Comparative characterization of three Tetraselmis chui (Chlorophyta) strains as sources of nutraceuticals

Species of the genus Tetraselmis have traditionally been used as a valuable nutritional source in aquaculture for their high fatty acid content (5-10% dry weight). Their use in nutraceutical production for humans is growing worldwide. Among them, Tetraselmis chui is generally reported in the literature as rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). We evaluated the potential of three T. chui strains for the production of these nutraceuticals: the model strain CCAP 8/6, which is broadly used in the aquaculture industry due to its high PUFA content, and two strains (TCBG-1 and TCBG-2) isolated from Guanabara Bay (Rio de 28 Janeiro, Brazil). The two Brazilian strains grew faster than CCAP 8/6 with higher percentage of PUFAs (up to 70% of total FA at the exponential growth phase). They also produced unique fatty acids in significant quantities: TCBG-1 produced arachidonic acid (ARA) and EPA during the exponential phase (> 20% of total FA), while TCBG-2 produced these PUFAs in addition to DHA (>18% of total FA) at the late exponential phase. A two-stage growth system using co-cultures of the two Brazilian strains is proposed as an optimal model for PUFA production, based on their simultaneous scaling cultivation in photobioreactors. Furthermore, both strains are suitable candidates for upscaling in open systems in tropical regions since they are adapted to the environmental conditions in Guanabara Bay, where they form massive blooms by outcompeting other microalga

Antimycobacterial And Cytotoxicity Activities Of Free And Liposome-encapsulated 3-(4'-bromo[1,1'-biphenyl-4-yl)-3-(4-bromo-phenyl)-n,n- Dimethyl-2-propen-1-amine

The antimycobacterial activity of 3-(4'-bromo[1,1'-biphenyl-4-yl)-3-(4- bromo-phenyl)-N,N-dimethyl-2-propen-1-amine (BBAP), free or incorporated in preformed liposomes, on extracellular M. tuberculosis H37Rv was 8 and 25 μM (MIC), respectively. Extracellular antimycobacterial activity was not significantly improved by entrapment of BBAP in liposomes, but there was a 6.1-fold reduction of BBAP cytotoxicity on J774 macrophages. Liposomal BBAP or its free form showed IC50 values of 165 and 27 μM, resulting in a selectivity index (SI=IC50/MIC) of 3.4 and 6.6, respectively. Free BBAP in concentrations from 10 to 80 μM were quite effective in eliminating intracellular M. tuberculosis while liposomal formulation was less effective at these concentrations.334871874Corbett, E.L., Watt, C.J., Walker, N., Mayer, D.B.M., Willians, B.G., Raviglione, M.C., Dye, C., (2003) Arch. Intern. Med., 163, p. 1009Vynnycky, E., Fine, P.E., (1997) Epidemiol. Infec., 119, p. 183Pandey, R., Khuller, G.K., (2005) J. Antimicrob. Chemother., 55, p. 430De Souza, A.O., Aily D., C.G., Sato, D.N., Durán, N., (1998) J. Antimicrob. Chemother., 42, p. 407De Souza, A.O., Junior, R.R.S., Ferreira-Julio, J.F., Rodriguez, J.A., Melo, P.S., Haun, M., Sato, D.N., Durán, N., (2001) Eur. J. Med. Chem., 36, p. 843De Souza, A.O., Pereira, D.G., Durán, N., (2002) Ann. Rev. Biomed. Sci., 4, p. 53De Souza, A.O., Hemerly, F.P., Busollo, A.C., Melo, P.S., Machado, G.M.C., Miranda, C.C., Santa-Rita, R.M., Durán, N., (2002) J. Antimicrob. Chemother., 50, p. 629De Souza, A.O., Santos, R.R., Sato, D.N., De Azevedo, M.M.M., Ferreira, D.A., Melo, P.S., Haun, M., Durán, N., (2004) J. Braz. Chem. Soc., 15, p. 682De Souza, A.O., Alderete, J.B., Faljoni-Alario, A., Silva, C.L., Durán, N., (2005) J. Chil. Chem. Soc., 50, p. 591De Conti, R., Gimenez, S.M.M., Haun, M., Pilli, R.A., De Castro, S.L., Durán, N., (1996) Eur. J. Med. Chem., 31, p. 915Bangham, A.D., Standish, M.M., Watkins, J.C., (1965) J. Mol. Biol., 13, p. 238Chen, P.S., Toribara, T.Y., Warner, H., (1956) Anal. Chem., 28, p. 1756Oh, Y.K., Nix, D.E., Straubinger, R.M., (1995) Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 39, p. 2104Collins, L.A., Franzblau, S.G., (1997) Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 41, p. 1004Denizot, F., Lang, R., (1986) J. Immun. Methods, 89, p. 27

