Lack of cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of Minthostachys verticillata essential oil: Studies in vitro and in vivo

Minthostachys verticillata (peperina) is an aromatic and medicinal plant with several uses and ethnobotanical properties. Numerous studies have demonstrated that its essential oil (Mv-EO) presents antimicrobial capacity and shows immunomodulating and anti-allergic properties in human cell lines. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the main chemical composition, analyzed by GC–FID, and the cyto-genotoxic effects of Mv-EO, using Vero cells, human PBMCs and mice bone marrow cells. The Mv-EO was rich in pulegone 60.5% and menthone 18.2%. Our results clearly show that Mv-EO is not cyto-genotoxic in vitro nor in vivo. It not induced cytotoxic effects, as indicated by trypan blue dye exclusion and NRU assays both in Vero cells and human PBMCs. In addition, Mv-EO (100–1000 μg/mL) not induced apoptotic effects on human PBMCs, as indicated by Hoechst staining and DNA fragmentation analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis. The in vivo assay showed that Mv-EO (25–500 mg/kg) not increased the frequency of micronucleus in bone marrow cells of mice. Further, the ratio of polychromatic/normochromatic erythrocytes was not modified. These findings suggest that Mv-EO appears to be safe as a therapeutic agent.     

Salivary alpha-amylase response to acute psychosocial stress: the impact of age

The impact of stress on health varies across the different stages of human life. Aging is associated with psychobiological changes that could limit our ability to cope with stressors. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify the physiological mechanisms that underlie the stress response and the changes that occur in them as we age. Our aim was to investigate age differences in the salivary alpha amylase (sAA) response to stress, and its relationship with other typical stress biomarkers such as cortisol and heart rate (HR). Sixty-two participants divided into two age groups (younger group: N = 31, age range: 18-35 years; older group: N = 31, age range: 54-71 years) were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test and a control condition in a crossover design. No age differences were found in the sAA or HR responses to stress. However, the sAA global output was higher in older than younger adults. Additionally, in the stress condition, the total amount of cortisol released was positively related to the total sAA released, while the HR increase was positively related to the sAA increase. Our results do not support the existence of an attenuated autonomic nervous system response to stress in older adults, but rather a heightened sympathetic tone. Furthermore, we found further evidence of the coordination between the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system and the autonomic nervous system in their response to acute psychosocial stress.     

Neuroendocrine-immune correlates of circadian physiology: studies in experimental models of arthritis, ethanol feeding, aging, social isolation, and calorie restriction

Virtually all neuroendocrine and immunological variables investigated in animals and humans display biological periodicity. Circadian rhythmicity is revealed for every hormone in circulation as well as for circulating immune cells, lymphocyte metabolism and transformability, cytokines, receptors, and adhesion molecules. Clock genes, notably the three Period (Per1/Per2/Per3) genes and two Cryptochrome (Cry1/Cry2) genes, are present in immune and endocrine cells and are expressed in a circadian manner in human cells. This review discusses the circadian disruption of hormone release and immune-related mechanisms in several animal models in which circulating cytokines are modified including rat adjuvant arthritis, social isolation in rats and rabbits and alcoholism, the aging process and calorie restriction in rats. In every case the experimental manipulation used perturbed the temporal organization by affecting the shape and amplitude of a rhythm or by modifying the intrinsic oscillatory mechanism itself.     

Enhanced plant tolerance to iron starvation by functional substitution of chloroplast ferredoxin with a bacterial flavodoxin

Iron limitation affects one-third of the cultivable land on Earth and represents a major concern for agriculture. It causes decline of many photosynthetic components, including the Fe-S protein ferredoxin (Fd), involved in essential oxidoreductive pathways of chloroplasts. In cyanobacteria and some algae, Fd down-regulation under Fe deficit is compensated by induction of an isofunctional electron carrier, flavodoxin (Fld), a flavin mononucleotide-containing protein not found in plants. Transgenic tobacco lines expressing a cyanobacterial Fld in chloroplasts were able to grow in Fe-deficient media that severely compromised survival of WT plants. Fld expression did not improve Fe uptake or mobilization, and stressed transformants elicited a normal deficit response, including induction of ferric-chelate reductase and metal transporters. However, the presence of Fld did prevent decrease of several photosynthetic proteins (but not Fd) and partially protected photosynthesis from inactivation. It also preserved the activation state of enzymes depending on the Fd-thioredoxin pathway, which correlated with higher levels of intermediates of carbohydrate metabolism and the Calvin cycle, as well as increased contents of sucrose, glutamate, and other amino acids. These metabolic routes depend, directly or indirectly, on the provision of reduced Fd. The results indicate that Fld could compensate Fd decline during episodes of Fe deficiency by productively interacting with Fd-dependent pathways of the host, providing fresh genetic resources for the design of plants able to survive in Fe-poor lands.     

The polymeric antigen BLSOmp31 confers protection against Brucella ovis infection in rams

We have engineered the polymeric vaccine BLSOmp31 by decorating the highly immunogenic and decameric Brucella lumazine synthase with an exposed loop of the Brucella outer membrane protein Omp31. In the present study, we have immunized different groups of rams with the recombinant chimera rBLSOmp31 in two different adjuvants (Incomplete Freund Adjuvant—IFA and QUIL A) and with the plasmid pCIBLSOmp31 administered either by i.m. injection alone or by using electroporation. In addition, we have used a heterologous prime-boost strategy consisting of repeated pCIBLSOmp31 electroporation priming followed by a single protein boost. Both, chimera rBLSOmp31 in IFA and the prime-boost strategy induced the highest IgG specific antibodies with bacteriolytic activity. While electroporation-enhanced humoral immune responses as compared to pCIBLSOmp31 injection alone, the highest levels of specific IFN-γ and protection against bacterial challenge were achieved with prime-boost (76%) and chimera rBLSOmp31 in IFA (63%). Taken together these results strongly support the usefulness of the chimera BLSOmp31 as a vaccine against Brucella ovis in ovine brucellosis.     

Adenocarcinoma vesical primario en extrofia vesical no corregida

We report a 60 years old patient with a not repaired exstrophic bladder, who develops an adenocarcinoma on his bladder and review of the literature.