The extract of the jellyfish Phyllorhiza punctata promotes neurotoxic effects

Phyllorhiza punctata (P. punctata) is a jellyfish native to the southwestern Pacific. Herewith we present the biochemical and pharmacological characterization of an extract of the tentacles of P. punctata. The tentacles were subjected to three freezethaw cycles, homogenized, ultrafiltered, precipitated, centrifuged and lyophilized to obtain a crude extract (PHY-N). Paralytic shellfish poisoning compounds such as saxitoxin, gonyautoxin-4, tetrodotoxin and brevetoxin-2, as well as several secretory phospholipase A2 were identified. PHY-N was tested on autonomic and somatic neuromuscular preparations. In mouse vas deferens, PHY-N induced phasic contractions that reached a peak of 234 +/- 34.7% of control twitch height, which were blocked with either 100 mu m of phentolamine or 1m m of lidocaine. In mouse corpora cavernosa, PHY-N evoked a relaxation response, which was blocked with either L-NG-Nitroarginine methyl ester (0.5 m m) or 1m m of lidocaine. PHY-N (1, 3 and 10 mu g ml(-1)) induced an increase in tonus of the biventercervicis neuromuscular preparation that was blocked with pre-treatment of galamine (10 mu m). Administration of 6 mg kg(-1) PHY-N intramuscularly produced death in broilers by spastic paralysis. In conclusion, PHY-N induces nerve depolarization and nonspecifically increases neurotransmitter release. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.318720729Fundacao Cearense de Apoio a Pesquisa (FUNCAP

Purification and characterization of the biological effects of phospholipase A(2) from sea anemone Bunodosoma caissarum

Sea anemones contain a variety of biologically active substances. Bunodosoma caissarum is a sea anemone from the Cnidaria phylum, found only in Brazilian coastal waters. The aim of the present work was to study the biological effects Of PLA(2) isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum on the isolated perfused kidney, the arteriolar mesenteric bed and on insulin secretion. Specimens of B. caissarum were collected from the Sao Vicente Channel on the southern coast of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Reverse phase HPLC analysis of the crude extract of B. caissarum detected three PLA(2) proteins (named BcPLA(2)1, BCPLA(2)2 and BcPLA(2)3) found to be active in B. caissarum extracts. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of BcPLA(2)1 showed one main peak at 14.7 kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of BcPLA(2)1 showed high amino acid sequence identity with PLA(2) group III protein isolated from the Mexican lizard (PA23 HELSU, HELSU, PA22 HELSU) and with the honey bee Apis mellifera (PLA(2) and 1POC_A). In addition, BcPLA(2)1 also showed significant overall homology to bee PLA(2). The enzymatic activity induced by native BCPLA(2)1 (20 mu g/well) was reduced by chemical treatment with p-bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB) and with morin. BcPLA(2)1 strongly induced insulin secretion in presence of high glucose concentration. In isolated kidney, the PLA(2) from B. caissarum increased the perfusion pressure, renal vascular resistance, urinary flow, glomerular filtration rate, and sodium, potassium and chloride levels of excretion. BcPLA(2)1, however, did not increase the perfusion pressure on the mesenteric vascular bed. In conclusion, PLA(2), a group III phospholipase isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum, exerted effects on renal function and induced insulin secretion in conditions of high glucose concentration. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.54441342

Percepções e atuação do Agente Comunitário de Saúde em saúde mental

Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar as percepções de Agentes Comunitários de Saúde acerca de saúde e transtorno mental, bem como verificar o preparo desses agentes para atuar na área. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa que utilizou como técnica de coleta de dados a entrevista semiestruturada e, para interpretação dos dados, a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Foram entrevistados 45 Agentes Comunitários de Saúde da Estratégia Saúde da Família, pertencentes às 21 unidades básicas de saúde do município de Maringá, PR. Os resultados obtidos demonstram os preconceitos em relação ao transtorno mental desses profissionais, que reconhecem a importância de se trabalhar tanto com o portador quanto com a família, mas não se sentem capacitados para prestar uma assistência adequada. Por compartilharem o mesmo contexto social e por conhecerem de perto a dinâmica da comunidade, vislumbramos os agentes como importantes facilitadores no cuidado à saúde mental

Hypoglycaemic and anti-hyperglycaemic activity of Tabernanthe iboga aqueous extract in fructose-fed Streptozotocin type 2 diabetic rats

Publisher Copyright: © 2020, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of Bading-Taïka, B., Souza, A., Bourobou Bourobou, HP. et al. Hypoglycaemic and anti-hyperglycaemic activity of Tabernanthe iboga aqueous extract in fructose-fed streptozotocin type 2 diabetic rats. ADV TRADIT MED (ADTM) (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13596-020-00484-0Root bark preparations of the Gabonese plant Tabernanthe iboga (T. iboga) has long been used in traditional medicine in Central and West African regions for the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study is the first investigation of in vivo hypoglycaemic activity in healthy rats and anti-hyperglycaemic activity of T. iboga in a 10% fructose-fed (40 mg/kg i.p.) streptozotocin (STZ) injected type 2 diabetic rat model. T. iboga at 50 to 200 mg/kg induced hypoglycaemia activity over 3 h fasted glucose tolerance in healthy Wistar rats and anti-hyperglycaemic effects on non-fasted and fasted blood glucose in fructose-fed STZ T2D rats with no toxicity. Fructose-fed STZ T2D rats developed characteristic type 2 diabetic complications over 6 weeks exhibiting significantly elevated fasting and non-fasting blood glucose, polydipsia, reduced body weight gain and glucose and insulin tolerance compared with STZ alone and normal control rats. T. iboga (50 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg bw) administered p.o. once daily for 4 weeks significantly improved diabetic symptoms of polydipsia, reduced body weight, hyperglycaemia, glucose and insulin tolerance (as AUC) compared with fructose-fed STZ T2D rats. T. iboga aqueous extract (50 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg) also significantly reversed altered actions of marker enzymes of liver including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatinine, HbA1c and elevated triglycerides in fructose-fed STZ type 2 diabetic rats. Our outcomes show that daily oral provision of T. iboga improves type 2 diabetes complications, superior to glibenclamide, in rat fructose-fed STZ model and offers the potential for safe clinical management of T2D in Gabon.Peer reviewe