Anti-inflammatory and redox-protective activities of citronellal

The anti-inflammatory and redox protective effects of the citronellal (CT) were evaluated using in vivo and in vitro tests. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of CT (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) inhibited (p < 0.05) the carrageenan-induced leukocyte migration to the peritoneal cavity. Additionally, the carrageenan- and arachidonic acid-induced rat hind paw edema was significantly inhibited (p < 0.05) by i.p. administration of 100 and 200 mg/kg of the compound. When the redox activity was evaluated, CT (200 mg/kg) significantly reduced hepatic lipoperoxidation (p < 0.001), as well as oxidation of plasmatic (p < 0.05) and hepatic (p < 0.01) proteins. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that CT possesses anti-inflammatory and redox protective activities. It is suggested that its effects are associated with the inhibition of the enzymes in the arachidonic acid pathway, which prevent cell migration by inhibiting leukotriene production, edema formation and the increase of reactive oxygen species in tissues. Therefore, CT is of potential benefit to manage inflammatory disorders and correlated damages caused by oxidant agents

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

A novel quantitative ecological and microbial risk assessment methodology: theory and practice

© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.The environment is a complex system where humans, materials (e.g. pollutants), and ecological (e.g. plants, animals, microbes) and meteorological conditions interact with each other. The impact of humans potentially causes significant damage to either the environment (e.g. oil spills may pollute coastal ecosystems) or turns against humans themselves by favoring the growth of unwanted species (e.g. poor sanitation increases microbial populations that cause the risk of large numbers of humans falling ill). Thus, this paper presents a flexible method for quantifying either ecological risks (i.e. the percentage likelihood of adverse effects on the ecosystem due to its exposure to stressors such as chemicals, fishing, etc.) or microbial risks (i.e. the likelihood of negative effects in humans due to their exposure to microbial pathogens). The method uses population modeling to simulate future changes in the numbers of key-species (e.g. fish, coral

Study of the characteristics and properties of the SiO2/TiO2/Nb2O5 material obtained by the sol–gel process

Abstract The SiO2/TiO2/Nb2O5 material was set by the sol–gel method and was characterized by several techniques through thermogravimetric, spectroscopic, and textural analyzes. For the two synthesized materials, the specific surface area was 350.0 and 494.0 m2 g−1 (SiTiNb-A and SiTiNb-B, respectively). An enhance of the crystalline order with the temperature increase of the thermal treatment was observed. Through X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy analysis, the binding energy values for the Ti 2p and Nb 3d levels showed the insertion of Ti and Nb atoms in the silica matrix. The Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy analyses also confirmed the high dispersion of the metals presented on the materials surface. The Thermogravimetric Analysis showed weight loss for the of 37.6% (SiTiNb-A) and 29.7% (SiTiNb-B). The presence of the crystalline phases TiO2-anatase and monoclinic-Nb2O5 in the materials was confirmed through the data obtained by association of powder X-ray Diffraction and FT-Raman. Values obtained from optical band-gap aimed the dependence of the oxides concentration and the calcination temperature. Finally, the pyridine adsorption studies have indicated the presence of Lewis and Brønsted acid sites

Antioxidant activity and mechanisms of action of natural compounds isolated from lichens : a systematic review

Chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases are characterized by an enhanced state of oxidative stress, which may result from the overproduction of reactive species and/or a decrease in antioxidant defenses. The search for new chemical entities with antioxidant profile is still thus an emerging field on ongoing interest. Due to the lack of reviews concerning the antioxidant activity of lichen-derived natural compounds, we performed a review of the antioxidant potential and mechanisms of action of natural compounds isolated from lichens. The search terms “lichens”, “antioxidants” and “antioxidant response elements” were used to retrieve articles in LILACS, PubMed and Web of Science published until February 2014. From a total of 319 articles surveyed, 32 met the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. It was observed that the most common isolated compound studied was usnic acid, cited in 14 out of the 32 articles. The most often described antioxidant assays for the study of in vitro antioxidant activity were mainly DPPH, LPO and SOD. The most suggested mechanisms of action were scavenging of reactive species, enzymatic activation and inhibition of iNOS. Thus, compounds isolated from lichens are possible candidates for the management of oxidative stress, and may be useful in the treatment of chronic diseases