Combined Therapy of Chitosan and Exercise Improves the Lipid Profile, Adipose Tissue and Hepatic Alterations in an In Vivo Model of Induced-Hyperlipidemia

Obesity is a prevalent public health concern in several countries, and is closely associated with several pathological disorders, including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and increased dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia is an asymptomatic condition characterized by high levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), leading to the increased risk of ischemic heart disease. As lipid disorders are strongly associated with lifestyle and diet, in this work we have evaluated the effect of associating chitosan and exercise on the improvement of the lipid profile of high-fat diet-fed rats. Animals were submitted orally to hypercaloric diets based on liquid butter at 1 mL/100 g to induce a hyperlipidemic state for 8 weeks (as shown by body weight and measures of the Lee obesity index). After 8 weeks, the 40 rats were separated into five groups (n = 8) and adapted to different treatment strategies: physical exercise and/or treatment with chitosan (at a concentration of 2%). The hyperlipidemic group exhibited altered levels of glucose and hepatic enzymes, i.e., aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The treatment with chitosan over 8 weeks significantly reduced the bodyweight of the animals, reaching values lower than the control group. Exercise reduced the Lee obesity index values of all the treated groups compared to non-treated rats. The concentration of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and VLDL was significantly reduced at the end of the study to healthy thresholds. The hepatic parenchyma of hyperlipidemic animals was recovered to show normal morphology when treated with chitosan; improved histological features (ca. 20–30% of parenchymal cells) could be achieved with physical exercise. In conclusion, oral administration of chitosan associated with physical exercise had a hypolipidemic effect in a model of dyslipidemia in rodents, showing decreased levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, VLDL-c, glucose, and liver enzymes (AST and ALT). Our results are attributed to the synergism between the administration of chitosan and physical exercise that helps to reduce oxidative stress

Alternative control of Aedes aegypti resistant to pyrethroids: lethal and sublethal effects of monoterpenes bioinsecticides

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is intensely controlled because it is vector of viruses that cause innumerous diseases, especially in tropical regions. Due to the indiscriminate use of insecticides, populations from different regions have been resistant to pyrethroids. Here, we analyzed the lethal and sublethal effects of essential oil of Aristolochia trilobata and its major compounds on A. aegypti from susceptible and pyrethroid resistant populations. Our results showed that the toxicity and behavioral changes to different compounds are dependent of the stage of the insect life cycle. The monoterpene ρ-cymene caused high mortality in both larvae and adult females of A. aegypti, including those from the pyrethroid resistant population. The monoterpenes limonene and linalool caused a sublethal effect in the larvae triggering changes in the swimming pattern. This study highlights the potential of the essential oil of A. trilobata, ρ-cymene and limonene to the control of A. aegypti and reveals the importance of analyzing the sublethal effects for the population dynamics of the A. aegypti mosquito

Essential oil of Lippia sidoides and its major compound thymol: toxicity and walking response of populations of Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the main pest of stored grains across tropical regions. An alternative strategy to the use of synthetic insecticides for the management of S. zeamais is the development of botanical insecticides based in the essential oils (EOs) from aromatic plants. In the present study, we evaluated the lethal and sublethal effects of the EO of Lippia sidoides (Cham.) and its major compounds (thymol and ρ-cymene) on different populations of S. zeamais. For this, we determined toxicity by fumigation of treatments of five populations from different Brazilian regions and assessed the lethal time and walking behavior for the most tolerant and susceptible populations. The lethal concentration required to kill 50% of S. zeamais populations ranged from 35.48 to 118.29 μL L^−1 air for EO of L. sidoides, 65.00–91.23 μL L^−1 air for thymol and 801.24 to 2188,83 μL L^−1 air for ρ-cymene. Population from Jacarezinho was the most tolerant to treatments, while population of Rio Branco was the most susceptible one. The survival of S. zeamais populations was significantly affected by treatments and ρ-cymene showed the faster action on both Jacarezinho and Rio Branco populations (LT50 = 0.3 h). The walking behavior of maize weevil showed that the EO of L. sidoides and thymol present repellent effect, however, ρ-cymene present attractive effect. Therefore, the EO of L. sidoides and its major compound thymol are promising source to develop bioinsecticides for the management of S. zeamais populations with different levels of resistance

Extraction and Characterization of β-Viginin Protein Hydrolysates from Cowpea Flour as a New Manufacturing Active Ingredient

The increased mortality rates associated with antibiotic resistance has become a significant public health problem worldwide. Living beings produce a variety of endogenous compounds to defend themselves against exogenous pathogens. The knowledge of these endogenous compounds may contribute to the development of improved bioactive ingredients with antimicrobial properties, useful against conventional antibiotic resistance. Cowpea is an herbaceous legume of great interest due to its high protein content and high productivity rates. The study of genetic homology of vicillin (7S) from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) with vicilins from soybean and other beans, such as adzuki, in addition to the need for further studies about potential biological activities of this vegetable, led us to seek the isolation of the vicilin fraction from cowpea and to evaluate the potential in vitro inhibitory action of pathogenic microorganisms. The cowpea beta viginin protein was isolated, characterized, and hydrolyzed in silico and in vitro by two enzymes, namely, pepsin and chymotrypsin. The antimicrobial activity of the protein hydrolysate fractions of cowpea flour was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, confirming the potential use of the peptides as innovative antimicrobial agents