This study examined the effect of glyphosate-based herbicide (Roundup Original), the major herbicide used in soybean crops in Mato Grosso state, at concentrations of 0, 2.25, 4.5, 7.5, and 15 mg L⁻¹ ...on metabolic and behavior parameters of the hybrid fish surubim in an acute exposure lasting 96 h. Glycogen content, glucose, lactate, and protein levels were measured in different tissues. Plasma levels of cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were also determined. Ventilatory frequency (VF) and swimming activity (SA) were considered behavior parameters. Results showed that herbicide exposure decreased plasma glucose levels and increased it in surubim liver. Lactate increased in both plasma and liver but decreased in muscle. Protein levels decreased in plasma and muscle but increased in liver. After herbicide exposure, liver and muscle glycogen was decreased. Cholesterol levels decreased in plasma at all concentrations tested. Plasma ALT increased, and no alterations were recorded for AST levels. VF increased after glyphosate exposure (5 min) and decreased after 96 h. SA showed differences among all groups (5 min). At the end of 96 h, SA was altered by the 7.5 mg L⁻¹ concentration. Fish used anaerobic glycolysis as indicated by generally decreased glycogen levels and decreased lactate levels in muscle but increased ones in plasma and liver. We suggest that the studied parameters could be used as indicators of herbicide toxicity in surubim and may provide extremely important information for understanding the biology of the animal and its responsiveness to external stimuli (stressors).
This study investigated the chemical composition, immunomodulatory and antioxidant activities, and histopathological analysis of mice tissues treated with methanolic extract from R. marina poison. ...Marinobufagin, telecinobufagin and bufalin were identified in the chemical profile. The biochemical results demonstrated an effect between doses in the period of 7 days, an immunomodulatory effect was observed regarding the production capacity of interleukin (IL)-12p70 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α at 7 and 30 days, respectively. The lower dose suggests better bioactivity to the treated animal than the higher dose. Histopathological analyses of the lung, heart, kidney and liver showed tissue damage in all organs, mainly in the lung, and were proportional to the dose and the treatment period. We observed that the treatment modulated cytokine production, and therefore this effect may be related to the tissue damage observed. This study demonstrates a positive effect in the antioxidant and immune system, indicating that the molecules found in the extract have biotechnological potential.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Roundup Original®, a glyphosate-based herbicide, against biochemical parameters including thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), ...protein carbonyl, enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant responses and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) of jundiara fish (Leiarius marmoratus × Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum) at a sublethal concentration of 1.357 mg L−1. Fish exposed to the herbicide for different periods (6–96 h) showed a significant increase of both hepatic and muscular TBARS and protein carbonyl. Enzymatic antioxidant activity was decreased in the liver and brain after 48 h of exposure. Glutathione-S-tranferase (GST) had its levels raised in the brain and gills, probably as a toxicity event response. Non protein thiols (GSH) demonstrated a reduction after 6 and 24 h of exposure in the hepatic tissue, followed by an increase at 48 and 96 h in the same tissue. GSH brain levels, however, increased only after 96 h. AChE activity in muscle decreased for all the times tested (26.5, 45, 38 and 14% for 6, 24, 48 and 96 h respectively), but only at 96 h (34%) in the brain. We found that Roundup Original® is able to trigger important changes in the biochemical parameters tested, showing it can be a potential threat for the health and survival of fish in the environment.
•We examined the effects of Roundup Original® herbicide on oxidative stress parameters in a hybrid fish.•Our results confirm that the glyphosate-based herbicide promotes oxidative stress in these fish.•Reduction of AChE activity can be used as a suitable indicator of herbicidal toxicity.
The secreted poisonin bufonids (Anura: Bufonidae) include proteins, biogenic amines, toxic bufadienolides and alkaloids. The chemical composition of the methanolic extract of parotoid gland ...secretions by the Amazonian toad Rhinella margaritifera was evaluated in a UFLC-DAD-micrOTOF system. Of the twenty three compounds found in the methanolic extract, eighteen were identified by the mass/charge ratio as: five arginine diacids, six bufagenins (telocinobufagin, marinobufagin, bufotalin, cinobufotalin, bufalin and cinobufagin), six bufotoxins, and an alkaloid (dehydrobufotenin).
