Search Results (14)

Cancer is a complex disease due to its high variability and resistance to conventional treatments. The search for new therapies has prompted the study of less invasive natural sources, such as endophytic bacteria from medicinal plants. Bacillus subtilis is known to produce bioactive metabolites with promising pharmacological properties. This study evaluated the antitumor activity of the endophyte B. subtilis from Ibervillea sonorae against murine L5178Y-R lymphoma cells within in vitro and in vivo models. B. subtilis methanol extract was fractionated in hexane, chloroform, and methanol, with the chloroform partition showing the highest tumor cell growth inhibition (IC₅₀ = 34.62 ± 0.180 µg/mL) and the highest selectivity index (SI = 15.53) when compared with the hexane and methanol partitions. The in vivo study showed that mice treated with 10 mg/kg of the chloroform partition significantly (p < 0.01) reduced the tumor volume and weight without affecting tumor-free body weight. The maximum tolerated dose test indicated that 10 mg/kg was safe and well tolerated. These results indicate that B. subtilis may be a promising source of selective antitumor compounds. Full article

Introduction: The fruit of the cashew tree, known as cashew, is accompanied by the fleshy extension of its stem, referred to as the cashew nut. Rich in phenolic compounds, such as phenolic acids, anthocyanins, flavonoids, carotenoids, polyphenols, as well as vitamins C and E, the cashew nut exhibits antioxidant properties. Objective: This systematic review investigated the effects of cashew nuts on oxidative stress in rats. Methodology: The study followed PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. Searches were conducted in the Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, BVS, MedRxiv, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Experimental studies with rats as the target population, evaluating the effects of cashew nut supplementation on oxidative stress, antioxidant enzymatic activities, and inflammatory markers, were included. Exclusion criteria comprised dissertations, reviews, expert opinions, duplicates, and preprints. Results: Five studies published between 2018 and 2022 were included, all utilizing cashew nut supplementation as the intervention. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in oxidative stress, an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as SOD and catalase, and a decrease in inflammatory markers, including TNF-α and IL-1β. The most effective dose was 100 mg/kg/day, yielding consistent results across studies. Conclusion: Cashew nuts show potential for reducing oxidative stress, mitigating inflammation, and enhancing antioxidant defenses in rats. However, further clinical studies are required to better explore their benefits in humans, a field that remains less studied compared to other types of nuts. Full article

Identifying and counting fish are crucial for managing stocking, harvesting, and marketing of farmed fish. Researchers have used convolutional networks for these tasks and explored various approaches to enhance network learning. Batch normalization is one technique that improves network stability and accuracy. This study aimed to evaluate machine learning for identifying and counting pirapitinga Piaractus brachypomus fry with different batch sizes. The researchers used one thousand photographic images of Pirapitinga fingerlings, labeled with bounding boxes. They trained the adapted convolutional network model with batch normalization layers added at the end of each convolution block. They set the training to one hundred and fifty epochs and tested batch sizes of 5, 10, and 20. Furthermore, they measured network performance using precision, recall, and mAP@0.5. Models with smaller batch sizes performed less effectively. The training with a batch size of 20 achieved the best performance, with a precision of 96.74%, recall of 95.48%, mAP@0.5 of 97.08%, and accuracy of 98%. This indicates that larger batch sizes improve accuracy in detecting and counting pirapitinga fry across different fish densities. Full article

This study reports the virome investigation of pollinator species and other floral visitors associated with plants from the south of Bahia: Aphis aurantii, Atrichopogon sp., Dasyhelea sp., Forcipomyia taiwana, and Trigona ventralis hoozana. Studying viruses in insects associated with economically important crops is vital to understand transmission dynamics and manage viral diseases that pose as threats for global food security. Using literature mining and public RNA next-generation sequencing data deposited in the NCBI SRA database, we identified potential vectors associated with Malvaceae plant species and characterized the microbial communities resident in these insects. Bacteria and Eukarya dominated the metagenomic analyses of all taxon groups. We also found sequences showing similarity to elements from several viral families, including Bunyavirales, Chuviridae, Iflaviridae, Narnaviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Totiviridae, and Xinmoviridae. Phylogenetic analyses indicated the existence of at least 16 new viruses distributed among A. aurantii (3), Atrichopogon sp. (4), Dasyhelea sp. (3), and F. taiwana (6). No novel viruses were found for T. ventralis hoozana. For F. taiwana, the available libraries also allowed us to suggest possible vertical transmission, while for A. aurantii we followed the infection profile along the insect development. Our results highlight the importance of studying the virome of insect species associated with crop pollination, as they may play a crucial role in the transmission of viruses to economically important plants, such as those of the genus Theobroma, or they will reduce the pollination process. This information may be valuable in developing strategies to mitigate the spread of viruses and protect the global industry. Full article

Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC) are receiving increasing interest as an approach to encapsulate natural extracts to increase the physicochemical stability of bioactives. Cannabis extract-derived cannabidiol (CBD) has potent therapeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties. In this work, physicochemical characterization was carried out after producing Compritol-based nanoparticles (cSLN or cNLC) loaded with CBD. Then, the determination of the encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading capacity (LC), particle size (Z-Ave), polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential were performed. Additionally, the viscoelastic profiles and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) patterns were recorded. As a result, CBD-loaded SLN showed a mean particle size of 217.2 ± 6.5 nm, PDI of 0.273 ± 0.023, and EE of about 74%, while CBD-loaded NLC showed Z-Ave of 158.3 ± 6.6 nm, PDI of 0.325 ± 0.016, and EE of about 70%. The rheological analysis showed that the loss modulus for both lipid nanoparticle formulations was higher than the storage modulus over the applied frequency range of 10 Hz, demonstrating that they are more elastic than viscous. The crystallinity profiles of both CBD-cSLN (90.41%) and CBD-cNLC (40.18%) were determined. It may justify the obtained encapsulation parameters while corroborating the liquid-like character demonstrated in the rheological analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study confirmed the morphology and shape of the developed nanoparticles. The work has proven that the solid nature and morphology of cSLN/cNLC strengthen these particles’ potential to modify the CBD delivery profile for several biomedical applications. Full article

Microalgae are described as a new source of a wide range of bioactive compounds with health-promoting properties, such as omega-3 lipids. This biomass product is gaining attention mainly due to its potential to accumulate different compounds depending on the species and environment, and it has been commonly recognized as a valuable nutraceutical alternative to fish and krill oils. In this work, we obtained the extract of the microalga Nannochloropsis gaditana, selected on the basis of its content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and glycolipids, which were determined using GC-MS and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. To develop an oral formulation for the delivery of the extract, we used a 2³ factorial design approach to obtain an optimal lipid nanoparticle formulation. The surfactant and solid lipid content were set as the independent variables, while the particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential were taken as the dependent variables of the design. To ensure the potential use of the optimum LN formulation to protect and modify the release of the loaded microalga extract, rheological and differential scanning calorimetry analyses were carried out. The developed formulations were found to be stable over 30 days, with an encapsulation efficiency over 60%. Full article

This paper presents a comprehensive review of the main types of vaccines approaching production technology, regulatory parameters, and the quality control of vaccines. Bioinformatic tools and computational strategies have been used in the research and development of new pharmaceutical products, reducing the time between supposed pharmaceutical product candidates (R&D steps) and final products (to be marketed). In fact, in the reverse vaccinology field, in silico studies can be very useful in identifying possible vaccine targets from databases. In addition, in some cases (subunit or RNA/ DNA vaccines), the in silico approach permits: (I) the evaluation of protein immunogenicity through the prediction of epitopes, (II) the potential adverse effects of antigens through the projection of similarity to host proteins, (III) toxicity and (IV) allergenicity, contributing to obtaining safe, effective, stable, and economical vaccines for existing and emerging infectious pathogens. Additionally, the rapid growth of emerging infectious diseases in recent years should be considered a driving force for developing and implementing new vaccines and reassessing vaccine schedules in companion animals, food animals, and wildlife disease control. Comprehensive and well-planned vaccination schedules are effective strategies to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Full article

The complexity of the eye structure and its physiology turned ocular drug administration into one of the most challenging topics in the pharmaceutical field. Ocular inflammation is one of the most common ophthalmic disorders. Topical administration of anti-inflammatory drugs is also commonly used as a side treatment in tissue repair and regeneration. The difficulty in overcoming the eye barriers, which are both physical and chemical, reduces drug bioavailability, and the frequency of administration must be increased to reach the therapeutic effect. However, this can cause serious side effects. Lipid nanoparticles seem to be a great alternative to ocular drug delivery as they are composed from natural excipients and can encapsulate both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs of different sources, and their unique properties, as their excellent biocompatibility, safety and adhesion allow to increase the bioavailability, compliance and achieve a sustained drug release. They are also very stable, easy to produce and scale up, and can be lyophilized or sterilized with no significant alterations to the release profile and stability. Because of this, lipid nanoparticles show a great potential to be an essential part of the new therapeutic technologies in ophthalmology to deliver synthetic and natural anti-inflammatory drugs. In fact, there is an increasing interest in natural bioactives with anti-inflammatory activities, and the use of nanoparticles for their site-specific delivery. It is therefore expected that, in the near future, many more studies will promote the development of new nanomedicines resulting in clinical studies of new drugs formulations. Full article

