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• Myrsine leuconeura is used by ethnic groups to treat infections of the urinary tract. • Essential oil extracted from dried leaves contained mainly (≤ 96.6 %) sesquiterpenes. • Leaf oil stored in idioblasts and secretory canals but not glandular trichomes. • Site/season of collection of leaves did not influence profile of oils qualitatively. • Accumulation of (E)-caryophyllene in leaf oil varied as a function of climate. Myrsine leuconeura Mart. is used by ethnic groups in Brazil to treat infections of the urinary tract, but the chemical profile and morphological characteristics of this medicinal plant have not yet been reported. We have identified the secretory structures of the leaves of this species and determined the influence of geographic site and season of harvesting on the accumulation and chemical composition of the essential oil. A histochemical study was performed using optical and scanning electron microscopy, while essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation of dried leaves and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The leaf oils were composed mainly of sesquiterpenes (93.9–96.6%), bicyclogermacrene (12.2–14.7%), (E)-caryophyllene (10.6–14.4%), α-guaiene(7.7–10.1%), spathulenol (6.9–9.6%) and δ -cadinene (6.7–7.2%) being the major constituents. Although site and season of collection did not influence the qualitative composition of the leaf oil, the accumulation of (E)-caryophyllene varied as a function of air temperature and rainfall. The secretory structures in M. leuconeura leaves were identified as peltate-type glandular trichomes, secretory canals, oil cells and mucilage cells. Essential oils were stored in solitary cells and secretory canals, most especially in the latter, but not in the glandular trichomes. This is the first report on the accumulation of essential oils in leaf epidermal cells in the genus Myrsine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress aggravates several long-term complications in diabetes mellitus. We evaluated the effectiveness of the oral administration of antioxidants (vitamins E and C, 40 and 100 mg/kg b.w., respectively) on skin wound healing acceleration in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Mice were wounded 30 days after the induction of diabetes. Antioxidants were effective in preventing oxidative stress, as assessed by TBARS. The enzymes catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase were increased in diabetics on the 3rd day post-wounding; catalase and glutathione peroxidase remained still augmented in diabetics after 14th day postwounding, and the treatment with vitamins restored their activities to control. After 3 days, diabetic mice showed lower infiltration of inflammatory cells (including CD11b+ and Ly6G+ cells) and reduced levels of KC, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-12 p40 when compared with control mice. The treatment restored cytokine levels. After 14 days, diabetic mice showed late wound closure, persistent inflammation and delayed reepithelialization, accompanied by an increase in MIG+/CD206− macrophages whereas CD206+/MIG− macrophages were decreased. Cytokines IL-12p40, TNF-α, IL-1β, and KC were increased and normal levels were restored after treatment with antioxidants. These results suggest that oxidative stress plays a major role in diabetic wound healing impairment and the oral administration of antioxidants improves healing by modulating inflammation and the antioxidant system with no effect on glycemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accidents such as toxic spills can cause massive damage to local ecosystems and hamper the sustainable development of hazardous industries. Models that only consider regularly occurring pollution are unable to truly quantify ecological risks (ecorisks) from these industries. This work presents a methodology capable of quantifying ecorisks related to rare and extreme events such as industrial accidents. We developed a procedure that integrates information from different studies that contributes to characterize ecorisks from industrial accidents: (1) reliability analysis, (2) fate and transport modeling, (3) individual-level toxicological assessment, and (4) population modeling. The methodology is exemplified by an application to oil ship transportation to supply Brazil's Suape industrial complex. A fish population was strategically chosen to represent the ecosystem's health of Suape beach. For the critical accidental scenarios, their frequencies of occurrence were estimated and the space–time evolution of oil simulated. The ecorisks were quantified in terms of time and population probability of fish extinction, categorized and compared against a no-accident scenario. The total ecorisks from all scenarios were presented as a FN curve, where N is the average number of deaths in the population and F the cumulative frequency of accidents with potential to cause N or more deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]