SISTAX - An intelligent tool for recovering information on natural products chemistry

This work describes the development of a new program, named SISTAX, for the expert system SISTEMAT. This program allows anyone interested in chemotaxonomy to carry out an intelligent search for organic compounds in databases through chemical structures. When coupled with can efficient encoding system, the program recognizes skeletal types and can find any substructural constraints demanded by the user. An example of an application of the program to the diterpene class found in plants is described.

Diffusion ability of endotoxin through dentinal tubules

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of endotoxin to diffuse through dentinal tubules towards the cement and to observe the period of time needed for it to reach the external root surface. Thirty single-rooted human teeth had their crowns and apices removed in order to standardize the root length to 15 mm. Teeth were instrumented until #30 K-file and made externally impermeable with epoxy adhesive, leaving 10 mm of the exposed root (middle third). The specimens were placed in plastic vials and irradiated (60Co gamma-rays). Then, they were divided into 2 groups (n = 15): G1) Escherichia coli endotoxin was inoculated into the root canal of the specimens and 1 ml of pyrogen-free water was put in the tubes; G2) (control): pyrogen-free water was inoculated into the root canals and 1 ml of pyrogen-free water was put in each tube. After 30 min, 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 7 days, the water of the tubes was removed and replaced. The removed aliquot was tested for the presence of endotoxin. Considering that the endotoxin is a B-lymphocyte polyclonal activator, at each experimental period, B-lymphocyte culture was stimulated with a sample of water removed from each tube and antibody (IgM) production was detected by ELISA technique. The results of IgM production were higher in groups of 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 7 days in relation to the other studied groups, with statistically significant differences (ANOVA and Tukey's test p < 0.05). Endotoxin was able to diffuse through the dentinal tubules towards the cement, reaching the external root surface after the period of 24 h.

Advances in prodrug design

The background of prodrug design is presented herein as the basis for introducing new and advanced latent systems, taking into account mainly the versatility of polymers and other macromolecules as carriers. PDEPT (Polymer-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy); PELT (Polymer-Enzyme Liposome Therapy); CDS (Chemical Delivery System); ADEPT(Antibody-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy); GDEPT/VDEPT (Gene-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy/Virus-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy); ODDS (Osteotropic Drug Delivery System) and LEAPT (Lectin-directed enzyme-activated prodrug therapy) are briefly described and some examples are given. © 2005 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.

Hematological and serum chemistry values for the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus): Variation with sex and age

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Chemistry in eriocaulaceae

Eriocaulaceae is a pantropical family that comprises about 1100 species distributed in 11 genera. The infrafamilial relationships are still unsatisfactorily resolved, because of the tiny flowers and generalized morphology, which makes the taxonomy very difficult. Flavonoid and naphthopyranone profiles have proved to be important in order to contribute to the alignment of genera into the family. We here present a survey of the chemical data of Eriocaulaceae with a discussion about their contribution to the taxonomy of Eriocaulaceae. © 2008 Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung.

Modulation of the pharmacological effects of enzymatically-active PLA 2 by BTL-2, an isolectin isolated from the Bryothamnion triquetrum red alga

