ABSTRACT
Aim: Rubiaceae is one of the largest families of plants and it includes the Jamaican genus Portlandia. This family has been used in several ethnomedicinal practices. Thus, in this study we investigated whether extracts of two species of Portlandia affect In vitro proliferation of breast cancer cells. Study Design: Metastatic (MDA-MB-231 and HeLa) cells were incubated in the absence or in the presence of Portlandia extracts. A human non-metastatic (MCF-10A) and normal (ATCC PCS-600-010) epithelial cell lines were used as control. Methodology: At the end of the study all cell lines were incubated with Portlandia extracts (-and its subfractions-) and then analyzed on proliferation, thymidine incorporation and mitogenic and survival signaling pathways on metastatic and non-metastatic cells. Results: It was found that Portlandia methanol extract inhibited proliferation of MDA-MB- 231 in a dose-dependent manner attenuating the phosphorylation of Erk1/2 and Akt1 without affecting the proliferation of MCF-10A cells. [3H] thymidine incorporation was also decreased by Portlandia methanol extract. This study suggests that Portlandia extracts selectively affected the proliferation of metastatic breast cancer cells through the modulation of Erk1/2 and Akt1 activities that play a critical role during cell survival and proliferation. Conclusion: Portlandia leaf extracts contain active compounds, which strongly repress cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and selectively down-regulate phosphorylation of both Erk1/2 and Akt1 activities.
ABSTRACT
A membrana de látex natural (NRL - Natural Rubber Latex), manipulada a partir do látex extraído da seringueira Hevea brasiliensis, tem apresentado grande potencial de aplicação no campo da biomedicina e dos biomateriais. Graças a sua biocompatibilidade e baixa taxa de rejeição, ela tem sido utilizada para próteses e enxertos, atuando como estimulante da angiogênese, adesão celular e barreira física a agentes infecciosos. Além dessas aplicações, as membranas são utilizadas como matriz de sistemas de liberação para avaliar o comportamento da liberação de fármacos e extratos de origem vegetal que apresentam propriedades medicinais. O sistema extrato-membrana tem como objeto de estudo uma nova abordagem dessas substâncias no tratamento de feridas visando à cicatrização e regeneração do tecido envolvido. Casearia sylvestris, conhecida popularmente como guaçatonga, pertence à família Salicaceae, conhecida na medicina popular pelos seus efeitos antiulcerogênicos, cicatrizantes, antiofídicos, anti-inflamatórios e antissépticos, propriedades já comprovadas por estudos. Trabalhos recentes demonstraram que a liberação controlada de fármacos e extratos utilizando membranas de látex natural é uma alternativa interessante e promissora para aplicações biomédicas. Assim, o objetivo deste projeto foi estudar a liberação do extrato de Casearia sylvestris incorporado à membrana de látex em soluções com diferentes valores de pH, com o propósito de estudar seu comportamento e sua liberação de forma controlada. A taxa de liberação do extrato do sistema extrato-membrana foi monitorada e analisada utilizando-se o método de espectroscopia ótica (UV). O pH básico age desestabilizando a membrana indicando que o polímero possui a habilidade de proteger o extrato de ser liberado em valores de pH ácidos, direcionando sua aplicação para o sítio de melhor absorção. Além disso, a liberação segue uma função bi-exponencial...
Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) membrane, made from latex extracted from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis, has shown great potential for use in the biomedicine and biomaterials area. Thanks to its biocompatibility and low rejection rate, it has been used for implants and grafts, acting as a stimulant of angiogenesis and cell adhesion and as a barrier against infectious agents. Besides these applications, the membranes are used as model release systems, to assess the release behavior of drugs and plant extracts that exhibit medicinal properties. The extract-membrane system represents a new approach to studying these substances, as aids to wound healing and tissue regeneration. Casearia sylvestris, popularly known as guaçatonga, belongs to the family Salicaceae, known in popular medicine for its anti-ulcerogenic, wound healing, anti-ophidian, antiinflammatory and antiseptic properties, all of which are proven by scientific studies. Recent studies have also shown that the controlled release of drugs and extracts from natural latex membranes is an interesting and promising process for biomedical applications. The objective of this project was thus to study the release of Casearia sylvestris extract incorporated into natural rubber membranes. The main concern was to study and optimize the controlled release of the extract at various pHs. The rate of release was monitored and analyzed by the method of optical spectroscopy (UV). Basic pHacts to destabilize the membrane, indicating that the polymer has the ability to protect the extract from being released at acidic pH values. The controlled release follows a bi-exponential function...
Subject(s)
Latex/therapeutic use , Prostheses and ImplantsABSTRACT
In April 2004, an outbreak of acute diarrheal illness occurred among the Orang Asli (aborigine) in the Cameron Highlands, Pahang State, Peninsular Malaysia, where rotavirus was later implicated as the cause. In the course of the epidemic investigation, stool samples were collected and examined for infectious agents including parasites. Soil transmitted helminthes (STH), namely Ascaris lumbricoides (25.7%), Trichuris trichiura (31.1%) and hookworm (8.1%), and intestinal protozoa, which included Giardia lamblia (17.6%), Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar (9.4%), Blastocystis hominis (8.1%) and Cryptosporidium parvum (2.7%), were detected. Forty-four (59.5%) were infected with at least one parasite, 24 (32.4%), 12 (16.2%) and 8 (10.8%) had single, double and triple parasitic infections, respectively. STH were prevalent with infections occurring as early as in infancy. Giardia lamblia, though the most commonly found parasite in samples from symptomatic subjects, was within the normally reported rate of giardiasis among the various communities in Malaysia, and was an unlikely cause of the outbreak. However, heavy pre-existing parasitic infections could have contributed to the severity of the rotavirus diarrheal outbreak.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Animals , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Malaysia/epidemiology , Parasitic Diseases/epidemiology , Population Groups , Population Surveillance/methodsABSTRACT
Bajo la creencia, de que para establecer el daño psicológico aún en sus consideraciones más graves y su debido reconocimiento legal; deba producirse "una grave patología a ojo de cualquiera"; y peor aún una patología permanente linealmente constante, y a sabiendas de que así no se comporta la enfermedad mental aún en algunas de las patologías más severas, y pese a que la institución médica más importante del país (CCSS) ha reconocido claramente lo incapacitante de los problemas psíquicos sin embargo el tema de daño psicológico es ausente en nuestra jurisprudencia, a pesar de que la integridad psíquica y física como unidad indisoluble de la persona, constituyen una dimensión reconocible y valiosa que debe ser objeto de protección jurídica y psicológico. Este ensayo llama la atención sobre el menoscabo en la tutela jurídica de la salud mental, especialmente en materia penal por causa de violencia doméstica y lesiones de género, ocasionada por un hecho ilícito y ubicable, dentro de una relación de poder en detrimento de la mujer, justificada por los patrones culturales y la socialización e invisibilizadas por los operadores de justicia, más que por la ley. Palabras claves: Enfermedad mental, daño psicológico, violencia doméstica, jurisprudencia, tutela jurídica, género, socialización, invisibilización.