Eco-Friendly Photocatalytic Solutions: Synthesized TiO Nanoparticles in Cellulose Membranes for Enhanced Degradation of Indigo Carmine Dye.

This study focuses on comparing the efficiency of commercially available TiO (P25) with synthesized TiO nanoparticles (TiONP) impregnated in nonmodified cellulose membranes, specifically targeting the degradation of Indigo Carmine (IC) dye. We developed a novel method to enhance the interaction between cellulose and TiO, thereby improving efficiency and reusability. This involves dissolving microcrystalline cellulose in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMImCl) and dispersing the TiO samples within this solution.

Integrative open workflow for confident annotation and molecular networking of metabolomics MSE/DIA data.

Liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry data-independent acquisition (LC-HRMS/DIA), including MSE, enable comprehensive metabolomics analyses though they pose challenges for data processing with automatic annotation and molecular networking (MN) implementation. This motivated the present proposal, in which we introduce DIA-IntOpenStream, a new integrated workflow combining open-source software to streamline MSE data handling. It provides 'in-house' custom database construction, allows the conversion of raw MSE data to a universal format (.

Identification of inhibitors as drug candidates against Chagas disease.

Chagas disease, after more than a century after its discovery, is still a major public health problem. It is estimated that approximately 10 million people worldwide are infected with T. cruzi.

The Potential of Secondary Metabolites from Plants as Drugs or Leads against -An Update from 2012 to 2021.

Background: Chagas disease (American Trypanosomiasis) is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the seventeen neglected tropical diseases (NTD), affecting, mainly, several regions of Latin America.

Introduction: However, immigration has expanded the range of this disease to other continents. Thousands of patients with Chagas disease die annually, yet no new therapeutics for Chagas disease have been approved, with only nifurtimox and benznidazole available.

Sakuranetin exerts anticonvulsant effect in bicuculline-induced seizures.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by an abnormal, spontaneous, and synchronized neuronal hyperactivity. Therapeutic approaches for controlling epileptic seizures are associated with pharmacoresistance and side effects burden. Previous studies reported that different natural products may have neuroprotector effects.

Acute and sub-acute toxicity study of ethanol extract from Nees & Mart. (Lauraceae) barks.

has been used in traditional medicine. Several metabolites isolated from extracts displayed immunomodulatory, antileishmanial properties, but the determination of the toxicological profile in mammals has not previously been performed. In this study, the ethanol extract from barks (EENl) was characterized by HPLC/HRESIMS.

Kaempferol-3-O-α-(3,4-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-rhamnopyranoside from Nectandra oppositifolia releases Ca from intracellular pools of Trypanosoma cruzi affecting the bioenergetics system.

Phytochemical analysis of EtOH extract from leaves of Nectandra oppositifolia afforded three flavonoids: kaempferol (1), kaempferol-3-O-α-rhamnopyranoside (2) and kaempferol-3-O-α-(3,4-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-rhamnopyranoside (3), which were characterized by NMR and ESI-HRMS. When tested against the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, flavonoids 1 and 3 were effective to kill the trypomastigotes with IC values of 32.0 and 6.

A study of possible substitutes for the endocrine disruptor DEHP in two hormone receptors.

Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been widely used for the production of plastics, and the compound has also been found to act as endocrine disruptor. Exposure to DEHP has been found to cause several hormonal problems, including decreased fertility. Due to the environmental and health risks posed by the use of DEHP, the present study employed molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and free energy analyses (MM-GBSA, MM-PBSA, and SIE) aiming at evaluating the action of DEHP and that of two other compounds (ATEC and DL9TH), tested as potential DEHP substitutes, on two hormone receptors (sex hormone-binding globulin - SHBG - and progesterone receptor - PR).

Metabolism-driven post-translational modifications of H3K9 in early bovine embryos.

Metabolic and molecular profiles were reported as different for bovine embryos with distinct kinetics during the first cleavages. In this study, we used this same developmental model (fast vs slow) to determine if the relationship between metabolism and developmental kinetics affects the levels of acetylation or tri-methylation at histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9ac and H3K9me3, respectively). Fast and slow developing embryos presented different levels of H3K9ac and H3K9me3 from the earliest stages of development (40 and 96 hpi) and up to the blastocyst stage.

Metal-Cocatalyst Interaction Governs the Catalytic Activity of M-Porphyrazines for Chemical Fixation of CO.

Chemical fixation of CO to produce cyclic carbonates can be a green and atomic efficient process. In this work, a series of porphyrazines (Pzs) containing electron-withdrawing groups and central M ions (where M = Mg, Zn, Cu, and Co) were synthesized and investigated as catalysts for the cycloaddition of CO to epoxides. Then, the efficiency of the Pzs was tested by varying cocatalyst type and concentration, epoxide, temperature, and pressure.

Effects of Eugenol and Dehydrodieugenol B from against Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Induced Experimental Acute Lung Inflammation.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is an important public health problem. The present work investigated whether dehydrodieugenol B treatment, a compound isolated from Brazilian plant (Lauraceae), modulates experimental ALI and compared the observed effects to eugenol. Effects of dehydrodieugenol B in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.

Chemical Constituents from Aerial Parts of Baccharis sphenophylla and Effects against Intracellular Forms of Trypanosoma cruzi.

The hexane extract from aerial parts Baccharis sphenophylla Dusén ex Malme (Asteraceae) displayed activity against amastigote forms of Trypanossoma cruzi and was subjected to chromatographic steps to afford one unreported - 7α-hydroxy-ent-abieta-8(14),13(15)-dien-16,12β-olide (1) and three known diterpenes - ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid, (2), grandifloric acid (3), and 15β-tiglinoyloxy-ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (4), two sesquiterpenes - spathulenol (5) and oplopanone (6) - as well as hexacosyl p-coumarate (7). Isolated compounds were characterized by NMR and ESI-HR-MS spectra and were evaluated in vitro for activity against amastigote forms of the parasite T. cruzi - the relevant clinical form in the chronic phase of Chagas disease.

