Variations in liver histology and P-gp expression among fish species in Doce River Basin, Brazil: implications for pollution sensitivity.

Fish may have different sensitivity to pollutants present in the water. We analyzed the liver histology, and P-gp expression in six species of fish from the Doce River basin. Fish were caught at six different points in the Doce River, and liver samples were taken for histological analysis.

Toxicological effect of acetaminophen, metamizole, and nimesulide cocktail on early development of zebrafish.

Background: Several countries' most incorrectly discarded medicines are acetaminophen (ACM), metamizole (MTZ), and nimesulide (NMS). These xenobiotics easily reach the aquatic environment; such contamination is very important for the health of humans and other species, yet little explored.

Objectives: To evaluate the cocktail effect of ACM, MTZ, and NMS during zebrafish's initial development.

Tapirira guianensis is Selectively Cytotoxic, Induces Apoptosis to the Glioblastoma and Decreases Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis in vivo.

Glioblastoma is the most frequent primary malignant brain tumor without effective treatment, which makes this work extremely relevant. The study of the bioactive compounds from medicinal plants plays an important role in the discovery of new drugs.This research investigated the constituents of and its antitumor potential ( and in glioblastoma.

Abamectin promotes behavior changes and liver injury in zebrafish.

The indiscriminate use of pesticides is a worldwide concern due to the environment contamination since it can cause deleterious effects to non-target organisms including the fishes. The effects of abamectin, a pesticide from the avermectin family, were evaluated in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) after exposure to a commercial formula commonly used in Brazil. The animals were submitted to acute (96 h) and to a short-term chronic exposure (15 days) of distinct concentrations of abamectin.

Effect of Fe on Na,K-ATPase: Unexpected activation of ATP hydrolysis.

Iron is a key element in cell function; however, its excess in iron overload conditions can be harmful through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell oxidative stress. Activity of Na,K-ATPase has been shown to be implicated in cellular iron uptake and iron modulates the Na,K-ATPase function from different tissues. In this study, we determined the effect of iron overload on Na,K-ATPase activity and established the role that isoforms and conformational states of this enzyme has on this effect.

Tumor Tissue Oxidative Stress Changes and Na, K-ATPase Evaluation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Changes in metabolism are mechanisms that are largely implicated in the development, progression, and metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and also in resistance to different anticancer therapies. Identification of biomarkers for differentiation between cancerous and normal epithelium, treatment design and prognosis remain a vital issue in the field of head and neck cancer. The present study analyzed the main biochemical changes that occur in HNSCC tumors by through mechanisms involving oxidative stress.

Can the exposure system adopted influence the results of the atrazine toxicity in hepatic tissue of fish?

The widespread use of atrazine, a herbicide used to control weeds, has contributed to the increased contamination of aquatic environments. To assess the toxicological effects of a xenobiotic on a nontarget organism in the laboratory, different models of toxicological exposure systems have been widely used. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the action of sublethal concentrations of atrazine on the hepatic histology of Oreochromis niloticus, considering two models of exposure: static (where atrazine was only added once) and semi-static (where atrazine was periodically renewed).

Evaluation of the potential environmental risk from the destination of medicines: an epidemiological and toxicological study.

Background: The high consumption of medicines by the population and their storage at home might cause an increase in the number of pharmaceutical substances that may be inappropriately discarded in the sanitary sewage, reaching an environmental aquatic. Thus, the effects of these emerging contaminants need more studies.

Objectives: To identify the profile of most medicines that are discarded by users of community pharmacy and evaluate the toxicity of the most disposed drugs.

Loss of the glucocorticoid receptor causes accelerated ovarian ageing in zebrafish.

Reproductive decline in mid-adult females is an established phenotype of the ageing process. Stress and the rise in glucocorticoids (GCs) accelerate reproductive ageing, but little is known about the mechanisms involved. During stress, GCs activate the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a ubiquitously expressed, ligand-bound transcription factor, to elicit physiological changes for restoring homeostasis.

Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of a phenylpropanoid-enriched fraction of Duguetia furfuracea.

A previous study reported the in vivo anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of essential oil of the underground stem bark of Duguetia furfuracea, termed EODf. This study aimed to obtain a phenylpropanoid-enriched fraction from the D. furfuracea (EFDf) essential oil and to investigate its anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects.

Evaluation of the Erythrocyte Membrane in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a heterogeneous and complex disease, both from a clinical and molecular point of view. The prolonged use of alcohol and tobacco, along with the release of tumor secretions can modulate blood cells, such as erythrocytes. Here, this study was conducted with 24 patients diagnosed with HNSCC and an equal number of healthy individuals are matched by age and gender.

Chemical composition, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of the butanolic fraction of (Annonaceae) leaves.

The species (R. E. Fries) is a plant found in Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and the Brazilian cerrado.

Anti-inflammatory and central and peripheral anti-nociceptive activities of α-asarone through the inhibition of TNF-α production, leukocyte recruitment and iNOS expression, and participation of the adenosinergic and opioidergic systems.

Alpha-asarone has been found to possess many pharmacological activities, which can improve cognitive function and exert anti-oxidant, anxiolytic, anti-epileptic and protective effects against endothelial cell injury. The anti-inflammatory activity of α-asarone was evaluated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced paw oedema. Moreover, leukocyte migration, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels were quantified in footpads.

