Phytochemicals with Added Value from Morella and Myrica Species

Terrestrial plants, due to their sessile nature, are highly exposed to environmental pressure and therefore need to produce very effective molecules that enable them to survive all the threats. Myrica and Morella (Myricaceae) are taxonomically close genera, which include species of trees or shrubs with edible fruits that exhibit relevant uses in traditional medicine. For instance, in Chinese or Japanese folk medicine, they are used to treat diarrhea, digestive problems, headache, burns, and skin diseases. A wide array of compounds isolated from different parts of Myrica and/or Morella species possess several biological activities, like anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, and cardio-/neuro-/hepatoprotective activities, both in vitro and in vivo, with myricanol, myricitrin, quercitrin, and betulin being the most promising. There are still many other compounds isolated from both genera whose biological activities have not been evaluated, which represents an excellent opportunity to discover new applications for those compounds and valorize Morella/Myrica species.This research was funded by FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, supporting G.P.R.'s grant (SFRH/BD/144446/2019) as well by FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, the European Union, QREN, FEDER, and COMPETE, through funding the cE3c center (UIDB/00329/2020) and the LAQV-REQUIMTE (UIDB/50006/2020). Funded by RTI2018-094356-B-C21 Spanish MINECO project, co-funded by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chemical and biological studies from an Azorean macroalga: Ulva rigida

3rd Portuguese Meeting on Medicinal Chemistry and 1st Portuguese-Spanish-Brazilian Meeting on Medicinal Chemistry, Aveiro, 28-30 Novembro 2012.New drugs from natural sources have been targets of the drug discovery program and some bioactive compounds from macroalgae such as sulfated polysaccharides, steroids and diterpens have found their applications in the pharmaceutical industry.[1,2] Consequently, we have investigated the chemical composition and the in vitro antitumor potential of the metabolites isolated from the macroalga Ulva rigida, collected from the Azorean coast, an environmentally healthy habitat with a high level of biodiversity. We hereby describe isolation of isofucosterol (1) and 7(E)-3ẞ-hidroxy-5α, 6α-epoxymegastigmane (2) from the methanol extract of Ulva rigida, collected in May of 2011 in the Sea of St Miguel Island - Azores archipelago. The process of isolation of these metabolites involved chlorophylls elimination by the method previously described[3] and fractionation by column chromatography. The structures of 1 and 2 were established by 1D and 2D NMR spectral analysis and specific rotation as well as comparison of their spectral data with those described in the literature.[4,5] Compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated for their capacity to inhibit the in vitro growth of three human cancer cell lines: MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer) and A375-C5 (human skin cell line), using the protein binding dye SRB method. The results showed that compound 1 exhibited only a weak activity against MCF-7 (GI50 = 122.2 ± 17.9 μM), NCI-H460 (GI50 = 128.4 ± 32.4 μM), A375-C5 (GI50 = 119.2 ± 28.9 μM), while compound 2 was inactive against all the three cell lines (GI50 >200 μM).This work was financially supported by the project, Bioactive products in marine algae of Azores (PTDC/MAR/100482/2008) from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT). Madalena Silva thanks FCT for the young researcher scholarship under PTDC/MAR/100482/2008 project

Xanthenedione derivatives, new promising antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor agents

Natural and synthetic xanthone derivatives are well-known for their ability to act as antioxidants and/or enzyme inhibitors. This paper aims to present a successful synthetic methodology towards xanthenedione derivatives and the study of their aromatization to xanthones. Additionally their ability to reduce Fe(III), to scavenge DPPH radicals and to inhibit AChE was evaluated. The results demonstrated that xanthenedione derivative 5e, bearing a catechol unit, showed higher reduction capacity than BHT and similar to quercetin, strong DPPH scavenging activity (EC50 = 3.79 ± 0.06 μM) and it was also showed to be a potent AChEI (IC50 = 31.0 ± 0.09 μM) when compared to galantamine (IC50 = 211.8 ± 9.5 μM)

Between the unstoppable and the feasible: the lucid pragmatism of transition processes for sustainable urban mobility: a literature review

This article presents a literature review of Transition Experiments applied to the Sustainable Urban Mobility context from a critical and operative point of view. The moment of transformation that we are living through determines concerns about the decarbonization and compliance with the 2050 Targets and imposes a paradigm shift towards sustainable urban mobility. In this regard, the necessary physical change will have to be accompanied by a socio–cultural transition, of which the challenge implies the construction of a collective ideal, shared by the population and the main stakeholders, leading to the opening of new political spaces and a change, also in terms of governance.This research was funded by Fundação para a Ciência and a Tecnologia, IP (FCT)/ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-Portugal), grant number SFRH/BD/151416/202

Leguminosas invasoras de áreas cultivadas no nordeste do Pará, Brasil.

