Effect of Powdered Shells of the Snail Megalobulimus lopesi

Topical administration of powdered shells of the land snail Megalobulimus lopesi was evaluated in Wistar rats for their healing activity in an excision wound model. The animals were distributed into three groups—G1 (control): no therapeutic intervention; G2 (vehicle controls): Lanette cream once daily; G3 (experimental animals): treated with powdered shells. Variables investigated were: wound area contraction, angiogenic activity, morphometric data, leukocytic inflammatory infiltrate, and total leukocyte count in peripheral blood. Thermogravimetric analysis and quantification and characterization of powdered shell proteins were also performed. Wound area on days 3, 7, and 14 was smaller in G3, besides presenting wound closure on day 21 for all these animals. Topical administration of the powdered shells also led to an increased number of vessels at the wound site, higher leukocyte counts in peripheral blood, and increased leukocytic inflammatory infiltrate. The results lend support to the southern Brazilian folk use of M. lopesi powdered shells, as shown by the enhanced secondary-intention healing achieved with their topical administration to wounds in rats. Topical administration caused inflammatory response modulation, crucial to accelerating the healing process, the chronification of which increases the risks of wound contamination by opportunistic pathogens

Agregacao de plaquetas induzidas por trombina: acao de calicreina plasmatica humana e inibidores de serino-proteinases de origem vegetal

BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertaçõe

Further Constituents Of Galianthe Thalictroides (rubiaceae) And Inhibition Of Dna Topoisomerases I And Iiα By Its Cytotoxic β-carboline Alkaloids.

A new cytotoxic β-carboline alkaloid, 1-methyl-3-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)-2-(5-methoxy-9H-β-carbolin-1-yl)-cyclopentanol (1), was isolated from roots of Galianthe thalictroides, together with the alkaloid 1-(hydroxymethyl)-3-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)-2-(5-methoxy-9H-β-carbolin-1-yl)-cyclopentanol (2), the anthraquinones 1-methyl-alizarin and morindaparvin-A, the coumarin scopoletin, homovanillic alcohol, (-)-epicatechin, and the steroids stigmast-4-en-3-one, 4,22-stigmastadien-3-one, campest-4-en-3-one, stigmast-4-en-3,6-dione, 6-β-hydroxy-stigmast-4-en-3-one, stigmasterol, campesterol, β-sitosterol, and β-sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside. Among the previously known compounds, homovanillic alcohol is a novel finding in Rubiaceae, while 1-methyl-alizarin, morindaparvin-A, scopoletin, stigmast-4-en-3-one, 4,22-stigmastadien-3-one, campest-4-en-3-one, stigmast-4-en-3,6-dione, and 6-β-hydroxy-stigmast-4-en-3-one is reported for the first time in the genus Galianthe. The cytotoxic β-carboline alkaloids 1 and 2 exhibited potent antitopoisomerase I and IIα activities and strong evidence is provided for their action as topoisomerase IIα poisons and redox-independent inhibitors.241358-6

Cytotoxic Activity of Compounds from Lichens of the Cerrado Biome in Brazil

Lichens are sources of numerous biologically active compounds and many of these have demonstrated antitumor potential. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the antiproliferative activity and selectivity of the following compounds isolated from lichens: atranorin and diffractaic, divaricatic, perlatolic, psoromic, norstictic, and protocetraric acids. Cytotoxicity tests based on sulforhodamine B were performed on normal cells (NIH/3T3, fibroblast) and cancer cell lines 786-0 (renal), MCF7 (breast), HT-29 (colon), PC-3 (prostate), and HEp2 (laryngeal). Diffractaic acid exhibited GI50 values in the 58.6-98.9 µM range. Divaricatic and perlatolic acids were the most active compounds, with GI50 values of 9.8 and 15.5 µM for PC-3 and MCF7 cells, respectively. Protocetraric acid proved active only against HEp2 cells (GI50 = 41.4 µM).  Atranorin, psoromic acid, and norstictic acids were inactive against all the cells tested.  Chemometrics was used to evaluate the effect of the compounds against the cell lines tested. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) based on GI50 values ​​separated compounds into two groups compared to doxorubucin, while HCA (Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) separated them into three groups based on SI values. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v12i1.1397 </p

Molecular characterization of Candida spp. isolates from patients with bloodstream infections

Introduction The aim of this study was to conduct an epidemiological study comparing the genetic similarity of yeasts isolated from blood cultures. Methods Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) techniques were used for the Candida samples obtained from patients at the Hospital Universit&#225;rio da Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul (HU/UFMS) in Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, from 1998-2000. Results The most frequently isolated species was Candida albicans (45.8%). DNA amplification from genomic yeast isolates indicated a genetic similarity of over 90%. Conclusions The RAPD profiles obtained were able to differentiate between the isolated Candida species, thereby suggesting that the method might be useful in epidemiological studies

In vitro antitumour activity of orsellinates

Lichen phenolic compounds exhibit antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiproliferative. and cytotoxic activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anticancer activity of lecanoric acid, a secondary metabolite of the lichen Parmotrema tinctorum, and its derivatives, orsellinates, obtained by structural modification. A cytotoxicity assay was carried out hi vitro with sulforhodamine B (SRB) using HEp-2 larynx carcinoma, MCF7 breast carcinoma, 786-0 kidney carcinoma, and B16-F10 murine melanoma cell lines, in addition to a normal (Vero) cell line in order to calculate the selectivity index of the compounds. n-Butyl orsellinate was the most active compound, with IC50 Values (the concentration that inhibits 50% of growth) ranging from 7.2 to 14.0 mu g/ml, against all the cell lines tested. The compound was more active (IC50, = 11.4 mu g/mL) against B16-F10 cells than was cisplatin (12.5 mu g/mL). Conversely, lecanoric acid and methyl orsellinate were less active against all cell lines, having an IC50 value higher than 50 mu g/mL. Ethyl orsellinate was more active against HEp-2 than against MCF7, 786-0, or B16-F10 cells. The same pattern was observed for n-propyl and n-butyl orsellinates. n-Pentyl orsellinate was less active than n-propyl or n-butyl orsellinates against HEp-2 cells. The orsellinate activity increased with chain elongation (from methyl to n-butyl), a likely consequence of an increase in lipophilicity. The results revealed that the structural modification of lecanoric acid increases the cytotoxic activity of the derivatives tested651-24348CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFundacao de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento de Ensino. Ciencia e Tecnologia de Mato Grosso do SUI (FUNDECT-MS

Chemical modifications of a natural xanthone and antimicrobial activity against multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus and cytotoxicity against human tumor cell lines

A series of 15 ω-aminoalkoxylxanthones containing methyl, ethyl, propyl, tert-butylamino and piperidinyl moieties were synthesized from a natural xanthone isolated from a lichen species. These compounds were tested for their in vitro antibacterial properties against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and cytotoxicity against a number of human tumor cell lines was too evaluated. The newly synthesized derivatives revealed selective activity against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive), and the most promising results are for a multidrug resistant strain, for which six of these compounds showed good activity (MICs 4 µg/mL). Many derivatives inhibited tumor cells growth and most compounds were active on multiple lines