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Seven new abietane diterpenoids, comprising medusanthol A-G (1-3, 5, 7-9) and two previously identified analogs (4 and 6), were isolated from the hexane extract of the aerial parts of Medusantha martiusii. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by HRESIMS, 1D/2D NMR spectroscopic data, IR spectroscopy, NMR calculations with DP4+ probability analysis, and ECD calculations. The anti-neuroinflammatory potential of compounds 1-7 was evaluated by determining their ability to inhibit the production of nitric oxide (NO) and the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α in BV2 microglia stimulated with LPS and IFN-γ. Compounds 1-4 and 7 exhibited decreased NO levels at a concentration of 12.5 µM. Compound 1 demonstrated strong activity with an IC50 of 3.12 µM, and compound 2 had an IC50 of 15.53 µM; both compounds effectively reduced NO levels compared to the positive control quercetin (IC50 11.8 µM). Additionally, both compounds significantly decreased TNF-α levels, indicating their potential as promising anti-neuroinflammatory agents.
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Abietanos , Antiinflamatorios , Microglía , Óxido Nítrico , Abietanos/farmacología , Abietanos/química , Abietanos/aislamiento & purificación , Antiinflamatorios/farmacología , Antiinflamatorios/química , Animales , Óxido Nítrico/metabolismo , Ratones , Microglía/efectos de los fármacos , Microglía/metabolismo , Factor de Necrosis Tumoral alfa/metabolismo , Extractos Vegetales/farmacología , Extractos Vegetales/química , Línea Celular , Estructura Molecular , Lipopolisacáridos , Componentes Aéreos de las Plantas/químicaRESUMEN
This study evaluated the effects of acerola and guava fruit processing co-products fermented with probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-05 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L-10 on the abundance of different intestinal bacterial groups and microbial metabolic activity during 48 h of in vitro fecal fermentation. Digested fermented fruit co-products increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacterial groups while overall decreasing or maintaining the relative abundance of non-beneficial bacterial groups, suggesting selective stimulatory effects on beneficial bacterial intestinal populations. The fermented co-products stimulated microbial metabolic activity due to decreased pH, sugar consumption, short-chain fatty acid production, phenolic compound and metabolic profile alteration, and high antioxidant capacity during fecal fermentation. Acerola and guava co-products have high nutritional value and bioactive compounds whose fermentation with probiotics improves their potential functionalities. The results show that fermented fruit co-products could induce beneficial changes in the relative abundance of several bacterial groups as well as in the metabolic activity of the human intestinal microbiota. These results highlight their potential as novel and circular candidates for use as synbiotic ingredients.
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Two unusual naphthoquinones, named here as pleonotoquinones A (1) and B (2), were isolated along with two known anthraquinones (3 and 4) via chromatographic separations of an ethyl acetate extract of the roots of Pleonotoma jasminifolia. Compounds 1 and 2 are the first examples of quinones bearing a 2-methyloxepine moiety. The compounds were isolated with the aid of mass spectrometry and molecular networking, and their structures were resolved using 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS data. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against human cancer cell lines, and compounds 1 and 2 displayed cytotoxicity against human colon cancer HCT116 cells (IC50 = 2.6 µM for compound 1 and IC50 = 4.3 µM for compound 2) and human liver cancer HepG2 cells (IC50 = 1.9 µM for compound 1 and IC50 = 6.4 µM for compound 2).
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Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos , Ensayos de Selección de Medicamentos Antitumorales , Naftoquinonas , Raíces de Plantas , Humanos , Naftoquinonas/farmacología , Naftoquinonas/química , Naftoquinonas/aislamiento & purificación , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/farmacología , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/química , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/aislamiento & purificación , Estructura Molecular , Raíces de Plantas/química , Células Hep G2 , Células HCT116 , Boraginaceae/químicaRESUMEN
Cancer homeostasis depends on a balance between activated oncogenic pathways driving tumorigenesis and engagement of stress response programs that counteract the inherent toxicity of such aberrant signaling. Although inhibition of oncogenic signaling pathways has been explored extensively, there is increasing evidence that overactivation of the same pathways can also disrupt cancer homeostasis and cause lethality. We show here that inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) hyperactivates multiple oncogenic pathways and engages stress responses in colon cancer cells. Genetic and compound screens identify combined inhibition of PP2A and WEE1 as synergistic in multiple cancer models by collapsing DNA replication and triggering premature mitosis followed by cell death. This combination also suppressed the growth of patient-derived tumors in vivo. Remarkably, acquired resistance to this drug combination suppressed the ability of colon cancer cells to form tumors in vivo. Our data suggest that paradoxical activation of oncogenic signaling can result in tumor-suppressive resistance. Significance: A therapy consisting of deliberate hyperactivation of oncogenic signaling combined with perturbation of the stress responses that result from this is very effective in animal models of colon cancer. Resistance to this therapy is associated with loss of oncogenic signaling and reduced oncogenic capacity, indicative of tumor-suppressive drug resistance.
