Evaluación de la actividad antioxidante de Justicia pectoralis Jacq

En los organismos aerobios el éstres oxidativo puede originarse tanto de fuentes endógenas como de fuentes exógenas y a pesar de los mecanismos de defensa antioxidante, el daño a la célula por especies reactivas del oxígeno es ubicuo. Por esta razón la toxicidad del oxígeno y de las moléculas derivadas de este, con alta capacidad reactiva, constituye un tema muy actual. La actividad antioxidante contra la peroxidación lipídica generada por la autoxidación espontánea de los fosfolípidos presentes en homogenatos de cerebro de rata y la catalizada por hierro/ ascorbato (no enzimática) fue estudiada. Se empleó una muestra de polvo seca obtenida a partir de Justicia pectoralis Jacq mediante desarrollo tecnológico elaborado por el Departamento de Productos Naturales del Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Medicamentos y que cumple con los parámetros de calidad establecidos. Esta mostró una actividad antioxidante tanto durante la autoxidación espontánea de los fosfolípidos así como durante la autoxidación no espontáneaThe oxidative stress of aerobic organisms may be originated in both endogenous and exogenous sources and, although antioxidant defense mechanisms exist, cell damage by reative oxygen species is ubiquitous. For this reason, oxygen toxicity and the high reactive capacity of its molecules is a matter of discussion at present. The antioxidant activity against lipid peroxidation generated by spontaneous self-oxidation of phospholipids in rat brain homogenates and iron/ascorbate-catalyzed peroxidation (non-enzymatic) was studied in this paper. A dry powdered sample obtained from Justicia pectoralis Jacq through a technological procedure devised by the National Products Department of the Drug Research and Development Center was used. It met the set quality standards. This sample showed an antioxidant activity in both spontaneous and nonspontaneous self-oxidation of phospholipid

Panusin represents a new family of β-defensin-like peptides in invertebrates

Beta_defensin have been solely found in vertebrates until β-defensin-like peptides were described as transcript isoforms in two species of Panulirus genus. They were considered as putative antimicrobials since their biological activity have not been demonstrated. Here we purified and characterized a defensin-like peptide from the hemocytes of spiny lobster P. argus, hereafter named panusin. Structurally, panusin presents a cysteine-stabilized α/β motif, and is prone to form homodimers. Biological activity of panusin showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, characterized for being strikingly salt-resistant. Panusin did not showed hemolytic activity but was demonstrated its binding capacity to different lipid membrane models, indicating amphipathicity of β-sheet core as driving force for its antimicrobial activity. Panusin is considered a new kind of arthropod defensin which share structural and biological features with beta-defensin from vertebrates. The presence of beta-defensin like peptides in crustacean might suggest the emergence of the evolutionary relationship of β-defensins from vertebrates.This work was partially supported by IFS Grant reference No F/5024-1 and F/5024-2, and by the VLIR-UOS Grant reference ZEIN2013Z134Peer reviewe