Comparative Study of the Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory E ects of Leaf Extracts from Four Di erent Morus alba Genotypes in High Fat Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a low-grade chronic inflammation in multiple organs have been demonstrated in obesity. Morus alba leaves extracts (MAEs) have been used in traditional medicine as anti-inflammatory agents. In this work, the bioactive compounds of di erent genotypes of M. alba L. (Filipina, Valenciana Temprana, Kokuso, and Italia) were analyzed not only by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (RP-HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS) and hydrophilic interaction chromatography–electrospray ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (HILIC-ESI-TOF-MS), but also screened for in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity by means of DPPH radical scavenging assay and Caenorhabditis elegans model. These MAEs were administered daily in a model of diet-induced obesity in mice. Filipina and Italia genotypes significantly reduced weight gain, the glycemic levels in high fat diet, as well as, levels of LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. Filipina and Italia MAEs also reduced the expression of proinflammatory mediators such as Tnf- , Il-1 , Il-6 and increased the levels of adiponectin and AMPK, which exert anti-inflammatory e ects. Moreover, Italia genotype ameliorated the intestinal barrier function. In conclusion, Filipina and Italia methanolic extracts show the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory e ect, due to the presence of compounds such as protocatechuic acid or quercetin-3-glucoside, and they could be developed as a complementary treatment for obesity and metabolic disorders.Junta de Andalucia CTS 164Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness AGL2015-67995-C3-3-REuropean Commission (FEDER/ERDF)ERDF/FEDER Operational Programme of the Region of Murcia 2007ES161PO001 14-20/20Instituto de Salud Carlos II

Silk fibroin nanoparticles enhance quercetin immunomodulatory properties in DSS-induced mouse colitis

This work has been supported from the European Commission ERDF/FEDER Operational Programme `Murcia' CCI N. 2007ES161PO001 (Project No. 14-20/20), the Junta de Andalucia (CTS164), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI19/01058) and the Spanish MINECO (Ref. CTQ201787708-R). P.D.-E. is a postdoctoral from Junta de Andalucia (European Commission FEDER); A.J.R.-M and L.H.-G. are predoctoral fellows from University of Granada ("Programa de Doctorado: Medicina Clinica y Salud Publica"); A.A.L.-P's research contract was supported by the ERDF/FEDER Operational Programme `Murcia' CCI N 2007ES161PO001 (Project No. 14-20/20); A.R.-N. is a postdoctoral fellow of Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Miguel Servet Program); T.V. is a postdoctoral fellow from Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada.Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and idiopathic inflammatory disorder affecting the gastrointes-tinal tract. The pharmacological treatments used currently for its treatment lack efficacy, so new therapeutic strategies should be developed. In this context, flavonoids loaded in biopolymeric nanoparticles can be considered as novel promising candidates. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the intestinal anti-inflammatory effects of quercetin when is administered loaded in silk fibroin nanoparticles (QSFN) in the dextran sulphate sodium experimental model of mouse colitis, which displays some similarities to human IBD. Previously characterized quercetin-loaded silk fibroin nanoparticles (QSFN). QSFN showed a reversible aggre-gation profile induced by the acidification of the solution but did not affect the loaded quercetin. Daily administration of QSFN significantly reduced disease activity index values compared to the control colitic group. This beneficial effect was not only corroborated by the histological examination of the colonic specimens but also the improvement of the colonic expression of the different proinflammatory cytokines (Tnf-alpha, Il-1 beta, Il-6, Mcp-1, Icam-1, Nlrp3 and iNOS). Therefore, these data suggest that QSFN could be a promising alternative to current treatments as a drug delivery system for IBD treatment.European Commission ERDF/FEDER Operational Programme `Murcia' CCI 2007ES161PO001- 14-20/20Junta de Andalucia CTS164Instituto de Salud Carlos III European Commission PI19/01058Spanish MINECO CTQ201787708-RERDF/FEDER Operational Programme 'Murcia' CCI 2007ES161PO001- 14-20/2

4to. Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad. Memoria académica

Este volumen acoge la memoria académica de la Cuarta edición del Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad, CITIS 2017, desarrollado entre el 29 de noviembre y el 1 de diciembre de 2017 y organizado por la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS) en su sede de Guayaquil. El Congreso ofreció un espacio para la presentación, difusión e intercambio de importantes investigaciones nacionales e internacionales ante la comunidad universitaria que se dio cita en el encuentro. El uso de herramientas tecnológicas para la gestión de los trabajos de investigación como la plataforma Open Conference Systems y la web de presentación del Congreso http://citis.blog.ups.edu.ec/, hicieron de CITIS 2017 un verdadero referente entre los congresos que se desarrollaron en el país. La preocupación de nuestra Universidad, de presentar espacios que ayuden a generar nuevos y mejores cambios en la dimensión humana y social de nuestro entorno, hace que se persiga en cada edición del evento la presentación de trabajos con calidad creciente en cuanto a su producción científica. Quienes estuvimos al frente de la organización, dejamos plasmado en estas memorias académicas el intenso y prolífico trabajo de los días de realización del Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad al alcance de todos y todas