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Neoplasias del Colon , Proteína Fosfatasa 2 , Transducción de Señal , Humanos , Animales , Proteína Fosfatasa 2/metabolismo , Ratones , Línea Celular Tumoral , Neoplasias del Colon/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias del Colon/metabolismo , Neoplasias del Colon/patología , Neoplasias del Colon/genética , Ensayos Antitumor por Modelo de Xenoinjerto , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteínas Tirosina Quinasas/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteínas Tirosina Quinasas/metabolismo , Resistencia a Antineoplásicos , Proteínas Nucleares/metabolismo , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Replicación del ADNRESUMEN
Genomic replication is a critical, regulated process that ensures accurate genetic information duplication. In eukaryotic cells, strategies have evolved to prevent conflicts between replication and transcription. Giardia lamblia, a binucleated protozoan, alternates between tetraploid and octaploid genomes during its cell cycle. Using single-molecule techniques like DNA combing and nanopore-based sequencing, we investigated the spatio-temporal organization of DNA replication, replication fork progression and potential head-on replication-transcription collisions in Giardia trophozoites. Our findings indicate that Giardia chromosomes are replicated from only a few active origins, which are widely spaced and exhibit faster replication rates compared to those in other protozoan parasites. Immunofluorescence assays revealed that â¼20% of trophozoites show asynchronous replication between nuclei. Forksense and gene ontology analyses disclosed that genes in regions with potential head-on collisions are linked to chromatin dynamics, cell cycle regulation and DNA replication/repair pathways, possibly explaining the observed asynchronous replication in part of the population. This study offers the first comprehensive view of replication dynamics in Giardia, which is the pathogen that causes giardiasis, a diarrheal disease impacting millions worldwide.
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Giardia lamblia , Giardiasis , Humanos , Giardia lamblia/genética , Giardiasis/parasitología , Ciclo Celular/genética , Núcleo Celular , Replicación del ADN/genéticaRESUMEN
The use of agrochemicals has become a standard practice worldwide to ensure the productivity and quality of sugarcane crops. This study aimed to analyze the metabolic changes in sugarcane culms treated with five different nematicides. The experimental design was randomized in blocks, and agro-industrial and biometric variables were evaluated. The samples were extracted and then analyzed using LC-MS, LC-MS/MS, and LC-HRMS. The data obtained were submitted to statistical methods (PCA and PLS). Fragmentation patterns, retention time, and UV absorptions of the main features were analyzed. The plantations treated with carbosulfan (T4) obtained higher agricultural productivity and total recoverable sugar (TRS), while the use of benfuracarb (T3) was associated with lower growth and lower TRS. Statistical analysis revealed the contribution of the features at m/z 353 and m/z 515, assigned as chlorogenic acids, which discriminated the groups. The MS profile also supported the occurrence of flavonoids (C-glycosides and O-glycosides) in the samples.
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In this study, we evaluated the physical, nutritional, and bioactive properties of mandacaru cladode flour (Cereus jamacaru DC.). The granulometric profile revealed particles with non-uniform geometry, flakiness, a rectangular tendency, and a non-homogeneous surface, with particle sizes ranging from 20 to 60 µm. The flour presented low water activity (0.423), a moisture content of 8.24 g/100 g, high ash (2.82 g/100 g), protein (5.18 g/100 g), and total carbohydrate contents (74.48 g/100 g), and low lipid contents (1.88 g/100 g). Mandacaru flour is an excellent source of insoluble dietary fiber (48.08 g/100 g), calcium (76.33%), magnesium (15.21%), and potassium (5.94%). Notably, 1H NMR analysis revealed the presence of N-methyltyramine. Using HPLC chromatography, glucose was identified as the predominant sugar (1.33 g/100 g), followed by four organic acids, especially malic acid (9.41 g/100 g) and citric acid (3.96 g/100 g). Eighteen phenolic compounds were detected, with relevant amounts of kaempferol (99.40 mg/100 g), myricetin (72.30 mg/100 g), and resveratrol (17.84 mg/100 g). The total phenolic compounds and flavonoids were 1285.47 mg GAE/100 g and 15.19 mg CE/100 g, respectively. The mean in vitro antioxidant activity values were higher using the FRAP method (249.45 µmol Trolox TEAC/100 g) compared to the ABTSâ¢+ method (0.39 µmol Trolox TEAC/g). Finally, the ascorbic acid had a content of 35.22 mg/100 g. The results demonstrate the value of mandacaru as a little-explored species and an excellent matrix for the development of flours presenting good nutritional value and bioactive constituents with excellent antioxidant potential.
