Carotenoids in Integument, Muscle, and Midgut Gland of Red Shrimp Pleoticus muelleri Bate, 1888 (Crustacea, Penaeoidea) Fed Carotenoid-Supplemented Diets

Carotenoids stimulate immune systems in animals. Since animals cannot synthesize carotenoids, they must be included in feeds. Oxidative pathways suggested for the metabolism of dietary carotenoids include β-carotene and astaxanthin. The objective of this study was to compare growth, survival, and the carotenoid profile in the integument, muscle, and midgut gland of juvenile red shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) fed isoproteic formulated feeds containing astaxanthin or β-carotene. Juveniles (5.15±0.941 g) were fed one of four diets containing 50 or 100 mg/kg of the carotenoid. The control group was fed a diet without carotenoid supplementation. A spectroscopy UV/visible method produced no evidence supporting a possible influence of these pigments on growth or survival. However, there were significant statistical differences in carotenoids in the integument (carapace and epidermis) and muscle between animals fed the different diets. The integument had the highest carotenoid concentrations: 14.91±4.064 μg β-carotene, 7.47±1.252 μg free astaxanthin, and 18.31±5.40 μg esterified astaxanthin per gram tissue (avg of five treatments). Only β-carotene (1.74±0.161 μg/g tissue) was stored in the muscle. We conclude that, due to the high cost of artificial pigments, dietary carotenoid supplementation is not necessary for grow-out.Fil: Díaz, Ana Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas; ArgentinaFil: Velurtas, Susana María. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez Gimenez, Analia Veronica. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Mendiara, Sara Noemí. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Fenucci, Jorge Lino. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas; Argentin

Bioactivity of gallic acid–conjugated silica nanoparticles against Paenibacillus larvae and their host, Apis mellifera honeybee

The aim of this work was to evaluate antimicrobial activity against Paenibacillus larvae and oral toxicity against workers and larvae of Apis mellifera of gallic acid (GA) and two nanohybrids of GA and silica. Also, the physicochemical, structural, and energetic properties of GA and the nanohybrids were determined through structure–activity relationship (SAR). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against P. larvae was determined. GA showed MIC values between 62.5 and 125 μg/ml, whereas the nanoparticle functionalized through the GA carboxylic moiety (NP2) showed the best antimicrobial activity with a MIC value of 23 μg GA/ml for four of the five isolates used. SAR analysis showed that electronegativity, chemical hardness, and dipolar moment are reliable estimators of the antimicrobial activity. NP2 showed the lowest toxicity against workers and was innocuous for bee larvae. Therefore, the nanohybrid NP2 was the best antibacterial and resulted in non-toxic against workers and larvae of honeybees, becoming a potentially effective and safe agent for the treatment of American Foulbrood disease.Fil: Dominguez, Enzo. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente. - Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Moliné, Maria de la Paz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente. - Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Churio, Maria Sandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Arce, Valeria Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Ópticas; ArgentinaFil: Martire, Daniel Osvaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Mendiara, Sara Noemí. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Brenda Soledad. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente. - Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Gende, Liesel Brenda. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente. - Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Damiani, Natalia. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente. - Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Investigaciones en Sanidad Producción y Ambiente; Argentin

Correlation between radical scavenging capacity and carotenoid profile during Pleoticus muelleri larval development