New perspectives on natural flavonoids on COVID-19-induced lung injuries.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, spread rapidly worldwide and became a pandemic in 2020. In some patients, the virus remains in the respiratory tract, causing pneumonia, respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and sepsis, leading to death. Natural flavonoids (aglycone and glycosides) possess broad biological activities encompassing antiinflammatory, antiviral, antitumoral, antiallergic, antiplatelet, and antioxidant effects.

Metabolite profile of Nectandra oppositifolia Nees & Mart. and assessment of antitrypanosomal activity of bioactive compounds through efficiency analyses.

EtOH extracts from the leaves and twigs of Nectandra oppositifolia Nees & Mart. shown activity against amastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. These extracts were subjected to successive liquid-liquid partitioning to afford bioactive CH2Cl2 fractions.

Bioenergetics impairment of Trypanosoma cruzi by the antihypertensive manidipine: A drug repurposing strategy.

Considering the lack of effective and safe therapy for the treatment of Chagas disease, the antihypertensive drug manidipine (MDP) was in vitro evaluated against Trypanosoma cruzi. The bioenergetics of trypomastigotes was studied in the presence of the drug using fluorimetric and luminescent assays. Manidipine showed a potent antiparasitic activity, with IC values of 0.

Estimation of aerosol optical depth in relation to meteorological parameters over eastern and western routes of China Pakistan economic corridor.

This study finds out seasonal and monthly variations in Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) over eastern and western routes of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the relationship between AOD and meteorological parameters (i.e., temperature, rainfall and wind speed).

Adenosine A and A receptors modulate the nitrergic system in cell culture from dorsomedial medulla oblongata.

Adenosine and nitric oxide act on the fine-tuning regulation of neural cardiovascular control in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). Although the interaction between adenosine and NO is well known in the periphery, the mechanisms by which adenosine interferes in the dynamics of nitrergic neurotransmission, related to neural control of circulation, are not completely understood and might be relevant for individuals predisposed to hypertension. In this study we evaluate the interaction between adenosinergic and nitrergic systems in cell culture from the dorsomedial medulla oblongata of Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

Dehydrodieugenol improved lung inflammation in an asthma model by inhibiting the STAT3/SOCS3 and MAPK pathways.

Background: Eugenol, a common phenylpropanoid derivative found in different plant species, has well-described anti-inflammatory effects associated with the development of occupational hypersensitive asthma. Dehydrodieugenol, a dimeric eugenol derivative, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and can be found in the Brazilian plant species Nectandra leucantha (Lauraceae). The biological effects of dehydrodieugenol on lung inflammation remain unclear.

Differential lethal action of C17:2 and C17:0 anacardic acid derivatives in Trypanosoma cruzi - A mechanistic study.

The n-hexane extract from leaves of Schinus terebinthifolius (Anacardiaceae) induced 100% of death of trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi at 300 μg/mL and was subjected to a bioactivity-guided fractionation to afford a C17:2 derivative of anacardic acid [6-(8'Z,11'Z)-heptadecadienyl-salicylic acid, 1]. Additionally, compound 1 was subjected to hydrogenation procedures to afford a C17:0 derivative (6-heptadecanyl-salicylic acid, 1a).

Improving the drug-likeness of inspiring natural products - evaluation of the antiparasitic activity against Trypanosoma cruzi through semi-synthetic and simplified analogues of licarin A.

Neolignan licarin A (1) was isolated from leaves of Nectandra oppositifolia (Lauraceae) and displayed activity against trypomastigote forms of the etiologic agent of American trypanosomiasis, Trypanosoma cruzi. Aiming for the establishment of SAR, five different compounds (1a - 1e) were prepared and tested against T. cruzi.

Cardiolipin Structure and Oxidation Are Affected by Ca at the Interface of Lipid Bilayers.

Ca-overload contributes to the oxidation of mitochondrial membrane lipids and associated events such as the permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening. Numerous experimental studies about the Ca/cardiolipin (CL) interaction are reported in the literature, but there are few studies in conjunction with theoretical approaches based on calculations. In the present study, the lipid fraction of the inner mitochondrial membrane was modeled as POPC/CL large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs).

Proteins and Peptides at the Interfaces of Nanostructures.

The present review focuses on the proteins and peptides at the interfaces of nanostructured metals and semiconductors as a result of their use in synthesis in-situ and functionalization of nanostructures. We start the review with an introduction about the peculiar properties of nanostructured materials and their applications. In the following, the chemical and structural properties of peptides and proteins that allow their use as reducing, stabilizing, and functionalization agents are discussed.

Inhibition of MAPK and STAT3-SOCS3 by Sakuranetin Attenuated Chronic Allergic Airway Inflammation in Mice.

Asthma allergic disease is caused by airway chronic inflammation. Some intracellular signaling pathways, such as MAPK and STAT3-SOCS3, are involved in the control of airway inflammation in asthma. The flavonoid sakuranetin demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect in different asthma models.

Electrospray mass-spectrometry guided target isolation of neolignans from Nectandra leucantha (Lauraceae) by high performance- and spiral-coil countercurrent chromatography.

Nectandra leucantha (Lauraceae) is a tree indigenous to the tropical Atlantic forests of Brazil, one of the most biodiverse flora hotspots worldwide. This plant species contains high concentrations of neolignan and dehydrodieugenol derivatives that express significant in-vitro activities against various parasite strains. These activities are however responsible for severe tropical human infections, such as Leishmaniasis (Leishmania spp.