Background. An interaction between lectins from marine algae and PLA 2 from rattlesnake was suggested some years ago. We, herein, studied the effects elicited by a small isolectin (BTL-2), isolated from Bryothamnion triquetrum, on the pharmacological and biological activities of a PLA 2 isolated from rattlesnake venom (Crotalus durissus cascavella), to better understand the enzymatic and pharmacological mechanisms of the PLA 2 and its complex. Results. This PLA2 consisted of 122 amino acids (approximate molecular mass of 14 kDa), its pI was estimated to be 8.3, and its amino acid sequence shared a high degree of similarity with that of other neurotoxic and enzymatically-active PLA2s. BTL-2 had a molecular mass estimated in approximately 9 kDa and was characterized as a basic protein. In addition, BTL-2 did not exhibit any enzymatic activity. The PLA2 and BTL-2 formed a stable heterodimer with a molecular mass of approximately 24-26 kDa, estimated by molecular exclusion HPLC. In the presence of BTL-2, we observed a significant increase in PLA2 activity, 23% higher than that of PLA2 alone. BTL-2 demonstrated an inhibition of 98% in the growth of the Gram-positive bacterial strain, Clavibacter michiganensis michiganensis (Cmm), but only 9.8% inhibition of the Gram-negative bacterial strain, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv passiflorae (Xap). PLA2 decreased bacterial growth by 27.3% and 98.5% for Xap and Cmm, respectively, while incubating these two proteins with PLA2-BTL-2 inhibited their growths by 36.2% for Xap and 98.5% for Cmm. PLA2 significantly induced platelet aggregation in washed platelets, whereas BTL-2 did not induce significant platelet aggregation in any assay. However, BTL-2 significantly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by PLA2. In addition, PLA 2 exhibited strong oedematogenic activity, which was decreased in the presence of BTL-2. BTL-2 alone did not induce oedema and did not decrease or abolish the oedema induced by the 48/80 compound. Conclusion. The unexpected results observed for the PLA2-BTL-2 complex strongly suggest that the pharmacological activity of this PLA2 is not solely dependent on the presence of enzymatic activity, and that other pharmacological regions may also be involved. In addition, we describe for the first time an interaction between two different molecules, which form a stable complex with significant changes in their original biological action. This opens new possibilities for understanding the function and action of crude venom, an extremely complex mixture of different molecules. © 2008 Oliveira et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Effects of physical exercise and cinnamon extract on blood chemistry of type 1 diabetic rats

The present study was designed to analyze the effects of the association between cinnamon extract and aerobic exercise on the glycemic control and serum lipid profile of diabetic rats. Fifty Wistar male rats divided into five groups: control (C), sedentary nondiabetic rats; diabetic (D), sedentary diabetic rats; diabetic cinnamon (DC), sedentary diabetic rats that received cinnamon extract; diabetic exercise (DE), sedentary diabetic rats subjected to physical training; and diabetic cinnamon exercise (DCE), diabetic rats that received cinnamon extract and were subjected to physical training. For the induction of diabetes, the rats received alloxan. The cinnamon was administered to once a day for four weeks. The groups performed swimming exercises for one hour each day with lead overloads (3% - 5% of b.w) for five days a week for four weeks. Body weight loss was lower in the DE group compared to the other diabetic groups. The basal serum glucose of all the diabetic groups was higher compared to the control group. Group D had higher serum cholesterol concentrations compared to the DE and DCE groups. The resting blood lactate in group D was higher than the resting blood lactate in the DC and DE groups. Aerobic exercise partially counteracted the diabetic effects on body weight, serum cholesterol and blood lactate concentrations. No additional beneficial effects of cinnamon extract and aerobic exercise were observed on the parameters studied.

Genetic and modifying factors that determine the risk of brain tumors

Some modifying factors may determine the risk of brain tumors. Until now, it could not be attempted to identify people at risk and also to improve significantly disease progression. Current therapy consists of surgical resection, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Despite of these treatments, the prognosis for patients is poor. In this review, we highlight general aspects concerning genetic alterations in brain tumors, namely astrocytomas, glioblastomas, oligodendrogliomas, medulloblastomas and ependymomas. The influence of these genetic alterations in patients' prognosis is discussed. Mutagen sensivity is associated with cancer risk. The convincing studies that linked DNA damages and DNA repair alterations with brain tumors are also described. Another important modifying factor is immunity. General immune response against cancer, tumor microenvironment and immune response, mechanisms of tumor escape, CNS tumor immunology, immune defects that impair anti-tumor systemic immunity in brain tumor patients and local immunosuppressive factors within CNS are also reviewed. New hope to treatment perspectives, as dendritic-cell-based vaccines is summarized too. Concluding, it seems well established that there is association between brain tumor risk and mutagen sensivity, which is highly heritable. Primary brain tumors cause depression in systemic host immunity; local immunosuppressive factors and immunological characteristics of tumor cells may explain the poor prognosis and DNA damages responses can alert immune system. However, it is necessary to clarify if individuals with both constitutional defects in immune functions and genetic instability have higher risk of developing brain tumors. Cytogenetic prospective studies and gene copy number variations analysis also must be performed in peripheral lymphocytes from brain tumor patients. © 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.

