Mapping socio-environmental vulnerability and environmental health promotion in a rural community of Lamarão, Federal District, Brazil, 2011

Objetivo: realizar atividade de ensino e extensão com alunos de graduação para construção de diagnóstico participativo sobre as condições de vida, ambiente e trabalho em núcleo populacional rural, visando subsidiar ações de promoção da saúde pela equipe de agentes comunitários da Estratégia Saúde da Família. Métodos: trabalho realizado no Núcleo Rural do Lamarão, no Distrito Federal, de outubro/2010 a janeiro/2011. Alunos, conjuntamente com agentes comunitários de saúde, por meio de entrevistas, visitas e oficinas, aplicaram instrumentos de Estimativa Participativa Rápida e de construção de mapa de vulnerabilidade socioambiental e de contextos de promoção da saúde ambiental. Resultados: identificaram-se como promotores da vida na comunidade: diversidade de produção de alimentos, liberdade e segurança, união e organização da comunidade, geração de empregos e natureza. Foram considerados ameaçadores à vida: cultura alimentar, uso inadequado de agrotóxicos, uso incorreto de equipamentos de proteção individual, pulverização aérea, falta de lazer, falta de transporte, uso de drogas lícitas e ilícitas. Conclusão: a partir do diagnóstico, será construído um projeto de intervenção participativo que incorporará características de ensino, pesquisa e extensão na relação Saúde, Trabalho, Ambiente e Nutrição.Objective: To involve undergraduate students in an extension activity aimed at conducting a participatory diagnosis on life, environment, and work conditions in a rural settlement, with the purpose of raising goals for future health promotion actions performed by community health agents of the Family Health Strategy. Methods: The study was held between October 2010 and January 2011 in the rural community of Lamarão, located in the Federal District in Brazil. By means of interviews, visits, and workshops, students and community health agentes used Participatory Rapid Appraisal instruments as well as tools for mapping socio-environmental vulnerability and health promotion related issues. Results: The following were identified as life promotion factors in the community: food production diversity, freedom and safety, unity and community organization, job generation, and nature. Considered as threatening to life were: food culture, improper use of pesticides, inadequate use of personal protective equipment, aerial spraying, lack of leisure, lack of transportation, use of licit and illicit drugs. Conclusion: A participatory intervention project will be developed, which will incorporate teaching, research and extension activities regarding Health, Work, Environment, and Nutrition

Carrier capability of halloysite nanotubes for the intracellular delivery of antisense PNA targeting mRNA of neuroglobin gene

Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a DNA mimic that shows good stability against nucleases and proteases, forming strongly recognized complementary strands of DNA and RNA. However, due to its feeble ability to cross the cellular membrane, PNA activity and its targeting gene action is limited. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are a natural and low-cost aluminosilicate clay. Because of their peculiar ability to cross cellular membrane, HNTs represent a valuable candidate for delivering genetic materials into cells. Herein, two differently charged 12-mer PNAs capable of recognizing as molecular target a 12-mer DNA molecule mimicking a purine-rich tract of neuroglobin were synthetized and loaded onto HNTs by electrostatic attraction interactions. After characterization, the kinetic release was also assessed in media mimicking physiological conditions. Resonance light scattering measurements assessed their ability to bind complementary single-stranded DNA. Furthermore, their intracellular delivery was assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy on living MCF-7 cells incubated with fluorescence isothiocyanate (FITC)-PNA and HNTs labeled with a probe. The nanomaterials were found to cross cellular membrane and cell nuclei efficiently. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the HNTs/PNA can reduce the level of neuroglobin gene expression, as shown by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analysis

Prodrug based on halloysite delivery systems to improve the antitumor ability of methotrexate in leukemia cell lines

The prodrug approach, as well as the development of specific systems able to deliver a chemotherapeutic agent in the target site, decreasing the side effects often associated with its administration, are still a challenging. In this context, both methotrexate drug molecules (MTX) and biotin ligand moieties, whose receptors are overexpressed on the surface of several cancer cells, were loaded on halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) to develop nanomaterial based on multifunctional and “smart” delivery systems. To highlight the crucial role played by biotin, carrier systems based on HNTs and MTX were also synthetized. In detail, several approaches were envisaged: i) a supramolecular interaction between the clay and the drug; ii) a covalent grafting of the drug onto the HNTs external surface and, iii) a combination of both approaches. The nanomaterials obtained were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, FT-IR, and UV-vis spectroscopies, DLS and ζ−potential measurements and the morphologies were imaged by HAADF/STEM investigations. Kinetic release experiments at different pH conditions were also performed. Finally, as a proof-of-concept application of our pro-drug delivery systems based on HNTs in cancer therapy, the cytotoxic effects were evaluated on acute myeloid leukemia cell lines, HL60 and its multidrug resistance variant, HL60R. The obtained results showed that both the MTX prodrug system and the biotinylated ones played a crucial role in the biological activity and, they are promising agents for the cancer treatments

Antitumor effects of curcumin and structurally beta-diketone modified analogs on multidrug resistant cancer cells

Using concepts of bioisostery a series of curcumin analogs were synthesized: the diketonic system of the compound was elaborated into enaminones, oximes, and the isoxazole heterocycle. The cell growth inhibitory and apoptosis inducing effects of the new analogs were evaluated by in vitro assays in the hepatocellular carcinoma HA22T/VGH cells, as well as in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line and in its multidrug resistant (MDR) variant MCF-7R. Increased antitumor activity on all cell lines was found with the isoxazole analog and especially with the benzyl oxime derivative; in the HA22T/VGH cell model, the latter compound inhibited constitutive NF-kappaB activatio