Polar extracts from (Tunisian) Acacia salicina Lindl. Study of the antimicrobial and antigenotoxic activities

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Methanolic, aqueous and Total Oligomer Flavonoids (TOF)-enriched extracts obtained from the leaves of <it>Acacia salicina </it>'Lindl.' were investigated for antibacterial, antimutagenic and antioxidant activities.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The antimicrobial activity was tested on the Gram positive and Gram negative reference bacterial strains. The Mutagenic and antimutagenic activities against direct acting mutagens, methylmethane sulfonate (MMS) and 4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine (NOPD), and indirect acting mutagens, 2-aminoanthracene (2-AA) and benzo[a]pyrene (B(a)P) were performed with <it>S. typhimurium </it>TA102 and TA98 assay systems. In addition, the enzymatic and nonenzymatic methods were employed to evaluate the anti-oxidative effects of the tested extracts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A significant effect against the Gram positive and Gram negative reference bacterial strains was observed with all the extracts. The mutagenic and antimutagenic studies revealed that all the extracts decreased the mutagenicity induced by B(a)P (7.5 μg/plate), 2-AA (5 μg/plate), MMS (1.3 mg/plate) and NOPD (10 μg/plate). Likewise, all the extracts showed an important free radical scavenging activity towards the superoxide anion generated by the xanthine/xanthine oxidase assay system, as well as high Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC), against the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS)⁺• radical. TOF-enriched extract exhibited the highest protective effect against free radicals, direct acting-mutagen and metabolically activated S9-dependent mutagens.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study indicates that the extracts from <it>A. salicina </it>leaves are a significant source of compounds with the antimutagenic and antioxidant activities, and this may be useful for developing potential chemopreventive substances.</p

Avaliação intra-operatória da pressão portal e resultados imediatos do tratamento cirúrgico da hipertensão portal em pacientes esquistossomóticos submetidos a desconexão ázigo-portal e esplenectomia Intra-operative evaluation of portal pressure and immediate results of surgical treatment of portal hypertension in schistosomotic patients submitted to esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy

RACIONAL: No Brasil a principal causa de hipertensão portal é a esquistossomose mansônica na sua forma hepatoesplênica. Com relação ao seu tratamento, a preferência da maioria dos autores no Brasil recai sobre a desconexão ázigo-portal e esplenectomia geralmente associada à escleroterapia endoscópica pós-operatória para tratamento dessa enfermidade. No entanto, não estão bem estabelecidas as alterações hemodinâmicas portais decorrentes do tratamento cirúrgico da hipertensão portal e sua influência no resultado desse tratamento. OBJETIVOS: Avaliar o impacto imediato da desconexão ázigo-portal e esplenectomia na pressão portal e também os resultados do tratamento cirúrgico da hipertensão portal no que se refere à recidiva hemorrágica e ao calibre das varizes de esôfago. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODO: Foram estudados 19 pacientes com esquistossomose hepatoesplênica e hipertensão portal, com história de hemorragia digestiva alta por ruptura de varizes esofágicas, com idade média de 37,9 anos. Estes pacientes não haviam sido submetidos a tratamento prévio e foram, eletivamente, tratados cirurgicamente com desconexão ázigo-portal e esplenectomia. Durante a cirurgia, foi avaliada a pressão portal, no início e no final do procedimento, através da cateterização da veia porta por cateter de polietileno introduzido por veia jejunal. Todos os pacientes foram submetidos a endoscopia no pré e no pós-operatório (em torno do 60&ordm; dia do pós-operatório) para avaliar, segundo classificação de Palmer, a variação do calibre das varizes esofagianas após a desconexão ázigo-portal e esplenectomia. RESULTADOS: Todos os pacientes apresentaram queda da pressão portal, sendo a média desta queda, após a desconexão ázigo-portal e esplenectomia, de 31,3%. Na avaliação pós-operatória (endoscopia após cerca de 60 dias) houve redução significativa do calibre das varizes esofagianas quando comparadas ao pré-operatório. CONCLUSÃO: A desconexão ázigo-portal e esplenectomia promoveram queda imediata na pressão portal, com conseqüente diminuição do calibre das varizes esofágicas. Observou-se ainda que não é insignificante o risco de mortalidade e complicações graves relacionados a essa técnica.<br>BACKGROUND: The main cause of portal hypertension in Brazil is the hepato-splenic form of mansonic schistosomiasis and the most employed technique for the surgical approach of this disease is the esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy, generally associated to postoperative endoscopical esophageal varices sclerotherapy. The hemodynamic alterations after surgical treatment and its possible influence on the outcome are not well established. AIM: To evaluate the immediate impact of esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy upon portal pressure as well as the results of the surgical treatment on digestive hemorrhage recurrence and on esophageal varices. METHODS: Nineteen patients with mean age of 37.9 years and portal hypertension and previous episodes of digestive hemorrhage caused by esophageal varices rupture due to hepato-splenic schistosomiasis were studied. None of the patients had received any treatment prior to the surgery and underwent to elective esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy. Portal pressure was assessed at the beginning and at the end of esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy through portal vein catheterization with a polyethylene catheter introduced through a jejunal branch vein. All patients were submitted to digestive endoscopy before and after the surgery, in order to classify the size of esophageal varices after esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy according to Palmer’s classification. RESULTS: In all patients the portal pressure had diminished with a mean decrease of 31.3% after esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy. In the postoperative endoscopic follow-up (1 month), the esophageal varices showed a statistically significant reduction in their size, when compared to the pre-surgical measurements. CONCLUSION: These results have demonstrated that the esophagogastric devascularization with splenectomy promotes immediate decrease in the portal pressure and a consequent reduction in the esophageal varices size. We also observed that the risk of mortality and severe complications related to this technique is not insignificant