Anti-inflammatory effect of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi hydroalcoholic extract on neutrophil migration in zymosan-induced arthritis

AbstractEthnopharmacological relevanceSchinus terebinthifolius is a species of plant from the Anacardiaceae family, which can be found in different regions of Brazil. Schinus is popularly known as aroeirinha, aroeira-vermelha, or Brazilian pepper. In folk medicine, S. terebinthifolius is used for several disorders, including inflammatory conditions, skin wounds, mucosal membrane ulcers, respiratory problems, gout, tumors, diarrhea and arthritis. According to chemical analyses, gallic acid, methyl gallate and pentagalloylglucose are the main components of hydroalcoholic extracts from S. terebinthifolius leaves. In the present study, we demonstrated the ability of a hydroalcoholic extract to inhibit cell migration in arthritis and investigated the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.Materials and methodsThe anti-inflammatory effect of S. terebinthifolius hydroalcoholic leaf extract (ST-70) was investigated in a zymosan-induced experimental model of inflammation. Male Swiss and C57Bl/6 mice received zymosan (100µg/cavity) via intra-thoracic (i.t.) or intra-articular (i.a.) injection after oral pre-treatment with ST-70. The direct action of ST-70 on neutrophils was evaluated via chemotaxis.ResultsST-70 exhibited a dose-dependent effect in the pleurisy model. The median effective dose (ED50) was 100mg/kg, which inhibited 70% of neutrophil accumulation when compared with the control group. ST-70 reduced joint diameter and neutrophil influx for synovial tissues at 6h and 24h in zymosan-induced arthritis. Additionally, ST-70 inhibited synovial interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, keratinocyte-derived chemokine (CXCL1/KC) and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α production at 6h and CXCL1/KC and IL-1β production at 24h. The direct activity of ST-70 on neutrophils was observed via the impairment of CXCL1/KC-induced chemotaxis in neutrophils. Oral administration of ST-70 did not induce gastric damage. Daily administration for twenty days did not kill any animals. In contrast, similar administrations of diclofenac induced gastric damage and killed all animals by the fifth day.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects of ST-70, suggesting a putative use of this herb for the development of phytomedicines to treat inflammatory diseases, such as joint inflammation

Detection of transgenic in food and feed using multiplex PCR

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-28T18:09:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) 109.pdf: 1338749 bytes, checksum: dced83f0e7a2d55b58777971825adce2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-22T16:56:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 109.pdf: 1338749 bytes, checksum: dced83f0e7a2d55b58777971825adce2 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Controle de Qualidade em SaúdeDurante o período de 1996 a 2006, a proporção da área global de lavouras biotecnológicas plantadas por países em desenvolvimento aumentou consistentemente a cada ano. Nos últimos dez anos, mais de 40 países adotaram políticas de rotulagem para alimentos geneticamente modificados, mas as características das regulamentações e seu grau de execução variam enormemente. Os efeitos observados dessas políticas sobre a escolha dos consumidores, a informação para os consumidores, comércio dos alimentos, comércio internacional também variam significativamente. No Brasil, o Decreto n. 4.680/03 regulamenta o direito à informação, assegurado pela Lei n. 8.078/90, quanto aos alimentos e ingredientes alimentares destinados ao consumo humano ou animal que contenham ou sejam produzidos a partir de organismos geneticamente modificados (OGMs). O cumprimento da legislação que regulamenta a comercialização de alimentos e ingredientes contendo OGMs é totalmente dependente da sensibilidade e confiabilidade dos métodos de detecção e quantificação de OGMs. . Entre os métodos existentes, a reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) é o mais aceito, por ser sensível e confiável para detecção de material geneticamente modificado em análises de rotina. A padronização da técnica de PCR multiplex para a detecção de vários transgênicos em produtos alimentícios facilita o monitoramento destes, pois além de diminuir o tempo de diagnóstico, utiliza uma menor quantidade de reagentes, barateando o processo de detecção. No presente estudo, foi utilizada uma duplex PCR para a detecção de soja geneticamente modificada tolerante ao herbicida glifosato (Roundup Ready) e uma PCR multiplex para a detecção simultânea de três linhagens de milho transgênico (MON810, Bt11 e Bt176) em amostras de alimentos humano e animal. Foram utilizadas duas metodologias para extração do DNA das amostras: o método CTAB (já utilizado pelo INCQS) e o kit DNeasy Mini. [...]From 1996 to 2006, the proportion of the global area of biotech crops growing in developing countries has increased consistently. In the last ten years, over 40 countries have adopted policies for the labeling of genetically modified food, but the regulations characteristics and their degree of implementation varies greatly. The effects of these policies on consumer choice and information, on food trade and international trade also vary significantly. In Brazil, the Decree No. 4.680/03 regulates the right to consumers information, provided by Law No. 8078/90, on food and food ingredients intended for human or animal consumption containing or produced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Compliance with regulation on the marketing of foods and ingredients containing GMOs is totally dependent on the sensitivity and reliability of methods of detection and quantification of GMOs. Among the existing methods, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most accepted, sensitive and reliable for the detection of genetically modified material in routine. The multiplex PCR is used on the screening of GMO in food because its able to detect simultaneously several transgenic, being a less time and reagents consuming method, making the process of detection cheaper. In the present study, duplex PCR was tested for the detection of genetically modified soybeans tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup Ready) and a multiplex PCR was tested for the simultaneous detection of three lineages of transgenic maize (MON810, Bt11 and Bt176) in samples of human food and feed. Two methodologies were used for extraction of DNA from samples: the CTAB method (already used by INCQS) and DNeasy® Mini kit. The results were compared to the standard method used by INCQS. Out of the fourty samples, thirty samples were positive for the presence of Roundup Ready soybeans, fourteen were positive for at least one of the GM corn studied. Nine were positive for MON 810 maize, three were positive for Bt 11 maize, and five were positive for Bt 176 maize. The method proved to be robust and can be used on a routine for the detection of GMOs in food

