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The SARS-CoV-2 virus primarily infects salivary glands suggesting a change in the saliva metabolite profile; this shift may be used as a monitoring instrument during SARS-CoV-2 infection. The present study aims to determine the salivary metabolomic profile of patients with and post-SARS-CoV-19 infection. Patients were without (PCR-), with SARS-CoV-2 (PCR+), or post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected, and the 1 H spectra were acquired in a 500 MHz Bruker nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer at 25 °C. They were subjected to multivariate analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), as well as univariate analysis through t -tests (SPSS 20.0, IL, USA), with a significance level of p < 0.05. A distinction was found when comparing PCR- subjects to those with SARS-CoV-2 infection. When comparing the three groups, the PLS-DA cross-validation presented satisfactory accuracy (ACC = 0.69, R2 = 0.39, Q2 = 0.08). Seventeen metabolites were found in different proportions among the groups. The results suggested the downregulation of major amino acid levels, such as alanine, glutamine, histidine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, and proline in the PCR+ group compared to the PCR- ones. In addition, acetate, valerate, and capronic acid were higher in PCR- patients than in PCR+. Sucrose and butyrate were higher in post-SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to PCR-. In general, a reduction in amino acids was observed in subjects with and post-SARS-CoV-2 disease. The salivary metabolomic strategy NMR-based was able to differentiate between non-infected individuals and those with acute and post-SARS-CoV-19 infection.

Research Background: The current commercial scenario indicates an increase in the demand for natural dyes. Compared to synthetic dyes, natural ones have the advantage of being sustainable, making them of great interest for the food and cosmetic industries. The development of new natural dyes is necessary, as well as the carrying out of complementary research regarding the existing ones., Experimental Approach: The present study aims to characterize the physicochemical and biological characteristics of the dye obtained from dehydrated endocarp of the genipap ( Genipa americana ) fruit, as well as perform the relevant stability and cytotoxicity tests. The chemical characterization was performed by HPLC-MS/MS analyses. The stability studies were carried out by spectrophotometry and cytotoxicity assays using cell culture and fluorometric methods., Results and Conclusions: After dehydration and milling of the fruit endocarp, water was added to the obtained powder (in the ratio 4:1) to extract the dye. Five compounds were elucidated using HPLC-MS/MS and confirmed the presence of the geniposide as its main compound. With the X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy analysis, we characterised the obtained powder as being amorphous and of porous structure with a variable size. The thermogravimetric analysis indicated a maximum loss of 61% mass after exposure to a temperature range from 240 to 760 °C. The obtained blue dye was stable in the absence of light, at room temperature and had neutral pH. In the cytotoxicity assay, (95.0±1.3) % of viable human fibroblasts were observed after exposure to this dye. The genipap fruit can be a viable alternative to produce a natural blue dye, since it is easy to obtain and has very low toxicity in food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic products., Novelty and Scientific Contribution: This study demonstrates for the first time the physicochemical and biological properties of a natural blue dye from G. americana fruit., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by various species of the protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus and transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. The protozoa multiply in phagocytic cells, mainly macrophages, which play an important role defending the organism from pathogens. The most effective treatment for leishmaniasis is the chemotherapy and besides the high cost, these drugs are toxic and require a long period of treatment. Currently, some herbal products are considered an important alternative source of a new leishmanicidal agent, which includes the plant Physalis angulata, . We evaluated effects of an aqueous extract from roots of Physalis angulata (AEPa) on Leishmania proliferation, morphology and also determined whether physalins were present in the extract contributing to the knowledge of its pharmacological efficacy., Methods: Morphological alterations were determined by light microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Host cell viability was evaluated by MTT, and propidium iodide. AEPa were submitted in full HRESITOF analysis., Results: AEPa promoted a dose-dependent reduction on promastigotes (IC50 = 39.5 μg/mL ± 5.1) and amastigotes (IC50 = 43.4 μg/mL ± 10.1) growth. This growth inhibition was associated with several morphological alterations observed in promastigote forms. No cytotoxic effect in mammalian cells was detected (IC50 > 4000 μg/mL). Furthemore, the presence of physalins A, B, D, E, F, G and H were described, for the first time, in the P. angulata root., Conclusions: Results demonstrate that AEPa effectively promotes antileishmanial activity with several important morphological alterations and has no cytotoxic effects on host cells.

Background: The bone marrow is a hematopoietic tissue that, in the presence of cytokines and growth factors, generates all of the circulating blood cells. These cells are important for protecting the organism against pathogens and for establishing an effective immune response. Previous studies have shown immunomodulatory effects of different products isolated from plant extracts. This study aimed to evaluate the immunomodulatory properties of aqueous Physalis angulata (AEPa) extract on the differentiation of bone marrow cells., Results: Increased cellular area, higher spreading ability and several cytoplasmatic projections were observed in the treated cells, using optical microscopy, suggesting cell differentiation. Furthermore, AEPa did not promote the proliferation of lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, however promotes increased the number of macrophages in the culture. The ultrastructural analysis by Transmission Electron Microscopy of treated cells showed spreading ability, high number of cytoplasmatic projections and increase of autophagic vacuoles. Moreover, a high level of LC3b expression by treated cells was detected by flow cytometry, suggesting an autophagic process. Cell surface expression of F4/80 and CD11b also indicated that AEPa may stimulate differentiation of bone marrow cells mainly into macrophages. In addition, AEPa did not differentiate cells into dendritic cells, as assessed by CD11c analysis. Furthermore, no cytotoxic effects were observed in the cells treated with AEPa., Conclusion: Results demonstrate that AEPa promotes the differentiation of bone marrow cells, particularly into macrophages and may hold promise as an immunomodulating agent.

We propose and demonstrate the use of a new potassium-ion source for glass waveguide fabrication based on a KI -ZnCl2 mixture. Planar waveguide were made using glasses such as BK7, Pyrex, soda lime, and commercial semiconductor doped glasses. The optical quality of the waveguides prepared compare favorably with the quality obtained using other fabrication techniques and the processing time is considerably reduced.