The purpose of this study was to measure the concentration of carotenoids and properties which occur in tissues to neutralize free radicals during ontogeny of Pleoticus muelleri. The stages of nauplius, protozoea, mysis and postlarvae of 1, 6, 10, 26, 30 days were examined from hatchery raised postlarvae from wild females. The β-carotene and the astaxanthin from the lyophilized tissue were quantified using a ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. Free radicals scavenging properties of tissues extracts were evaluated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The reaction of protective substances was followed with the 1,1-diphenyl-2- picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. The concentration of carotenoids of the whole larvae and postlarvae ranged from 1.72 to 87.04 μg g-1 for β-carotene, and 2.26 to 19.86 μg g-1 for astaxanthin. All the larval and postlarvae stages showed a protective capacity. In the stages of mysis, postlarvae 1 and 30 the homogenates were monitored without DPPH. The undefined EPR signal was quantified and considered as a "pool" of persistent radicals, with a concentration about 10-5 M. A relationship was observed between the concentration of carotenoids and the protective capacity of the homogenate. The postlarvae stages had a high concentration of carotenoids and the greatest protective capacity.Fil: Díaz, Ana Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Velurtas, Susana María. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas; ArgentinaFil: Mendiara, Sara Noemí. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Marinas; ArgentinaFil: Fenucci, Jorge Lino. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Reaction of β-carotene with nitrite anion in a homogeneous acid system. An electron paramagnetic resonance and ultraviolet-visible study

Ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy was applied to characterize and to measure the concentration of β-carotene dissolved in a dioxane and water mixture. The reaction of β-carotene in the presence of nitrite anion and acid medium was studied at different temperatures. The reaction systems were homogeneous and were kept anaerobic. Pseudo-first-order rate constants in respect of β-carotene were measured in the range from 293 to 313 K and pH 5.8 ± 0.2. The energy of activation was calculated to be E a = 67.2 ± 3.4 kJ/mol. We interpolate a value that may have biological interest, k β-carotene(310 K) = (9.70±0.78) · 10−3 s−1, in the presence of 9.3 · 10−3 M nitrite anion. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was applied to characterize and quantify a persistent intermediate radical generated in the reaction system described. The recorded spectra showed triplet-type signals with a peak-to-peak value of 12.7 G. Nearly the same triplet radical-type intermediates were detected when studying the following reaction systems in pure dioxane: nitrogen dioxide (NO2)/β-carotene, nitric oxide (NO)/β-carotene and NO/NO2/β-carotene. Therefore, we proposed that the nitrogen oxides have also been intermediates in the reaction system of β-carotene, nitrite anion and acid medium, in the dioxane and water mixture. A mechanism was proposed and checked by employing the chemical kinetics simulation. The explanations developed would lead to a better understanding of the behavior of carotenoids in the presence of nitrite anion and nitrogen oxides.Fil: Mendiara, Sara Noemí. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Baquero, Romina Paola. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Katunar, Maria Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Mansilla, Andrea Yamila. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Perissinotti, Luis José. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentin

Essentials oils of some Mentha spp. and their relation with antimicrobial activity against Paenibacillus larvae, the causative agent of American foulbrood in honey bees, by using the bioautography technique

Essential oils of three mint species (Mentha aff. arvensis, Mentha aff. rotundifolia and a probably feral hybrid of Mentha spp.) were investigated for their antimicrobial properties against Paenibacillus larvae (White). The bioactivity of the oils was compared using the combination of in vitro techniques such as microdilution, agar dilution and bioautography. The chemical composition of the oils was analyzed by GC/MS. Using the bioautography assay, menthol, menthone, menthofuran and piperitone oxide were found to be responsible for the antimicrobial activity of these oils. A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was developed for four terpenoids with significant antimicrobial activity using Hyperchem 8.0 and Gaussian 03 software. The QSAR approach leads to a better understanding of the structural properties of these terpenoids which are responsible for bioactivity. The present work reports the first systematic study about the use of QSAR properties to correlate antimicrobial activity of natural substances against P. larvae.Fil: Gende, Liesel Brenda. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Artrópodos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Mendiara, Sara Noemí. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Natalia Jorgelina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Artrópodos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Van Baren, Catalina Maria. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Di Leo Lira, Paola Maria del Rosario. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Bandoni, Arnaldo Luis. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Farmacología. Cátedra de Farmacognosia; ArgentinaFil: Fritz, Rosalia. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Floris, Ignazio. Università di Sassari; ItaliaFil: Eguaras, Martin Javier. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Artrópodos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin