Evaluation of the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans in patients with interstitial cystis

ABSTRACT ARTICLE INFO ______________________________________________________________ ______________________ Introduction: Painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC) pathogenesis is not fully known, but evidence shows that glycosaminoglycans (GAG) of bladder urothelium can participate in its genesis. The loss of these compounds facilitates the contact of urine compounds with deeper portions of bladder wall triggering an inflammatory process. We investigated GAG in urine and tissue of PBS/IC and pure stress urinary incontinence (SUI) patients to better understand its metabolism. Materials and Methods: Tissue and urine of 11 patients with PBS/IC according to NIDDK criteria were compared to 11 SUI patients. Tissue samples were analyzed by histological, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence methods. Statistical analysis were performed using t Student test and Anova, considering significant when p < 0.05. Results: PBS/IC patients had lower concentration of GAG in urine when compared to SUI (respectively 0.45 ± 0.11 x 0.62 ± 0.13 mg/mg creatinine, p < 0.05). However, there was no reduction of the content of GAG in the urothelium of both groups. Immunofluorescence showed that PBS/IC patients had a stronger staining of TGF-beta, decorin (a proteoglycan of chondroitin/dermatan sulfate), fibronectin and hyaluronic acid. Conclusion: the results suggest that GAG may be related to the ongoing process of inflammation and remodeling of the dysfunctional urothelium that is present in the PBS/IC

Leishmanicidal activity of Cecropia pachystachya flavonoids: arginase inhibition and altered mitochondrial DNA arrangement

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2013-10-23T17:55:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Cruz, ED Leishmanicidal activity....pdf: 753862 bytes, checksum: c99ee95789e442d656e72a0f4b9edb0c (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2013-10-23T17:55:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cruz, ED Leishmanicidal activity....pdf: 753862 bytes, checksum: c99ee95789e442d656e72a0f4b9edb0c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Laboratório de Biologia Parasitária. Salvador, BA, BrasilUniversidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária. São Paulo, SP, BRasilUniversidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto. Departamento de Fisiologia. Ribeirão Preto, SP, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Laboratório de Biologia Parasitária. Salvador, BA, BrasilUniversidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos. Pirassununga, SP, BrazilUniversidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária. São Paulo, SP, BRasilCurso de Farmácia. Unidade de Ensino Superior Ingá. Maringa, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal da Bahia. Instituto de Química. Departamento de Química Orgânica. Salvador, BA, BrazilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Laboratório de Biologia Parasitária. Salvador, BA, BrasilThe plant Cecropia pachystachya Trécul is widely used in Brazilian ethnomedicine to treat hypertension, asthma, and diabetes. Arginase is an enzyme with levels that are elevated in these disorders, and it is central to Leishmania polyamine biosynthesis. The aims of this study were to evaluate antileishmanial activity and inhibition of the arginase enzyme by C. pachystachya extracts, and to study changes in cellular organization using electron microscopy. The ethanol extract of C. pachystachya was tested on Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis promastigote survival/proliferation and arginase activity in vitro. Qualitative ultrastructural analysis was also used to observe changes in cell organization. The major bioactive molecules of the ethanol extract were characterized using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS). The ethyl acetate fraction of the ethanol extract diminished promastigote axenic growth/survival, inhibited arginase activity, and altered a mitochondrial kinetoplast DNA (K-DNA) array. The bioactive compounds of C. pachystachya were characterized as glucoside flavonoids. Orientin (9) (luteolin-8-C-glucoside) was the main component of the methanol-soluble ethyl acetate fraction obtained from the ethanol extract and is an arginase inhibitor (IC50 15.9 µM). The ethyl acetate fraction was not cytotoxic to splenocytes at a concentration of 200 µg/mL. In conclusion, C. pachystachya contains bioactive compounds that reduce the growth of L. (L.) amazonensis promastigotes, altering mitochondrial K-DNA arrangement and inhibiting arginase