Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi ( Aroeira) leaves oil attenuates inflammatory responses in cutaneous wound healing in mice

Purpose: To investigated the inflammatory, angiogenic and fibrogenic activities of the Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi leaves oil (STRO) on wound healing. Methods: The excisional wound healing model was used to evaluate the effects of STRO. The mice were divided into two groups: Control, subjected to vehicle solution (ointment lanolin/vaseline base), or STRO-treated group, administered topically once a day for 3, 7 and 14 days post-excision. We evaluated the macroscopic wound closure ratethe inflammation was evaluated by leukocytes accumulation and cytokine levels in the wounds. The accumulation of neutrophil and macrophages in the wounds were determined by assaying myeloperoxidase and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activities. The levels of TNF-alpha, CXCL-1 and CCL-2 in wound were evaluated by ELISA assay. Angiogenesis and collagen fibers deposition were evaluated histologically. Results: We observed that macroscopic wound closure rate was improved in wounds from STRO-group than Control-group. The wounds treated with STRO promoted a reduction in leucocyte accumulation and in pro-inflammatory cytokine. Moreover, STRO treatment increased significantly the number of blood vessels and collagen fibers deposition, as compared to control group. Conclusion: Topical application of STRO display anti-inflammatory and angiogenic effects, as well as improvement in collagen replacement, suggesting a putative use of this herb for the development of phytomedicines to treat inflammatory diseases, including wound healing.Fundação de Amparo a Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Univ Fed Rural Pernambuco UFRPE, Dept Morphol & Anim Physiol, Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Fed São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Morphol & Genet, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Rural Pernambuco, Dept Chem, Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Fed Rural Pernambuco, Dept Morphol & Anim Physiol, Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Fed São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Morphol & Genet, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Abundances of Iron-Binding Photosynthetic and Nitrogen-Fixing Proteins of Trichodesmium Both in Culture and In Situ from the North Atlantic

Marine cyanobacteria of the genus Trichodesmium occur throughout the oligotrophic tropical and subtropical oceans, where they can dominate the diazotrophic community in regions with high inputs of the trace metal iron (Fe). Iron is necessary for the functionality of enzymes involved in the processes of both photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation. We combined laboratory and field-based quantifications of the absolute concentrations of key enzymes involved in both photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation to determine how Trichodesmium allocates resources to these processes. We determined that protein level responses of Trichodesmium to iron-starvation involve down-regulation of the nitrogen fixation apparatus. In contrast, the photosynthetic apparatus is largely maintained, although re-arrangements do occur, including accumulation of the iron-stress-induced chlorophyll-binding protein IsiA. Data from natural populations of Trichodesmium spp. collected in the North Atlantic demonstrated a protein profile similar to iron-starved Trichodesmium in culture, suggestive of acclimation towards a minimal iron requirement even within an oceanic region receiving a high iron-flux. Estimates of cellular metabolic iron requirements are consistent with the availability of this trace metal playing a major role in restricting the biomass and activity of Trichodesmium throughout much of the subtropical ocean

Synthesis of methoxylated goniothalamin, aza-goniothalamin and gamma-pyrones and their in vitro evaluation against human cancer cells

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)The present work describes the preparation of three novel series of compounds based on the structure of goniothalamin, a natural styryl lactone which has been found to display cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities against a variety of cancer cell lines. A focused library of 29 novel goniothalamin analogues was prepared and evaluated against seven human cancer cell lines. While the gamma-pyrones and the azagoniothalamin analogues were less potent than the lead compound, 2,4-dimethoxy analogue 88 has shown to be more potent in vitro than goniothalamin against all cancer cell lines evaluated. Furthermore, it was more potent than doxorubicin against NCI-ADR/RES, OVCAR-03 and HT-29 while being less toxic to human keratinocytes (HaCat). The 3,5-dimethoxy analogue 90 and 2,4,5-trimethoxy analogue 92 also displayed promising antiproliferative activity when compared to goniothalamin ( 1). These results provide new elements for the design and synthesis of novel representatives of this family of natural compounds. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.201136353651Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)FAPESP [10/16990-1, 2009/51602-5