7-chloro-4-(phenylselanyl) quinoline co-treatment prevent oxidative stress in diabetic-like phenotype induced by hyperglycidic diet in Drosophila melanogaster.

The goals of this work were to evaluate the effects produced by a hyperglycidic diet (HD) on Drosophila melanogaster and to verify the protective effect of 7-chloro-4-(phenylselanyl) quinoline (4-PSQ) on this model. Adult flies were divided into eight groups of 50 flies each: (1) RD, (regular diet) (2) RD + 4-PSQ (25 µM), (3) HD 5%, (4) HD 10%, (5) HD 30% (6) HD 5% + 4-PSQ (25 µM), (7) HD 10% + 4-PSQ (25 µM) and (8) HD 30% + 4-PSQ (25 µM). Flies were exposed to a diet containing sucrose and or 4-PSQ for ten days, according to each group. At the end of treatment survival rate, longevity, hatch rate, food intake, glucose and triglyceride levels, as well as, some markers of oxidative stress, such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, protein thiol (PSH) and non-protein levels (NPSH) and cell viability assays (Resazurin and MTT) were evaluated. It was observed that HD's consumption was associated with lower survival of the flies, lower longevity, and increased levels of glucose, triglycerides, TBARS and increased SOD activities and CAT activities. Treatment with 25 µM 4-PSQ increased the satiety of flies, increased survival, reduced glucose, triglyceride and TBARS levels, increased hatching, and normalized SOD and CAT activities. These results suggest that 25 µM 4-PSQ had a potential antioxidant effect and provided greater satiety by attenuating the effects of high HD consumption on this model.

Involvement of Indoleamine-2,3-Dioxygenase and Kynurenine Pathway in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Mice.

The experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a model that mimics multiple sclerosis in rodents. Evidence has suggested that the activation of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), the rate-limiting enzyme in the kynurenine pathway (KP), plays a crucial role in inflammation-related diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the involvement of the inflammatory process and KP components in a model of EAE in mice. To identify the role of KP in EAE pathogenesis, mice received IDO inhibitor (INCB024360) at a dose of 200 mg/kg (per oral) for 25 days. We demonstrated that IDO inhibitor mitigated the clinical signs of EAE, in parallel with the reduction of cytokine levels (brain, spinal cord, spleen and lymph node) and ionized calcium-binding adaptor protein-1 (Iba-1) gene expression in the central nervous system of EAE mice. Besides, IDO inhibitor causes a significant decrease in the levels of tryptophan, kynurenine and neurotoxic metabolites of KP, such as 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) and quinolinic acid (QUIN) in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, spinal cord, spleen and lymph node of EAE mice. The mRNA expression and enzyme activity of IDO and kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) were also reduced by IDO inhibitor. These findings indicate that the inflammatory process concomitant with the activation of IDO/KP is involved in the pathogenic mechanisms of EAE. The modulation of KP is a promising target for novel pharmacological treatment of MS.

Hesperidin Ameliorates Anxiety-Depressive-Like Behavior in 6-OHDA Model of Parkinson's Disease by Regulating Striatal Cytokine and Neurotrophic Factors Levels and Dopaminergic Innervation Loss in the Striatum of Mice.

The mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of hesperidin in a murine model of PD are not fully elucidated. The current study was carried out to investigate the ability of hesperidin in modulating proinflammatory cytokines, neurotrophic factors, and neuronal recovery in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced nigral dopaminergic neuronal loss. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into four groups: (I) sham/vehicle, (II) sham/hesperidin, (III) 6-OHDA/vehicle, and (IV) 6-OHDA/hesperidin. Mice received a unilateral intrastriatal injection of 6-OHDA and treated with hesperidin (50 mg/kg; per oral) for 28 days. After hesperidin treatment, mice were submitted to behavioral tests and had the striatum removed for neurochemical assays. Our results demonstrated that oral treatment with hesperidin ameliorated the anxiety-related and depressive-like behaviors in 6-OHDA-lesioned mice (p < 0.05). It also attenuated the striatal levels of proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-gamma, interleukin-1ß, interleukin-2, and interleukin-6 and increased the levels of neurotrophic factors, including neurotrophin-3, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and nerve growth factor in the striatum of 6-OHDA mice (p < 0.05). Hesperidin treatment was also capable to increase striatal levels of dopamine and its metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and protects against the impairment of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study indicated that hesperidin exerts anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like effect against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity through the modulation of cytokine production, neurotrophic factors levels, and dopaminergic innervation in the striatum.

Characterization, Toxicity, and Optimization for the Growth and Production of Bacteriocin-like Substances by Lactobacillus curvatus.

