Isolation of flavonoids from Anemopaegma arvense (Vell) Stellf. ex de Souza and their antifungal activity against Trichophyton rubrum

Anemopaegma arvense pertence à família Bignoniaceae, sendo conhecida popularmente como Catuaba. Para avaliação de sua atividade citotóxica e antimicrobiana, a fração cromatográfica F3 e os flavonoides 1 (quercetina 3-O-α-L-ramnopiranosil-(1→6)-β-D-glucopiranosídeo) (rutina) e flavonoide 2 (quercetina 3-O-α-L-ramnopiranosil-(1→6)-β-D-galactopiranosídeo) foram isolados das folhas de A. arvense. A fração 3 e os flavonoides não apresentaram atividade antibacteriana. Nenhuma atividade citotóxica foi observada para a fração F3 e para os flavonoides, quando avaliados contra as células tumorais em teste. Entretanto, e considerando a atividade antifúngica, o flavonóide 1 apresentou valor de concentração inibitória mínima (CIM) de 0,5 mg/mL, enquanto o flavonóide 2, CIM de 0,25 mg/mL contra as cepas selvagem e mutante de Trichophyton rubrum, demonstrando, pela primeira vez, que os flavonoides isolados possuem atividade antifúngica, o que valida a mesma atividade para A. arvense.Anemopaegma arvense (Vell) Stellf. ex de Souza belongs to the family Bignoniaceae, and is popularly known as catuaba. To evaluate the cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of A. arvense, fraction F3 and flavonoids 1 (quercetin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside) (rutin) and flavonoid 2 (quercetin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-galactopyranoside) were isolated from the leaves of this plant. Fraction F3 and flavonoids 1 and 2 exhibited no antibacterial activity. Furthermore, no cytotoxic activity of fraction 3 or flavonoids 1 and 2 was observed against the tumor cells tested. However, analysis of the antifungal activity of flavonoids 1 and 2 revealed minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.5 and 0.25 mg/mL, respectively, against the Trichophyton rubrum strains tested (wild type and mutant). This study demonstrates for the first time the antifungal activity of isolated flavonoids, validating the same activity for A. arvense

Anti-inflammatory and/or immunomodulatory activities of Uncaria tomentosa (cat’s claw) extracts: A systematic review and meta-analysis of in vivo studies

BackgroundUncaria tomentosa (Willd. ex Schult.) DC. (Rubiaceae) is traditionally used by Amazonian indigenous groups to treat inflammatory diseases. To date, there are no systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the use of U. tomentosa for inflammation control in animals supporting the traditional knowledge about this species. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of U. tomentosa extracts in modulating inflammatory mediators and to determine which types of inflammatory diseases can be treated by this species.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical studies published before 26 July 2023, identified in PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. Four independent reviewers extracted the data and assessed the risks of bias. The effects of U. tomentosa on inflammatory diseases and the inflammatory mediators involved were extracted from the studies. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of the outcomes were estimated. The meta-analyses were conducted using RevMan 5.4 (Cochrane Collaboration). This protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023450869).ResultsTwenty-four of 523 studies were included. U. tomentosa extracts decreased the cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 (SMD: −0.72, 95%CI: −1.15, −0.29, p = 0.001) and transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) (SMD: −1.19, 95%CI: −1.89, −0.48, p = 0.001). However, the extracts did not significantly alter IL-1 (SMD: −0.16, 95%CI: −0.87, +0.56, p = 0.67), IL-10 (SMD: −0.05, 95%CI:–0.35, 0.45, p = 0.80), or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels (SMD: 0.18, 95%CI: −0.25, 0.62, p = 0.41).ConclusionMany extracts of stem bark, roots, and leaves of U. tomentosa, mostly aqueous and hydroethanolic, exhibited anti-inflammatory and/or immunomodulatory activities and low toxicity. The extracts decreased NF-κB and IL-6. These findings suggest that this species has the potential to treat inflammatory diseases in which these markers are increased, according to the ethnopharmacological use. These activities are not related to a specific class of compounds.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=450869, Identifier CRD42023450869

Cytotoxic effects of essential oils from three Lippia gracilis Schauer genotypes on HeLa, B16, and MCF-7 cells and normal human fibroblasts

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition of the essential oils from three genotypes of Lippia gracilis Schauer (Verbenaceae) and investigate the cytotoxic activities of these oils. Essential oils were extracted from the leaves using a Clevenger-type apparatus, and chemical analysis was performed using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer and flame ionization detector. 3T3, MRC5, B16, HeLa, and MCF-7 cell lines were used to study the in vitro cytotoxicity of the essential oils, and the level of cell death was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide test with three replicates. The cytotoxic activity was expressed as the concentration that inhibited 50% of cell growth. The main compound in the essential oil of LGRA-106 was thymol (40.52%), while LGRA-109 and LGRA-201 contained 45.84 and 32.60% carvacrol, respectively, as their major compound. The essential oils of L. gracilis showed cytotoxic activity against both normal and tumor cells at concentrations below 100 μg/mL; this demonstrated the antitumor potential of these essential oils, which should be further investigated

The Transcriptional Regulation of Genes Involved in the Immune Innate Response of Keratinocytes Co-Cultured with <i>Trichophyton rubrum</i> Reveals Important Roles of Cytokine GM-CSF

