Cardamonin Presents in Vivo Activity against Schistosoma mansoni and Inhibits Potato Apyrase

Schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease caused by Schistosoma species, harms over 250 million people in several countries. The treatment is achieved with only one drug, praziquantel. Cardamonin, a natural chalcone with in vitro schistosomicidal activity, has not been in vivo evaluated against Schistosoma. In this work, we evaluated the in vivo schistosomicidal activities of cardamonin against Schistosoma mansoni worms and conducted enzymatic apyrase inhibition assay, as well as molecular docking analysis of cardamonin against potato apyrase, S. mansoni NTPDase 1 and S. mansoni NTPDase 2. In a mouse model of schistosomiasis, the oral treatment with cardamonin (400 mg/kg) showed efficacy against S. mansoni, decreasing the total worm load in 46.8 % and reducing in 54.5 % the number of eggs in mice. Cardamonin achieved a significant inhibition of the apyrase activity and the three-dimensional structure of the potato apyrase, obtained by homology modeling, showed that cardamonin may interact mainly through hydrogen bonds. Molecular docking studies corroborate with the action of cardamonin in binding and inhibiting both potato apyrase and S. mansoni NTPDases.     

Synthetic Aurones: New Features for Schistosoma mansoni Therapy

In this work, two synthetic aurones revealed moderate schistosomicidal potential in in vitro and in vivo assays. Aurones ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) promoted changes in tegument integrity and motor activity, leading to death of adult Schistosoma mansoni worms in in vitro assays. When administered orally (two doses of 50 mg/kg) in experimentally infected animals, synthetic aurones ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) promoted reductions of 56.20 % and 57.61 % of the parasite load and stimulated the displacement towards the liver of the remaining adult worms. The oogram analysis revealed that the treatment with both aurones interferes with the egg development kinetics in the intestinal tissue. Seeking an action target for compounds ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), the connection with NTPDases enzymes, recognized as important therapeutic targets for S. mansoni, was evaluated. Molecular docking studies have shown promising results. The dataset reveals the anthelmintic character of these compounds, which can be used in the development of new therapies for schistosomiasis.     

Distribution and Chemical Composition of Lignin in Secondary Xylem of Cactaceae

Cactaceae family has heterogeneity in the accumulation of lignocellulose due to the diversity of shapes and anatomy of the wood. Most studies focus on fibrous and dimorphic species; but the non-fibrous species are poorly studied. The aims of this work were to analyze the syringyl/guaiacyl ratio of lignin and its distribution in secondary xylem, especially in non-fibrous species. The syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio was quantified from 34 species of cacti by nitrobenzene oxidation of free-extractive wood. The distribution of lignocellulose in wood sections stained with safranin O/fast green was determined with epifluorescence microscopy. The S/G ratio was heterogeneous; most of the non-fibrous species had a higher percentage of syringyl, while the fibrous ones accumulate guaiacyl. Fluorescence emission showed that vessel elements and wide-band tracheids had similar tonalities. It is hypothesized that the presence of a higher percentage of syringyl in most cacti is part of the defense mechanism against pathogens, which together with the succulence of the stem represent adaptations that contribute to survival in their hostile environments.     

The Crown Pearl: a draft genome assembly of the European freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758)

Since historical times, the inherent human fascination with pearls turned the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758) into a highly valuable cultural and economic resource. Although pearl harvesting in M. margaritifera is nowadays residual, other human threats have aggravated the species conservation status, especially in Europe. This mussel presents a myriad of rare biological features, e.g. high longevity coupled with low senescence and Doubly Uniparental Inheritance of mitochondrial DNA, for which the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly known. Here, the first draft genome assembly of M. margaritifera was produced using a combination of Illumina Paired-end and Mate-pair approaches. The genome assembly was 2.4 Gb long, possessing 105,185 scaffolds and a scaffold N50 length of 288,726 bp. The ab initio gene prediction allowed the identification of 35,119 protein-coding genes. This genome represents an essential resource for studying this species’ unique biological and evolutionary features and ultimately will help to develop new tools to promote its conservation.     

Felling the giants: integral projection models indicate adult management to control an exotic invasive palm

Plant Ecology - Population models are helpful for understanding demographic trends in invasive plants and crucial in defining effective management actions. Here, we assessed the dynamics of three...     

Increased hip internal abduction moment and reduced speed are the gait strategies used by women with knee osteoarthritis

The purpose of this study was to identify the gait strategies in women with mild and moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA). Forty women diagnosed with OA of the knee and 40 healthy women participated in the study. Toe-out progression angle, trunk lateral lean, hip internal abduction moment and gait speed were measured using Qualisys ProReflex System and two force plates. Principal component analysis was applied to extract features from the gait waveforms data that characterized the waveforms main modes of temporal variation. Discriminant analysis with a stepwise model was conducted to determine which strategies could best discriminate groups. According to the discriminant model, the PC2 of the internal abduction moment of the hip and the gait speed were the most discriminatory variables between the groups. The OA group showed decreased gait speed, decreased hip internal abduction moment during the loading response phase, and increased hip internal abduction moment during the mid and terminal stance phases. Interventions that may increase hip internal abduction moment, such as the strengthening of the hip abductors muscles, may benefit women with knee OA. Training slower than normal gait speeds must be considered in light of potential adverse implications on overall physical function, daily tasks, and safety.     

Increased dosage of Ink4/Arf protects against glucose intolerance and insulin resistance associated with aging

Recent genome‐wide association studies have linked type‐2 diabetes mellitus to a genomic region in chromosome 9p21 near the Ink4/Arf locus, which encodes tumor suppressors that are up‐regulated in a variety of mammalian organs during aging. However, it is unclear whether the susceptibility to type‐2 diabetes is associated with altered expression of the Ink4/Arf locus. In the present study, we investigated the role of Ink4/Arf in age‐dependent alterations of insulin and glucose homeostasis using Super‐Ink4/Arf mice which bear an extra copy of the entire Ink4/Arf locus. We find that, in contrast to age‐matched wild‐type controls, Super‐Ink4/Arf mice do not develop glucose intolerance with aging. Insulin tolerance tests demonstrated increased insulin sensitivity in Super‐Ink4/Arf compared with wild‐type mice, which was accompanied by higher activation of the insulin receptor substrate (IRS)‐PI3K‐AKT pathway in liver, skeletal muscle and heart. Glucose uptake studies in Super‐Ink4/Arf mice showed a tendency toward increased ¹⁸F‐fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in skeletal muscle compared with wild‐type mice (P = 0.079). Furthermore, a positive correlation between glucose uptake and baseline glucose levels was observed in Super‐Ink4/Arf mice (P < 0.008) but not in wild‐type mice. Our studies reveal a protective role of the Ink4/Arf locus against the development of age‐dependent insulin resistance and glucose intolerance.