Plantas invasoras são aquelas que vegetam em locais onde sua presença não é desejada, por provocarem inúmeros efeitos diretos e indiretos nas atividades agropecuárias do homem, mas que podem desempenhar funções ecológicas importantes. Os trabalhos taxonômicos com Leguminosae invasora na Amazônia precisam ser incrementados, e a carência de literatura especializada dificulta a identificação desses vegetais no elenco de plantas invasoras das áreas cultivadas. O trabalho tem como objetivo estabelecer chave de identificação para as espécies de Leguminosae invasoras de cultivos, no município de Terra Alta e região metropolitana de Belém, nordeste do Pará, Brasil, coletando todas as espécies presentes nas áreas. Durante as coletas, foram encontradas dez espécies, agrupadas em oito gêneros. Destes, os mais representativos foram Mimosa L. e Stylosanthes Sw., com duas espécies cada. Quanto ao hábito de crescimento, as espécies mostraram-se em sua maioria como ervas a subarbustos (3 ssp.), e apenas uma espécie arbórea (Senna reticulata (Willd.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby) foi registrada para as áreas estudadas. Em relação ao ciclo de vida, a maioria dos táxons é perene, sendo que todas as espécies coletadas reproduzem-se principalmente por sementes. São fornecidas descrições, comentários, nomes vulgares e ilustrações para as espécies registradas

GC- and UHPLC-MS Profiles as a Tool to Valorize the Red Alga Asparagopsis armata

Asparagopsis armata Harvey is a red alga native from the southern hemisphere and then introduced in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, including the Azores Archipelago, where it is considered an invasive alga. Some studies show that the extracts exhibit antimicrobial and antifouling activities, and it is incorporated in some commercialized cosmetic products. (e.g., Ysaline®). However, knowledge of this species chemical composition is scarce. The GC-MS and UHPLC-MS profiles of both the nonpolar and polar extracts were established to contribute to this problem solution. According to the results, A. armata is rich in a great structural variety of halogenated lipophilic and aromatic compounds, some of them identified here for the first time. In the lipophilic extract, 25 compounds are identified, being the halogenated compounds and fatty acids, the two major compound families, corresponding to 54.8% and 35.7% of identified compounds (224 and 147 mg/100 g of dry algae, respectively). The 1,4-dibromobuten-1-ol and the palmitic acid are the two most abundant identified compounds (155 and 83.4 mg/100 g of dry algae, respectively). The polar extract demonstrated the richness of this species in brominated phenolics, from which the cinnamic acid derivatives are predominant. The results obtained herein open new perspectives for valuing the A. armata as a source of halogenated compounds and fatty acids, consequently improving its biotechnological and economic potential. Promoting this seaweed and the consequent increase in its demand will contribute to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem sustainability.This study was financed by ASPAZOR project (DRCT: ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-00060- ASPAZOR); Portuguese National Funds, through FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, and as applicable co-financed by the FEDER within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement by funding the LAQV-REQUIMTE (UIDB/50006/2020) and the cE3c centre (FCT Unit funding (Ref. UID/BIA/00329/2013, 20152018) and UID/BIA/00329/2019).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Flutuação populacional de Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) e Doru luteipes (Scuder) em milho convencional e transgênico Bt.

O surgimento de tecnologias para o controle de pragas na cultura do milho deve ser analisado periodicamente, para a adoção nas regiões produtoras desse cereal. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a flutuação populacional de Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) e do predador Doru luteipes (Scudder) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) em cultivo de milho convencional e Bt. O ensaio foi conduzido na safrinha, em Rio Verde, GO, com delineamento experimental de blocos casualizados, com 24 repetições. Foram empregados os híbridos P 3041 e P 3041YG, com população de 50.000 plantas.ha-1. Quantificaram-se o número de insetos e os danos provocados pelas lagartas nas folhas, colmo e pendão, quantificação e presença de internódios com galerias, altura de plantas e da inserção de espiga, massa de grãos por espiga e rendimento de grãos. O híbrido de milho P 3041YG sofreu menor ataque de S. frugiperda e apresentou maior massa de grãos por espiga e maior rendimento de grãos em relação ao híbrido convencional P 3041

Instructional materials in a STSE perspective: an analisys of units produced by secondary chemistry teachers in continuant formation

Some research has shown that teachers present conceptions that indicate a vision of teaching focused on memorization and transmission of knowledge and do not consider an approach that regards to the STSE aspects. The aim of this study is to investigate the conceptions of contextualization present in instructional materials produced by a group of chemistry secondary teachers. The data were collected in a service course offered to teachers of São Paulo Metropolitan area. One of the strategies of the course was the production of instructional units based on STSE (Science, Technology, Society and Environment) orientations. The data analysis takes into account: presence of problematization, its development throughout the unit; the relations established between experiments or text and the proposed theme, and the nature of information presented in the texts (scientific, social, technological, environmental). Four context profiles were built to characterize the 13 units elaborated by the teachers. Four of the teachers’ units revealed simple contextualization view profiles, although six of them revealed more complex profiles, compatible with STSE orientation