ABSTRACT
Existem vários esforços para o desenvolvimento de produtos capazes de reduzir ou eliminar os microrganismos patogênicos presentes na cavidade oral. A literatura relata uma série de efeitos adversos associados ao uso contínuo destes produtos, dentre eles vômitos, diarreia e o escurecimento da dentina. A indução da resistência microbiana é um dos fatores de destaque relacionado ao uso destes produtos. Neste trabalho, o decocto de romã (Punica granatum L.), obtido a partir das cascas do fruto, foi utilizado para avaliação de seu potencial antimicrobiano sobre cepas de Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans e Enterococcus faecalis, sendo ativos contra os dois primeiros microrganismos. A aplicação do decocto sobre os microrganismos presentes em amostras de saliva de crianças mostrou halos de inibição semelhantes ao obtido com a solução de clorexidina a 0,12%. A atividade antimicrobiana do decocto de romã aponta esta preparação como uma fonte em potencial para o desenvolvimento de produtos de uso oral...
Several products have been developed to eliminate or reduce potential pathogenic microorganisms of the oral microbiome. The continuous use of these synthetic products can result in side effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, darkening of the teeth and the induction of microbial resistance. Pomegranate (Punica granatum) peel decoction was tested to assess its antimicrobial activity. In vitro analysis showed the decoction had antimicrobial activity against strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans, but none was detected against Enterococcus faecalis. When tested on saliva samples from children, the decoction showed great potential in reducing the load of microorganisms, the inhibition haloes produced with saliva samples being similar to those of the antimicrobial control (0.12% chlorhexidine). The pomegranate peel decoction in water could thus provide a promising source for developing solutions for use against oral diseases...
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Child , Anti-Infective Agents , Plants, Medicinal , LythraceaeABSTRACT
Gliomas are the most common and malignant primary brain tumors in humans. Studies have shown that classes of kaurene diterpene have anti-tumor activity related to their ability to induce apoptosis. We investigated the response of the human glioblastoma cell line U87 to treatment with ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (kaurenoic acid, KA). We analyzed cell survival and the induction of apoptosis using flow cytometry and annexin V staining. Additionally, the expression of anti-apoptotic (c-FLIP and miR-21) and apoptotic (Fas, caspase-3 and caspase-8) genes was analyzed by relative quantification (real-time PCR) of mRNA levels in U87 cells that were either untreated or treated with KA (30, 50, or 70 µM) for 24, 48, and 72 h. U87 cells treated with KA demonstrated reduced viability, and an increase in annexin V- and annexin V/PI-positive cells was observed. The percentage of apoptotic cells was 9% for control cells, 26% for cells submitted to 48 h of treatment with 50 µM KA, and 31% for cells submitted to 48 h of treatment with 70 µM KA. Similarly, in U87 cells treated with KA for 48 h, we observed an increase in the expression of apoptotic genes (caspase-8, -3) and a decrease in the expression of anti-apoptotic genes (miR-21 and c-FLIP). KA possesses several interesting properties and induces apoptosis through a unique mechanism. Further experiments will be necessary to determine if KA may be used as a lead compound for the development of new chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of primary brain tumors.
Subject(s)
Humans , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cell Survival/drug effects , Diterpenes/pharmacology , Glioblastoma/drug therapy , Mikania/chemistry , Cell Line, Tumor , /drug effects , /drug effects , Diterpenes/isolation & purification , Fas Ligand Protein , Flow Cytometry , Glioblastoma/enzymology , Glioblastoma/pathology , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Signal Transduction , Time FactorsABSTRACT
O teor de timol, princípio ativo usado como marcador nas tinturas das folhas de Lippia sidoides Cham. (Verbenaceae) preparadas com material coletado antes, durante e após a floração e designadas como T1, T2 e T3, foi determinado por CLAE, utilizando-se cromatógrafo Shimadzu CLASS-VP, coluna RP-18 (Supelco), com fase móvel isocrática acetonitrila:água (78:22) e fluxo 0,8 ml/min com detecção em 254 nm. As amostras foram injetadas num volume de 20 μl e analisadas em triplicata. Os teores de timol encontrados foram 1,97 ± 0,07 em T1; 2,00 ± 0,03 em T2 e 2,34 ± 0,06 mg/ml em T3. Os resultados mostram discretas diferenças nas concentrações de timol nas tinturas das folhas de alecrim-pimenta preparadas em diferentes momentos de seu desenvolvimento. Contudo, observou-se que o melhor momento para a coleta da planta parece ser após a sua floração (T3), que mostrou o maior teor de timol.
