Utilização do mel como terapia complementar: uma revisão sobre as propriedades biológicas associadas ao mel / Use of honey as a complementary therapy: a review of the biological properties related to honey

Dentre as matérias primas extraídas da apicultura, o mel é considerado o produto mais fácil de ser explorado, sendo também aquele com maiores possibilidades de comercialização pois, além de ser um alimento, pode também ser utilizado na indústria farmacêutica e cosmética devido às suas conhecidas ações terapêuticas. Sabe-se que são diversas as propriedades medicinais dos méis, nesse sentido, essa revisão procurou avaliar a literatura científica da última década a respeito das propriedades biológicas associadas ao mel e foi verificado que este produto vem sendo utilizado em diversos tipos de linhas terapêuticas, notadamente devido às suas atividades antimicrobiana, antioxidante e cicatrizante. Além disso, há também estudos demonstrando seus efeitos antiproliferativos e antimetastáticos em tumores cerebrais bem como estudos sugerindo um efeito sinérgico de diferentes atividades biológicas quando se usa a combinação de méis de origens distintas

Functional Properties of Brazilian Propolis: From Chemical Composition Until the Market

Propolis is a product obtained from resins and exudates of different plants from different regions in order to protect the comb, with peculiar organoleptic, chemicals and biological properties. Considering this, this chapter presents the types of Brazilian propolis as the types available nowadays, their chemical compositions, as well as, some of their important biological properties enabling employing them as important health food, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulation action. Various “in vivo” and clinical trial studies, conducted in different regions, on the safety and dosage of propolis, technologies used to obtain propolis extract, and several innovative presentations of this promising bee product are also presented in this chapter. Finally, this chapter aims to present the regulatory affairs, potential market for propolis around the world, and perspectives for a near future

Inflammasome activation is critical to the protective immune response during chemically induced squamous cell carcinoma

Chronic inflammation affects most stages of tumorigenesis, including initiation, promotion, malignant differentiation, invasion and metastasis. Inflammasomes have been described as involved with persistent inflammation and are known to exert both pro and antitumour effects. We evaluated the influence of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and caspase (CASP)-1 in the antitumor immune response using a multistage model of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) development. Absence of ASC and CASP-1 resulted in an earlier incidence and increased number of papilloma. Loss of inflammassome function in mice resulted in decreased presence of natural killer (NK), dendritic (DC), CD4+, CD8+ and CD45RB+ T cells in the tumor lesions as well as in lymph nodes (LN) compared with WT mice. Increased percentage of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells was associated with association with inflammasome loss of function. Moreover, significant differences were also found with neutrophils and macrophage infiltrating the lesions. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), but not elastase (ELA), activity oscillated among the groups during the SCC development. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α and Interferon (IFN)-γ were decreased in the tumor microenvironment in the absence of inflammasome proteins. These observations suggest a link between inflammasome function and SCC tumorigenesis, indicating an important role for inflammasome activation in the control of SCC development.Fil: Gasparoto, Thais Helena. Universidad de São Paulo. Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; BrasilFil: Ervolino de Oliveira, Carine. Universidad de São Paulo. Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; BrasilFil: Thomazini de Freitas, Luisa. Universidad de São Paulo. Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; BrasilFil: Ramos Pinheiro, Claudia. Universidad de São Paulo. Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; BrasilFil: Issa Hori, Juliana. University of São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto; BrasilFil: Pompermaier Garlet, Gustavo. Universidad de São Paulo. Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; BrasilFil: Cavassani, Karen Angélica. University Of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: Schillaci, Roxana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Santana Da Silva, Joao. University of São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto; BrasilFil: Simmões Zamboni, Darío. University of São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto; BrasilFil: Campanelli, Ana Paula. Universidad de São Paulo. Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; Brasi

Validation of a RP-HPLC-DAD Method for Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) Preparations and Assessment of the Marker, Apigenin-7-glucoside, Safety and Anti-Inflammatory Effect