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of producing acyclovir-containing modified release matrix tablets by a wet granulation method based on the type and concentration of two pharmaceutical-grade hydrophilic matrix polymers (i.e., hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), carbomers, and their combinations) commonly used in biomedical applications. The mechanical properties of the tablets and in vitro and in vivo performance were studied. The physicochemical properties of the raw materials and corresponding physical mixtures were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, showing that the hydrophilic polymers did not influence the physicochemical properties of the drug. The wet granulation process improved the flow and compression properties of the obtained granules. This method enabled the preparation of the matrix tablets of acyclovir with appropriate mechanical properties concerning hardness and friability. The drug release kinetics was governed by the type and concentration of the hydrophilic polymers composing the matrices. The study has proven that HPMC-composed tablets were superior in modified drug release properties compared to carbomer- and HPMC/carbomer-based tablets. Mathematical analysis of the release profiles, determined in a medium adjusted to pH 1.2 followed by pH 7.4, revealed that the drug released from the hydrophilic tablets followed non-Fickian first-order kinetics. An optimal HPMC-based formulation submitted to accelerated stability studies (40 °C, 75% RH) was stable for three months. A complete cross-over bioavailability study of the selected acyclovir-loaded sustained release tablets and marketed immediate-release tablets were compared in six healthy male volunteers. The extent of drug absorption from the sustained release tablets was significantly greater than that from immediate-release pills, which may improve the drug’s antiviral properties attributed to the lower elimination rate and enhanced acyclovir half-life. Full article

Over the last decades, we have witnessed an increasing interest in food-related products containing vegetable oils. These oils can be obtained either by extraction or by mechanical pressing of different parts of plants (e.g., seeds, fruit, and drupels). Producers of nutraceuticals have ceaselessly searched for unique and effective natural ingredients. The enormous success of argan oil has been followed by discoveries of other interesting vegetable oils (e.g., pomegranate oil) containing several bioactives. This work describes the pomegranate fruit extract and seed oil as a rich source of conjugated linolenic acid as a metabolite of punicic acid (PA), deriving from the omega-5 family (ω-5). Through the chemical characterization of PA, its nutritional and therapeutic properties are highlighted together with the physiological properties that encourage its use in human nutrition. We analyzed the composition of all fatty acids with beneficial properties occurring in pomegranate seed oil using gas chromatography (GC) with flame-ionization detection (FID) analysis combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Pomegranate seed oil mainly consists of 9,11,13-octadic-trienoic acid (18:3), corresponding to 73 wt % of the total fatty acids. Nine components were identified by GC in PSO, varying between 0.58 and 73.19 wt %. Using midinfrared (MIR) spectroscopy, we compared the composition of pomegranate seed oil with that of meadowfoam seed oil (MSO), which is also becoming increasingly popular in the food industry due to its high content of long chain fatty acids (C20-22), providing increased oil stability. From the results of FTIR and MIR spectroscopy, we found that punicic acid is unique in PSO (73.19 wt %) but not in MSO. Full article

Nutraceuticals have gained increasing attention over the last years due to their potential value as therapeutic compounds formulated from natural sources. For instance, there is a wide range of literature about the cardioprotective properties of omega-3 lipids and the antioxidant value of some phenolic compounds, which are related to antitumoral activity. However, the value of nutraceuticals can be limited by their instability under gastric pH and intestinal fluids, their low solubility and absorption. That is why encapsulation is a crucial step in nutraceutical design. In fact, pharmaceutical nanotechnology improves nutraceutical stability and bioavailability through the design and production of efficient nanoparticles (NPs). Lipid nanoparticles protect the bioactive compounds from light and external damage, including the gastric and intestinal conditions, providing a retarded delivery in the target area and guaranteeing the expected therapeutic effect of the nutraceutical. This review will focus on the key aspects of the encapsulation of bioactive compounds into lipid nanoparticles, exploring the pharmaceutical production methods available for the synthesis of NPs containing nutraceuticals. Moreover, the most common nutraceuticals will be discussed, considering the bioactive compounds, their natural source and the described biological properties. Full article