Cell Therapy with Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells in Elastase-Induced Pulmonary Emphysema

Emphysema is characterized by destruction of alveolar walls with loss of gas exchange surface and consequent progressive dyspnea. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of cell therapy with bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) in an animal model of elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema was induced in C57Bl/J6 female mice by intranasal instillation of elastase. After 21 days, the mice received bone marrow mononuclear cells from EGFP male mice with C57Bl/J6 background. The groups were assessed by comparison and statistically significant differences (p & 0. 05) were observed among the groups treated with BMMC and evaluated after 7, 14 and 21 days. Analysis of the mean linear intercept (Lm) values for the different groups allowed to observe that the group treated with BMMC and evaluated after 21 days showed the most significant result. The group that received no treatment showed a statistically significant difference when compared to other groups, except the group treated and evaluated after 21 days, evidencing the efficacy of cell therapy with BMMC in pulmonary emphysema. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Immunosensor based on immobilization of antigenic peptide NS5A-1 from HCV and silk fibroin in nanostructured films

The peptide NS5A-1 (PPLLESWKDPDYVPPWHG), derived from hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A protein, was immobilized into layer-by-layer (LbL) silk fibroin (SF) films. Deposition was monitored by UV-vis absorption measurements at each bilayer deposited. The interaction SF/peptide film induced secondary structure in NS5A-1 as indicated by fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) measurements. Voltammetric sensor (SF/NS5A-1) properties were observed when the composite film was tested in the presence of anti-HCV. The peptide-silk fibroin interaction studied here showed new architectures for immunosensors based on antigenic peptides and SF as a suitable immobilization matrix. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Elucidation of carbohydrate molecular interaction mechanism of recombinant and native ArtinM

The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique has been applied for monitoring the biorecognition of ArtinM lectins at low horseradish peroxidase glycoprotein (HRP) concentrations, using a simple kinetic model based on Langmuir isotherm in previous work.18 The latter approach was consistent with the data at dilute conditions but it fails to explain the small differences existing in the jArtinM and rArtinM due to ligand binding concentration limit. Here we extend this analysis to differentiate sugar-binding event of recombinant (rArtinM) and native (jArtinM) ArtinM lectins beyond dilute conditions. Equivalently, functionalized quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) was used as real-time label-free technique but structural-dependent kinetic features of the interaction were detailed by using combined analysis of mass and dissipation factor variation. The stated kinetic model not only was able to predict the diluted conditions but also allowed to differentiate ArtinM avidities. For instance, it was found that rArtinM avidity is higher than jArtinM avidity whereas their conformational flexibility is lower. Additionally, it was possible to monitor the hydration shell of the binding complex with ArtinM lectins under dynamic conditions. Such information is key in understanding and differentiating protein binding avidity, biological functionality, and kinetics. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Mineralogy and chemistry of the green stone artifacts (muiraquitãs) of the museums of the Brazilian State of Pará

Os muiraquitãs foram considerados de proveniência asiática ou, também, como peças esculpidas pelas lendárias mulheres guerreiras, as Amazonas. São peças, hoje, muito raras, encontradas em alguns acervos de Museus. Estudos mineralógicos e químicos de 23 peças do acervo dos Museus de Gemas e do Encontro em Belém, Brasil, mostraram que os muiraquitãs podem ser constituídos, tanto de quartzo, como de albita, ou microclínio, pirofilita, variscita, anortita e tremolita (equivalente ao jade nefrítico), minerais frequentes em formações geológicas do Brasil. No entanto quatro peças são constituídas de jadeíta, ou seja, em jade jadeítico, raro e desconhecido na Amazônia e Brasil. A constatação da presença desse mineral reacende a discussão em torno da origem mineralógica dos muiraquitãs encontrados na Amazônia. Essa origem, antes da atual descoberta, era defendida como amazônica, devido à ausência de jade jadeítico nas peças pesquisadas e pelo fato de jadeíta não ter sido encontrada no Brasil, mas na América Central e na Ásia.

