ABSTRACT
A espécie Garcinia brasiliensis Mart. (Clusiaceae), nativa da região Amazônica e cultivada em todo o território brasileiro, vem sendo bastante estudada devido seu potencial farmacológico, porém são escassos estudos que tratam da caracterização farmacobotânica desta espécie. Considerando as propriedades terapêuticas para tornar-se um medicamento fitoterápico, o presente trabalho teve como objetivos estudar a anatomia e histoquímica da folha e do pecíolo e elaborar dados macroscópicos e microscópicos que forneçam características marcantes para sua identificação além de dar subsídios para a análise farmacognóstica no controle de qualidade da droga vegetal. O material vegetal foi fixado e submetido às técnicas usuais de microscopia de luz e a testes histoquímicos. As folhas de G. brasiliensis são opostas, simples, descolores, forma elíptica com nervação peninérvia. As células epidérmicas, em vista frontal, apresentam contorno sinuoso e estômatos paracíticos somente na face abaxial. O mesofilo é dorsiventral, a nervura central apresenta contorno biconvexo e feixe vascular em forma de semi-arco fechado envolto por bainha esclerenquimática. Inclusões inorgânicas de cristais na forma de drusas e orgânicas representadas por compostos fenólicos e grãos de amidos estão dispersos ao longo de toda lâmina foliar e pecíolo. Observa-se com frequência a presença de canais secretores preenchidos por um conteúdo lipídico dispersos pelo parênquima fundamental e próximos aos feixes vasculares. Estes dados fornecem subsídios para o controle de qualidade da matéria-prima utilizada para a produção de fitoterápicos.
The Garcinia brasiliensis Mart. (Clusiaceae) species, native of the Amazon region and cultivated throughout the Brazilian territory, has been widely studied due to its pharmacological potential, but there are few studies dealing with the pharmacobotanic characterization of this species. Considering the therapeutic properties in order to become an herbal medicine, the present paper had the purpose of studying the anatomical and histochemical characterization of the leaf and petiole, as well as producing macroscopic and microscopic data that provide important characteristics for its identification, in addition to providing subsidies for the pharmacognostical analysis in order to offer elements for the quality assurance of the drug. The botanical material was prepared through the usual optical and histochemical microtechniques. The leaves of G. brasiliensis are simple, opposed, colorless, and they show an elliptical shape. As seen from the front, the epidermal cells have a sinuous contour, and paracytic stomata occur on the low surface. The leaves are hipostomatic and dorsiventral with heterogeneous mesophile. The mesophile is dorsiventral, the central midrib shows a biconvex contour and vascular system in a semi-closed arch shape surrounded by a sclerenchymatic sheath. Inorganic inclusions of crystals in the shape of druses, and organic inclusions represented by phenolic compounds and starch grains are found throughout the leaf blade and petiole. It is common to find secretory canals filled with a lipid content dispersed throughout the parenchyma and near the vascular bundles. These data support the quality assurance of the elements used to produce herbal medicines.
Subject(s)
Plant Leaves/anatomy & histology , Garcinia/genetics , Clusiaceae/classification , AnatomyABSTRACT
Periodontitis is an infectious disease estimated to occur in approximately a third of adults over the age of 35, being the major cause of adult tooth loss. The tissue destruction seems to be regulated by four major pathways. Plasminogen-dependent, phagocytic, osteoclastic and matrix metalloproteinase pathway. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) pathway seems to be the most relevant in periodontal disease. The purpose of the current study was to review the roles of MMPs on periodontal disease, with emphasis on periodontal ligament and alveolar bone destruction. Particular attention is given on the mechanisms that control MMPs genes transcription, the regulation of protein activity, and the influence of MMP genes polymorphisms in inflammatory diseases.
Subject(s)
Cytokines , Matrix Metalloproteinases , Periodontitis , Polymorphism, Genetic , Periodontal Diseases , Tissue Inhibitor of MetalloproteinasesABSTRACT
Genetic damage caused by ionizing radiation and repair capacity of blood lymphocytes from 3 breast cancer patients and 3 healthy donors were investigated using the comet assay. The comets were analyzed by two parameters: comet tail length and visual classification. Blood samples from the donors were irradiated in vitro with a 60Co source at a dose rate of 0.722 Gy/min, with a dose range of 0.2 to 4.0 Gy and analyzed immediately after the procedure and 3 and 24 h later. The basal level of damage and the radioinduced damage were higher in lymphocytes from breast cancer patients than in lymphocytes from healthy donors. The radioinduced damage showed that the two groups had a similar response when analyzed immediately after the irradiations. Therefore, while the healthy donors presented a considerable reduction of damage after 3 h, the patients had a higher residual damage even 24 h after exposure. The repair capacity of blood lymphocytes from the patients was slower than that of lymphocytes from healthy donors. The possible influence of age, disease stage and mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are discussed. Both parameters adopted proved to be sensitive and reproducible: the dose-response curves for DNA migration can be used not only for the analysis of cellular response but also for monitoring therapeutic interventions. Lymphocytes from the breast cancer patients presented an initial radiosensitivity similar to that of healthy subjects but a deficient repair mechanism made them more vulnerable to the genotoxic action of ionizing radiation. However, since lymphocytes from only 3 patients and 3 normal subjects were analyzed in the present paper, additional donors will be necessary for a more accurate evaluation
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Middle Aged , Breast Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Comet Assay , DNA Damage/radiation effects , DNA Repair/radiation effects , Gamma Rays , Lymphocytes/radiation effects , Analysis of Variance , Case-Control Studies , Radiation Tolerance , Radiotherapy Dosage , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Säo apresentados dois casos de hemiparesia atáxica devidos a infarto no território da artéria cerebral média, visualizados por tomografia conputadorizada. Säo feitas revisöes sucintas da literatura sobre as relaçöes cérebro-cerebelares humanas e sobre a hemiparesia atáxica, e é postulado que as vias corticonucleares e as corticoespinhais (piramidais), com origem na regiäo pré-motora do cérebro humano, representam os principais efetores supra-segmentares de contingente quantitativamente preponderante da eferência funcional do cerebelo humano. Nesse sentido, o córtex pré-central e suas vias relacionadas parecem ser a via comum para a passagem da atividade fisiológica gerada nos níveis basonucleares e cerebelares