The recent report of distinct Xanthomonas lineages of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis and Xanthomonas euroxanthea within the same walnut tree revealed that this consortium of walnut-associated Xanthomonas includes both pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains. As the implications of this co-colonization are still poorly understood, in order to unveil niche-specific adaptations, the genomes of three X. euroxanthea strains (CPBF 367, CPBF 424^T, and CPBF 426) and of an X. arboricola pv. juglandis strain (CPBF 427) isolated from a single walnut tree in Loures (Portugal) were sequenced with two different technologies, Illumina and Nanopore, to provide consistent single scaffold chromosomal sequences. General genomic features showed that CPBF 427 has a genome similar to other X. arboricola pv. juglandis strains, regarding its size, number, and content of CDSs, while X. euroxanthea strains show a reduction regarding these features comparatively to X. arboricola pv. juglandis strains. Whole genome comparisons revealed remarkable genomic differences between X. arboricola pv. juglandis and X. euroxanthea strains, which translates into different pathogenicity and virulence features, namely regarding type 3 secretion system and its effectors and other secretory systems, chemotaxis-related proteins, and extracellular enzymes. Altogether, the distinct genomic repertoire of X. euroxanthea may be particularly useful to address pathogenicity emergence and evolution in walnut-associated Xanthomonas. Full article

Gut microbiota composition is influenced by environmental factors and has been shown to impact body metabolism. Objective: To assess the gut microbiota profile before and after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and the correlation with food intake and postoperative type 2 diabetes remission (T2Dr). Design: Gut microbiota profile from obese diabetic women was evaluated before (n = 25) and 3 (n = 20) and 12 months (n = 14) after RYGB, using MiSeq Illumina-based V4 bacterial 16S rRNA gene profiling. Data on food intake (7-day record) and T2Dr (American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria) were recorded. Results: Preoperatively, the abundance of five bacteria genera differed between patients with (57%) and without T2Dr (p < 0.050). Preoperative gut bacteria genus signature was able to predict the T2Dr status with 0.94 accuracy ROC curve (receiver operating characteristic curve). Postoperatively (vs. preoperative), the relative abundance of some gut bacteria genera changed, the gut microbial richness increased, and the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio (rFB) decreased (p < 0.05) regardless of T2Dr. Richness levels was correlated with dietary profile pre and postoperatively, mainly displaying positive and inverse correlations with fiber and lipid intakes, respectively (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Gut microbiota profile was influenced by RYGB and correlated with diet and T2Dr preoperatively, suggesting the possibility to assess its composition to predict postoperative T2Dr. Full article

Zika virus (ZIKV) was first discovered in 1947 in Uganda but was not considered a public health threat until 2007 when it found to be the source of epidemic activity in Asia. Epidemic activity spread to Brazil in 2014 and continued to spread throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Despite ZIKV being zoonotic in origin, information about transmission, or even exposure of non-human vertebrates and mosquitoes to ZIKV in the Americas, is lacking. Accordingly, from February 2017 to March 2018, we sought evidence of sylvatic ZIKV transmission by sampling whole blood from approximately 2000 domestic and wild vertebrates of over 100 species in West-Central Brazil within the active human ZIKV transmission area. In addition, we collected over 24,300 mosquitoes of at least 17 genera and 62 species. We screened whole blood samples and mosquito pools for ZIKV RNA using pan-flavivirus primers in a real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in a SYBR Green platform. Positives were confirmed using ZIKV-specific envelope gene real-time RT-PCR and nucleotide sequencing. Of the 2068 vertebrates tested, none were ZIKV positive. Of the 23,315 non-engorged mosquitoes consolidated into 1503 pools tested, 22 (1.5%) with full data available showed some degree of homology to insect-specific flaviviruses. To identify previous exposure to ZIKV, 1498 plasma samples representing 62 species of domestic and sylvatic vertebrates were tested for ZIKV-neutralizing antibodies by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT₉₀). From these, 23 (1.5%) of seven species were seropositive for ZIKV and negative for dengue virus serotype 2, yellow fever virus, and West Nile virus, suggesting potential monotypic reaction for ZIKV. Results presented here suggest no active transmission of ZIKV in non-human vertebrate populations or in alternative vector candidates, but suggest that vertebrates around human populations have indeed been exposed to ZIKV in West-Central Brazil. Full article