Lippia sidoides Cham. (Verbenaceae) is popularly known in Northeast Brazil as "alecrim-pimenta". The goal of the present work is to perform a quantitative analysis of timol, used as a marker in phytomedicine prepared from the leaves of L. sidoides, collected before, during and after the flower. At least three samples of tincture of L. sidoides were analyzed by HPLC. Among the samples analyzed, the tincture produced from the leaves after the flower showed slightly high concentration of timol (2,34 ± 0,06 mg/ml) when compared with before (1,97 ± 0,07 mg/ml) or during the flower (2,00 ± 0,03 mg/ml). The best period to collect leaves of L. sidoides seems to be after the flower.
ABSTRACT
Oral tolerance is a phenomenon that may occur in animals exposed to protein antigens for the first time by the oral route. They become unable to produce immune responses at the levels normally observed when they are immunized parenterally with antigen in the presence of adjuvants. Lipids have been used as adjuvants for both parenteral and oral immunization. In the present study we coupled ovalbumin with palmitate residues by incubating the protein with the N-hydroxysuccinimide palmitate ester and tested the preparation for its ability to induce oral tolerance. This was performed by giving 20 mg of antigen to mice by the oral route 7 days prior to parenteral immunization in the presence of Al(OH)3. Mice were bled one week after receiving a booster that was given 2 weeks after primary immunization. Specific antibodies were detected by ELISA. Despite the fact that the conjugates are as immunogenic as the unmodified protein when parenterally injected in mice, they failed to induce oral tolerance. This discrepancy could be explained by differences in the intestinal absorption of the two forms of the antigen. In fact, when compared to the non-conjugated ovalbumin, a fast and high absorption of the lipid-conjugated form of ovalbumin was observed by "sandwich" ELISA.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Immune Tolerance , Ovalbumin/pharmacology , Palmitates/pharmacology , Serine Proteinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Ovalbumin/immunology , Palmitates/immunology , Serine Proteinase Inhibitors/immunologyABSTRACT
Numerosas tecnicas sao empregadas para perfundir a parte inferior do corpo durante a resseccao de aneurisma da aorta toracica descendente. Nenhuma delas e isenta de complicacoes. Cinco casos deste tipo de aneurisma foram tratados pela tecnica de Crawford, com o pincamento puro e simples da aorta descendente. As possiveis vantagens da tecnica sao discutidas
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Vascular Surgical Procedures , Aortic AneurysmABSTRACT
Dois pacientes com tetralogia de Fallot (TF) e agenesia da arteria pulmonar esquerda(AAPE) foram tratados cirurgicamente, com bons resultados. Como no ato cirurgico o anel pulmonar era inadequado, a via de saida do ventriculo direito (VSVD) foi ampliada com um "patch" de dacron. Uma revisao da literatura demonstrou que os resultados cirurgicos desta rara anomalia nao eram bons ate que, em duas experiencias recentes, a competencia valvular pulmonar foi mantida com o uso de protese biologica na VSVD. Apesar da incompetencia valvular pulmonar, bem tolerada na correcao classica da TF, os nossos pacientes evoluiram bem. Persiste a controversia sobre qual o melhor tratamento da VSVD na TF com AAPE