Microalgae cultivation in sugarcane vinasse: Selection, growth and biochemical characterization.

Sugarcane ethanol is produced at large scale generating wastes that could be used for microalgae biomass production in a biorefinery strategy. In this study, forty microalgae strains were screened for growth in sugarcane vinasse at different concentrations. Two microalgae strains, Micractinium sp. Embrapa|LBA32 and C. biconvexa Embrapa|LBA40, presented vigorous growth in a light-dependent manner even in undiluted vinasse under non-axenic conditions. Microalgae strains presented higher biomass productivity in vinasse-based media compared to standard Bold's Basal Medium in cultures performed using 15L airlift flat plate photobioreactors. Chemical composition analyses showed that proteins and carbohydrates comprise the major fractions of algal biomass. Glucose was the main monosaccharide detected, ranging from 46% to 76% of the total carbohydrates content according to the strain and culture media used. This research highlights the potential of using residues derived from ethanol plants to cultivate microalgae for the production of energy and bioproducts.

Anatomical and histochemical analysis of Dysphania ambrosioides supported by light and electron microscopy

ABSTRACT Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants (syn: Chenopodium ambrosoides L.), Amaranthaceae, popularly known as “mastruz”, is an herb widely used in Brazil as anthelmintic. To contribute to the knowledge about medicinal plants, a microscopic analysis was accomplished to describe the main anatomical characters of root, stem, petiole and leaf blade of D. ambrosioides and histochemical tests were performed on the leaf blade. Cross-sections were obtained, by hand, for microscopic analysis of root, stem, petiole and leaf blade; to the leaf blade were still made paradermal sections, scanning electron microscopy analysis, maceration and histochemical tests. The main characters useful in the identification of the plant were: anomalous secondary thickening in the root and stem; presence of idioblasts containing crystal sand in the root, stem, petiole and leaf blade; in these there are also idioblasts with druses; presence of non-glandular and glandular trichomes in the stem, petiole and leaf blade; stomata on the stem, petiole and leaf blade, identified in these as anomocytic and anisocytic; dorsiventral mesophyll and collateral vascular bundles. Maceration revealed that the vessel elements are helical type. Through the histochemical tests, it was evidenced the presence of lipophilic substances, essential oils, oleoresins, phenolic compounds, starch, lignin and calcium oxalate crystals. This work provides support to the quality control of the species.

DNA Barcoding Green Microalgae Isolated from Neotropical Inland Waters.

This study evaluated the feasibility of using the Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase Large subunit gene (rbcL) and the Internal Transcribed Spacers 1 and 2 of the nuclear rDNA (nuITS1 and nuITS2) markers for identifying a very diverse, albeit poorly known group, of green microalgae from neotropical inland waters. Fifty-one freshwater green microalgae strains isolated from Brazil, the largest biodiversity reservoir in the neotropics, were submitted to DNA barcoding. Currently available universal primers for ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region amplification were sufficient to successfully amplify and sequence 47 (92%) of the samples. On the other hand, new sets of primers had to be designed for rbcL, which allowed 96% of the samples to be sequenced. Thirty-five percent of the strains could be unambiguously identified to the species level based either on nuITS1 or nuITS2 sequences' using barcode gap calculations. nuITS2 Compensatory Base Change (CBC) and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region phylogenetic analysis, together with morphological inspection, confirmed the identification accuracy. In contrast, only 6% of the strains could be assigned to the correct species based solely on rbcL sequences. In conclusion, the data presented here indicates that either nuITS1 or nuITS2 are useful markers for DNA barcoding of freshwater green microalgae, with advantage for nuITS2 due to the larger availability of analytical tools and reference barcodes deposited at databases for this marker.

Virtual screening strategies in medicinal chemistry: the state of the art and current challenges.

