Effect of Bauhinia holophylla treatment in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

ABSTRACT Bauhinia holophylla, commonly known as “cow’s hoof”, is widely used in Brazilian folk medicine for the diabetes treatment. Therefore, the aim of this study was at evaluating the aqueous extract effect of Bauhinia holophylla leaves treatment on the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by Streptozotocin (40 mg/Kg) in female Wistar rats. Oral administration of aqueous extract of Bauhinia holophylla leaves was given to non-diabetic and diabetic rats at a dose of 400 mg/kg during 21 days. On day 17 of treatment, the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test was performed to determine the area under the curve. At the end of the treatment, the animals were anesthetized and blood was collected for serum biochemical parameters analysis. After treatment with Bauhinia holophylla extract, non-diabetic and diabetic rats presented no glycemic changes. On the other hand, the plant treatment decreased body weight and increased ALT and AST activities. In conclusion, the treatment with aqueous extract of B. holophylla leaves given to diabetic rats presented no hypoglycemic effect in nondiabetic animals and no antidiabetic effect in diabetic animals with the doses studied. In addition, the diabetic animals treated with the B. holophylla extract showed inconvenient effects and its indiscriminate consumption requires particular carefulness

UV-accelerated synthesis of gold nanoparticle–pluronic nanocomposites for X-ray computed tomography contrast enhancement

Eco-friendly chemical methods using FDA-approved Pluronic F127 (PLU) block copolymer have garnered much attention for simultaneously forming and stabilizing Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). Given the remarkable properties of AuNPs for usage in various fields, especially in biomedicine, we performed a systematic study to synthesize AuNP-PLU nanocomposites under optimized conditions using UV irradiation for accelerating the reaction. The use of UV irradiation at 254 nm resulted in several advantages over the control method conducted under ambient light (control). The AuNP-PLU-UV nanocomposite was produced six times faster, lasting 10 min, and exhibited lower size dispersion than the control. A set of experimental techniques was applied to determine the structure and morphology of the produced nanocomposites as affected by the UV irradiation. The MTT assay was conducted to estimate IC50 values of AuNP-PLU-UV in NIH 3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblasts, and the results suggest that the sample is more compatible with cells than control samples. Afterward, in vivo maternal and fetal toxicity assays were performed in rats to evaluate the effect of AuNP-PLU-UV formulation during pregnancy. Under the tested conditions, the treatment was found to be safe for the mother and fetus. As a proof of concept or application, the synthesized Au:PLU were tested as contrast agents with an X-ray computed tomography scan (X-ray CT).Instituto de Física (IF)Instituto de Química (IQ)Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (IB)Departamento de Biologia Celular (IB CEL

UV-Accelerated Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticle–Pluronic Nanocomposites for X-ray Computed Tomography Contrast Enhancement

Eco-friendly chemical methods using FDA-approved Pluronic F127 (PLU) block copolymer have garnered much attention for simultaneously forming and stabilizing Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). Given the remarkable properties of AuNPs for usage in various fields, especially in biomedicine, we performed a systematic study to synthesize AuNP-PLU nanocomposites under optimized conditions using UV irradiation for accelerating the reaction. The use of UV irradiation at 254 nm resulted in several advantages over the control method conducted under ambient light (control). The AuNP-PLU-UV nanocomposite was produced six times faster, lasting 10 min, and exhibited lower size dispersion than the control. A set of experimental techniques was applied to determine the structure and morphology of the produced nanocomposites as affected by the UV irradiation. The MTT assay was conducted to estimate IC50 values of AuNP-PLU-UV in NIH 3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblasts, and the results suggest that the sample is more compatible with cells than control samples. Afterward, in vivo maternal and fetal toxicity assays were performed in rats to evaluate the effect of AuNP-PLU-UV formulation during pregnancy. Under the tested conditions, the treatment was found to be safe for the mother and fetus. As a proof of concept or application, the synthesized Au:PLU were tested as contrast agents with an X-ray computed tomography scan (X-ray CT)

Safety evaluation of a vaccine: Effect in maternal reproductive outcome and fetal anomaly frequency in rats using a leishmanial vaccine as a model.

While the immunogenic potential of the vaccination against infectious diseases was extensively shown, data on the safety assessment of recombinant proteins in vaccine formulations administered during pregnancy are still scarce. In the current study, the antigenicity of a vaccine against leishmaniasis (based on Leishmania braziliensis recombinant protein peroxidoxin) during pregnancy and possible maternal reproductive outcomes and fetal anomalies after immunization with a leishmanial vaccine or adjuvant alone (Bordetella pertussis derived MPLA adjuvant) were assessed. Rats were mated and allocated in three groups: Control-rats received saline; Adjuvant-rats received the adjuvant MPLA, and Vaccine-rats received the combination of MPLA and peroxidoxin. The administration was subcutaneously at the dorsal region, three times (days 0, 7, 14 of pregnancy). On day 21 of pregnancy, all rats were bled for biochemical and immunological measurements. The gravid uterus was weighed with its contents, and the fetuses were analyzed. The immunization with peroxidoxin induced a significant production of circulating IgG levels compared to other groups but caused a significant in post-implantation loss (14.7%) when compared to Control (5.0%) and Adjuvant (4.4%) groups. Furthermore, a significantly high rate of fetal visceral anomalies, such as hydronephrosis and convoluted ureter, was also observed in animals that received vaccine when compared to Control or Adjuvant groups. These data indicate the importance of safety evaluation of vaccines during pregnancy and the limited use of peroxidoxin administration during pregnancy. More importantly, the safety monitoring of immunization with MPLA derived from Bordetella pertussis demonstrated no reproductive outcomes associated with adjuvant administration, suggesting its safe use during pregnancy

Reproductive outcome from rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.

<p>Reproductive outcome from rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.</p

Ossification sites of rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.

<p>Ossification sites of rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.</p

Body weight, water intake and food consumption of rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.

<p>Body weight, water intake and food consumption of rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.</p

Frequency of fetal anomalies of rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.

<p>Frequency of fetal anomalies of rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.</p

Biochemical parameters of rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.

<p>Biochemical parameters of rats treated with saline (Control), MPLA (Adjuvant) or MPLA + recombinant peroxidoxin of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> (Vaccine) during pregnancy.</p