Trichophyton rubrum is the most causative agent of dermatophytosis worldwide. The keratinocytes are the first line of defense during infection, triggering immunomodulatory responses. Previous dual RNA-seq data showed the upregulation of several human genes involved in immune response and epithelial barrier integrity during the co-culture of HaCat cells with T. rubrum. This work evaluates the transcriptional response of this set of genes during the co-culture of HaCat with different stages of T. rubrum conidia development and viability. Our results show that the developmental stage of fungal conidia and their viability interfere with the transcriptional regulation of innate immunity genes. The CSF2 gene encoding the cytokine GM-CSF is the most overexpressed, and we report for the first time that CSF2 expression is contact and conidial-viability-dependent during infection. In contrast, CSF2 transcripts and GM-CSF secretion levels were observed when HaCat cells were challenged with bacterial LPS. Furthermore, the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines was dependent on the conidia developmental stage. Thus, we suggest that the viability and developmental stage of fungal conidia interfere with the transcriptional patterns of genes encoding immunomodulatory proteins in human keratinocytes with regard to important roles of GM-CSF during infection

Quantitative Analysis of the Relative Transcript Levels of ABC Transporter Atr Genes in Aspergillus nidulans by Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR Assay

The development of assays for quantitative analysis of the relative transcript levels of ABC transporter genes by real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) might provide important information about multidrug resistance in filamentous fungi. Here, we evaluate the potential of real-time RT-PCR to quantify the relative transcript levels of ABC transporter Atr genes from Aspergillus nidulans. The AtrA to AtrD genes showed different and higher levels in the presence of structurally unrelated drugs, such as camptothecin, imazalil, itraconazole, hygromycin, and 4-nitroquinoline oxide. We also verified the relative transcript levels of the Atr genes in the A. nidulans imazalil-resistant mutants. These genes displayed a very complex pattern in different ima genetic backgrounds. The imaB mutant has higher basal transcript levels of AtrB and -D than those of the wild-type strain. The levels of these two genes are comparable when the imaB mutant is grown in the presence and absence of imazalil. The imaC, -D, and -H mutants have higher basal levels of AtrA than that of the wild type. The same behavior is observed for the relative transcript levels of AtrB in the imaG mutant background

Utilização do gel de kappaphycus alvarezii no preparo de queijo vegano

Há milênios as macroalgas estão presentes no consumo dos povos orientais, historicamente marcadas por frequente consumo. Entretanto, devido à grande diversidade das espécies, as algas têm ganhado cada vez mais espaço na indústria, sendo utilizadas para extração de componentes de sua estrutura celular, com objetivo de formar substâncias que possuem diversas utilidades de interesse para produção em variados seguimentos. Em destaque, um grupo de polissacarídeos naturais presentes na estrutura celular, componente da principal matéria-prima, um gel denominado carragena. A carragena é o polissacarídeo natural presente na parede celular de algas vermelhas (Rodophyceae), capaz de formar coloides e géis em meios aquosos a concentrações muito baixas. A alga Kappaphycus alvarezii pertence ao grupo de algas que apresenta maior quantidade e qualidade de carragena, que pode ser utilizada com função estabilizante, espessante e gelificante na produção de alimentos. Este aditivo vegetal e natural é de extrema importância para a indústria de alimentos, apresentando grande vantagem nutricional e aprimoramento de características sensoriais. Diante disso, o objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver um queijo vegano utilizando como espessante o gel da alga Kappaphycus alvarezii, denominado kappa-gel. A partir da padronização da receita do kappa-gel e do queijo vegano foi realizada a análise centesimal, por meio da determinação de umidade, cinzas, fibras, proteínas e lipídeos. Os resultados obtidos pela análise do queijo vegano foram utilizados para a elaboração da informação nutricional. Os dados foram analisados por meio de fórmulas matemáticas específicas de cada análise, os valores foram expressos em médias e desvio padrão. Como resultado, o kappa-gel apresentou as características desejadas de aparência, consistência de corte, odor e sabor agradáveis. Os resultados da análise centesimal do kappa-gel demostraram 98,56 % umidade , 0,17% de cinzas, 0,00% de proteínas, 0,01% de lipídios, 1,11% de fibras totais e 0,15% de carboidratos. Já para o queijo vegano foram apresentados 80,85% de umidade (± 0,10), 1,26% de cinzas (± 0,01), 2,98% de proteínas (± 0,06), 3,54% de lipídeos (± 0,07), 1,86% de fibras (± 0,11), 9,50% de carboidratos (± 0,03). Considerando foi elaborado sua informação nutricional, contendo na porção de 30 g, 25 kcal ou 106 kJ (1% VD), 2,9 g de carboidratos (4% VD), 0,9 g de proteínas (1% VD), 1,1 g de gorduras totais (17% VD), 0,4 g de gorduras saturadas (2% VD), 0 g de gorduras trans, 0,6 g de fibra alimentar (2% VD) e 51 mg de sódio (2% VD). Como conclusão, a utilização do kappa-gel como função espessante proporcionou ao queijo desenvolvido características sensoriais agradáveis ao paladar, além de ampliar as informações sobre a alga K. alvarezii e sua aplicabilidade culinária atendendo à necessidade de indivíduos veganos e outros grupos que podem consumir este tipo de produto