Publications by authors named "Catia Branco"

"Guava" (Acca sellowiana) is an unconventional edible plant from Brazil. It is used in traditional medicine as an anti-diabetic; however, pharmacological studies on this plant are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical and safety profile of an aqueous A.

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Intestinal glucose absorption plays a central role in the regulation of glucose plasmatic; however, current clinical management does not target the gut for treating diabetes. This study evaluated the effects of peel and pulp aqueous extract from on human enterocytes under high glucose concentration. Anti-hyperglycemic and antiobesity activities were also evaluated.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Matcha green tea (Camellia sinensis) based-supplements have been widely used since they present a greater content of phenolic compounds than traditional green tea, which is popularly used in the treatment of diabetes. However, there are few studies on the effectiveness and safety of matcha supplements.

Aim Of The Study: This work aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this supplement in endothelial cells (EA.

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Repairing damage and errors that occur in the DNA molecule is essential to maintain the integrity of the genome and cell viability. Deficits in DNA repair mechanisms lead to an increased risk of genetic instability and contribute to neoplastic transformation. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP) are a group of enzymes that play a key role in signalling and repairing DNA errors.

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Phenolic compounds (PC) have many health benefits such as antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory activities. All of these activities depend on their chemical structures and their interaction with biological targets in the body. PC occur naturally in polymerized form, linked to glycosides and require metabolic transformation from their ingestion to their absorption.

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This study aimed to examine the antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and phenolic profile of nine strains of Pleurotus spp. isolated in southern Brazil. Basidiomes were obtained from a solid-state culture in medium containing Pinus sp.

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The prevalence of psychiatric disorders has increased in recent years. Among existing mental disorders, major depressive disorder (MDD) has emerged as one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, affecting individuals throughout their lives. Currently, MDD affects 15% of adults in the Americas.

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Proanthocyanidins are phenolic compounds abundant in the diet, commonly found in grapes and derivatives, foods known for their health-promoting benefits. There is previous evidence showing the antidiabetic activity of proanthocyanidins, however, their mechanisms of action have not been fully elucidated. This study evaluated the capacity of grape seed proanthocyanidins extract (GSPE) to modulate oxidative stress, nitric oxide levels, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and sirtuin expression in endothelial cells EA.

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Grape proanthocyanidins are compounds widely ingested in the diet. This study evaluated their effects on mitochondrial function, apoptosis, and sirtuin 1 and 3 expressions in HEK-293 cells exposed to H O . High-resolution mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography characterized the proanthocyanidins extract and the presence of procyanidins B and C was detected.

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Brain disorders (BD) including neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, are often associated with impairments in mitochondrial function and oxidative damage that can lead to neuronal injury. The mitochondrial complex I enzyme is one of the main sites of ROS generation and is implicated in many BD pathophysiologies. Despite advances in therapeutics for BD management, conventional pharmacotherapy still cannot efficiently control neuronal redox imbalance and mitochondrial dysfunction.

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Objectives: Grape juice is a drink that is rich in phenolic compounds, which are important natural antioxidants that reduce the incidence of diseases linked to oxidative stress including cardiovascular disease. Studies on the effects of purple grape juice supplementation have already been conducted; however, there are no data on the effects of the consumption of white grape juice (WGJ) to date. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of WGJ supplementation on body mass index, waist and abdominal circumference, blood pressure and glucose, insulin, oxidative damage, and lipid profile in women.

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Background: extract (AAE) is a polyphenol-rich extract that has gained interest as a natural anticancer agent. Recent work suggests that AAE induces oxidative damage and apoptosis through its action on decreasing complex I activity of the mitochondrial Electron Transport Chain (ETC).

Aims And Methods: In the present study, we aimed to further examine the specific targets by which AAE exerts proapoptotic effects in HEp-2 cancer cells.

