Hypolipidemic potential and safety profile of the ethanolic extract and flour of the peel of Passiflora Cincinnata Mast. (Passifloraceae) in mice.

Passiflora cincinnata Mast. is described as a native Caatinga species, used by nutritional and medicinal purposes, although there are still few studies and pharmacological data related to this species. This paper aims to evaluate the safety profile and hypolipidemic potential of the fruit peel of this species in mice. It was analyzed the chemical composition of ethanolic extract (EtOH-Pc) by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS, and the organic and inorganic composition of flour (MF-Pc). Also were evaluated the acute toxicity, the lipid-lowering potential of these samples, through of a pretreatment (oral: 100 and 200 mg/kg), and a single treatment with the same doses, after hyperlipidemic induction with triton WR-1339, using as animal model Swiss Mus musculus mice, besides histopathological analysis. The presence of flavonoids in the extract was confirmed, mainly C-glycosides, and antioxidant minerals and pectin, in flour. No clinical signs of toxicity or death were reported in the study. In the hyperlipidemia study model used, the analyzed substances, at all doses, notably decreased the lipid levels of TC, TG, LDL-c and VLDL-c and increase the HDL-c levels in the induced hyperlipidemic mice (p < 0.05). The results of the histopathological analysis showed that in the group only induced was identified the discrete presence of hepatic steatosis, in 2 animals at the analysis of 24 h, not being visualized in the groups treated with the substances evaluated. The results obtained in the present study suggest a hypolipidemic potential of the extract and flour, obtained from the fruit peel of Passiflora cincinnata Mast.

Determination of phenolic compounds, in vitro antioxidant activity and characterization of secondary metabolites in different parts of Passiflora cincinnata by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis.

Ethanol extracts of different parts of Passiflora cincinnata were obtained by maceration. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were evaluated. The antioxidant activities were determined by ß-carotene-linoleic acid bleaching test, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH), and 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging. The crude ethanol stem extract showed the highest amount of total polyphenols (45.53 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) while the highest total flavonoid contents (1.42 mg of quercetin equivalent/g) were observed in the leaf extract. The lowest IC50 (25.65 µg/ml) by the DPPH method was observed for the stem extract. The ABTS method showed a significant antioxidant activity for all investigated extracts. The secondary metabolite composition of ethanol extracts was assessed by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis, leading to the identification of fourteen secondary metabolites in P. cincinnata extracts. These results showed the potentiality of this species as a source of phenolic compounds and antioxidants.

LASSBio-1586, an N-acylhydrazone derivative, attenuates nociceptive behavior and the inflammatory response in mice.

Pain and inflammation are complex clinical conditions that are present in a wide variety of disorders. Most drugs used to treat pain and inflammation have potential side effects, which makes it necessary to search for new sources of bioactive molecules. In this paper, we describe the ability of LASSBio-1586, an N-acylhydrazone derivative, to attenuate nociceptive behavior and the inflammatory response in mice. Antinociceptive activity was evaluated through acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced nociception tests. In these experimental models, LASSBio-1586 significantly (p<0.05) reduced nociceptive behavior. Several methods of acute and chronic inflammation induced by different chemical (carrageenan, histamine, croton oil, arachidonic acid) and physical (cotton pellet) agents were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of LASSBio-1586. LASSBio-1586 exhibited potent anti-inflammatory activity in all tests (p<0.05). Study of the mechanism of action demonstrated the possible involvement of the nitrergic, serotonergic and histamine signaling pathways. In addition, a molecular docking study was performed, indicating that LASSBio-1586 is able to block the COX-2 enzyme, reducing arachidonic acid metabolism and consequently decreasing the production of prostaglandins, which are important inflammatory mediators. In summary, LASSBio-1586 exhibited relevant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory potential and acted on several targets, making it a candidate for a new multi-target oral anti-inflammatory drug.

Condições de trabalho das Equipes de Saúdeda Família do município de Petrolina-PE:percepção dos profissionais de saúde / Working conditions of Family Health Teams of the municipalityof Petrolina-PE: perceptions of health care professionals

O estudo objetiva traçar o perfil das Equipes de Saúde da Família (ESF) do município de Petrolina-PE, Brasil, quanto àscondições físico-estruturais nas quais se encontram e quanto à qualidade dos serviços de saúde prestados à população,analisando os principais problemas a serem enfrentados pelos profissionais de saúde em seu processo de trabalho. Foirealizado um estudo de caráter observacional descritivo, baseado na aplicação de um questionário semiestruturado, destinadoaos profissionais de saúde das mais diversas categorias que trabalham nas ESF do município de Petrolina. Entre osserviços disponibilizados pelo município nas ESF citados pelos profissionais, os considerados mais eficientes foram: vacinação,serviço de enfermagem e pré-natal, enquanto que a farmácia e odontologia foram consideradas os mais precários.A estrutura das unidades foi relatada como o principal problema que dificulta a execução dos serviços nas unidades (43%)e 27% dos profissionais entrevistados afirmaram que as unidades em que trabalham não conseguem atender à demanda.A escassez de profissionais, aliada à falta de equipamentos, materiais e medicamentos, acaba inviabilizando as práticasde trabalho, tornando o sistema de saúde vigente no país defasado, sobrecarregando os macrocomponentes dos níveis demédia e alta complexidade em saúde.

The study aims to evaluate the profile of ESF (Family Health Teams) in the city of Petrolina (Pernambuco, Brazil), concerningphysical and structural conditions of the ESF and concerning the quality of health services rendered to the population, byanalyzing the main problems to be faced by health professionals at work. An observational descriptive study was conductedbased on a semi-structured questionnaire intended to health professionals from several categories working at Petrolina’s ESF.Among the services provided by the municipality in the ESF, mentioned by the professionals, the ones considered as moreeffective were vaccination, nursing services and prenatal care, while pharmacy and dentistry were considered the most precarious.The units’ structure was reported by 43% of the professional as the main problem that hinders the implementation ofservices in the units and 27% said that the units in which they work cannot meet the demand. The shortage of professionalscoupled with lack of equipment, supplies and medicines preclude the working practices, lagging the current health system inthe country, overloading macrocomponents of medium and high levels of complexity in health.