<Emphasis Type="Italic">Peumus boldus</Emphasis> (Boldo) Aqueous Extract Present Better Protective Effect than Boldine Against Manganese-Induced Toxicity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">D. melanogaster</Emphasis>

The cellular, intracellular and molecular mechanism(s) underlying the toxicity of Mn are still incompletely understood, although several points concerning Mn neurotoxicity have been addressed. Importantly, oxidative changes have been reported to be involved in Mn-induced toxicity. As a consequence, antioxidants are expected to offer protection in Drosophila melanogaster exposed to this metal. So, in this study we evaluated the hypothesis that the aqueous extract of boldo (Peumus boldus), and its alkaloids boldine, could prevent/ameliorate behavioral and oxidative alterations induced by Mn in a D. melanogaster intoxication model. Adult wild-type flies were concomitantly exposed to Mn (3 mM) and boldo aqueous extract (5 mg/mL) or boldine (327.37 µg/mL) in the food during 9 days. Mn-fed flies had a worse performance in the negative geotaxis assay and in the open-field test, as well as a higher incidence of mortality and TBARS levels in head and body, when compared to control group. Boldo aqueous extract was found to reduce the mortality rate of the flies exposed to Mn. In turn, boldine was ineffective against Mn-induced mortality and significantly increases mortality per se. Additionally, Mn-induced locomotors dysfunction were fully ameliorated by boldo crude extract and only partially ameliorated by boldine. Likewise, boldo completely normalize head and body TBARS levels, whereas boldine only partially normalize in body. Finally, we found that flies treated with Mn presented significantly decrease in dopamine levels. Our results suggest that boldo crude extract can exert protective effect against Mn-induced toxicity in D. melanogaster, whereas boldine do not. Moreover, our data confirm the utility of this model to investigate potential therapeutic strategies on movement disorders, such as that caused by Mn.     

Phytochemical composition and in vitro biological activities of Morinda citrifolia fruit juice

Morinda citrifolia is a plant with broad nutraceutical and therapeutic effects and used in the traditional treatment of several ailments. The objective of this work is to investigate the phytochemistry of the fruit juice of M. citrifolia on one hand and on other hand to evaluate its antiradical and antibacterial activity. The phytochemical investigation was carried out by tube staining tests of the extract of two types of fruit juice of M. citrifolia. The antioxidant activity of these juices was evaluated by reducing the DPPH radical method. Concerning the antibacterial activity, it was tested on the in vitro growth of 10 reference bacterial strains using the well diffusion method. Qualitative phytochemistry of M. citrifolia fruit juices revealed the presence of large groups of secondary metabolites including polyphenols, reducing compounds, mucilage and terpernoids. The antioxidant activity of M. citrifolia fruit juices is dose-dependent and higher than that of ascorbic acid. Antimicrobial activity on other hand revealed that fruit juices inhibit growth inhibitory activity of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, S. epidermidis, Proteus vulgaris, Streptococcus oralis, Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli. This observed difference is significant for each juices on the strains (p < 0.001). These results support the use of M. citrifolia in traditional medicine and are the starting points for the development of a new drug to combat both dietary conditions and chronic conditions associated with oxidative stress.     

The Tropical managed Forests Observatory: a research network addressing the future of tropical logged forests

While attention on logging in the tropics has been increasing, studies on the long-term effects of silviculture on forest dynamics and ecology remain scare and spatially limited. Indeed, most of our knowledge on tropical forests arises from studies carried out in undisturbed tropical forests. This bias is problematic given that logged and disturbed tropical forests are now covering a larger area than the so-called primary forests. A new network of permanent sample plots in logged forests, the Tropical managed Forests Observatory (TmFO), aims to fill this gap by providing unprecedented opportunities to examine long-term data on the resilience of logged tropical forests at regional and global scales. TmFO currently includes 24 experimental sites distributed across three tropical regions, with a total of 490 permanent plots and 921 ha of forest inventories.