Efecto de la harina de camu camu sobre el daño hepático inducido por acetaminofén en ratones / Effect of camu camu flour on acetaminophen-induced liver damage in mice

RESUMEN Objetivos. Evaluar el efecto de la harina de Myrciaria dubia (camu camu) sobre el tejido hepático inducido a toxicidad por acetaminofén en ratones. Métodos. Diseño experimental. Se preparó una suspensión de harina de camu camu (HCC) con almidón al 1,6%. Se emplearon 40 ratones machos de la cepa BALB/c, con un peso promedio de 30,8 g y de dos meses de edad, los cuales fueron divididos en cinco grupos, recibiendo el siguiente tratamiento, vía orogástrica, por un período de 10 días, grupos I y II: almidón 1,6% 10 mL/kg; grupo III: HCC 200 mg/kg, grupo IV: HCC 500 mg/kg y grupo V: HCC 800 mg/kg. Al 6to día de tratamiento se le administró acetaminofén (300 mg/kg) a los grupos II-V hasta el 10mo día. Terminada la intervención los animales fueron puestos en ayunas de 12 horas, para luego ser sacrificados previa anestesia con pentobarbital sódico. Se extrajo el hígado, se identificó y seccionó el lóbulo mayor para el estudio bioquímico e histológico. Resultados. La harina de camu camu redujo los niveles del índice hepático, y presentó un mejor perfil del sistema glutatión, comparado con el grupo II; sin embargo, las cifras de lipoperoxidación no mostraron diferencia significativa. A nivel histológico, en los grupos que recibieron HCC se observaron hepatocitos binucleados, así como un mayor mantenimiento de la polaridad; sin embargo, algunas muestras evidenciaron microvacuolas y leve fragmentación de la cromatina. Conclusión. La harina de camu camu evidenció efecto hepatoprotector frente a la toxicidad por acetaminofén en ratones.

ABSTRACT Objectives . To evaluate the effect of Myrciaria dubia (camu camu) flour on liver tissue induced to acetaminophen toxicity in mice. Methods. Experimental design. A suspension of camu camu flour (HCC) with 1.6% starch was prepared. 40 male mice of the BALB/c strain were used, with an average weight of 30.8 g and two months of age, which were divided into five groups, receiving the following treatment, orogastric route, for a period of 10 days, groups I and II: 1.6% starch 10 mL / kg; group III: HCC 200 mg / kg, group IV: HCC 500 mg / kg and group V: HCC 800 mg / kg. On the 6th day of treatment, acetaminophen (300 mg / kg) was administered to groups II-V until the 10th day. After the intervention, the animals were fasted for 12 hours, to then be sacrificed after anesthesia with sodium pentobarbital. The liver was removed, the greater lobe was identified and sectioned for biochemical and histological study. Results. The camu camu flour reduced the levels of the hepatic index, and presented a better profile of the glutathione system, compared to group II; however, the lipoperoxidation figures did not show a significant difference. At the histological level, in the groups that received HCC, binucleated hepatocytes were observed, as well as a greater maintenance of polarity; however, some samples showed microvacuoles and slight chromatin fragmentation. Conclusion. Camu camu flour showed a hepatoprotective effect against acetaminophen toxicity in mice.

Dermal Tattoo Biosensors for Colorimetric Metabolite Detection.

Tattooing is a ubiquitous body modification involving the injection of ink and/or dye pigments into the dermis. Biosensors in the form of tattoos can be used to monitor metabolites in interstitial fluid. Here, minimally invasive, injectable dermal biosensors were developed for measuring pH, glucose, and albumin concentrations. The dermal pH sensor was based on methyl red, bromothymol blue, and phenolphthalein, which responded to a pH range from 5.0 to 9.0. The dermal glucose sensor consisted of glucose oxidase, 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine, and peroxidase that detected concentrations up to 50.0 mmol L-1 . The dermal albumin sensor consisted of 3',3'',5',5''-tetrachlorophenol-3,4,5,6-tetrabromosulfophthalein to measure concentrations up to 5.0 g L-1 . The sensors were multiplexed in ex vivo skin tissue and quantitative readouts were obtained using a smartphone camera. These sensors can be used to manage of acid-base homeostasis, diabetes, and liver failure in point-of-care settings.

Undervalued potential of crassulacean acid metabolism for current and future agricultural production.

The potential for crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) to support resilient crops that meet demands for food, fiber, fuel, and pharmaceutical products far exceeds current production levels. This review provides background on five families of plants that express CAM, including examples of many species within these families that have potential agricultural uses. We summarize traditional uses, current developments, management practices, environmental tolerance ranges, and economic values of CAM species with potential commercial applications. The primary benefit of CAM in agriculture is high water use efficiency that allows for reliable crop yields even in drought conditions. Agave species, for example, grow in arid conditions and have been exploited for agricultural products in North and South America for centuries. Yet, there has been very little investment in agricultural improvement for most useful Agave varieties. Other CAM species that are already traded globally include Ananas comosus (pineapple), Aloe spp., Vanilla spp., and Opuntia spp., but there are far more with agronomic uses that are less well known and not yet developed commercially. Recent advances in technology and genomic resources provide tools to understand and realize the tremendous potential for using CAM crops to produce climate-resilient agricultural commodities in the future.

Long-term results of therapeutic local anesthesia (neural therapy) in 280 referred refractory chronic pain patients.

BACKGROUND: Can the application of local anesthetics (Neural Therapy, NT) alone durably improve pain symptoms in referred patients with chronic and refractory pain? If the application of local anesthetics does lead to an improvement that far exceeds the duration of action of local anesthetics, we will postulate that a vicious circle of pain in the reflex arcs has been disrupted (hypothesis). METHODS: Case series design. We exclusively used procaine or lidocaine. The inclusion criteria were severe pain and chronic duration of more than three months, pain unresponsive to conventional medical measures, written referral from physicians or doctors of chiropractic explicitly to NT. Patients with improvement of pain who started on additional therapy during the study period for a reason other than pain were excluded in order to avoid a potential bias. Treatment success was measured after one year follow-up using the outcome measures of pain and analgesics intake. RESULTS: 280 chronic pain patients were included; the most common reason for referral was back pain. The average number of consultations per patient was 9.2 in the first year (median 8.0). After one year, in 60 patients pain was unchanged, 52 patients reported a slight improvement, 126 were considerably better, and 41 pain-free. At the same time, 74.1% of the patients who took analgesics before starting NT needed less or no more analgesics at all. No adverse effects or complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The good long-term results of the targeted therapeutic local anesthesia (NT) in the most problematic group of chronic pain patients (unresponsive to all evidence based conventional treatment options) indicate that a vicious circle has been broken. The specific contribution of the intervention to these results cannot be determined. The low costs of local anesthetics, the small number of consultations needed, the reduced intake of analgesics, and the lack of adverse effects also suggest the practicality and cost-effectiveness of this kind of treatment. Controlled trials to evaluate the true effect of NT are needed.