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FeSbO4 powder was prepared using the solid-state reaction method in this work. Afterward, the dense and porous ceramics were obtained by sintering the pressed powder calcined at temperatures of 900 and 1000 °C for 4 h. Rietveld profile analysis of the X-ray powder diffraction data showed that FeSbO4 adopts the trirutile-type structure (space group P42/mnm, with a â 4.63 Å and c â 9.23 Å). SEM images showed that the powder calcined at 900 °C after being sintered at 1200 °C resulted in ceramics of higher crystallinity, larger grains, and consequently, low porosity. The dielectric properties were measured in the frequency range of 10−1 Hz−1 MHz as a function of temperature (25−250 °C). The real (σ') and imaginary (σâ³) parts of the complex conductivity increase with rising annealing temperature for both samples. The real conductivity in the AC region for ð = 100 kHz was 1.59×10−6 S·cm−1 and 7.04×10−7 S·cm−1 for the ceramic samples obtained from the powder calcined at 900 (C-900) and 1000 °C (C-1000), respectively. Furthermore, the dielectric constants (k') measured at room temperature and f=100 kHz were 13.77 (C-900) and 6.27 (C-1000), while the activation energies of the grain region were Ea = 0.53 eV and Ea = 0.49 eV, respectively. Similar activation energy (Ea = 0.52 eV and 0.49 eV) was also obtained by the brick-layer model and confirmed by the adjustment of activation energy by DC measurements which indicated an absence of the porosity influence on the parameter. Additionally, loss factor values were obtained to be equal to 3.8 (C-900) and 5.99 (C-1000) for measurements performed at 100 Hz, suggesting a contribution of the conductivity originated from the combination or accommodation of the pores in the grain boundary region. Our results prove that the microstructural factors that play a critical role in the electrical and dielectric properties are the average grain size and the porosity interspersed with the grain boundary region.
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Mandevilla Lindl. is an important genus of the Apocynaceae family, not only as ornamental plants but also for its medicinal uses. In Brazil, Mandevilla species are indicated to treat asthma and skin infections, their anti-inflammatory potential and wound healing properties are also reported in the literature. Concerning their chemical composition, this group of plants is a conspicuous producer of pregnane glycosides. Mandevilla dardanoi is an endemic species from the Brazilian semiarid region not studied by any phytochemical methods. In view of the medicinal potential of Mandevilla species, this study aimed to isolate new pregnane glycosides from M. dardanoi. To achieve this main goal, modern chromatography techniques were employed. Five new pregnane glycosides, dardanols A-E, were isolated from the roots of M. dardanoi by HPLC. Their structures were determined using extensive 1D and 2D-NMR and mass spectrometry (MSn and HRESIMS) data. The cytotoxicity and the anti-inflammatory potential of these compounds were evaluated. The first was evaluated by measuring proinflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide production by stimulated macrophages. Dardanols were able to inhibit the production of nitric oxide and reduce IL-1ß and TNF-α. The current work demonstrates the chemodiversity of Brazilian semiarid species and contributes to amplifying knowledge about the biological potential of the Mandevilla genus.
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Apocynaceae , Óxido Nítrico , Antiinflamatorios/farmacología , Apocynaceae/química , Glicósidos/química , Glicósidos/farmacología , Extractos Vegetales/química , Extractos Vegetales/farmacología , Plantas , Pregnanos/química , Pregnanos/farmacología , Factor de Necrosis Tumoral alfaRESUMEN
Herein, the isolation of secondary metabolites from the aerial parts of Justicia aequilabris guided by HPLC-MSn and molecular networking analyses is reported. Twenty-two known compounds were dereplicated. Three new lignans (aequilabrines A-C (1-3)) and three known compounds (lariciresinol-4'-O-ß-glucose (4), roseoside (5), and allantoin (6)) were obtained. The anti-inflammatory activity of compounds 1-3 was evaluated in vitro by inhibiting the nitric oxide production (NO) and pro-inflammatory activity on the cytokine IL-1ß. Compounds 2 and 3 showed significant inhibitory activity against NO production, with IC50 values of 9.1 and 7.3 µM, respectively. The maximum inhibition of IL-1ß production was 23.5% (1), 27.3% (2), and 32.5% (3).
