Luciano M. Lião

Antifungal activity of volatile constituents of Eugenia dysenterica leaf oil

The essential oil from the hydrodistillation of Eugenia dysenterica leaves consisted mainly of beta-caryophyllene and alpha-humulene as the major sesquiterpene, while limonene and alpha-thujene were the major monoterpene hydrocarbons. The main oxygenated mono and sesquiterpene constituents were alpha-terpineol and beta-caryophyllene oxide, respectively. The oil was investigated against eight strains of Candida albicans, 35 strains of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans, and two C. neoformans var. gattii isolated from HIV-infected individuals with candidosis or cryptococcal meningitis using the agar dilution method. Based on the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, the most significant results were obtained against Cryptococcus strains. It was observed that 22 strains were inhibited at a concentration of 250 microg/ml, whereas four exhibited potent inhibition with MIC values below 125 microg/ml against 10(6) UFC/ml organisms. We found MICs > or = 3.12 microg/ml for 91.6, 50 and 30% of all Cryptococcus strains in relation of amphotericin B, fluconazole and itraconazole, respectively.

Evaluation of biodiesel-diesel blends quality using 1H NMR and chemometrics.

In this work, the use of (1)H NMR spectroscopy and statistical approach to the evaluation of biodiesel-diesel blends quality is described. Forty-six mixtures of oil-diesel, biodiesel-diesel, and oil-biodiesel-diesel were analyzed by (1)H NMR and such data were employed to design four predictive models. Thirty-six mixtures were used in the calibration set and the others in the validation. The PCR and PLS models were evaluated through statistical parameters. Briefly, PLS and PCR models were suitable for the prediction of biodiesel and oil concentration in mineral diesel. Specially, in higher concentration the predicted values were quite similar to the real ones. This fact was evidenced by the low relative errors of high concentrated samples; this means that the prediction of low concentrated samples will probably show high deviation. Therefore, (1)H NMR-PLS and (1)H NMR-PCR methods are fairly useful for the quality control of biodiesel-diesel blends, particularly they are suitable for prediction of concentrations greater than 2%.

Virtual screening strategies in medicinal chemistry: the state of the art and current challenges.

Virtual screening (VS) techniques are well-established tools in the modern drug discovery process, mainly used for hit finding in drug discovery. The availability of knowledge of structural information, which includes an increasing number of 3D protein structures and the readiness of free databases of commercially available smallmolecules, provides a broad platform for VS. This review summarizes the current developments in VS regarding chemical databases and highlights the achievements as well as the challenges with an emphasis on a recent example of the successful application for the identification of new hits for sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Optimization of carboxymethyl chitosan synthesis using response surface methodology and desirability function.

In this paper, chitosan was reacted with monochloroacetic acid under alkaline conditions to prepare carboxymethyl chitosan. A 2(3) full-factorial central composite design was applied to evaluate the effect of molar ratio sodium hydroxide (NaOH)/Chitosan (Ch), time and molar ratio monochloroacetic acid (MCA)/Chitosan (Ch) on the reaction yield and on the characteristics of carboxymethyl chitosan such as average degree of substitution (DS¯) and solubility. An optimization strategy based on response surface methodology was used together with the desirability function approach to optimize this process. The occurrence of carboxymethylation was evidenced by FTIR and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The optimum conditions for carboxymethylation process were found to be 12.4, 10.6h and 5 for molar ratio sodium hydroxide (NaOH)/Chitosan (Ch), time and molar ratio monochloroacetic acid (MCA)/Chitosan (Ch), respectively. Under these optimal conditions, it was possible to obtain carboxymethyl chitosan with DS¯ of 1.86 and solubility of 99.6%. X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetry analysis showed that crystallinity and thermal stability of derivatives was lower than chitosan and decreased with increase of DS¯.

Pred‐hERG: A Novel web‐Accessible Computational Tool for Predicting Cardiac Toxicity

The blockage of the hERG K+ channels is closely associated with lethal cardiac arrhythmia. The notorious ligand promiscuity of this channel earmarked hERG as one of the most important antitargets to be considered in early stages of drug development process. Herein we report on the development of an innovative and freely accessible web server for early identification of putative hERG blockers and non‐blockers in chemical libraries. We have collected the largest publicly available curated hERG dataset of 5,984 compounds. We succeed in developing robust and externally predictive binary (CCR≈0.8) and multiclass models (accuracy≈0.7). These models are available as a web‐service freely available for public at http://labmol.farmacia.ufg.br/predherg/. Three following outcomes are available for the users: prediction by binary model, prediction by multi‐class model, and the probability maps of atomic contribution. The Pred‐hERG will be continuously updated and upgraded as new information became available.

Growth Inhibition Effect of Brazilian Cerrado Plant Extracts on Candida Species

Ethanol extracts from leaves of Annona crassiflora and A. coriacea, and the fruits of Solanum lycocarpum and S. grandiflorum were investigated against 52 strains of Candida albicans, four strains of C. tropicalis and three strains of C. krusei isolated from human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals with oropharyngeal candidosis, using the agar dilution method. Among the extracts tested, leaves of A. crassiflora was active against all the microorganisms and showed the greatest antifungal activity based on the MIC values. It was observed that 57 strains (96%) were inhibited by the extract from A. crassiflora at a concentration of 64 µg/ml, whereas against 18 strains (30%), it exhibited MIC values as low as 0.5 µg/ml against 10 6 UFC/ml organisms. Candida albicans CBS 562, a reference strain used as a control, showed a similar inhibition pattern. The activities of fluconazole, itraconazole, and ketoconazole were also evaluated and afforded MIC values = 32 µg/ml (19.5% of all strains), = 64 µg/ml (13.6%), and = 128 µg/ml (32.2%), respectively.

