Evaluation of basil extract ( Ocimum basilicum L.) on oxidative, anti-genotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects in human leukocytes cell cultures exposed to challenging agents

ABSTRACT Ocimum is one of the most important genera of the Lamiaceae family. Several studies about basil and its popular use reveal many characteristics of the herb, including its use as antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial, and cardiovascular agents, among others. In this paper, we evaluated genotoxic, oxidative, and anti-inflammatory parameters from the extract of Ocimum basilicum in different concentrations, using human leukocytes cultures exposed to challenging agents. Our results confirm that the O. basilicum extract acts as an antioxidant and effectively reverts or subjugates the effects of high oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide. These actions are attributed to its composition, which is rich in polyphenols and flavonoids as well as compounds such as rosmarinic acid, all of which have well-known antioxidant activity. We also show that our basil extract presents anti-inflammatory properties, the mechanism of which is a composed interaction between the inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediator and the stimulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Although pharmacodynamics studies are necessary to evaluate the activities in vivo, our results demonstrated that basil could act as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and a possible alternative for medicinal treatment

Disponibilidade e valor nutritivo de gramíneas tropicais sob pastejo com ovinos

Objetivou-se avaliar a disponibilidade e valor nutritivo de três forrageiras Panicum maximum 'Aruana', Panicum maximum Jacq. 'Massai' e Brachiaria hibrida 'Mulato', com ovinos em pastejo contínuo. A qualidade do Massai foi inferior em relação às outras duas gramíneas, com baixo teor de PB, alto de FDN, alto de FDA e baixa DIVMO. Já o Mulato foi semelhante ao Aruana e diferentes estatisticamente ao Massai para todos os parâmetros avaliados. Conclui-se que o cultivar Massai apresenta valor nutricional inferior ao cultivares Mulato e Aruana, enquanto estes últi- mos mantiveram bons níveis nutricionais, inclusi- ve durante o período seco.The objective was to evaluate three forage Panicum maximum 'Aruana', Panicum maximum Jacq. 'Massai' and Brachiaria hybrid 'Mulato'. The quality of the Massai proved to be lower, with low crude protein, high NDF, ADF high and low digestibility. Mulato has already had results similar Aruana and different statistically Massai to all the parameters of quality assessed. It was concluded that the cultivar Massai presents nutritional value lower than the cultivars Aruana and Mulato, while the latter maintained good nutritional levels, even during the dry season

The colors of paintings and viewers' preferences

One hypothesis to explain the aesthetics of paintings is that it depends on the extent to which they mimic natural image statistics. In fact, paintings and natural scenes share several statistical image regularities but the colors of paintings seem generally more biased towards red than natural scenes. Is the particular option for colors in each painting, even if less naturalistic, critical for perceived beauty? Here we show that it is. In the experiments, 50 naïve observers, unfamiliar with the 10 paintings tested, could rotate the color gamut of the paintings and select the one producing the best subjective impression. The distributions of angles obtained are described by normal distributions with maxima deviating, on average, only 7 degrees from the original gamut orientation and full width at half maximum just above the threshold to perceive a chromatic change in the paintings. Crucially, for data pooled across observers and abstract paintings the maximum of the distribution was at zero degrees, i.e., the same as the original. This demonstrates that artists know what chromatic compositions match viewers' preferences and that the option for less naturalistic colors does not constrain the aesthetic value of paintings.The authors thank two anonymous reviewers and the editor for useful suggestions. This study was funded by the Centro de Física of Minho University, by FEDER through the COMPETE Program and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the project PTDC/MHC-PCN/4731/2012, and the COST-Action TD1201, Color and Space in Cultural Heritage (COSCH), Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM): “Hyperspectral imaging on historical manuscripts and natural scenes” (COST-STSM-TD1201- 010813-032699, 2013).The authors are grateful to Maria Helena de Freitas and all team members of CAM - Centro de Arte Moderna da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian for their collaboration, in particular, to director Isabel Carlos and curator Ana Vasconcelos e Melo. We are also grateful to the Museu Nogueira da Silva in Braga, Portugal, for access to the paintings and facilities and to Maria H. Regalo for useful advice.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Profile and regulation of annexin II expression during early embryogenesis in cattle Perfil e regulação da expressão da anexina II durante a embriogênese em bovinos