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Antiinflamatorios , Género Justicia , Lignanos , Alantoína/química , Alantoína/aislamiento & purificación , Alantoína/farmacología , Antiinflamatorios/química , Antiinflamatorios/aislamiento & purificación , Antiinflamatorios/farmacología , Furanos/química , Furanos/aislamiento & purificación , Furanos/farmacología , Lignanos/química , Lignanos/aislamiento & purificación , Lignanos/farmacología , Estructura Molecular , Óxido Nítrico/antagonistas & inhibidores , Extractos Vegetales/químicaRESUMEN
Trypanosomatids are protozoan parasites among which are the etiologic agents of various infectious diseases in humans, such as Trypanosoma cruzi (causative agent of Chagas disease), Trypanosoma brucei (causative agent of sleeping sickness), and species of the genus Leishmania (causative agents of leishmaniases). The cell cycle in these organisms presents a sequence of events conserved throughout evolution. However, these parasites also have unique characteristics that confer some peculiarities related to the cell cycle phases. This review compares general and peculiar aspects of the cell cycle in the replicative forms of trypanosomatids. Moreover, a brief discussion about the possible cross-talk between telomeres and the cell cycle is presented. Finally, we intend to open a discussion on how a profound understanding of the cell cycle would facilitate the search for potential targets for developing antiparasitic therapies that could help millions of people worldwide.
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Enfermedad de Chagas , Leishmania , Trypanosoma brucei brucei , Trypanosoma cruzi , Ciclo Celular/genética , Humanos , Leishmania/genética , Leishmania/metabolismo , Trypanosoma brucei brucei/genética , Trypanosoma brucei brucei/metabolismo , Trypanosoma cruzi/genética , Trypanosoma cruzi/metabolismoRESUMEN
Leishmania spp. comprises a group of protozoan parasites that affect millions of people around the world. Understanding the main cell cycle-dependent events could provide an important route for developing specific therapies since some factors involved in cell cycle control may have low similarity relative to their homologs in mammals. Furthermore, accurate cell cycle-dependent analyses often require many cells, which can be achieved through cell cycle synchronization. Here, we described a useful method to synchronize procyclic promastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis using hydroxyurea (HU) and the analysis of its DNA content profile. This approach can be extended to other trypanosomatids, such as Trypanosoma cruzi or Trypanosoma brucei, and provides an effective method for arresting more than 80% of cells at the G1/S phase transition.
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Leishmania mexicana , Leishmania , Animales , Ciclo Celular , División Celular , Humanos , Hidroxiurea/farmacología , Leishmania/metabolismo , MamíferosRESUMEN
Strategies for production and use of nanomaterials have rapidly moved towards safety and sustainability. Beyond these requirements, the novel routes must prove to be able to preserve and even improve the performance of the resulting nanomaterials. Increasing demand of high-performance nanomaterials is mostly related to electronic components, solar energy harvesting devices, pharmaceutical industries, biosensors, and photocatalysis. Among nanomaterials, Zinc oxide (ZnO) is of special interest, mainly due to its environmental compatibility and vast myriad of possibilities related to the tuning and the enhancement of ZnO properties. Doping plays a crucial role in this scenario. In this work we report and discuss the properties of undoped ZnO as well as lanthanide (Eu, Tb, and La)-doped ZnO nanoparticles obtained by using whey, a by-product of milk processing, as a chelating agent, without using citrate nor any other chelators. The route showed to be very effective and feasible for the affordable large-scale production of both pristine and doped ZnO nanoparticles in powder form.
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Natural products have played a pivotal role for the discovery of anticancer drugs. Tonantzitlolones are flexibilan-type diterpenes rare in nature; therefore, few reports have shown antiviral and cytotoxic activities. This study aimed to investigate the in vivo antitumor action of Tonantzitlolone B (TNZ-B) and its toxicity. Toxicity was evaluated in mice (acute and micronucleus assays). Antitumor activity of TNZ-B (1.5 or 3 mg/kg intraperitoneally - i.p.) was assessed in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma model. Angiogenesis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production were also investigated, in addition to toxicological effects after 7-day treatment. The LD50 (lethal dose 50%) was estimated at around 25 mg/kg (i.p.), and no genotoxicity was recorded. TNZ-B reduced the Ehrlich tumor's volume and total viable cancer cell count (p < 0.001 for both). Additionally, TNZ-B reduced peritumoral microvessel density (p < 0.01), suggesting antiangiogenic action. Moreover, a decrease was observed on ROS (p < 0.05) and nitric oxide (p < 0.001) levels. No significant clinical findings were observed in the analysis of biochemical, hematological, and histological (liver and kidney) parameters. In conclusion, TNZ-B exerts antitumor and antiangiogenic effects by reducing ROS and NO levels and has weak in vivo dose-repeated toxicity. These data contribute to elucidate the antitumor action of TNZ-B and point the way for further studies with this natural compound as an anticancer drug.
