Petroleum-Degrading Enzymes: Bioremediation and New Prospects

Anthropogenic forces, such as petroleum spills and the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, have caused an accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the environment. The accumulation of petroleum and its derivatives now constitutes an important environmental problem. Biocatalysis introduces new ways to improve the development of bioremediation strategies. The recent application of molecular tools to biocatalysis may improve bioprospecting research, enzyme yield recovery, and enzyme specificity, thus increasing cost-benefit ratios. Enzymatic remediation is a valuable alternative as it can be easier to work with than whole organisms, especially in extreme environments. Furthermore, the use of free enzymes avoids the release of exotic or genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the environment

Efeito inibitório do extrato hexânico de Arrabidaea chica (Bignoniaceae) sobre peptidases de Leishmania chagasi.

No presente estudo investigou-se os efeitos anti-Leishmania chagasi do extrato hexânco A. chica, tendo como alvos celulares peptidases dos parasitos

Efeito citocida dos extratos de Arrabidaea chica em Leishmania spp. e Trypanosoma cruzi.

O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar os efeitos dos extratos de Arrabidaea chica (crajirú) em parasitas das espécies Leishmania chagasi, Leishmania amazonensis e Trypanosoma cruzi

In vitro cytocidal effects of the essential oil from Croton cajucara (red sacaca) and its major constituent 7- hydroxycalamenene against Leishmania chagasi.

Visceral leishmaniasis is the most serious form of leishmaniasis and can be lethal if left untreated. Currently available treatments for these parasitic diseases are frequently associated to severe side effects. The leaves of Croton cajucara are used as an infusion in popular medicine to combat several diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that the linalool-rich essential oil from C. cajucara (white sacaca) is extremely efficient against the tegumentary specie Leishmania amazonensis. In this study, we investigated the effects of the 7-hydroxycalamenene-rich essential oil from the leaves of C. cajucara (red sacaca) against Leishmania chagasi, as well as on the interaction of these parasites with host cells

In vitro anti-Leishmania amazonensis activity of the polymeric procyanidin-rich aqueous extract from Syagrus coronata.

Leishmania amazonensis is one of the major etiological agents of diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis, which is frequently unresponsive to all known treatments. Syagrus coronata (Arecaceae) is a palm tree with industrial applications used in local medicine by the Brazilian ?caatinga? communities. This work evaluates the in vitro leishmanicidal activity of S. coronata on L. amazonensis. Promastigote forms of L. amazonensis were treated with different concentrations of the aqueous extract from S. coronata. In addition, we evaluated the effect of the aqueous extract on infection of mouse peritoneal macrophages and nitric oxide production. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the aqueous extract of S. coronata was 8.3 µg/ml. Morphological changes in L. amazonensis promastigotes treated with 50 µg/ml of the aqueous extract were observed by light microscopy. Pretreatment of mouse peritoneal macrophages with 33 µg/ml of S. coronata aqueous extract reduced the association index between macrophages and L. amazonensis by 70.4%, with a concomitant increase of 158.3% in nitric oxide production by the infected macrophages. In addition, the aqueous extract exhibited no cytotoxic effect on mammalian cells and elicited no allergic reactions in vivo, indicating good prospects for the development of new drugs of herbal origins to treat leishmaniasis

Natural Products: Insights into Leishmaniasis Inflammatory Response

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease that affects several populations worldwide, against which there are no vaccines available and the chemotherapy is highly toxic. Depending on the species causing the infection, the disease is characterized by commitment of tissues, including the skin, mucous membranes, and internal organs. Despite the relevance of host inflammatory mediators on parasite burden control, Leishmania and host immune cells interaction may generate an exacerbated proinflammatory response that plays an important role in the development of leishmaniasis clinical manifestations. Plant-derived natural products have been recognized as bioactive agents with several properties, including anti-protozoal and anti-inflammatory activities. The present review focuses on the antileishmanial activity of plant-derived natural products that are able to modulate the inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo. The capability of crude extracts and some isolated substances in promoting an anti-inflammatory response during Leishmania infection may be used as part of an effective strategy to fight the disease