test performed. Petri dishes were prepared with or without dilution of plant extracts at sub-inhibitory concentrations in Mueller-Hinton Agar (MHA), and the inhibitory zones were recorded in millimeters. In vitro anti-Staphylococcus aureus activities of the extracts were confirmed, and synergism was verified for all the extracts; clove, guava, and lemongrass presented the highest synergism rate with antimicrobial drugs, while ginger and garlic showed limited synergistic capacity.

Recent advances in DNA vaccines for autoimmune diseases

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

The use of biodiversity as source of new chemical entities against defined molecular targets for treatment of malaria, tuberculosis, and T-cell mediated diseases: a review

The modern approach to the development of new chemical entities against complex diseases, especially the neglected endemic diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, is based on the use of defined molecular targets. Among the advantages, this approach allows (i) the search and identification of lead compounds with defined molecular mechanisms against a defined target (e.g. enzymes from defined pathways), (ii) the analysis of a great number of compounds with a favorable cost/benefit ratio, (iii) the development even in the initial stages of compounds with selective toxicity (the fundamental principle of chemotherapy), (iv) the evaluation of plant extracts as well as of pure substances. The current use of such technology, unfortunately, is concentrated in developed countries, especially in the big pharma. This fact contributes in a significant way to hamper the development of innovative new compounds to treat neglected diseases. The large biodiversity within the territory of Brazil puts the country in a strategic position to develop the rational and sustained exploration of new metabolites of therapeutic value. The extension of the country covers a wide range of climates, soil types, and altitudes, providing a unique set of selective pressures for the adaptation of plant life in these scenarios. Chemical diversity is also driven by these forces, in an attempt to best fit the plant communities to the particular abiotic stresses, fauna, and microbes that co-exist with them. Certain areas of vegetation (Amazonian Forest, Atlantic Forest, Araucaria Forest, Cerrado-Brazilian Savanna, and Caatinga) are rich in species and types of environments to be used to search for natural compounds active against tuberculosis, malaria, and chronic-degenerative diseases. The present review describes some strategies to search for natural compounds, whose choice can be based on ethnobotanical and chemotaxonomical studies, and screen for their ability to bind to immobilized drug targets and to inhibit their activities. Molecular cloning, gene knockout, protein expression and purification, N-terminal sequencing, and mass spectrometry are the methods of choice to provide homogeneous drug targets for immobilization by optimized chemical reactions. Plant extract preparations, fractionation of promising plant extracts, propagation protocols and definition of in planta studies to maximize product yield of plant species producing active compounds have to be performed to provide a continuing supply of bioactive materials. Chemical characterization of natural compounds, determination of mode of action by kinetics and other spectroscopic methods (MS, X-ray, NMR), as well as in vitro and in vivo biological assays, chemical derivatization, and structure-activity relationships have to be carried out to provide a thorough knowledge on which to base the search for natural compounds or their derivatives with biological activity.

Early physical activity promotes lower prevalence of chronic diseases in adulthood

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

Emerging infectious diseases in cetaceans worldwide and the possible role of environmental stressors

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

Skin diseases in Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) from the Paranagua estuary, Brazil: A possible indicator of a compromised marine environment

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

Measurement of the nonlinear optical response of low-density lipoprotein solutions from patients with periodontitis before and after periodontal treatment: evaluation of cardiovascular risk markers

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

The effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy on peroxidase activity in diabetic patients: a case-control pilot study

Objective: To evaluate the effect of periodontal therapy on clinical parameters as well as on total salivary peroxidase (TSP) activity and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and of systemically healthy individuals.Material and Methods: Twenty DM2 subjects with inadequate metabolic control (test group) and 20 systemically healthy individuals (control group), both groups with chronic periodontitis, were enrolled. Periodontal clinical parameters, namely periodontal probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), visible plaque index (VPI), bleeding on probing (BOP), gingival bleeding index (GBI) and presence of suppuration (SUP), as well as TSP activity and GCF MPO activity, were assessed before and 3 months after non-surgical periodontal therapy.Results: At baseline and 3 months post-treatment, the test group presented a higher percentage of sites with VPI and BOP (p < 0.01). MPO activity in the GCF presented lower values (p < 0.05) for the test group at both baseline and the post-treatment period. The periodontal treatment resulted in a significant improvement of most clinical and enzymatic parameters for both groups (p < 0.05).Conclusions: In both groups, the periodontal therapy was effective in improving most clinical parameters and in reducing salivary and GCF enzymatic activity. The diabetic individuals presented lower MPO activity in the GCF.

