Triagem da potencial atividade antiviral de peptídeos antimicrobianos e da hemolinfa de ostras

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia.Os produtos naturais constituem uma fonte inesgotável de compostos com atividades farmacológicas promissoras, incluindo ação antiviral. Os materiais protéicos são encontrados em abundância na natureza e têm atividades biológicas como antibacteriana, antifúngica, antitumoral e antiviral comprovadas. Neste trabalho, a citotoxicidade (CC50) e a atividade antiviral (CE50) de peptídeos antimicrobianos (PAM) e hemolinfa de ostras (Crassostrea gigas e C. rhizophorae), foram avaliadas, em células VERO, HEp-2 e MA104 e contra os vírus herpes simplex tipo 1(HSV-1/KOS), adenovírus sorotipo 5 (AdV-5), rotavírus símio SA-11 (RV-SA11), pelo ensaio colorimétrico do MTT, utilizando diferentes estratégias. Para a hemolinfa das ostras também foi realizado o estudo da ação virucida. Dentre os PAM testados, a peneidina apresentou o maior índice de seletividade (IS= CC50/ CE50) para o HSV-1/KOS (IS = 64). A hemolinfa de ostras apresentou ação virucida contra os três vírus avaliados neste estudo, também apresentando atividade anti-herpértica (IS = 19,76/C. rhizophorae) e antiadenovírus (IS = 5,33/C. gigas), sem, no entanto, exibir ação antiviral contra o rotavírus. Foram observados, em alguns casos, baixos IS, associados a altas porcentagens de inibição da replicação viral, mais evidente no grupo dos PAM. Estudos adicionais devem ser realizados a fim de se confirmar a atividade antiviral e prováveis mecanismos ação

Thermochemical and catalytic conversion technologies for the development of Brazilian biomass utilization

The social, economic, and environmental impacts of climate change have been shown to affect poorer populations throughout the world disproportionally, and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 has only exacerbated the use of less sustainable energy, fuel, and chemical sources. The period of economic and social recovery following the pandemic presents an unprecedented opportunity to invest in biorefineries based on the pyrolysis of agricultural residues. These produce a plethora of sustainable resources while also contributing to the economic valorization of first-sector local economies. However, biomass-derived pyrolysis liquid is highly oxygenated, which hinders its long-term stability and usability. Catalytic hydrogenation is a proposed upgrading method to reduce this hindrance, while recent studies on the use of nickel and niobium as low-cost catalysts, both abundant in Brazil, reinforce the potential synergy between different economic sectors within the country. This review gathers state-of-the-art applications of these technologies with the intent to guide the scientific community and lawmakers alike on yet another alternative for energy and commodities production within an environmentally sustainable paradigm

Anti-HIV-1 Activity of a New Scorpion Venom Peptide Derivative Kn2-7

For over 30 years, HIV/AIDS has wreaked havoc in the world. In the absence of an effective vaccine for HIV, development of new anti-HIV agents is urgently needed. We previously identified the antiviral activities of the scorpion-venom-peptide-derived mucroporin-M1 for three RNA viruses (measles viruses, SARS-CoV, and H5N1). In this investigation, a panel of scorpion venom peptides and their derivatives were designed and chosen for assessment of their anti-HIV activities. A new scorpion venom peptide derivative Kn2-7 was identified as the most potent anti-HIV-1 peptide by screening assays with an EC50 value of 2.76 µg/ml (1.65 µM) and showed low cytotoxicity to host cells with a selective index (SI) of 13.93. Kn2-7 could inhibit all members of a standard reference panel of HIV-1 subtype B pseudotyped virus (PV) with CCR5-tropic and CXCR4-tropic NL4-3 PV strain. Furthermore, it also inhibited a CXCR4-tropic replication-competent strain of HIV-1 subtype B virus. Binding assay of Kn2-7 to HIV-1 PV by Octet Red system suggested the anti-HIV-1 activity was correlated with a direct interaction between Kn2-7 and HIV-1 envelope. These results demonstrated that peptide Kn2-7 could inhibit HIV-1 by direct interaction with viral particle and may become a promising candidate compound for further development of microbicide against HIV-1

Evaluation of antiviral activity in hemolymph from oysters

This study describes the in vitro antiviral activity of two species of oyster hemolymph (Crassostrea rhizophorae and C. gigas) collected on Southern Brazilian coastline. Either the acellular and cellular fractions were tested against herpes simplex type-1 (HSV-1), human adenovirus respiratory strain (AdV-5) and simian rotavirus (RV-SA11) by using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The evaluation of viral inhibition was performed using four different strategies: simultaneous, pre-infection and post-infection treatments and virucidal assays. The cellular fraction from Crassostrea rhizophorae showed the most prominent inhibition of HSV-1 and AdV-5 replication, particularly in post-infection treatment assay. No inhibition of rotavirus replication was observed. Both oyster hemolymph fractions showed virucidal activity against all tested virus in non-cytotoxic concentrations

In vitro antiviral activity of antimicrobial peptides against herpes simplex virus 1, adenovirus, and rotavirus

Peptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, known as antimicrobial peptides, have been isolated from distinct organisms. This paper describes the in vitro evaluation of the cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of nine peptides with different structures and origins against herpes simplex virus type 1, human adenovirus respiratory strain, and rotavirus SA11. Most of the evaluated peptides presented antiviral activity but they were only active near cytotoxic concentrations. Nevertheless, these results seem promising, and further modifications on the peptide's structures may improve their selectivity and reduce their cytotoxicity

Design e ergonomia: aspectos tecnológicos

Nesta coletânea são apresentadas diferentes questões, métodos de abordagem e demandas para a aplicação da Ergonomia no Design. A evolução tecnológica observada nas últimas décadas proporcionou inúmeros benefícios para o aumento na qualidade de vida das pessoas, mas também resultou em vários problemas de interface tecnológica, os quais geram constrangimentos, acidentes, e frustração aos consumidores. Tais questões são analisadas no livro, no qual se destacam temas de grande atualidade, como por exemplo: o uso de equipamentos médico-hospitalares por indivíduos obesos e de cadeiras de rodas por indivíduos idosos; as avaliações ergonômicas de espaços e equipamentos escolares; as dificuldades de leitura em rótulos e bulas de embalagens; o uso de colete de proteção nas atividades policiais, de calçados femininos com salto alto ou da poltrona do motorista de ônibus urbano, entre outros. Os artigos relatam pesquisas desenvolvidas no Programa de Pós-graduação em Design da UNESP, Campus Bauru, e ressaltam a importância da aplicação da ergonomia no design de produtos e sistemas, com a finalidade de se desenvolver tecnologias para melhorar a qualidade de vida human