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Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/farmacología , Carcinoma de Ehrlich/tratamiento farmacológico , Diterpenos/farmacología , Euphorbiaceae/química , Compuestos Macrocíclicos/farmacología , Inhibidores de la Angiogénesis/administración & dosificación , Inhibidores de la Angiogénesis/farmacología , Inhibidores de la Angiogénesis/toxicidad , Animales , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/administración & dosificación , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/toxicidad , Línea Celular Tumoral , Diterpenos/administración & dosificación , Diterpenos/toxicidad , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Femenino , Dosificación Letal Mediana , Compuestos Macrocíclicos/administración & dosificación , Compuestos Macrocíclicos/toxicidad , Ratones , Pruebas de Micronúcleos , Óxido Nítrico/metabolismo , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno/metabolismoRESUMEN
Dixenic parasites often encounter environmental extremes during the transition from vector to host. Preadapted transmission stages overcome these challenges to promote parasites' survival and ensure life cycle progression. Recently, Vigneron et al. and Briggs et al. used single-cell transcriptomics to investigate developmental stage specific gene expression patterns during parasite differentiation.
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Parásitos , Trypanosoma brucei brucei , Animales , Estadios del Ciclo de Vida/genética , Parásitos/genética , Transcriptoma , Trypanosoma brucei brucei/genéticaRESUMEN
Leishmaniases belong to the inglorious group of neglected tropical diseases, presenting different degrees of manifestations severity. It is caused by the transmission of more than 20 species of parasites of the Leishmania genus. Nevertheless, the disease remains on the priority list for developing new treatments, since it affects millions in a vast geographical area, especially low-income people. Molecular biology studies are pioneers in parasitic research with the aim of discovering potential targets for drug development. Among them are the telomeres, DNA-protein structures that play an important role in the long term in cell cycle/survival. Telomeres are the physical ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Due to their multiple interactions with different proteins that confer a likewise complex dynamic, they have emerged as objects of interest in many medical studies, including studies on leishmaniases. This review aims to gather information and elucidate what we know about the phenomena behind Leishmania spp. telomere maintenance and how it impacts the parasite's cell cycle.
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Ciclo Celular , Leishmania/citología , Leishmania/enzimología , Telomerasa/metabolismo , Telómero/metabolismo , Humanos , Modelos Biológicos , FilogeniaRESUMEN
Several secondary metabolites have been isolated from Zornia brasiliensis (Leguminosae), mainly flavonoids. These compounds are known for many pharmacological actions, such as antispasmodic and antidiarrheal. Therefore, we evaluated the antidiarrheal effect of the ethanolic extract obtained from Zornia brasiliensis aerial parts (ZB-EtOHAP), as well as its underlying mechanisms. Castor-oil-induced diarrhea, fluid accumulation, and intestinal transit (normal and castor oil induced) were performed to assess the antidiarrheal, antisecretory, and antipropulsive activities of the extract. The involvement of opioid and adrenergic pathways was also investigated. ZB-EtOHAP inhibited, in a dose-dependent manner, both total defecation frequency and the number of watery stools. The extract showed no effect on fluid accumulation or normal intestinal transit. On the other hand, when the animals were pretreated with castor oil, the extract decreased the distance traveled by the marker in the small intestine. Investigation of the involvement of opioid and adrenergic systems showed that the pharmacological potency of the extract did not change in the presence of naloxone, but it was reduced in the presence of yohimbine. The data indicate that Zornia brasiliensis has an antidiarrheal effect due to inhibition of the intestinal motility through adrenergic pathway activation.
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Malignant transformation involves an orchestrated rearrangement of cell cycle regulation mechanisms that must balance autonomic mitogenic impulses and deleterious oncogenic stress. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is highly prevalent in populations around the globe, whereas the incidence of cervical cancer is 0.15%. Since HPV infection primes cervical keratinocytes to undergo malignant transformation, we can assume that the balance between transforming mitogenic signals and oncogenic stress is rarely attained. We showed that highly transforming mitogenic signals triggered by HRasG12V activity in E6E7-HPV-keratinocytes generate strong replication and oxidative stresses. These stresses are counteracted by autophagy induction that buffers the rapid increase of ROS that is the main cause of genotoxic stress promoted by the oncoprotein. As a result, autophagy creates a narrow window of opportunity for malignant keratinocytes to emerge. This work shows that autophagy is crucial to allow the transition of E6E7 keratinocytes from an immortalized to a malignant state caused by HRasG12V.