Matteucinol, isolated from Miconia chamissois, induces apoptosis in human glioblastoma lines via the intrinsic pathway and inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in vivo.

Gliomas account for nearly 70% of the central nervous system tumors and present a median survival of approximately 12-17 months. Studies have shown that administration of novel natural antineoplastic agents is been highly effective for treating gliomas. This study was conducted to investigate the antitumor potential (in vitro and in vivo) of Miconia chamissois Naudin for treating glioblastomas.

Estuarine fish assemblages present a species-specific difference in the multixenobiotics resistance activity.

We investigated the activity of the multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) phenotype, a biological defense system in aquatic organisms, in the fish assemblages of two tropical estuaries with different degrees of environmental impacts, the Paraiba River and Mamanguape River Estuaries. The aim of this work was to compare the activity of the MXR phenotype of different fishes to test the hypothesis that each species has an inherent activity level and to use this activity as a bioindicator of aquatic contamination. We assessed the MXR activity of the gills, using rhodamine B (RB) accumulation assay.

WIN55,212-2 induces caspase-independent apoptosis on human glioblastoma cells by regulating HSP70, p53 and Cathepsin D.

Despite the standard approaches to treat the highly aggressive and invasive glioblastoma (GBM), it remains incurable. In this sense, cannabinoids highlight as a promising tool, because this tumor overexpresses CB1 and/or CB2 receptors and being, therefore, can be susceptible to cannabinoids treatment. Thus, this work investigated the action of the cannabinoid agonist WIN55-212-2 on GBM cell lines and non-malignant cell lines, in vitro and in vivo.

Are the Statins promising antifungal agents against invasive candidiasis?

The medical importance of intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC) contrasts with the limited number of pharmacological treatment options available and the increasing rate of resistance to antifungal drugs. Thus, the repositioning of compounds in clinical use can contribute to the broadening of treatment possibilities for this infection. Statins, a class of drugs used to reduce cardiovascular event risk, have shown antiparasitic, antibacterial, and antiviral activities; however, their antifungal effects remain poorly studied.

Thermal stress induces heat shock protein 70 and apoptosis during embryo development in a Neotropical freshwater fish.

Fish embryos are particularly vulnerable to temperature changes, with the effects varying with developmental stage. The major aim of the present study was to analyse the relationship between apoptosis and heat shock protein (HSP) 70 during embryo development under thermal stress conditions. To this end, Prochilodus lineatus embryos at the blastopore closure stage were subjected to one of three thermal treatments for 1h (Group 1, 25°C (control); Group 2, 20°C; Group 3, 30°C) and then examined at 0, 4 and 8h posttreatment (h.

Reduced CD8 T cells infiltration can be associated to a malignant transformation in potentially malignant oral epithelial lesions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expressions of PD1, CD4, and CD8 in premalignant lesions (OPML) that were transformed into oral squamous cell carcinoma OSCC (OPML-OSCC), in OSCC and also in premalignant lesions that were not transformed into OSCC (OPML-NOSSC).

Materials And Methods: Retrospective analyses were performed in order to verify the demographic characteristics of the patients. CD4, CD8, and PD1 IMH studies were carried out on OPML and OSCC samples from 11 patients with OPML-OSCC and OPML, together with samples from 14 patients with OPML-NOSCC.

Atrazine promotes immunomodulation by melanomacrophage centre alterations in spleen and vascular disorders in gills from Oreochromis niloticus.

Atrazine is a herbicide that is banned in Europe but remains widely used on different types of crops in several countries in the American continent. Atrazine is known to be an endocrine disruptor and its effects on gonads have been extensively reported, but the toxic action on other organs is poorly documented. In this paper, we investigated the toxicity of atrazine on the gills and spleens of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Achyrocline alata potentiates repair of skin full thickness excision in mice.

Plants of the Asteraceae family have been traditionally used as medicinal plants. The species Achyrocline satureioides and Achyrocline alata present anti-inflammatory properties and great chemical similarity. However, no study has been performed to evaluate the influence of these plants on skin wound healing in vivo.

Tapirira guianensis Aubl. Extracts Inhibit Proliferation and Migration of Oral Cancer Cells Lines.

Cancer of the head and neck is a group of upper aerodigestive tract neoplasms in which aggressive treatments may cause harmful side effects to the patient. In the last decade, investigations on natural compounds have been particularly successful in the field of anticancer drug research. Our aim is to evaluate the antitumor effect of Aubl.

Biological variables of Hypostomus francisci (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from Itapecerica River, Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

Herein we determine for the first time the reproduction parameters and population structure of Hypostomus francisci in the Itapecerica River, São Francisco Basin. A total of 250 specimens was captured quarterly between March 2010 and February 2012. Body weight, total length and weight of the gonads were obtained in the laboratory.

Bioaccumulation of mercury, cadmium, zinc, chromium, and lead in muscle, liver, and spleen tissues of a large commercially valuable catfish species from Brazil.

The increasing amounts of heavy metals entering aquatic environments can result in high accumulation levels of these contaminants in fish and their consumers, which pose a serious risk to ecosystems and human health. We investigated the concentrations of mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) in muscle, liver, and spleen tissues of Pseudoplatystoma corruscans specimens collected from two sites on the Paraopeba River, Brazil. The level of heavy metals concentrations in the tissues was often higher in viscera (i.