Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of Baccharis dracunculifolia DC (Asteraceae) in different experimental models

Aim of the study

The aerial parts of Baccharis dracunculifolia D.C., popularly known as “alecrim do campo”, are used in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of the crude hydroalcoholic extract obtained from leaves of Baccharis dracunculifolia (BdE), which have not been reported.

Materials and methods

BdE was analyzed by HPLC and in vivo evaluated (doses ranging from 50 to 400 mg/kg, p.o.) by using the acetic acid-induced abdominal constrictions, paw oedema induced by carrageenan or histamine, overt nociception models using capsaicin, glutamate or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), formalin-induced nociception and mechanical hypernociception induced by carrageenan or complete Freund adjuvant (CFA). As positive controls it was used paracetamol in both acetic acid and formalin tests; dipyrone in capsaicin, glutamate and PMA-induced nociception; indomethacin in CFA and carrageenan-induced hypernociception models. In addition, the in vitro effects of BdE on COX-2 activity and on the activation of NF-κB were also evaluated.

Results

BdE (50–400 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly diminished the abdominal constrictions induced by acetic acid, glutamate and CFA. Furthermore, BdE also inhibited the nociceptive responses in both phases of formalin-induced nociception. BdE, administered orally, also produced a long-lasting anti-hypernociceptive effect in the acute model of inflammatory pain induced by carrageenan. It was also observed the inhibition of COX-2 activity by BdE.

Conclusion

In summary, the data reported in this work confirmed the traditional anti-inflammatory indications of Baccharis dracunculifolia leaves and provided biological evidences that Baccharis dracunculifolia, like Brazilian green propolis, possess antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities.     

Sugar-sweetened soft drinks consumption and risk of hyperuricemia: Results of the ELSA-Brasil study

Background and aimsThe prospective association between sugar-sweetened beverages consumption and hyperuricemia is controversial. The aim was to investigate the association of the consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and unsweetened fruit juices with the incidence of hyperuricemia and the levels of serum uric acid in the participants of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).Methods and resultsLongitudinal analysis in ELSA-Brasil participants (baseline 2008–2010 and follow-up 2012–2014). The sample consisted of 10,072 civil servants (35–74 years, both sexes). The consumption of beverages estimated by a food frequency questionnaire (baseline) was divided into five categories: nonconsumption and quartiles (≥0.1 mL/day). Hyperuricemia was defined as uric acid ≥7.0 mg/dL (men) and ≥5.7 mg/dL (women). Poisson regression with robust variance and multiple linear regression were tested. The average consumption of soft drinks was 84 ± 191 mL/day in men and 42 ± 128 mL/day in women. After 4 years of follow-up, the higher consumption of soft drinks (men: 401 ± 303 mL/day; women: 390 ± 290 mL/day) increased the relative risk of hyperuricemia by 30% (men) and 40% (women), and was associated with increased mean uric acid (men: β = 0.14 mg/dL; 95% CI 0.41–0.24; women: β = 0.11 mg/dL; 95% CI 0.00–0.21). The consumption of unsweetened juice was not associated with hyperuricemia.ConclusionHigh consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks is associated with an increased relative risk of hyperuricemia and elevated serum uric acid levels in Brazilian adults.     

Skull diversity and evolution in miniaturized amphibians,genus Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae)

Miniaturized amphibians of the genus Brachycephalus are phenotypically diverse. The species of Brachycephalus have bufoniform or leptodactyliform Baupläne and any of three skeletal states: nonhyperossified, hyperossified without dorsal shield, and hyperossified with dorsal shield. We integrate high-resolution microcomputed tomography, geometric morphometrics, and an estimate of molecular phylogenetic relationships to investigate skull diversity in shape and size-shape space in selected species of Brachycephalus. Skull diversity amongst species of Brachycephalus can be partitioned into shape and size-shape space according to the four conditions of skeletal states-Baupläne, namely, nonhyperossified leptodactyliform, nonhyperossified bufoniform, hyperossified bufoniform without dorsal shield, and hyperossified bufoniform with dorsal shield. Skull diversity in shape and size-shape space in nonhyperossified leptodactyliform species of Brachycephalus is markedly larger, when compared to skull diversity in species of the three other conditions of skeletal states-Baupläne. Variation in skull shape scales with size across Brachycephalus and, therefore, can be explained by allometry. Skull diversity, Baupläne, and skeletal states covary to a large extent with monophyletic lineages of Brachycephalus, as revealed by a mitochondrial DNA species tree. Nonhyperossified bufoniform species and hyperossified bufoniform species with or without dorsal shield are monophyletic lineages, as inferred from a mitochondrial DNA species tree. Nonhyperossified leptodactyliform species of Brachycephalus do not share, however, a most recent common ancestor. The nonhyperossified leptodactyliform species of Brachycephalus, due to their marked skull diversity and lack of monophyly, emerge as evolutionarily complex. Therefore, further sampling of the nonhyperossified leptodactyliform condition of skeletal states-Baupläne will be necessary to further understand the evolutionary history of Brachycephalus.     

Influence of Val16Ala-SOD2 polymorphism on sperm quality parameters

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the Val16Ala superoxide dismutase manganese-dependent (SOD2) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and sperm reproductive parameters in a sample of Brazilian men. A potential association between this polymorphism and some oxidative biochemical parameters as well as sperm plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) levels were also evaluated. The study was performed using semen samples obtained from male patients that had undergone semen analysis according to the 2010 World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations and the Val16Ala-SOD2 SNP was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Oxidative parameters as well as cfDNA levels were spectrophotometrically and fluorimetrically determined. Statistical analysis included chi-square test, analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni post hoc test, as well as logistic regression multivariate analysis. Semen samples from 169 men (35.89?±?7.33 years) were genotyped. The allelic frequencies were V=?0.485 (n?=?97), A?=?0.515 (n?=?103), with statistically similar allelic frequencies to those of samples obtained from a general population: V?=?0.509; A=?0.591. In general, AV samples presented lower numbers of sperm-altered parameters than homozygous sperm. Lipoperoxidation was higher in homozygous than heterozygous sperm samples. The results suggest that genetically caused S-HP imbalance could contribute to poor sperm quality and affect male fertility.     

Cytotoxic activity of Brazilian Cerrado plants used in traditional medicine against cancer cell lines

The search for new anti-cancer drugs is one of the most prominent research areas of natural products. Numerous active compounds isolated from Brazilian Cerrado plant species have been studied with promising results.     

Tensile Strength of Class F Fly Ash and Fly Ash with Bentonite Addition as a Material for Earth Structures

The behavior of soils under tensile stress is of interest to geotechnical engineers. Tensile strength of soils is often associated with tensile fractures that can generate a privileged flow path. The addition of bentonite improves the plastic properties of the soil, therefore the study was conducted for the compacted class F fly ash and fly ash with various bentonite additions. An amount of bentonite was: 5, 10 and 15%, calculated in weight relation to dry mass of samples. The tensile strength of compacted clay was also established, for comparison. Laboratory tests were carried out using the direct method (breaking) on cylindrical samples and the indirect method (the Brazilian test) on disc-shaped specimens. For this purpose, a universal testing machine with a frame load range of ±1 kN was used. It is stated that bentonite considerably influences the tensile strength of the fly ash evaluated with both methods. The tensile strength values obtained with the Brazilian method are comparable or higher than those obtained with the direct method. The achieved tensile strength values of compacted fly ash, improved by 10−15% of bentonite addition, are comparable with the results obtained for clay used in mineral sealing, while the strain at maximum tensile strength is similar in the direct test and lower in the indirect test.