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•Rhinella margaritifera has a wide distribution throughout the Amazon basin.•The R. margaritifera poison presented arginines, bufagenins, bufotoxins and alkaloid.•Bufotalin was the major compound found in the R. margaritifera poison.
Liver cirrhosis is the main chronic liver disease and is considered a catabolic disease. Cirrhotic patients have a low energy intake and high energy expenditure at rest, leading to metabolic ...disorders. Malnutrition is associated with complications of cirrhosis and has been shown that a nutritional intervention with increase of energy intake improves the survival of cirrhotic patients. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the effect of a high sucrose diet in the liver of animals with cirrhosis induced by thioacetamide and investigate the mechanism involved.
Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: Control; Thioacetamide; and Thioacetamide + high sucrose diet. The thioacetamide was administrated (100 mg kg−1) intraperitoneally and the sucrose was offered in drinking water (300 g L−1).
The administration of thioacetamide was associated with fibrosis and inflammatory infiltrate in the liver and increased levels of transaminases enzymes. The high sucrose diet promoted a reduction of theses parameters in cirrhotic rats. The malnutrition observed in cirrhotic rats was attenuated by the high sucrose diet shown by the improvements in weight loss, subcutaneous fat, and caloric intake. The high sucrose diet also attenuated the oxidative stress present in the liver of animals with thioacetamide-induced cirrhosis.
The high sucrose diet had anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects in the liver of animals with thioacetamide-induced cirrhosis. In addition, the high sucrose diet also improved malnutrition and catabolism present in cirrhosis. Thus, a high sucrose diet may be a therapeutic option for cirrhotic patients in a catabolic state.
•Cirrhotic patients have low energy intake, leading to malnutrition and weight loss.•In liver cirrhosis there are inflammation and high oxidative stress in the liver.•A high sucrose diet improved the catabolism and liver function of cirrhotic rat.•The high sucrose diet presented anti-oxidant effects in the liver of cirrhotic rat.•A high sucrose diet may be an option for cirrhotic patients in a catabolic state.
Cutaneous lesions lead to complications in patients, since they may be recurrent and also represent risk of progression to infection and/or amputation. Therefore, effective, protective, and topical ...treatments of easy application and removal need to be developed to provide effective alternatives to patients. The Caryocar brasiliense Cambess (CBC) presents important pharmacological activities and proved in the healing process. This paper reports the improvement of the CBC nanostructured (LNCCBC and LNCCBC+) activity in dermal wounds in vivo. The oil was physico-chemically characterized and used in the development of lipid-core nanocapsules (LNCs), coated (LNCCBC+) or without chitosan (LNCCBC), in concentration of 1.0 mg mL−1. Hydrogel (HG) was tested in vivo on lesions in the back of male Wistar rats for 14 days. The oil presented appropriate physico-chemical characteristics for its use, such as moisture 0.76 %, acidity 0.85 % and oleic acid 25.90 %. The LNCs showed nanometric size (around 200 nm), monomodal distribution, slight acid pH and zeta potential of + 22.1 mV in accordance with the composition. The nanostructured oil induced dermal healing in vivo showing significantly better improvement than free oil. LNCCBC+ showed best results showing the higher increase of the production of type 1 collagen, an important protein to the healing repair. These results suggest that development of formulations LNCCBC and LNCCBC+ are promising and important alternative for the treatment of dermal wounds, avoiding complications related to cutaneous lesions.
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We evaluated the biological effects of ingestion by gavage, for 28 days, of the pesticides cypermethrin (CP) and emamectin benzoate (EB) and their mixtures in female Swiss mice. The groups were ...Control (water); CP; EB and three distinct concentrations of CP and EB mixture expressed in mg/kg/day. The biological effects were analyzed in the complete blood count and plasma (alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and creatinine); the biochemical parameters of oxidative stress (substances reactive to thiobarbituric acid (TBARS); reduced glutathione (GSH); catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST)), and bone marrow cells obtained from the femur for the micronucleus (MN) test. In the heart, there was a reduction in GSH in the groups (0.5 + 0.67 and 2.5 + 3.37), although in the brain this effect appeared for the other groups, except EB. Brain TBARS increased in CP and in the group (2.5 + 3.37) and platelets increased in the group (12.5 + 16.87). Genotoxic/mutagenic effects, showing a consistent increase dose-dependent effect on micronucleus counting for in the female mice. After 28 days of treatment, we can observe that the pesticide mixtures promoted genotoxic damage and oxidative brain damage in female mice, which can damage the health of these animals and possibly their future offspring.
