Production and characterization of natural and synthetic compounds for treating hormone resistant tumors

From previous and on-going studies, natural compounds/extracts isolated from Taraxacum hispanicum, Ionic Liquids (ILs) based on ampicillin and quinoxalines emerged as potential anticancer. Although described as potentially antitumor compounds, the mechanisms undergoing cytotoxicity remain unknown. Therefore, production of these kind of compounds were carry out in order to have a better understanding of their bioactivity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Natural and synthetic compounds as anti-cancer therapies for breast and prostate cancer

Breast Cancer (BCa) and Prostate Cancer (PCa) are the most prevalent tumors in females and males, respectively, being the main causes of cancer morbidity and mortality, worldwide. Currently, there is no available curative treatment for the hormone-resistant tumors, being the development of new therapeutic strategies using innovative anticancer agents imperative. Thus, the main goal of this work was to evaluate the anticancer properties of natural and synthetic compounds through in vitro assays.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hábitos e comportamentos associados ao uso de antibióticos: A autonomia individual versus a saúde da comunidade

A resistência a drogas é um dos graves problemas de saúde atual embora possa ser considerada uma resposta natural devida à pressão seletiva da droga. Esta resposta é no entanto exacerbada por vários fatores que incluem, abuso, subutilização ou má utilização, má adesão ao tratamento ou má qualidade das drogas disponíveis. Trata-se de um dos maiores desafios que enfrentam atualmente os profissionais de Saúde e a população em geral. A auto-medicação é um dos fatores que mais contribui para a resistência a antibióticos. No presente trabalho apresentamos um estudo preliminar onde foram avaliados os hábitos e comportamentos associados ao uso de antibióticos num grupo de Pais.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Práticas artísticas no ensino básico e secundário

A mediação entre os conteúdos culturais e a Educação Artística formal tem emergido como uma distinta área de inovação e de intervenção, como o mostram os 18 artigos selecionados nesta nona edição da revista Matéria-Prima.Entre a identidade, fundada nos focos de conhecimento local, e uma inserção integrada nos problemas e conteúdos globais joga-se a problematização da Educação Artística. As propostas articulam quer discursos curatoriais (museu, bienal, exposição), como ações de mediação visando uma expansão das atividades, a que se juntam as reflexões sobre a realidade da formação de professores, nas suas diversas modalidades, em diversas realidades sociais.Propiciam-se oportunidades de ações de intervenção, concertadas ou não, entre os agentes artísticos e os educadores. O resultado pode ser potenciado se se conseguir uma perspetiva informada e integrada das realidades artísticas: pede-se a todos os intervenientes mais integração e disponibilidade para um conhecimento mútuo consequente.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Strategies for the use of bacteriocins in Gram-negative bacteria: relevance in food microbiology

Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized peptides that have bacteriostatic or bactericidal effects on other bacteria. The use of bacteriocins has emerged as an important strategy to increase food security and to minimize the incidence of foodborne diseases, due to its minimal impact on the nutritional and sensory properties of food products. Gramnegative bacteria are naturally resistant to the action of bacteriocins produced by Gram-positive bacteria, which are widely explored in foods. However, these microorganisms can be sensitized by mild treatments, such as the use of chelating agents, by treatment with plant essential oils or by physical treatments such as heating, freezing or high pressure processing. This sensitization is important in food microbiology, because most pathogens that cause foodborne diseases are Gram-negative bacteria. However, the effectiveness of these treatments is influenced by several factors, such as pH, temperature, the composition of the food and target microbiota. In this review, we comment on the main methods used for the sensitization of Gram-negative bacteria, especially Salmonella, to improve the action of bacteriocins produced by Gram-positive bacteria

Morphological changes in Salmonella Typhimurium caused by the lantibiotic bovicin HC5 in association with EDTA