Free 2-propen-1-amine Derivative And Inclusion Complexes With β-cyclodextrin: Scanning Electron Microscopy, Dissolution, Cytotoxicity And Antimycobacterial Activity

Inclusion complexes and physical mixtures of isomeric mixture of E/Z (50:50) of 3-(4′-bromo-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)-3-(4-bromophenyl)-N,N- dimethyl-2-propen-1-amine (BBAP) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in the molar proportion of 1:1 and 1:2 were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The dissolution behavior of BBAP and of the inclusion complexes were also evaluated for six hours. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM), it was possible to observe an inclusion complex formed between BBAP and β-CD by co-evaporation, either in the molar proportion of 1:1 or 1:2. In the physical mixtures, no complex was observed as previously detected by physicochemical analysis. The dissolution studies showed that the inclusion complexes BBAP/β-CD 1:1 and 1:2 released respectively 49.07 ± 1.48 and 40.26 ± 3.90% of BBAP during six hours. Free BBAP was less soluble than the inclusion complex and reached 9.00 ± 0.75% of dissolution. Biological assays, such as cytotoxicity to J774 macrophages and to a permanent lung fibroblast cell line (V79), indicated that the BBAP does not exhibit any additional toxic effect with the β-CD complexes. However, the complexes were less cytotoxic to V79 cells than the free form. The BBAP/β-CD inclusion complexes were more effective (MIC) than the free compound on several mycobacteria strains. Similar behavior was observed for BBAP/β-CD complexes and rifampicin, a front-line antitubercular drug, on M. tuberculosis H37Rv growing inside J774 macrophages.155682689Bibby, D.C., Davies, N.M., Tucker, I.G., (2000) Int. J. Pharm., 197, p. 1De Souza, A.O., Sato, D.N., Aily, D.C.G., Durán, N., (1998) J. Antimicrob. Chemother., 42, p. 407Pereira, D.G., De Castro, S.L., Durán, N., (1998) Acta Tropica, 69, p. 205De Souza, A.O., Santos Júnior, R.R., Ferreira-Júlio, J.F., Rodrigues, J.A., Melo, P.S., Haun, M., Sato, D.N., Durán, N., (2001) Eur. J. Med. Chem., 36, p. 843De Souza, A.O., Hemerly, F.P., Busollo, A.C., Melo, P.S., Machado, G.M.C., Miranda, C.C., Santa-Rita, R.M., Durán, N., (2002) J. Antimicrob. Chemother., 50, p. 629De Conti, R., Gimenez, S.M.N., Haun, M., Pilli, R.A., De Castro, S.L., Durán, N., (1996) Eur. J. Med. Chem., 31, p. 915De Souza, A.O., Santos Jr., R.R., Sato, D.N., Lima, H.O.S., Andrade-Santana, M.H., Alderete, J.B., Faljoni-Alario, A., Durán, N., (2000) Abstracts of the 29 a Reunião Anual Da Sociedade Brasileira de Bioquímica, , Caxambu, BrazilHiguchi, T., Connors, K.A., (1965) Adv. Anal. Chem. Instrum., 4, p. 117Collins, L.A., Franzblau, S.G., (1997) Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 41, p. 1004Oh, Y.K., Nix, D.E., Straubinger, R.M., (1995) Antimicrob Agents Chemother., 39, p. 2104Cingi, M.R., De Angelis, I., Fortunati, E., Reggiani, D., Bianchi, V., Tiozzo, R., Zucco, F., (1991) Toxicol. In Vitro, 5, p. 119Denizot, F., Lang, R., (1986) J. Immun. Methods, 89, p. 271Borenfreund, E., Puerner, J.A., (1984) J. Tiss. Cult. Meth., 9, p. 7Melo, P.S., Maria, S.S., Vidal, B.C., Haun, M., Durán, N., (2000) In Vitro Cell Rev. Biol. Animal, 36, p. 539Melo, P.S., Durán, N., Haun, M., (2001) Toxicology, 159, p. 135Shrivastava, R., John, G.W., Rispat, G., Chevalier, A., Massingham, R., (1991) ATLA - Alt. Lab. Anim., 19, p. 39

