Coriandrum sativum L. essential oil obtained from organic culture shows antifungal activity against planktonic and multi-biofilm Candida.

This study aimed to analyze the phytochemical profile of essential oil obtained from the leaves of Coriandrum sativum L., and its antifungal activity against Candida spp. The research consisted of an in vitro study including collecting the vegetable product, analysis of its macronutrients, extraction, and chemical analysis of the essential oil, and assaying antifungal activity through minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), with growth inhibition kinetics, and the product's effects on multi-species Candida biofilm. Nitrogen (47.08 g Kg-1), phosphorus (5.3 g Kg-1) and potassium (50.46 g Kg-1) levels were within the normal range. The major constituents were octanal, decanal, dec-(2E)-enal, and dodecanal. The MIC and MFC of the product evaluated against 11 tested Candida strains ranged from 31.25 to 250 µg/mL. There was inhibition of fungal growth during 24 hours of exposure at the 3 concentrations tested (250, 125, and 62.5 µg/mL). The concentration of 80 mg/mL promoted the greatest reduction in multispecies biofilm (70% reduction in biofilm). Coriandrum sativum L. essential oil extract is principally constituted of alcohols and aldehydes and presents fungicidal activity against Candida spp. in its in planktonic and biofilm forms.

Characterization and mRNA expression analysis of PI31, an endogenous proteasome inhibitor from Schistosoma mansoni.

The proline-rich inhibitor of 31 kDa (PI31) is highly conserved through metazoan evolution, and its activity in the proteasome inhibition is well-established although the precise mechanism of inhibition is unclear. The coding DNA sequence of Schistosoma mansoni PI31 (SmPI31) was cloned, and the recombinant protein was expressed in bacterial system. The correct amino acid sequence was confirmed by mass spectrometry and circular dichroism suggests that SmPI31 contains both α-helix and non-structured regions. Inhibition assays, using the Suc-Leu-Leu-Val-Tyr-4-MCA substrate for proteasome degradation, showed that the S. mansoni proteasome may be regulated by the inhibitory activity of SmPI31. A gene expression assay using qRT-PCR at various stages during the S. mansoni life cycle has shown that SmPI31 transcripts are expressed in all studied stages, suggesting that PI31 plays an important role during the developmental processes of the parasite. In this study first evidence is presented that PI31 has a conserved structure and plays a role as proteasome inhibitor in adult worms and it is expressed through life cycle.

Avaliação produtiva e econômica de sistemas de produção bovina em pastagens de capim-elefante / Productive and economic evaluation of cattle production systems on elephant-grass pastures

Avaliou-se o desempenho produtivo de novilhas manejadas em capim-elefante com suplementação alimentar e estudou-se a viabilidade econômica dos sistemas de produção. Utilizaram-se novilhas Holandês-Zebu com idade média de 17 meses e peso médio de 215±8kg, distribuídas nos seguintes sistemas de produção: SP1 - sem suplementação; SP2 - suplementadas com ração concentrada; e SP3 - suplementadas com leguminosa Stylosanthes guianensis, cv. Mineirão. Foram utilizadas 22 novilhas sendo 12 distribuídas nos três sistemas e as demais utilizadas como animais de equilíbrio em função da quantidade de forragem disponível. Os ganhos de peso médio diário foram 429±18g, 624±23g e 535±8g para SP1, SP2 e SP3, e os ganhos de peso diário por área de 2,38; 3,46 e 1,43kg/ha/dia, para SP1, SP2 e SP3, respectivamente. A taxa interna de retorno obtida foi 29,6 por cento, 30,1 por cento e 10,5 por cento para SP1, SP2 e SP3, respectivamente. O preço de venda das novilhas foi o fator de maior impacto no desempenho econômico dos sistemas de produção.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis-activated dendritic cells induce protective immunity in mice.

Activated dendritic cells are critically important in the priming of T-cell responses. In this report we show that the infection of a conditionally immortalized dendritic cell line (tsDC) with Mycobacterium tuberculosis resulted in the up-regulation of B7-1 and B7-2 co-stimulatory molecules and the induction of several inflammatory cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6, -1beta and -12. In addition, we show that these activated dendritic cells were capable of eliciting antigen-specific T-cell responses and potent anti-mycobacterial protective immunity in a murine model of experimental tuberculosis infection.