The presence of annexin II (Ann-II) during the initial stages of bovine embryo development and the regulation of Ann-II expression by retinol and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) were studied. Bovine embryos at different stages of development were produced in vitro on Synthetic Oviductal Fluid (SOF) medium (control group), SOF supplemented with retinol (retinol group; 0.1ng/ml), or IGF-I (IGF-I group; 10ng/ml). The embryos were processed for mRNA extraction, cDNA production and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using Ann-II-specific oligonucleotides. Ann-II was detected in all stages of early embryo development, except for the 16-cell stage. The blastocyst rates were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the group supplemented with retinol (37.8%, 45/119) during in vitro embryo culture (IVC) than in those cultured in SOF (20.5%, 24/117) or SOF with IGF-I (25.8%, 24/93). Semiquantitative analysis of Ann-II expression in embryos produced in medium supplemented with IGF-I or retinol revealed a lower expression of this gene when compared with embryos cultured in SOF (P<0.05). The Ann-II expression was not different in embryos cultured in the presence of retinol and IGF-I. The presence of retinol increased the production of embryos in vitro by decreasing the expression of Ann-II in early-stage of bovine embryo.<br>Foram estudadas a presença de anexina II (Ann-II) durante a fase inicial do desenvolvimento embrionário bovino e sua regulação pelo retinol e pelo fator de crescimento semelhante à insulina (IGF-I). Embriões bovinos em diferentes estádios de desenvolvimento foram produzidos in vitro em fluido sintético de oviduto (SOF) sem suplementação (grupo-controle) ou suplementado com retinol (grupo retinol; 0,1ng/ml medium) ou IGF-I (grupo IGF-I; 10 ng/ml de meio). Os embriões foram processados para extração de mRNA, produção de cDNA e posterior análise por reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) com oligonucleotídeos específicos para Ann-II. Em todos os estádios de desenvolvimento embrionário, Ann-II foi detectada, exceto no estádio de 16 células. Os índices de blastocisto foram significativamente maiores (P<0,05) no grupo suplementado com retinol (37,8%, 45/119) durante o cultivo in vitro de embriões (PIV) que aqueles obtidos no grupo controle (20,5%, 24/117) ou no IGF-I (25,8%, 24/93). Análise semiquantitativa da expressão de Ann-II em embriões produzidos em meio suplementado com IGF-I ou retinol revelou uma menor expressão desse gene quando comparado com embriões cultivados somente em SOF (P<0,05). A expressão de Ann-II não foi diferente em embriões cultivados na presença de retinol e IGF-I. A presença de retinol aumentou a produção de embriões in vitro, e diminuiu a expressão de Ann-II em estádios iniciais do desenvolvimento embrionário bovino

Interação entre células do cumulus e atividade da proteína quinase C em diferentes fases da maturação nuclear de oócitos bovinos Interaction between cumulus cells and the activity of protein kinase C at different stages of bovine oocyte nuclear maturation

Verificou-se a influência da proteína quinase C (PK-C) no reinício e na progressão da meiose em oócitos bovinos, determinando se as células do cumulus são mediadoras da PK-C na regulação da maturação dos oócitos. Complexos cumulus-oócitos (CCO) e oócitos desnudos (OD), distribuídos aleatoriamente em seis tratamentos (T) com base na presença de um ativador da PK-C (PMA) (T1 e T2), de um forbol éster incapaz de ativar a PK-C (4alfa-PDD-controle) (T3 e T4) ou de apenas o meio básico (TCM-199-controle) (T5 e T6), foram cultivados por 7, 9, 12, 18 e 22 horas. A percentagem de rompimento da vesícula germinativa no grupo cultivado com PMA foi maior do que nos dois grupos controle, com e sem células do cumulus. O cultivo de CCO e OD por 12 e 18 horas demonstrou que a PK-C influencia a progressão para os estádios de metáfase I (MI) e metáfase II (MII) de maneira dependente das células do cumulus. Nos períodos de 9 e 22 horas, não foi possível observar diferença entre os grupos quanto aos diferentes estádios de maturação. A ativação da PK-C acelera o reinício da meiose independentemente das células somáticas e acelera a progressão até os estádios de MI e MII na dependência das células do cumulus.<br>The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of protein kinase C (PK-C) on the meiotic resumption and progression in bovine oocyte, and to determine if the cumulus cells mediate the PK-C action in the regulation of bovine oocyte nuclear maturation. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) and denuded oocytes (DO), randomly allotted to 6 treatments (T) based on the presence of an activator of PK-C (PMA) (T1 and T2), or a phorbol ester unable to activate PK-C (4alphaPDD-control) (T3 and T4) or a basic culture medium (T5 and T6), were cultivated for 7, 9, 12, 18 and 22 hours. The percentage of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) was higher when the oocytes were cultured with PMA than in the control groups with and without cumulus cells. However, PK-C was dependent of cumulus cells to affect the progression to the stages of metaphase I (MI) and metaphase II (MII) at 12 and 18 hours of culture. At 9 and 22 hours, no difference among groups was detected. PK-C accelerates the meiotic resumption independently of the somatic cells but depends on cumulus cells for the progression to the stages of MI and MII