Distinction between a transgenic and a conventional common bean genotype by 1H HR-MAS NMR.

In this work, it is proposed a methodology which allows to differentiate a conventional and a specific transgenic common beans, grown in greenhouse or under field conditions, based on modifications in chemical composition using (1)H HR-MAS NMR. It is demonstrated that the influence of typical variables from field planting conditions had no significant influence on the ability to set apart transgenic from conventional. This methodology was corroborated by multivariate data analysis of the (1)H NMR and IR spectra. This study also points out the simplicity of using the HR-MAS NMR technique for food analyses. The measurement is highly simplified because it does not require any pretreatment of the sample apart from the addition of a small amount of D2O necessary to produce homogeneous dough and a field frequency lock. Moreover, due to the high concentration of the sample, measurement time in HR-MAS NMR is very short.

1H HRMAS NMR spectroscopy and chemometrics for evaluation of metabolic changes in citrus sinensis Caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri

A bacteria Xanthomonas axonopodis (Xac) causa uma das mais temidas e incuraveis doencas da citricultura: o cancro citrico. Para compreender o mecanismo de resposta das laranjeiras quando atacadas pela Xac, folhas e frutos de Citrus sinensis foram diretamente avaliados por espectroscopia de RMN HRMAS (ressonância magnetica nuclear de alta resolucao com giro no ângulo magico). Esta tecnica permite a analise de amostras sem as laboriosas etapas de pre-tratamento, acessando as informacoes importantes sobre a sua composicao quimica. As folhas de laranjeira e cascas do fruto investigadas neste estudo demonstraram as alteracoes bioquimicas causadas pela Xac. Auxiliado pelas analises quimiometricas, os resultados de RMN HRMAS apresentaram alteracoes relevantes no conteudo de aminoacidos, carboidratos, acidos orgânicos e terpenoides. Xanthomonas axonopodis (Xac) bacterium causes one of the most feared and untreatable diseases in citriculture: citrus canker. To understand the response mechanisms of orange trees when attacked by Xac, leaves and fruits of Citrus sinensis were directly evaluated by HRMAS NMR (high resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy. This technique allows the analysis of samples without laborious pre-treatments and also allows access to important information about chemical composition of samples. The orange tree leaves and fruit peels investigated in this study demonstrated the biochemical changes caused by Xac. Aided by chemometric analysis, the HRMAS NMR results show relevant changes in amino acids, carbohydrates, organic acids and terpenoids content.

A polyalanine peptide derived from polar fish with anti-infectious activities

Due to the growing concern about antibiotic-resistant microbial infections, increasing support has been given to new drug discovery programs. A promising alternative to counter bacterial infections includes the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which have emerged as model molecules for rational design strategies. Here we focused on the study of Pa-MAP 1.9, a rationally designed AMP derived from the polar fish Pleuronectes americanus. Pa-MAP 1.9 was active against Gram-negative planktonic bacteria and biofilms, without being cytotoxic to mammalian cells. By using AFM, leakage assays, CD spectroscopy and in silico tools, we found that Pa-MAP 1.9 may be acting both on intracellular targets and on the bacterial surface, also being more efficient at interacting with anionic LUVs mimicking Gram-negative bacterial surface, where this peptide adopts α-helical conformations, than cholesterol-enriched LUVs mimicking mammalian cells. Thus, as bacteria present varied physiological features that favor antibiotic-resistance, Pa-MAP 1.9 could be a promising candidate in the development of tools against infections caused by pathogenic bacteria.

Involvement of the NO/cGMP/KATP pathway in the antinociceptive effect of the new pyrazole 5-(1-(3-fluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2H-tetrazole (LQFM-021)

The pyrazol compounds are known to possess antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. This study was conducted to investigate the peripheral antinociceptive effect of the pyrazole compound 5-(1-(3-Fluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2H-tetrazole (LQFM-021) and involvement of opioid receptors and of the NO/cGMP/K(ATP) pathway. The oral treatments in mice with LQFM-021 (17, 75 or 300 mg/kg) decreased the number of writhing. In the formalin test, the treatments with LQFM-021 at doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg reduced the licking time at both neurogenic and inflammatory phases of this test. The treatment of the animals with LQFM-021 (30 mg/kg) did not have antinociceptive effects in the tail-flick and hot plate tests. Furthermore, pre-treatment with naloxone (3 mg/kg i.p.), L-name (10 mg/kg i.p.), ODQ (10 mg/kg i.p.) or glibenclamide (3 mg/kg i.p.) antagonized the antinociceptive effect of LQFM-021 in both phases of the formalin test. In addition, it was also demonstrated that the treatments of mice with LQFM-021(15, 30 and 60 mg/kg) did not compromise the motor activity of the animals in the chimney test. Only the highest dose used in the antinociceptive study promoted changes in the open field test and pentobarbital-induced sleep test, thus ruling out possible false positive effects on nociception tests. Our data suggest that the peripheral antinociception effects of the LQFM-021 were mediated through the peripheral opioid receptors with activation of the NO/cGMP/KATP pathway.