Com o diabo no corpo: os terríveis papagaios do Brasil colônia

Desde a Antiguidade, papagaios, periquitos e afins (Psittacidae) fascinaram os europeus por seu vivo colorido e uma notável capacidade de interação com seres humanos. A descoberta do Novo Mundo nada faria além de acrescentar novos elementos ao tráfico de animais exóticos há muito estabelecido pelos europeus com a África e o Oriente. Sem possuir grandes mamíferos, a América tropical participaria desse comércio com o que tinha de mais atrativo, essencialmente felinos, primatas e aves - em particular os papagaios, os quais eram embarcados em bom número. Contudo, a julgar pelos documentos do Brasil colônia, esses voláteis podiam inspirar muito pouca simpatia, pois nenhum outro animal - exceto as formigas - foi tantas vezes mencionado como praga para a agricultura. Além disso, alguns psitácidas mostravam-se tão loquazes que inspiravam a séria desconfiança de serem animais demoníacos ou possessos, pois só três classes de entidades - anjos, homens e demônios - possuíam o dom da palavra. Nos dias de hoje, vários representantes dos Psittacidae ainda constituem uma ameaça para a agricultura, enquanto os indivíduos muito faladores continuam despertando a suspeita de estarem possuídos pelo demônio. Transcendendo a mera curiosidade, essa crença exemplifica o quão intrincadas podem ser as relações do homem com o chamado “mundo natural”, revelando um universo mais amplo e multifacetado do que se poderia supor a princípio. Nesse sentido, a existência de aves capazes de falar torna essa relação ainda mais complexa e evidencia que as dificuldades de estabelecer o limite entre o animal e o humano se estendem além dos primatas e envolvem as mais inusitadas espécies zoológicas.Since ancient times, parrots and their allies (Psittacidae) have fascinated Europeans by their striking colors and notable ability to interact with human beings. The discovery of the New World added new species to the international exotic animal trade, which for many centuries had brought beasts to Europe from Africa and the Orient. Lacking large mammals, tropical America participated in this trade with its most appealing species, essentially felines, primates and birds - especially parrots - which were shipped in large numbers. It should be noted, however, that at times these birds were not well liked. In fact, according to documents from colonial Brazil, only the ants rank higher than parrots as the animals most often mentioned as agricultural pests. On the other hand, some of these birds were so chatty that people suspected them to be demonic or possessed animals, since only three classes of beings - angels, men and demons - have the ability to speak. Nowadays, several Psittacidae still constitute a threat to agriculture, and the suspicion that extremely talkative birds were demon possessed has also survived. More than a joke or a mere curiosity, this belief exemplifies how intricate man’s relationships with the “natural world” may be. In this sense, the existence of birds that are able to speak adds a further twist to these relationships, demonstrating that the problem of establishing a boundary between the animal and the human does not only involve primates, but also includes some unusual zoological species

Síntesis y caracterización de nuevos complejos de níquel(II). Modelos del centro activo de metaloenzimas.

La presente memoria está estructurada en cinco capítulos donde se presentan los resultados de la in¬vestigación, acompañados por un capítulo en el que se describe la parte experimental, y por último, el capítulo de conclusiones. Se adjuntan cuatro anexos que reco¬gen los espectros de masas (FAB+), IR, RMN y los datos cristalográficos. Por último, para cumplir con los reque¬rimientos exigidos para optar a la mención de Doctora¬do Europeo se incluye un Abstract en inglés de la Tesis. En el Capítulo I se hace una introducción a las metaloenzimas que contienen níquel en su centro ac¬tivo. En el Capítulo II se describe la reactividad del ní¬quel frente a moléculas sencillas de interés biológico. En el Capítulo III se presentan los complejos de níquel pentacoordinado con ligandos carbonato puente que sirven como modelos de Anhidrasa carbónica y fijan CO2(g). En el Capítulo IV se describen los complejos modelo de la Hidrogenasa [Ni-Fe] y en el capítulo V se describen los modelos del centro activo de la Fos¬fotriesterasa, incluyendo un estudio cinético de la hidrólisis del tris(nitrofenil) fosfato mediante hidroxocomplejos de níquel. Abstract: This Thesis is structured in five chapters that reports the results of the research, accompanied by a chapter that describes the experimental part, and finally, the concluding chapter. Experimental data of the synthesis and characterisation of the new complexes as mass spectra (FAB +), IR, NMR and crystallographic data, are annexed. Finally, following the requirements to obtain the mention of European Doctor we include an Abstract in English of the Thesis. Chapter I provide an introduction to the nickel-containing Metalloenzymes in their active site. Chapter II describes the reactivity of Nickel versus single molecules of biological interest. Chapter III presents pentacoordinate nickel complexes with carbonate-bridge ligand that served as models for Carbonic Anhydrase and CO2 fixation. Chapter IV describes the [Ni-Fe] Hydrogenase model complexes and Chapter V describes the models of the active site of the Phosphotriesterase, including a kinetic study of the hydrolysis of the tris(nitrophenyl)phosphate by nickel hydroxocomplexe

Preparation, characterization and gastrointestinal stability of silk fibroin nanoparticles loaded with red wine polyphenols

