Activation of locus coeruleus heme oxygenase-carbon monoxide pathway promoted an anxiolytic-like effect in rats

The heme oxygenase-carbon monoxide pathway has been shown to play an important role in many physiological processes and is capable of altering nociception modulation in the nervous system by stimulating soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). In the central nervous system, the locus coeruleus (LC) is known to be a region that expresses the heme oxygenase enzyme (HO), which catalyzes the metabolism of heme to carbon monoxide (CO). Additionally, several lines of evidence have suggested that the LC can be involved in the modulation of emotional states such as fear and anxiety. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the activation of the heme oxygenase-carbon monoxide pathway in the LC in the modulation of anxiety by using the elevated plus maze test (EPM) and light-dark box test (LDB) in rats. Experiments were performed on adult male Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g (n=182). The results showed that the intra-LC microinjection of heme-lysinate (600 nmol), a substrate for the enzyme HO, increased the number of entries into the open arms and the percentage of time spent in open arms in the elevated plus maze test, indicating a decrease in anxiety. Additionally, in the LDB test, intra-LC administration of heme-lysinate promoted an increase on time spent in the light compartment of the box. The intracerebroventricular microinjection of guanylate cyclase, an sGC inhibitor followed by the intra-LC microinjection of the heme-lysinate blocked the anxiolytic-like reaction on the EPM test and LDB test. It can therefore be concluded that CO in the LC produced by the HO pathway and acting via cGMP plays an anxiolytic-like role in the LC of rats.

Development of an alternative technology for the oyster mushroom production using liquid inoculum

Pleurotus ostreatus, worldwide known as oyster mushroom, was cultivated in banana straw using inocula produced by two different processes - liquid inoculum and the traditionally used solid inoculum. Different ratios (5, 10, 15, and 20%) were tested. Biological efficiency, yield, productivity, organic matter loss, and moisture of fruiting bodies as well as physical-chemical characteristics of banana straw were studied. Significant differences were observed for cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose content between one and two harvests for both solid and liquid inocula. It was observed that P. ostreatus growth promoted higher degradation of lignin (80.36%), followed by hemicellulose (78.64%) and cellulose (60.37%). Significant differences between one and two harvests were also observed for the production parameters (biological efficiency and yield) for both kinds of inocula, liquid and solid. However, significant differences in productivity between harvests were observed only for solid inoculum.