Chamomile is a medicinal plant, which presents several biological effects, especially the anti-inflammatory effect. One of the compounds related to this effect is apigenin, a flavonoid that is mostly found in its glycosylated form, apigenin-7-glucoside (APG), in natural sources. However, the affectivity and safety of this glycoside have not been well explored for topical application. In this context, the aim of this work was to develop and validate a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC-DAD) method to quantify APG in chamomile preparations. Additionally, the safety and the anti-inflammatory potential of this flavonoid were verified. The RP-HPLC-DAD method was developed and validated with linearity at 24.0–36.0 μg/mL range (r=0.9994). Intra- and interday precision (RSD) were 0.27–2.66% and accuracy was 98.27–101.21%. The validated method was applied in the analysis of chamomile flower heads, glycolic extract, and Kamillen cream, supporting the method application in the quality control of chamomile preparations. Furthermore, the APG safety was assessed by MTT cytotoxicity assay and mutagenic protocols and the anti-inflammatory activity was confirmed by a diminished TNF-α production showed by mice macrophages treated with APG following LPS treatment

Artepillin C Reduces Allergic Airway Inflammation by Induction of Monocytic Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells

Propolis is a natural product produced by bees that is primarily used in complementary and alternative medicine and has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumoral biological properties. Some studies have reported the beneficial effects of propolis in models of allergic asthma. In a previous study, our group showed that green propolis treatment reduced airway inflammation and mucus secretion in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma model and resulted in increased regulatory T cells (Treg) and polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSC) frequencies in the lungs, two leukocyte populations that have immunosuppressive functions. In this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of artepillin C (ArtC), the major compound of green propolis, in the context of allergic airway inflammation. Our results show that ArtC induces in vitro differentiation of Treg cells and monocytic MDSC (M-MDSC). Furthermore, in an OVA-induced asthma model, ArtC treatment reduced pulmonary inflammation, eosinophil influx to the airways, mucus and IL-5 secretion along with increased frequency of M-MDSC, but not Treg cells, in the lungs. Using an adoptive transfer model, we confirmed that the effect of ArtC in the reduction in airway inflammation was dependent on M-MDSC. Altogether, our data show that ArtC exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect and might be an adjuvant therapy for allergic asthma

Transcriptional analysis of chitin synthase genes.

<p>The wild-type, and <i>pkcA</i>^G579R strains were grown for 24 hours in YG medium and transferred to fresh pre-warmed YG with either 0 or 300 μg/ml of CR and grown for a further 15, 30 and 60 minutes. mRNA abundance for each gene was assessed by real time RT-PCR and normalized to β-tubulin. Fold increase in each strain represents the normalized mRNA abundance relative to the wild-type strain at time point 0 (i. e. prior to CR exposure). Data represent the average value of at least three biological replicates, each repeated in duplicate in the same run and standard deviation. * p ≤ 0.05.</p

Growth phenotypes of the <i>pkcA</i>^G579R mutant.

<p>(A) 1x10⁵ conidia of each strain were inoculated onto the center of a solid YG plates supplemented with different cell wall perturbing agents: Congo Red (CR); Calcofluor White (CFW); caffeine (CAF); anidulafungin (AF); Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). (B) The indicated number of conidia was spotted onto solid YG plates supplemented with nikkomycin Z (NKZ) and fluconazole (FLUC). The plates were incubated for 3 days (A) or 2 days (B) at 37°C.</p

Growth phenotypes of the <i>pkcA</i>^G579R mutant strain in the presence of oxidative damage.

<p>The strains were grown in liquid MM in 24-well plates supplemented with in the indicated concentrations of paraquat (A) or menadione (B) during 48 hours at 37°C.</p

Chelerythrine treatment leads to a fungicidal effect of <i>A</i>. <i>fumigatus pkcA</i>^G579R mutant.

<p>(A) 2x10³ conidia from each strain were grown for 24 hours in liquid MM at 30°C in the presence of the indicated concentration of chelerythrine. After growth, cells were centrifuged, washed in pre-warmed medium and allow to recover in fresh MM medium for an additional 24 hours. After this time, survival was determined via the MTT assay comparing the formanzan salt formation at each time point in comparison to the untreated control. * p ≤ 0.01. (B) Western blot for MpkA phosphorylation. Wild-type and <i>pkcA</i>^G579R strains were grown for 16 h in YG at 37°C and then chelerythrine (25 μM) was added, or not (control), to the medium for 120 minutes. Anti-phospho-p44/42 MAPK antibody was used to detect the phosphorylation of MpkA. The γ-tubulin antibody and Coomassie Brilliant Blue stained gels were used as loading sample controls. Signal intensity was quantified using the ImageJ software by dividing the intensity of phosphorylatred MpkA/γ-tubulin and expressed as arbitrary units.</p