Mineralogy and chemistry of archaeological ceramic fragments from archaeological Dark Earth site in Colombian Amazon

Vários sítios arqueológicos de Terra Preta Arqueológica (TPA) encontrados na floresta Amazônica Colombiana também contêm alto conteúdo de fragmentos cerâmicos semelhantes aqueles da Amazônia Brasileira, como mostra o sítio Quebrada Tacana. Seus fragmentos cerâmicos são amarelo a cinza, exibem matriz argilosa calcinada envolvendo fragmentos de cariapé, carvão e partículas de cinza, grãos de quartzo e micas. A matriz é composta de metacaulinita a material amorfo, quartzo, folhas de micas, clorita e sepiolita. Cariapé e cauixi são constituídos de cristobalita, da mesma forma o carvão e as cinzas. Embora não detectados pela difração de raios x, os fosfatos devem estar presentes, pois foram detectados teores de P2O5 de até 2,90 %, possivelmente como fosfatos de alumínio, já que o conteúdo de Ca está abaixo 0,1 %, o que elimina a possibilidade da presença de apatita. Estas características mineralógicas e químicas permitem relacionar estes fragmentos cerâmicos com aqueles encontrados nos sítios de TPA no Brasil e reforça o fósforo como um importante componente químico, originado pelo contato dos vasos cerâmicos com os alimentos do cotidiano dos povos amazônicos pré-históricos.

The ceramic artifacts in archaeological black earth (terra preta) from Lower Amazon Region, Brazil: chemistry and geochemical evolution

Neste trabalho realizou-se a caracterização química de fragmentos de artefatos cerâmicos encontrados em sítios arqueológicos com terra preta no Baixo Amazonas (Cachoeira-Porteira, Pará, Brasil), representativos da cultura Konduri (de 900 a 400 anos AP). Esses fragmentos são constituídos de SiO₂, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, Na₂O e P₂O₅, sendo que SiO₂ e Al₂O₃, juntos, perfazem mais de 80 % em peso. Os teores de P₂O,₅ são relativamente elevados (2,37 % em média) sob a forma de (Al,Fe)-fosfatos, incomuns em cerâmicas vermelhas primitivas, mas encontrados em algumas cerâmicas arqueológicas egípcias e romanas. As concentrações dos elementos traços são comparáveis ou mesmo inferiores ao nível crustal, embora a composição total seja próxima a mesma. A composição química (exceto P₂O₅) em conjunto com os dados mineralógicos e texturais indicam material saprolítico derivado de rochas ígneas félsicas ou rochas sedimentares como matéria-prima das cerâmicas. Os teores de K, Ca e Na mostram que os feldspatos e fragmentos de rochas foram adicionados ao material argiloso, como sugerido pela mineralogia. Os altos teores de sílica respondem pela presença de cauixi, cariapé e/ou areias quartzosas. Fósforo deve ter sido incorporadoà matriz argilosa da cerâmica, quando do cozimento de alimentos nos vasos cerâmicos, e ainda, em parte, durante a formação do perfil de solo tipo ABE sobre Latossolos Amarelos. A matéria prima e os temperos (cauixi, cariapé, rochas trituradas e fragmentos de vasos cerâmicos descartados) encontram-se disponíveis próximos aos sítios até a atualidade, e, portanto foram a área fonte dos mesmos para a confecção dos artefatos cerâmicos.