Relative antioxidant activity of Brazilian medicinal plants for gastrointestinal diseases

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

Staphylococcus spp. in the oral cavity and periodontal pockets of chronic periodontitis patients

Staphylococcus spp. não são usualmente isolados a partir da cavidade bucal. Quando presentes, são considerados pertencentes à microbiota transitória. Indivíduos que apresentam doença periodontal representam possíveis reservatórios dessas bactérias oportunistas na cavidade bucal. O uso de antibióticos para o tratamento da doença periodontal ou outras infecções pode predispor o aumento do número de Staphylococcus spp. na boca, pois estes adquirem facilmente resistência aos antibióticos, podendo resultar em superinfecção. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a presença de Staphylococcus spp. na cavidade bucal e nas bolsas periodontais de pacientes com periodontite crônica; identificar as cepas isoladas; verificar a relação entre a presença de Staphylococcus spp. na cavidade bucal e presença de bolsa periodontal. Participaram deste estudo 88 pacientes, entre 25 e 60 anos de idade e apresentando periodontite crônica, com pelo menos dois sítios com profundidade de sondagem maior ou igual a 5mm. Após anamnese e exame clínico periodontal foram feitas coletas de material da bolsa periodontal com cones de papel e da cavidade bucal por meio de bochechos. do total de pacientes 37,50% apresentaram Staphylococcus spp. na bolsa periodontal e 61,36% na cavidade bucal, sendo que 27,27% apresentaram a bactéria nos 2 sítios. S. epidermidis foi a espécie mais prevalente para bolsa periodontal (15,9%) e cavidade bucal (27,27%). Não houve diferença estatística significante quanto à presença desses microrganismos entre as faixas etárias e aumento da profundidade de sondagem. A presença de bactérias oportunistas na cavidade bucal pode representar dificuldades para a manutenção do tratamento periodontal.

Cementum, apical morphology and hypercementosis: a probable adaptive response of the periodontal support tissues and potential orthodontic implications

Information about orthodontic movement of teeth with hypercementosis is scarce. As cementum deposition continues to occur, cementum is expected to change the shape of the root and apex over time, but this has not yet been demonstrated. Nor has it ever been established whether it increases or decreases the prevalence of root resorption during orthodontic treatment. The unique biological function of the interconnected network of cementocytes may play a role in orthodontic movement and its associated root resorptions, but no research has ever been conducted on the topic. Unlike cementum thickness and hypercementosis, root and apex shape has not yet been related to patient age. A study of the precise difference between increased cementum thickness and hypercementosis is warranted. Hypercementosis refers to excessive cementum formation above and beyond the extent necessary to fulfill its normal functions, resulting in abnormal thickening with macroscopic changes in the tooth root, which may require the delivery of forces that are different from conventional mechanics in their intensity, direction and distribution. What are the unique features and specificities involved in moving teeth that present with hypercementosis? Bodily movements would be expected to occur, since inclination might prove difficult to achieve, but would the root resorption index be higher or lower?

Periodontal disease characterization in dogs with normal renal function or chronic renal failure

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

Opposite effects of bFGF and TGF-beta on collagen metabolism by human periodontal ligament fibroblasts

This study evaluated the effects of bFGF and TGF-beta, individually and combined, on cell proliferation and collagen metabolism. Primary human periodontal ligament cells were stimulated with two concentrations (I and 10 ng/ml) of each growth factor, both individually and combined. Proliferation was determined by a commercial biochemical assay. Real time RT-PCR determined gene expression of NMP-1 and -2, collagen types I and III, TIMP-1, -2 and -3. Autocrine effects on synthesis of bFGF and TGF-beta were evaluated by ELISA. Only TGF-beta, either isolated or associated with bFGF, significantly increased cell proliferation. TGF-beta had anabolic effects, increasing expression of type I and III collagen as well as of TIMPs, whereas bFGF had opposite effects. When bFGF and TGF-beta were associated, the anabolic effects prevailed. Synthesis of TGF-beta was induced only by the association of lower concentrations of the growth factors, whereas there was a dose-dependent production of bFGF. It is concluded that bFGF had a predominantly catabolic effect, and TGF-beta exerted an anabolic effect on hPDL cells. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.