Erratum To: Quality Of Sweat Test (st) Based On The Proportion Of Sweat Sodium (na) And Sweat Chloride (cl) As Diagnostic Parameter Of Cystic Fibrosis: Are We On The Right Way?

During production of the original article [1] the Methods section included an incorrect sentence. The following sentence "For the analysis of variables with numerical distribution, Fisher's exact test and one-way analysis of variance were used" should be corrected as "For the analysis of variables with numerical distribution, Student's t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used". © The Author(s).12

SU(1,1) Coherent States For Position-Dependent Mass Singular Oscillators

The Schroedinger equation for position-dependent mass singular oscillators is solved by means of the factorization method and point transformations. These systems share their spectrum with the conventional singular oscillator. Ladder operators are constructed to close the su(1,1) Lie algebra and the involved point transformations are shown to preserve the structure of the Barut-Girardello and Perelomov coherent states.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. This shortened version (includes new references) has been adapted for its publication in International Journal of Theoretical Physic

Characteristcs chemical and soil salinization in the Irrigated District of California, SE, Brazil

O manejo inadequado da irrigação pode resultar no acúmulo de sais no solo, cuja intensidade depende da qualidade da água utilizada na irrigação, da fração de lixiviação adotada e da demanda evapotranspirativa da região. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar os atributos físicos e químicos dos solos do perímetro irrigado Califórnia, localizado no extremo noroeste do Estado de Sergipe. Para tal, foram realizadas amostragens em 42 lotes, correspondendo a 16,4% dos lotes deste perímetro. As maiores concentrações de sais e de sódio ocorreram na camada superficial (0–0,2m) do solo, o que evidenciou a falta de um manejo da irrigação adequado visando ao controle da salinidade. O aumento do pH do solo foi correlacionado significativamente com a porcentagem de sódio trocável, atingindo valores acima de 9,5. Correlações positivas significativas foram observadas entre a condutividade elétrica e os teores de Ca e Mg, indicando que sais desses íons podem estar se acumulando no solo pela ascensão do lençol freático, associado à ausência de lixiviação e drenagem. _________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: The improper irrigation management may result in the accumulation of salts in the soil profile, which intensity depends on the irrigation water quality, the leaching fraction adopted and on the evapotranspiration demand of the region. The objective of the present study was to study the physical and chemical characteristics of the soils in the irrigated district of California, located in the northwest of the State of Sergipe. Thus, soil sampling were made in 54 lots, corresponding to 16.4% of the lots of this district. The highest salt and sodium concentrations occurred in the shallowest soil layer (0–0.2m), evidencing the lack of an appropriate irrigation management in order to control the salinity build up. The increasing of the soil pH was significantly correlated to the exchangeable sodium percentage, reaching values over 9.5. Significant positive correlations were observed between the electrical conductivity and the Ca and Mg content, indicating that salts of both ions could be accumulating in soil by the capillary rise of the water table, associated to the lack of leaching and drainage