This study aimed to characterize, evaluate toxicity and optimize the conditions for the growth and production of bacteriocin-like substances by Lactobacillus curvatus P99. The antibacterial activity of the cell-free supernatant (CFS) containing bacteriocin-like substances was evaluated by the agar diffusion technique. The stability of the CFS was also examined after heat treatment, refrigeration, freezing, pH variations, and treatment with different chemical substances. The toxic effect of CFS on Drosophila melanogaster diet was determined by calculating the survival rate of the flies. The effects of pH, temperature, and incubation time were the parameters used to optimize cell growth and production of bacteriocin-like substances through response surface methodology. The CFS was stable for 36 weeks under freezing and refrigeration, as well as under heat treatment, in acidic and basic pH and for all chemical substances tested. Fewer than 50,000 AU/mL of CFS added to D. melanogaster diet showed no toxic effect. The optimum growth condition was pH 6.3 at 29.3 °C for 18.6 h, and the optimum production of bacteriocin-like substances was under pH 6.22 at 30.6 °C for 17.9 h. The data on the optimization of cell growth and the characterization and optimization of bacteriocin-like substances provided information to support the industrial-scale production of this microorganism and its metabolites.

Avaliação parasitológica de alfaces (Lactuca sativa)comercializadas em um município da fronteira oeste, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil / Parasitological evaluation of lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ) commercialized in a municipalitys western border, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

O consumo da alface (Lactuca sativa) pode ser um importante meio de transmissão de váriasdoenças parasitárias. Assim, o controle parasitológico constitui um grande desafio quando se verificaa inclusão cada vez mais frequente de hortaliças na dieta da população mundial. O objetivo destetrabalho foi avaliar a contaminação por parasitos de interesse em saúde pública em alfaces (L. sativa)comercializadas no município de Itaqui, RS. No processo de amostragem, foram selecionadossupermercados e produtores locais da cidade de Itaqui. Foram investigadas 60 amostras de alface (Lsativa) da variedade crespa, sendo 30 de produtores locais e 30 dos mercados locais, todas adquiridasaleatoriamente. As amostras de alface foram acondicionadas em sacos de polietileno limpos eidentificados. As folhas foram separadas uma a uma e lavadas em recipientes de vidro esterilizadoscom 250 mL de água destilada. A água resultante do processo de lavagem foi analisada utilizando-setrês técnicas parasitológicas: exame direto, sedimentação espontânea (Lutz) e centrífugo-flutuaçãoem sulfato de zinco a 33 por cento (Faust). Para a caracterização morfológica dos parasitos, utilizou-semicroscópio óptico. Das 60 amostras analisadas, 29 (48,3 por cento) apresentaram algum tipo de parasito,das quais 19 (63,3 por cento) eram procedentes de produtores locais e 10 (36,7 por cento), dos mercados locais.Foram encontrados ovos de Ascaris sp (5 por cento) e cistos de Giardia lamblia (38 por cento) e Entamoeba sp(13 por cento). A verificação da presença de parasitos, sobretudo helmintos e protozoários, especialmenteem hortaliças, é de grande interesse para a saúde pública, visto que fornece subsídios para o serviçode vigilância sanitária sobre o estado higiênico desses produtos.

The consumption of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) can be an important means of transmission of severalparasitic diseases, so the increasing inclusion of vegetables in the diet of the world populationpresents an important challenge. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contamination oflettuce (L. sativa) marketed in the municipality of Itaqui (RS) by parasites of interest to public health.A sampling process was used, selecting supermarkets and local producers in the city of Itaqui. Weinvestigated 60 samples of lettuce (L. sativa) of the curly variety, from 30 local producers and 30local markets, all acquired at random. The lettuce samples were placed in clean plastic bags andidentified. The leaves were separated and washed in a glass container with 250 ml of sterile distilledwater. The wash water was analyzed using three parasitological techniques: direct examination,spontaneous sedimentation technique (Lutz) and flotation of zinc sulfate to 33 percent (Faust). Themorphological features of the parasite were examined by means of an optical microscope. Of the60 samples analyzed, 29 (48.33 percent) had some type of parasites. Of these, 19 (63.34 percent) were fromlocal producers and 10 (36.66 percent) from local markets. Eggs were found of Ascaris sp. (5 percent) andcysts of Giardia lamblia (38 percent) and Entamoeba sp. (13 percent). Checking for the presence of parasites,particularly helminths and protozoa, especially in vegetables, has great interest for public health,because it supplements health surveillance on the hygienic condition of the goods.