Virtual screening (VS) techniques are well-established tools in the modern drug discovery process, mainly used for hit finding in drug discovery. The availability of knowledge of structural information, which includes an increasing number of 3D protein structures and the readiness of free databases of commercially available smallmolecules, provides a broad platform for VS. This review summarizes the current developments in VS regarding chemical databases and highlights the achievements as well as the challenges with an emphasis on a recent example of the successful application for the identification of new hits for sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) of Trypanosoma cruzi.

All green, but equal? Morphological traits and ecological implications on spores of three species of mosses in the Brazilian Atlantic forest.

Spores of the tropical mosses Pyrrhobryum spiniforme, Neckeropsis undulata and N. disticha were characterized regarding size, number per capsule and viability. Chemical substances were analyzed for P. spiniforme and N. undulata spores. Length of sporophyte seta (spore dispersal ability) was analyzed for P. spiniforme. Four to six colonies per species in each site (lowland and highland areas of an Atlantic Forest; Serra do Mar State Park, Brazil) were visited for the collection of capsules (2008 - 2009). Neckeropsis undulata in the highland area produced the largest spores (ca. 19 µm) with the highest viability. The smallest spores were found in N. disticha in the lowland (ca. 13 µm). Pyrrhobryum spiniforme produced more spores per capsule in the highland (ca. 150,000) than in lowland (ca. 40,000); longer sporophytic setae in the lowland (ca. 64 mm) than in the highland (ca. 43 mm); and similar sized spores in both areas (ca. 16 µm). Spores of N. undulata and P. spiniforme contained lipids and proteins in the cytoplasm, and acid/neutral lipids and pectins in the wall. Lipid bodies were larger in N. undulata than in P. spiniforme. No starch was recorded for spores. Pyrrhobryum spiniforme in the highland area, different from lowland, was characterized by low reproductive effort, but presented many spores per capsule.

Anatomy of leaf and stem of Erythrina velutina

Erythrina velutina Willd., Fabaceae, known as "mulungu", is a tree of tropical regions, as northeastern Brazil. Its bark is used in folk medicine as tranquilizer, sedative and insomnia. This study aimed to characterize the stem and leaf anatomy and to provide subsidies to quality control of the plant drug due to its wide use in folk medicine as well as its differentiation from other species with the same popular name. Samples were collected at Cuité, in Paraíba State, Brazil, fixed in FAA50, semipermanent slides were made, following usual procedures in plant anatomy. The stem shows a cylindrical contour, covered by a uniseriate epidermis covered by a thickened cuticle. It shows claviform glandular and branched trichomes with uniseriate stalk. Secretory cavities are into the phloem. The leaf epidermis has branched and glandular trichomes and anisocytic and paracytic stomata, on both sides, with predominance of branched trichomes and stomata on abaxial surface. Secretory cavities in stem and leaf, types of trichomes and stomata, its location and distribution constitute diagnostic characters for this specie. The structural characterization of the stem and leaf allows its distinction from other ones of this genus, ensuring safety for commercial pharmacological uses, allowing certification of the authenticity of raw material.

Supercritical extraction of phloroglucinol and benzophenone derivatives from Hypericum carinatum: quantification and mathematical modeling.

The aerial parts of Hypericum carinatum (Guttiferae) were extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide under constant temperature (40, 50 or 60°C) and gradual pressure increase (90, 120, 150 and 200 bar) aiming at the recovery of enriched fractions containing uliginosin B, cariphenone A and cariphenone B, compounds of pharmaceutical interest. The yields of these substances were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and compared with those obtained with n-hexane maceration. The supercritical-fluid extraction showed higher selectivity than the conventional solvent extraction method. After defining 40°C and 90 bar as the best conditions to obtain the target compounds, a mathematical model was used for the extraction process and a good correlation was achieved with the experimental data.

Oral treatment with Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain UFMG 905 modulates immune responses and interferes with signal pathways involved in the activation of inflammation in a murine model of typhoid fever.