Anti-inflammatory Effect of Methyl Gallate on Experimental Arthritis: Inhibition of Neutrophil Recruitment, Production of Inflammatory Mediators, and Activation of Macrophages

Methyl gallate (MG) is a prevalent phenolic acid in the plant kingdom, and its presence in herbal medicines might be related to its remarkable biological effects, such as its antioxidant, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities. Although some indirect evidence suggests anti-inflammatory activity for MG, there are no studies demonstrating this effect in animal models. Herein, we demonstrated that MG (0.7–70 mg/kg) inhibited zymosan-induced experimental arthritis in a dose-dependent manner. The oral administration of MG (7 mg/kg) attenuates arthritis induced by zymosan, affecting edema formation, leukocyte migration, and the production of inflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, CXCL-1, LTB₄, and PGE₂). Pretreatment with MG inhibited <i>in vitro</i> neutrophil chemotaxis elicited by CXCL-1, as well as the adhesion of these cells to TNF-α-primed endothelial cells. MG also impaired zymosan-stimulated macrophages by inhibiting IL-6 and NO production, COX-2 and iNOS expression, and intracellular calcium mobilization. Thus, MG is likely to present an anti-inflammatory effect by targeting multiple cellular events such as the production of various inflammatory mediators, as well as leukocyte activation and migration

Article Synthesis and Trypanocidal Activity of Novel 2,4,5-Triaryl-N-Hydroxylimidazole Derivatives

Herein, we report the design, synthesis and trypanocidal activity of some novel trisubstituted imidazole derivatives. These heterocyclic derivatives were structurally planned by exploring the concept of molecular hybridisation between two arylhydrazones derived from megazol, which has potent trypanocidal activity. The trypanocidal activity of these triarylimidazole derivatives was evaluated against infective trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi and the derivative 2&#039;-(4-bromophenyl)-1-methyl-5&#039;-phenyl-1H,3&#039;H-2,4&#039;-biimidazol-3&#039;-ol showed moderate biological activity (IC50 = 23.9 µM) when compared to benznidazole, a standard trypanocidal drug. These compounds did not present cytotoxic effects at concentrations near the trypanocidal IC50, being considered a good starting point for the development of new anti-Chagas drug candidates

Avaliação de risco dos organismos geneticamente modificados Risk assessment of genetically modified organisms

Desde o começo de sua comercialização, em 1996, a área global de plantações transgênicas aumentou mais de cinquenta vezes. Nas duas últimas décadas, organizações governamentais e intergovernamentais têm planejado estratégias e protocolos para o estudo da segurança de alimentos derivados de cultivos geneticamente modificados. Os testes de segurança são realizados caso a caso e conduzidos de acordo com as características específicas das culturas modificadas e as mudanças introduzidas através da modificação genética, levando em conta o conceito de equivalência substancial. No presente trabalho, estão relatadas algumas abordagens de avaliação de risco de alimentos geneticamente modificados, assim como alguns problemas relacionados à construção genética ou mesmo à expressão do gene inserido<br>Since the commercial approve in 1996, the global area of transgenic crops has raised more than 50 times. In the last two decades, governments have been planning strategies and protocols for safety assessment of food and feed genetically modified (GM). Evaluation of food safety should be taken on a case-by-case analysis depending on the specific traits of the modified crops and the changes introduced by the genetic modification, using for this the concept of substantial equivalence. This work presents approaches for the risk assessment of GM food, as well as some problems related with the genetic construction or even with the expression of the inserted gen