Extrato etanólico de açafrão (Curcuma longa L.) reduz apoptose e promove proliferação de células de osteossarcoma canino

A Curcuma longa L., planta conhecida popularmente como açafrão, tem sido amplamente estudada por suas diversas propriedades terapêuticas, incluindo a ação antineoplásica. O extrato etanólico da planta contém diversos compostos fenólicos, com destaque para a curcumina. O osteossarcoma é um tumor ósseo predominante em cães e humanos, caracterizado por apresentar alto potencial metastático e prognóstico desfavorável. Procurou-se investigar os efeitos de diferentes concentrações de curcumina do extrato etanólico de açafrão sobre células de osteossarcoma canino de cultura estabelecida. As células foram cultivadas e submetidas ao tratamento com extrato com diferentes concentrações de curcumina (0, 10 μM, 20 μM, 50 μM, 100 μM e 1000 μM) e tempos de exposição (24h, 48h e 72h) pelo EEA. Inicialmente, foram realizados: técnica de redução do tetrazólio (MTT) e cálculo da IC50. Posteriormente, após o tratamento com o extrato, realizou-se o ensaio de imunocitoquímica para verificar a expressão de p53 mutada e estudar o potencial proliferativo das células malignas; Bcl-2, com intuito de averiguar o estímulo de via antiapoptótica; e o marcador Ki-67, que sinaliza aumento no grau de malignidade. O extrato promoveu proliferação de células de osteossarcoma canino, com incremento de até 3819,74% na concentração de 50μM de curcumina. O composto também alterou a expressão das proteínas p53 mutante e Ki-67 significativamente, mas não alterou a expressão de Bcl-2, mostrando que não induziu a via antiapoptótica mediada por esta. Estes resultados demonstram que o extrato etanólico do açafrão apresenta potencial proliferativo sobre células de osteossarcoma canino, sugerindo a necessidade de conscientização e conhecimento dos reais efeitos de determinados compostos naturais, considerados seguros ao serem utilizados como tratamento de diversas enfermidades. Palavras-chave: compostos naturais; D-17; neoplasias ósseas; segurança terapêutic

A three-dimensional (3D) structural model for an oil-producing basin of the Brazilian Equatorial margin

Hydrocarbon discoveries in regions such as the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, Equatorial Africa and French Guiana have recently confirmed their importance as new exploration frontiers. The Mundaú sub-basin, located on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, is an oil and gas producing region with four producing fields in shallow water: Xaréu, Atum, Espada e Curimã. In order to understand the structural and seismic-stratigraphic frameworks of an oil-producing area of the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, this work addresses the 3D geometry and spatial distribution of main faults in the Curimã and Espada fields. The occurrence of hydrocarbons in the Mundaú sub-basin is compared with fields in other parts of the Brazilian Equatorial Basin, and in Equatorial Africa. Data from 12 wells and a 3D post-stack time-migrated multichannel seismic volume are used to define nine (9) main seismic-stratigraphic units: the syn-rift Mundaú Formation (Units 1, 2, 3 and 4); the transitional Paracuru Formation (Unit 5) and the drift Ubarana (Uruburetama and Itapagé Members, Units 6 and 7), Tibau and Guamaré Formations (Units 8 and 9). The study area is dominated by NW-SE planar normal faults, basinward-dipping, that formed multiple half-grabens and tilted blocks with small anticlines and synclines genetically related to a transtensional system. Three types of plays are recognised in the Mundaú sub-basins: structural, combined (structural-stratigraphic) and stratigraphic (turbiditic). In the eastern part of the region where the basement is shallow, no oil was found. Conversely, oil was discovered in an anticlinal trap formed on a hanging-wall block analogous to fields in Côte D'Ivoire-Ghana transform margin. This work shows that combined traps on footwall blocks are successful plays near the shelf break of the Mundaú sub-basin, in similarity with the Espoir and Baobab fields in Ivory Coast Basin. Furthermore, turbiditic reservoirs in drift units are analogous to the Stabroek block in Guyana and prospects in the Gulf of Guinea. The structural and petroleum-play analyses in this work are therefore crucial to understand the multiple geological processes leading to the trapping of hydrocarbons in the larger Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Production of Lettuce Seedlings with Association of Diazotrophic Bacteria and Humic Acids

The objective of this work was to verify the responses in agronomic and physiological characters of lettuce seedlings when submitted to different doses of humic acids and the presence or absence of inoculation of the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense. The experiment was carried out at the Protected Cultivation Station and Biological Control Teacher Mário César Lopes, belonging to the Experimental Stations Nucleus of the State University of the West of Paraná. The experimental design was a randomized block design, in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme, with four repetitions, totaling 40 plots. The first factor consisted of five solutions containing humic acid (100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 0%) and the second factor was the presence or absence of the diazotrophic bacterium Azospirillum brasilense obtained by commercial product. Germination tests were carried out in addition to the determination of agronomic characters such as the number of fully expanded leaves, plant height, stem diameter, main root length, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, total dry mass, and Dickson quality index. The association of diazotrophic bacteria and humic acids did not influence the emergency rate, mean emergence time, mean speed of emergency, emergence speed index, plant height, and root length of lettuce seedlings. The dilutions of humic acids, regardless of inoculation with bacteria diazotrophic favored the development of the number of leaves, stem diameter and Dickson quality index. Inoculation of lettuce seeds with diazotrophic bacteria associated with the addition of humic acids, favored the development of the dry mass of root and total dry matter

Neotropical freshwater fisheries : A dataset of occurrence and abundance of freshwater fishes in the Neotropics

The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large-scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data. The number of species for the most numerous orders are as follows: Characiformes (1289), Siluriformes (1384), Cichliformes (354), Cyprinodontiformes (245), and Gymnotiformes (135). The most recorded species was the characid Astyanax fasciatus (4696 records). We registered 116,802 distribution records for native species, compared to 1802 distribution records for nonnative species. The main aim of the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set was to make these occurrence and abundance data accessible for international researchers to develop ecological and macroecological studies, from local to regional scales, with focal fish species, families, or orders. We anticipate that the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set will be valuable for studies on a wide range of ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, fishery pressure, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, and the impacts of species invasion and climate change. There are no copyright restrictions on the data, and please cite this data paper when using the data in publications