Effect of the Ethyl Acetate Fraction of Eugenia uniflora on Proteins Global Expression during Morphogenesis in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is able to switch from yeast to hyphal growth and this is an essential step for tissue invasion and establishment of infection. Due to the limited drug arsenal used to treat fungal infections and the constant emergence of resistant strains, it is important to search for new therapeutic candidates. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate by proteomic analysis the role of a natural product (Eugenia uniflora) in impairing hypha formation in C. albicans. We also tested the potential action of E. uniflora to prevent and treat oral candidiasis induced in a murine model of oral infection and the ability of polymorphonuclear neutrophils to phagocytize C. albicans cells treated with the ethyl acetate fraction of the extract. We found that this fraction greatly reduced hypha formation after morphogenesis induction in the presence of serum. Besides, several proteins were differentially expressed in cells treated with the fraction. Surprisingly, the ethyl acetate fraction significantly reduced phagocytosis in C. albicans (Mean 120.36 ± 36.71 yeasts/100 PMNs vs. 44.68 ± 19.84 yeasts/100 PMNs). Oral candidiasis was attenuated when C. albicans cells were either pre-incubated in the presence of E. uniflora or when the fraction was applied to the surface of the oral cavity after infection. These results were consistent with the reduction in CFU counts (2.36 vs. 1.85 Log10 CFU/ml) and attenuation of tissue damage observed with histopathological analysis of animals belonging to treated group. We also observed shorter true hyphae by direct examination and histopathological analysis, when cells were treated with the referred natural product. The E. uniflora ethyl acetate fraction was non-toxic to human cells. E. uniflora may act on essential proteins mainly related to cellular structure, reducing the capacity of filamentation and attenuating infection in a murine model, without causing any toxic effect on human cells, suggesting that it may be a future therapeutic alternative for the treatment of Candida infections

Variant vicilins from a resistant Vigna unguiculata lineage (IT81D-1053)\ud accumulate inside Callosobruchus maculatus larval midgut epithelium

It has been demonstrated that variant vicilins are the main resistance factor of cowpea seeds (Vigna unguiculata) against attack by the cowpea beetle Callosobruchus maculatus. There is evidence that the toxic properties of these storage proteins may be related to their interaction with glycoproteins and other microvillar membrane constituents along the digestive tract of the larvae. New findings have shown that following interaction with the microvilli, the vicilins are absorbed across the intestinal epithelium and thus reach the internal environment of the larvae. In the present paper we studied the insecticidal activity of the variant vicilins purified from a resistant cowpea variety (IT81D-1053). Bioassays showed that the seeds of this genotype affected larval growth, causing developmental retardation and 100% mortality. By feeding C. maculatus larvae on susceptible and IT81D-1053 derived vicilins (FITC labelled or unlabelled), followed by fluorescence and immunogold cytolocalization, we were able to demonstrate that both susceptible and variant forms are internalized in the midgut cells and migrate inside vesicular structures from the apex to the basal portion of the enterocytes. However, when larvae were fed with the labelled vicilins for 24 h and then returned to a control diet, the concentration of the variant form remained relatively high, suggesting that variant vicilins are not removed from the cells at the same rate as the non-variant vicilins. We suggest that the toxic effects of variant vicilins on midgut cells involve the binding of these proteins to the cell surface followed by internalization and interference with the normal physiology of the enterocytes, thereby affecting larval development in vivo

Accidental and late parasitological diagnosis of Leishmania sp. in a dog from a low disease transmission area of Brazil: a case report

Submitted by Janaína Nascimento ([email protected]) on 2019-10-02T12:25:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ve_Spinelli_Renan_etal_INI_2019.pdf: 224266 bytes, checksum: 8944b82f3ac9165971852e002511661e (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Janaína Nascimento ([email protected]) on 2019-10-02T14:14:19Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 ve_Spinelli_Renan_etal_INI_2019.pdf: 224266 bytes, checksum: 8944b82f3ac9165971852e002511661e (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-02T14:14:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ve_Spinelli_Renan_etal_INI_2019.pdf: 224266 bytes, checksum: 8944b82f3ac9165971852e002511661e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019Universidade Federal Fluminense. Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia. Niterói, RJ, Brasil.Laboratório Clínico Veterinário Flávia Uchôa. Niterói, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Dermatozoonoses em Animais Domésticos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Laboratório de Imunodiagnóstico. RJ, Brasil.Universidade Federal Fluminense. Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia. Niterói, RJ, Brasil.Canine Leishmaniasis diagnosis must be fast and accurate since dogs are urban reservoirs of the disease and earlier therapeutic intervention is more clinically effective. However, this still represents a challenge, particularly in low transmission areas. The present report describes the difficulties of clinical suspicion and the late diagnosis of a dog infected with Leishmania sp

Análise do perfil protéico de calos embriogênicos de cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum officinarum) sob estresse salino

O objetivo deste trabalho foi dosar as proteínas totais e analisar o perfil protéico de calos embriogênicos expostos ao cloreto de sódio (NaCl), agente estressante utilizado para simular o estresse salino

A Trypsin Inhibitor from Tamarind Reduces Food Intake and Improves Inflammatory Status in Rats with Metabolic Syndrome Regardless of Weight Loss

Trypsin inhibitors are studied in a variety of models for their anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory bioactive properties. Our group has previously demonstrated the satietogenic effect of tamarind seed trypsin inhibitors (TTI) in eutrophic mouse models and anti-inflammatory effects of other trypsin inhibitors. In this study, we evaluated TTI effect upon satiety, biochemical and inflammatory parameters in an experimental model of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Three groups of n = 5 male Wistar rats with obesity-based MetS received for 10 days one of the following: (1) Cafeteria diet; (2) Cafeteria diet + TTI (25 mg/kg); and (3) Standard diet. TTI reduced food intake in animals with MetS. Nevertheless, weight gain was not different between studied groups. Dyslipidemia parameters were not different with the use of TTI, only the group receiving standard diet showed lower very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and triglycerides (TG) (Kruskal–Wallis, p < 0.05). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) production did not differ between groups. Interestingly, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was lower in animals receiving TTI. Our results corroborate the satietogenic effect of TTI in a MetS model. Furthermore, we showed that TTI added to a cafeteria diet may decrease inflammation regardless of weight loss. This puts TTI as a candidate for studies to test its effectiveness as an adjuvant in MetS treatment