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Tobacco farming has been proving to induce poor health outcomes in agricultural workers, genomic instability being the triggering one. This study evaluated influence of PON1 (paraoxonase 1), SOD2 (superoxide dismutase), OGG1 (8-oxoguanine glycosylase), XRCC1 (X-ray repair cross-complementing protein 1), and XRCC4 (X-ray repair cross-complementing protein 4) genes polymorphisms on DNA damage in 121 subjects occupationally exposed to pesticides mixtures and nicotine at tobacco fields and 121 non-exposed individuals. Inorganic elements (Cl, P, S and Zn) and cotinine levels were found increased in farmers, confirming exposure.

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Article Synopsis
  • Tobacco farming in Brazil is a major source of income but exposes farmers to harmful pesticides and nicotine, which can hurt their health.
  • A study found that tobacco farmers had more DNA damage and shorter telomeres (which are like protective caps on DNA) compared to those not exposed to these chemicals.
  • This damage was linked to the number of years they worked with tobacco, showing that the longer they were exposed, the more harm there was to their DNA.
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TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NP) have been incorporated into a large range of materials for different applications in the last decades and are very likely to appear in wastewater and effluents, eventually reaching the aquatic environment. Therefore, the assessment of the biological impact of TiO2-NP on aquatic ecosystem is of a major concern. The mussels represent a target group for TiO2-NP toxicity, as they are filter feeders and are capable of bioaccumulating toxic compounds.

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Salvia officinalis (Lamiaceae) has been used in south of Brazil as a diary homemade, in food condiment and tea-beverage used for the treatment of several disorders. The objective of this study was to characterize chemical compounds in the hydroalcoholic (ExtHS) and aqueous (ExtAS) extract from Salvia officinalis (L.) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and by high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-QTOF MS/MS), evaluate in vitro ability to scavenge the free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS•+), catalase (CAT-like) and superoxide dismutase (SOD-like) activity, moreover cytotoxic by MTT assay, alterations on cell morphology by giemsa and apoptotic-induced mechanism for annexin V/propidium iodide.

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Occupational exposure to pesticides in tobacco fields causes genetic damage in farmers. The aim of this study was to analyze tobacco farmers chronically exposed to low doses of pesticides and nicotine (present in the tobacco leaves) in relation to absolute telomere length (aTL), and explore the influence of lifestyle characteristics, oxidative stress, and inorganic element levels. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples from agricultural workers and non-exposed individuals, and aTL was measured by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis.

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Natural products are among one of the most promising fields in finding new molecular targets in cancer therapy. Laryngeal carcinoma is one of the most common cancers affecting the head and neck regions, and is associated with high morbidity rate if left untreated. The aim of this study was to examine the antiproliferative effect of Araucaria angustifolia on laryngeal carcinoma HEp-2 cells.

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The globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. cardunculus) is a perennial plant cultivated in the Mediterranean region and Americas for its edible young flower heads and as an interesting source of bioactive compounds.

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Polyphenols are natural products with recognized potential in drug discovery and development. We aimed to evaluate the polyphenolic profile of Araucaria angustifolia bracts, and their ability to scavenge reactive species. The antioxidant and antigenotoxic effects of A.

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Article Synopsis
  • Coal extraction emits significant amounts of coal dust, which is harmful and exposes miners to potential genotoxic effects and oxidative stress.
  • A study of 128 male participants showed that those exposed to coal had increased DNA damage and micronucleus frequencies compared to unexposed individuals.
  • Despite some biochemical differences, such as increased superoxide dismutase activity in exposed individuals, the findings highlight the urgent need for protective measures and educational programs for coal miners to mitigate these health risks.
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The aim of this study was to characterise the bioactive compounds in mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil) extract and in concentrated mate extract obtained by nanofiltration (NF). Also, the impact of NF on the antioxidant activity of both mate extracts was evaluated in vitro and using eukaryotic cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast assay).

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Lippia alba is a shrub found in all regions of Brazil and other countries in South and Central America. L. alba exhibits variability among its different accessions, showing differences in morphology and in the composition of its essential oil.

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Organic and conventional yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is widely used in South America to prepare nonalcoholic drinks rich in polyphenols. These compounds are able to prevent the generation of reactive species, thus minimizing the incidence of several diseases. In this perspective, we hypothesized that yerba mate may have protective effects against pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced oxidative damage in liver and serum of rats.

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