Salmonella spp. are Gram-negative, facultative, intracellular pathogens that cause several diarrheal diseases ranging from self-limiting gastroenteritis to typhoid fever. Previous results from our laboratory showed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain UFMG 905 isolated from 'cachaça' production presented probiotic properties due to its ability to protect against experimental infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. In this study, the effects of oral treatment with S. cerevisiae 905 were evaluated at the immunological level in a murine model of typhoid fever. Treatment with S. cerevisiae 905 inhibited weight loss and increased survival rate after Salmonella challenge. Immunological data demonstrated that S. cerevisiae 905 decreased levels of proinflammatory cytokines and modulated the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 and JNK, but not ERK1/2), NF-κB and AP-1, signaling pathways which are involved in the transcriptional activation of proinflammatory mediators. Experiments in germ-free mice revealed that probiotic effects were due, at least in part, to the binding of Salmonella to the yeast. In conclusion, S. cerevisiae 905 acts as a potential new biotherapy against S. Typhimurium infection due to its ability to bind bacteria and modulate signaling pathways involved in the activation of inflammation in a murine model of typhoid fever.

Responses of Coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari)(Coleoptera: Scolytidae), to vertical distribution of methanol: ethanol traps

Captures of the coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) were assessed in traps in the field. IAPAR designed traps [plastic bottles (2 L) lured with methanol:ethanol (1:1) in a vessel] were placed either at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5m high from the ground or simultaneously tested in the 2004 fructification season. Traps placed at the three heights trapped 5.5 times more CBB than the others, mostly at the traps placed at 0.5 m (75 percent). Treatments using the IAPAR designed trap placed at 1.2 m high; IAPAR trap with a white plastic plate above (IAPAR modified I) at 1.2 m high; IAPAR at 0.5 m high and two additional vessels at 1.0 and 1.5m high (IAPAR modified II) and T-163 trap [three red plastic cups (300 ml) and a red plastic plate as a cover] lured with M:E (1:1) at 1.2m height were compared in the vegetative (2005) and fructification (2006) periods. IAPAR modified II (dispenser vessels placed at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m) trapped more beetles than the remaining types (2.72 times more beetles than IAPAR design); and IAPAR modified I traps trapped more beetles than T 163 and IAPAR traps in the vegetative period. In the reproductive period, IAPAR modified II trapped less beetles than IAPAR and IAPAR modified I. In 2007 vegetative season, IAPAR modified II trap were compared with IAPAR trap and trapped 2.8 times more beetles. The positive responses to a vertical distribution of the volatile attractants in the vegetative period of the planting allow the development of more efficient trapping systems for CBB.

Responses of coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari)(Coleoptera: Scolytidae), to vertical distribution of methanol: ethanol traps.

Captures of the coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) were assessed in traps in the field. IAPAR designed traps [plastic bottles (2 L) lured with methanol:ethanol (1:1) in a vessel] were placed either at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5m high from the ground or simultaneously tested in the 2004 fructification season. Traps placed at the three heights trapped 5.5 times more CBB than the others, mostly at the traps placed at 0.5 m (75%). Treatments using the IAPAR designed trap placed at 1.2 m high; IAPAR trap with a white plastic plate above (IAPAR modified I) at 1.2 m high; IAPAR at 0.5 m high and two additional vessels at 1.0 and 1.5m high (IAPAR modified II) and T-163 trap [three red plastic cups (300 ml) and a red plastic plate as a cover] lured with M:E (1:1) at 1.2m height were compared in the vegetative (2005) and fructification (2006) periods. IAPAR modified II (dispenser vessels placed at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m) trapped more beetles than the remaining types (2.72 times more beetles than IAPAR design); and IAPAR modified I traps trapped more beetles than T 163 and IAPAR traps in the vegetative period. In the reproductive period, IAPAR modified II trapped less beetles than IAPAR and IAPAR modified I. In 2007 vegetative season, IAPAR modified II trap were compared with IAPAR trap and trapped 2.8 times more beetles. The positive responses to a vertical distribution of the volatile attractants in the vegetative period of the planting allow the development of more efficient trapping systems for CBB.