Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory extracts from sea cucumbers and tunicates induce a pro-osteogenic effect in Zebrafish Larvae

Bone metabolic disorders such as osteoporosis are characterized by the loss of mineral from the bone tissue leading to its structural weakening and increased susceptibility to fractures. A growing body of evidence suggests that inflammation and oxidative stress play an important role in the pathophysiological processes involved in the rise of these conditions. As the currently available therapeutic strategies are often characterized by toxic effects associated with their long-term use, natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds such as polyphenols promise to be a valuable alternative for the prevention and treatment of these disorders. In this scope, the marine environment is becoming an important source of bioactive compounds with potential pharmacological applications. Here, we explored the bioactive potential of three species of holothurians (Echinodermata) and four species of tunicates (Chordata) as sources of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds with a particular focus on polyphenolic substances. Hydroethanolic and aqueous extracts were obtained from animals' biomass and screened for their content of polyphenols and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Hydroethanolic fractions of three species of tunicates displayed high polyphenolic content associated with strong antioxidant potential and anti-inflammatory activity. Extracts were thereafter tested for their capacity to promote bone formation and mineralization by applying an assay that uses the developing operculum of zebrafish (Danio rerio) to assess the osteogenic activity of compounds. The same three hydroethanolic fractions from tunicates were characterized by a strong in vivo osteogenic activity, which positively correlated with their anti-inflammatory potential as measured by COX-2 inhibition. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of polyphenol-rich hydroethanolic extracts obtained from three species of tunicates as a substrate for the development of novel drugs for the treatment of bone disorders correlated to oxidative stress and inflammatory processes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Macrophomina phaseolina em soja.

Macrophomina phaseolina em soja. Características do fungo; Sintomas; Fatores predisponentes à infecção; Variabilidade genética; Rotação de culturas e manejo do solo; Resistência genética.bitstream/item/104251/1/Doc.-346-OL.pd

Practical issues affecting the utility of field survey data for biodiversity monitoring

There is growing emphasis on monitoring biodiversity in European waters not least due to the EC’s recent Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) listing biodiversity as one descriptor of ‘Good Environmental Status’ (GES). Member States already have various monitoring surveys in place, in particular groundfish and other fisheries surveys, which may provide a cost-effective way of assessing some elements of biodiversity. The MSFD recognises the “need to ensure, as far as possible, compatibility with existing programmes”. Although existing field surveys are a potential source of quantitative data for examining spatial and temporal biodiversity patterns, it must be acknowledged that such surveys were often not originally designed to monitor ‘biodiversity’, and long-term surveys may have had changes in survey design at some point, and/or subtle changes in survey protocols over time. Field surveys for infauna and plankton typically collect and preserve samples at sea, and subsequent laboratory work includes the use of reference collections, quality assurance and longer-term sample storage. Surveys with towed gears can collect large amounts of complex biological material which is typically processed at sea, and so different forms of quality assurance are required. The taxonomic knowledge, experience and enthusiasm of sea-going staff can also influence the biodiversity information collected (e.g. time spent sorting complex catches, species identification). Hence, matrices of species-station data can contain ‘artefacts’ that need to be understood and addressed before deriving biodiversity metrics, and may even necessitate some degree of data filtering. This paper uses field data from selected surveys to illustrate how various factors can affect ‘biodiversity information’

Alterações na fertilidade do solo em sistemas de rotação de culturas em semeadura direta

O sistema de semeadura direta com culturas de grãos ocupa atualmente 2,5 milhões de hectares no estado do Paraná. Além do sistema tradicional de sucessão trigo-soja, em grande parte desta área são semeadas plantas de cobertura-adubação verde no inverno e milho no verão. Neste estudo, foram avaliadas as alterações em algumas características químicas do solo, após sete anos, sob os sistemas de rotação de culturas trigo-soja-aveia-soja (TSA), trigo-soja-tremoço-milho-aveia-soja (TMA), tremoço-milho-trigo-soja (TM) e o sistema tradicional de sucessão trigo-soja (TS) em unidades de Latossolo Roxo distrófico, em Londrina e Campo Mourão. O sistema TM diminuiu o pH do solo e os teores de cálcio (Ca2+) e magnésio (Mg2+) trocáveis e aumentou o alumínio trocável (Al3+), a acidez potencial (H + Al) e o N-total do solo em relação ao sistema TS. Essas caracaterísticas apresentaram valores intermediários nos demais sistemas. Não foram observadas diferenças entre os sistemas quanto aos teores de carbono orgânico e potássio trocável (K+) no solo. A diminuição do teor de Ca2+ no sistema TM foi maior do que a quantidade de Ca aplicado na forma de calcário durante o experimento. A adubação nitrogenada no trigo e no milho foi relacionada com a acidificação observada no solo. A manutenção dos níveis de K+ e diminuição dos níveis de Ca2+ e Mg2+ resultaram provavelmente de uma alteração na preferência de lixiviação de cátions no sistema TM. A formação de complexos orgânicos com cátions divalentes foi sugerida como provável mecanismo responsável por estas alterações químicas no solo