Bacteriocins, particularly those produced by Gram-positive bacteria, have in recent years been considered promising antimicrobial agents to inhibit bacterial growth in food, and thus are potential food preservatives. These peptides generally exhibit a spectrum of action limited to Gram-positive bacteria. However, their action can be extended to Gram-negative bacteria through association with chelating agents. In the present study, we evaluated the occurrence of morphological changes on the cell envelope of Salmonella Typhimurium cells treated with bovicin HC5—a lantibiotic from Streptococcus bovis HC5—in association with EDTA. The morphological changes of the cells were visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the increase in cell membrane permeability was confirmed by the leakage of potassium ions (K+). The images displayed changes in the cell envelope, with increased surface roughness and a decreased cell volume. These changes indicate that EDTA plays a role in the destabilization of the outer membrane, allowing bovicin HC5 to act on the cytoplasmic membrane through the formation of pores, which was confirmed by the detection of potassium in the cell supernatant. These results suggest that bovicin HC5 combined with EDTA has potential for use on Salmonella cells

Temperature and pH influence the susceptibility of Salmonella Typhimurium to nisin combined with EDTA

antibiotics, such as nisin, generally act on Gram-positive bacteria, whereas Gram-negative bacteria exhibit natural resistance to the action of these bacteriocins. However, Gram-negative bacteria can become susceptible to the action of these antimicrobial peptides with the use of chelating agents, such as EDTA. The activity of bacteriocins can be influenced by several factors, such as environmental conditions and chemical composition of the medium. Moreover, the susceptibility of target microorganism can be altered, due to changes in cellular composition induced by environmental conditions. In this study, we examined the combined effect of variations in temperature and pH on the susceptibility of Salmonella Typhimurium to the action of nisin associated with EDTA. The reduction in the number of viable cells of Salmonella Typhimurium varied according to the temperature and pH, and major reduction in logarithmic cycles of viable cells occurred with a temperature increase. Under low temperature and low pH, a considerable reduction in the viability was also observed after prolonged exposure to bacteriocin, regardless of the presence of EDTA. According to results, temperature and pH conditions influence on the susceptibility of Salmonella Typhimurium to combination of nisin and EDTA and thus should be considered to establish optimal conditions for nisin use

Projeto Nasythor - novos compostos naturais e sintéticos para o tratamento de tumores hormono-resistentes

Uma equipa multidisciplinar do CISA-ESS | P. PORTO em colaboração com o CI|IPOP dedicou-se ao estudo do potencial anti-tumoral de novos compostos em tumores de grande incidência em Portugal: cancro da mama e da próstata. O potencial anti-tumoral de extratos de plantas e compostos sintéticos foi avaliado em linhas celulares de cancro da próstata e da mama, sendo a resposta terapêutica prevista através de amostras biológicas. Um líquido iónico provou estar associado à atenuação do fenótipo maligno das linhas celulares testadas, mostrando-se um promissor agente terapêutico anti-tumoral. A expressão de genes que se mostrou alterada após tratamento foi validada em amostras de pacientes com cancro da próstata e da mama. Os resultados foram divulgados sob a forma de artigo científico e de várias comunicações orais e posters em congressos nacionais e internacionais.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Morphological changes in Salmonella Typhimurium caused by the lantibiotic bovicin HC5 in association with EDTA

Bacteriocins, particularly those produced by Gram-positive bacteria, have in recent years been considered promising antimicrobial agents to inhibit bacterial growth in food, and thus are potential food preservatives. These peptides generally exhibit a spectrum of action limited to Gram-positive bacteria. However, their action can be extended to Gram-negative bacteria through association with chelating agents. In the present study, we evaluated the occurrence of morphological changes on the cell envelope of Salmonella Typhimurium cells treated with bovicin HC5—a lantibiotic from Streptococcus bovis HC5—in association with EDTA. The morphological changes of the cells were visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the increase in cell membrane permeability was confirmed by the leakage of potassium ions (K+). The images displayed changes in the cell envelope, with increased surface roughness and a decreased cell volume. These changes indicate that EDTA plays a role in the destabilization of the outer membrane, allowing bovicin HC5 to act on the cytoplasmic membrane through the formation of pores, which was confirmed by the detection of potassium in the cell supernatant. These results suggest that bovicin HC5 combined with EDTA has potential for use on Salmonella cells