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Background: Comparative studies in cancer patients using conventional and alternative therapy have demonstrated that Phytolacca decandra in homeopathic potencies increases survival and improves quality of life of patients bearing breast cancer. In vitro studies show the induction of apoptosis pathways in MCF-7, a human breast cancer cells lineage, after treatment with Phytolacca decandra in different homeopathic dilutions (from 30C to 10M). Recently, we observed significant growth reduction of Ehrlich carcinoma in mice treated with Phytolacca decandra 30cH. Aims: To evaluate Phytolacca decandra effect in different homeopathic dilutions on the phenotypic features, apoptosis index, and cell morphology of 4T1 cells (murine carcinoma cell lineage) in vitro. Method: The potencies 6, 12, 30 and 200 CH prepared in sterile pure water were studied. Dynamized sterile pure water was used as control. The cytotoxicity was evaluated after different cell treatments in culture bottles (25ml) with the homeopathic medicines (equal to 10% of total medium volume). Cells were cultured in a cell density of 5 x 105 cells / ml, treated with the respective potency and, after 24 hours, analyzed for the apoptosis index using Annexin V kit and measured using the Countess® System. The morphology of the 4T1 cells was monitored by staining fixed cell smears with hematoxylin-eosin method. Cells were previously adhered to a glass cover slip and fixed with absolute methanol. The samples were evaluated in quadruplicate and the data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Results and discussion: The results obtained up to now show that the treatment with Phytolacca decandra 200cH induced increase of apoptosis index in relation to the control. Moreover, morphological changes were observed in the respective cell smears: the presence of multinucleated cells, some of them presenting up to 8 nuclei and the increase of eosinophilic staining pattern of cytoplasm, even in mononucleated cells. Conclusion: The increase in apoptosis index reproduced the results described in the literature with other cell lineages, but the changes in morphology still deserve further evaluation.

This study aimed to evaluate the production and mineral nutrition of Piatã grass as a function of nitrogen and potassium fertilization in Oxisol collected in the Cerrado. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, the experimental design was completely randomized, in a 5 x 5 factorial scheme, corresponding to five nitrogen doses (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 mg dm-3 of N) and five potassium doses (0, 90, 180, 270 and 360 mg dm-3 of K2O), with four replicates. Three cuts of the shoots were performed every 30 days. Chlorophyll index, dry mass of shoots and roots, and nitrogen and potassium contents in the leaves were evaluated. The dry mass of shoots showed interaction between nitrogen and potassium in the three cuts; in the second and third cuts, it had maximum production at the nitrogen and potassium doses of 254 and 158 mg dm-3, in the second, and 250 and 306 mg dm-3 in the third, respectively. The nitrogen and potassium contents are influenced as a function of nitrogen and potassium fertilization isolated by factor. The nitrogen and potassium ratio in the Piatã grass crop was around 1:1. RESUMO Objetivou-se avaliar a produção e a nutrição mineral do capim piatã em função da adubação nitrogenada e potássica em Latossolo Vermelho coletado no Cerrado. Realizou-se o experimento em casa de vegetação, o delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial de 5 x 5 sendo cinco doses de nitrogênio (0, 100, 200, 300 e 400 mg dm-3) e cinco doses de potássio (0, 90, 180, 270 e 360 mg dm-3), com quatro repetições. Realizaram-se três cortes da parte aérea a cada 30 dias. Foram avaliados o índice de clorofila, a massa seca da parte aérea e das raízes, a concentração de nitrogênio e de potássio, nas folhas. A massa seca da parte aérea apresentou interação entre o nitrogênio e o potássio nos três cortes sendo que no segundo e no terceiro apresentou máxima produção nas doses de nitrogênio e potássio, de 254 e 158 mg dm-3 no segundo e de 250 e 306 mg dm-3 no terceiro, respectivamente. As doses de nitrogênio e de potássio apresentaram interação significativa para a massa seca da parte aérea do capim piatã, nos três cortes. As concentrações de nitrogênio e potássio são influenciadas em função da adubação nitrogenada e potássica isolada por fator. A relação de nitrogênio e potássio no capim piatã é de 1:1.

The activity of β-lapachone (3,4-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-2H-naphthol[1,2-b]pyran-5,6-dione, β-lap) against different stages of Schistosoma mansoni was investigated in mice. Mice infected with 50 cercariae (BH strain) were intraperitoneally treated at a dose of 50 mg/kg for 5 consecutive days, starting on the 1st, 14th, 28th and 45th days after infection, to evaluate the effect of β-lap on skin schistosomula, lung schistosomula, young worms (before oviposition) and adult worms (after oviposition), respectively. All animals were euthanized 60 days after infection. β-Lap significantly reduced (p

The present study provides, for the first time, conclusions on the in vitro schistosomicidal properties of β-lap. Adult male Schistosoma mansoni worms of the BH strain were used for the study. Motility, mortality, cell viability and alterations in the tegument were employed as schistosomicidal parameters. Alterations in motility were observed 6 h after incubation in concentrations of 50 and 100 μM. β-lap decreased significantly the worm viability, reducing the formation of formazan in 17.7%, 27.4% and 54.8% at concentrations of 25, 50 and 100 μM, respectively. Mortality in concentrations of 50 and 100 μM was of 67% and 100%, respectively, after 24 h. The death of the parasite was preceded by progressive surface membrane damage, characterized by tegument peeling, spine reduction and erosion, blister formation and rupture, and the emergence of holes. In addition to this, in the anterior portion, intense general edema, areas of cracking with a wrinkled surface, furrows and a fibrous appearance were also observed. The results of the present study thus provide a sound basis for further in-depth studies of the schistosomicidal properties of β-lap, both in the laboratory and in the field.