Silk fibroin nanoparticles (SFN) are interesting drug delivery systems due to their high load capacity and low toxicity. The aim of this study was to reveal how SFN load red wine polyphenols (RWP), and to assess their protective effect during the early stages of digestion by using the dynamic gastrointestinal simulator (simgi®) under physiological conditions. RWP-SFN were prepared by incubation of SFN in red wine and recovered by centrifugation. The obtained nanoparticles (particle size of 194.4 ± 2.1 nm and a Zeta potential of −22.7 ± 0.1 mV) showed a significant polyphenol loading content (7386.59 ± 1018.28 μg/g) with a high encapsulation efficiency (66.66 ± 2.58%). They were highly stable during their passage through the digestive tract, being the activity of RWP highly preserved. This data paves the way for future developments of SFN as stabilizers with a wide range of applications in the field of food additives.This work was partially supported (80%) from the European Commission, European Regional Development Funds FEDER Operational Programme ‘Murcia’ CCINº 2007ES161PO001 (Project No. 1420–20), as well as Grants PID2019-108851RB-C21 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation), and ALIBIRD-CM 2020 P2018/BAA-4343 (Comunidad de Madrid, Spain).Peer reviewe

The Effect of Sterilization on the Characteristics of Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles

In recent years, silk fibroin nanoparticles (SFNs) have been consolidated as drug delivery systems (DDSs) with multiple applications in personalized medicine. The design of a simple, inexpensive, and scalable preparation method is an objective pursued by many research groups. When the objective is to produce nanoparticles suitable for biomedical uses, their sterility is essential. To achieve sufficient control of all the crucial stages in the process and knowledge of their implications for the final characteristics of the nanoparticles, the present work focused on the final stage of sterilization. In this work, the sterilization of SFNs was studied by comparing the effect of different available treatments on the characteristics of the nanoparticles. Two different sterilization methods, gamma irradiation and autoclaving, were tested, and optimal conditions were identified to achieve the sterilization of SFNs by gamma irradiation. The minimum irradiation dose to achieve sterilization of the nanoparticle suspension without changes in the nanoparticle size, polydispersity, or Z-potential was determined to be 5 kiloGrays (kGy). These simple and safe methods were successfully implemented for the sterilization of SFNs in aqueous suspension and facilitate the application of these nanoparticles in medicine

Chemoprevention of Experimental Periodontitis in Diabetic Rats with Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles Loaded with Resveratrol

Objective: the objective of the present work is to study the effectiveness of treatment with silk fibroin nanoparticles loaded with resveratrol in experimental periodontitis in a diabetic rat model. Introduction: Periodontitis is an inflammatory pathology highly related to other diseases, such as type II diabetes. Both diseases have a specific inflammatory condition, with Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and Transforming Grow Factor (TGF)-1β being the most relevant proinflammatory factors. Silk fibroin (SF) nanoparticles loaded with resveratrol (Res-SFN) are a new alternative as a treatment. Methods: 40 diabetic Sprague Dawley male rats were used and periodontitis was induced by ligation. The animals were divided into 5 treatment groups, and 1 mL of treatment was administered once a day for 4 weeks. The groups were: I: Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) 0.8%, II: CMC 0.8% + SF 1%, III: CMC 0.8% + RES-SFN 3 mg/mL, IV: CMC 0.8% + SF 1% + RES-SFN 3 mg/mL, V: Water. A peripheral blood sample was taken every week to quantify the inflammatory profile by ELISA (IL-6, IL-1β and TGF-1β). After 4 weeks the sacrifice was carried out and biopsies of the gum were taken. Results: Treatment with SF and RES-SFN reduced the amount of chemical inflammation mediators (with the exception of IL-1β in comparisons I-IV and II-IV (p > 0.05)), as well as the anatomopathological variables linked to it, in a significant way (p < 0.05). Conclusion: treatment with RES-SFN has reduced local inflammation in this experimental periodontitis model

Optimizing the Preparation of Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles and Their Loading with Polyphenols: Towards a More Efficient Anti-Inflammatory Effect on Macrophages

Silk fibroin nanoparticles (SFN) have become a promising tool in drug delivery systems due to their physicochemical characteristics. SFN have shown their outstanding properties as an active vehicle for polyphenols, enhancing their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on macrophages; therefore, it becomes necessary to have an easy, reproducible and scalable production method. In order to improve the production of nanoparticles, we performed direct precipitation of non-dialyzed silk fibroin solutions and evaluated the reproducibility of the method using dynamic light scattering. We also studied the loading efficiency of three different natural polyphenols using propylene glycol as a solvent. The loaded nanoparticles were fully characterized and used to treat human macrophage cells to assess the anti-inflammatory activity of these nanoparticles. The measured hydrodynamic characteristics of the SFN and the overall yield of the process showed that the new preparation method is highly reproducible and repeatable. Thus, we not only present a new scalable method to prepare silk nanoparticles but also how to improve the loading of natural polyphenolic compounds to the SFN, as well as the important anti-inflammatory effects of these loaded nanoparticles in a cell model of human macrophage cells