The parotoid gland secretion of toads of the family Bufonidae contain numerous pharmacologically active biocompounds. Rhaebo guttatus (R. guttatus) is a common species of this family in Brazil; ...however, this species has been poorly studied. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the immunomodulatory activity of a methanol extract from the parotoid gland secretion of R. guttatus in Swiss mice. Non-isogenic Swiss mice were administered (100 microl/mouse/day, orally) of the R. guttatus extract (8, 16, or 32 microg/ml), the vehicle (0.5% Tween-20, vehicle group), or distilled water (control group) for 7 or 30 days. After the treatment period, the mice were sacrificed, and the hearts, liver, lungs and kidneys were removed for histopathological analysis. Cells from peritoneal lavage and spleen were used for immunological analyses. The results revealed that the treatment did not affect water or feed consumption or body weight of the mice. The lungs of mice treated with 8 microg/ml for 30 days exhibited a reduction in relative weight compared to those of the control group. Histopathological analysis revealed that the extract induced edema, blood clots and leukocyte infiltrates, mainly after 30 days at doses of 8 and 32 microg/ml. The administration of the extract promoted the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-12 and TNF-alpha, and reduced the production of IL-10 and IL-4. The spontaneous release of hydrogen peroxide by peritoneal macrophages was also induced in the mice treated with 16 microg/ml extract for 30 days. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that a crude methanolic extract from the parotoid gland secretion of R. guttatus has immunomodulatory activity and low toxicity, and may have potential as a stimulator of the immune system for immunosuppression conditions. Key words: biodiversity, Amazon, immunomodulation, poisonous toad, Rhaebo guttatus
Selenium (Se) is a mineral with natural antioxidant properties that constitutes a number of enzymes with a fundamental role in the immunity and antioxidant systems and may confer a protective role ...against oxidative stress in fish following exposure to physical stressors. Adopting an integrated approach, this study investigated simultaneously the role of hydroxy-selenomethionine (OH-SeMet) supplementation in performance, hematological parameters, innate immune, antioxidant capacity and tissue Se retention of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) and the possible protective role of dietary selenium when fish are exposed to a physical stressor (transport). Juvenile specimens (15.71 ± 1.90 g) were fed one of five diets: a basal unsupplemented diet (0.0 mg kg−1 Se) or diets supplemented with OH-SeMet to provide 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and 1.2 mg kg−1 Se of diet for 75 days prior to subjection of fish to transport stress. Dietary supplementation with Se in the form of OH-SeMet for 75 days did not affect the production performance of juvenile tambaqui, but increased innate immunity parameters (oxidative burst) from the Se inclusion level of 0.6 mg kg−1 and induced the activation of the antioxidant defense system (GPX, GSH and GST) especially at the Se inclusion level of 0.9 mg kg−1. In addition, the Se content in the fillet rose significantly, as the OH-SeMet contents in the diet were increased. The stress caused by transport resulted in alterations in hematological parameters, blood protein profile and immune and enzymatic responses in the species. However, Se supplementation at 0.9 mg kg−1 had a positive effect, increasing innate immunity and activating antioxidant defenses (CAT and GPx, especially) after this physical stressor was applied. These results demonstrate that, when submitted to transport stress, juvenile tambaqui use Se stored in the muscle and dietary supplementation with OH-SeMet at 0.9 mg kg−1 improves the innate immunity and antioxidant system parameters of fish after transport. These findings reinforce the need for supplementing hydroxy-selenomethionine in commercial diets for tambaqui to ensure tissue Se reserves as a contingency in cases of stress.
•Hydroxy-selenomethionine (OH-SeMet) supplementation provided Se deposition in the muscle of Colossoma macropomum.•Dietary OH-SeMet protects C. macropomum against antioxidative and cellular metabolic stress after transport.•OH-SeMet supplementation (0.9 mg Se kg−1 diet) for C. macropomum ensure tissue Se reserves as a contingency in cases of stress.
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