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Bothrops moojeni snake venom (VBm) has toxins that cause pronounced tissue damage and exacerbated inflammatory reaction. Cannabis sativa L. is a plant species that produces an oil (CSO) rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Nano-emulsions have several advantages, such as better stability and higher penetrating power in membranes. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of a nano-emulsion based on this herbal derivative (NCS) against VBm-induced inflammation in Wistar rats. The CSO and NCS were submitted to physicochemical characterization. The inflammatory process was induced by the VBm (0.10 mg/kg) as follows: rat paw edema, peritonitis, analysis of leukocyte infiltrate in gastrocnemius muscle of rats and formation of granulomatous tissue. No significant changes were observed when the NCS was submitted to the centrifugation and thermal stress tests. There was no phase separation, changes in density (0.978 ± 0.01 g/cm3) and viscosity (0.889 ± 0.15). The droplet diameter ranged from 119.7 ± 065 to 129.3 ± 0.15 nm and the polydispersity index ranged from 0.22 ± 0.008 to 0.23 ± 0.011. The results showed that treatments with CSO (200 and 400 mg/kg) and NCS (100 mg/kg) were able to decrease significantly (p

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effects of co-treatment with purified annatto oil (PAO) or its granules (GRA, Chronic®) with that of testosterone on the orchiectomy-induced osteoporosis in Wistar rats. After surgery, rats were treated from day 7 until day 45 with testosterone only (TES, 7 mg/kg, IM) or TES + PAO or GRA (200 mg/kg, p.o.). The following parameters were evaluated: food/water intake, weight, HDL, LDL, glucose, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), alkaline phosphatase levels, blood phosphorus and calcium contents, femur weight, structure (through scanning electron microscopy), and calcium content (through atomic absorption spectrophotometry). Our results show that orchiectomy could significantly change the blood lipid profile and decrease bone integrity parameters. Testosterone reposition alone could improve some endpoints, including LDL, TC, bone weight, and bone calcium concentration. However, other parameters were not significantly improved. Co-treatment with PAO or GRA improved the blood lipid profile and bone integrity more significantly and improved some endpoints not affected by testosterone reposition alone (such as TG levels and trabeculae sizes). The results suggest that co-treatment with annatto products improved the blood lipid profile and the anti-osteoporosis effects of testosterone. Overall, GRA had better results than PAO.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a vector of several diseases, such as dengue, malaria and the Zika virus. Synthetic insecticides such as chlorpyrifos and chlorothalonil have been used for plague control, despite causing damage to the environment and to humans. It is therefore important to study natural active compounds with a low environmental impact. The present paper developed an environmentally friendly formulation of silk fibroin (SF) associated with fatty acid esters [ethyl (FAEE-SF), propyl (FAPE-SF) and butyl (FABE-SF)] from Astrocaryum murumuru Mart. fat, which was effective against Aedes aegypti 3th instar larvae. The FABE-SF nanoemulsion induced a higher mortality rate in the larvae of the A. aegypti after 48 h (LC50 = 18.92 µg / mL). The stabilities of the nanoemulsions were monitored for 21 days, and FABE-SF exhibited greater stability throughout the monitored period, with average particle, zeta and PDI values of around 217 ± 0.85 nm, -25.6 ± 3.24 mV and 0.338 ± 0.01, respectively. This paper reported the first effective action of fatty acid esters from A. murumuru Mart. associated with silk fibroin against A. aegypti. The FABE-SF solution also had a low hemolytic index, suggesting that treatment may be safe for animal and human use.

The main constituents of the Euterpe oleracea Mart., Arecaceae, fruits (açaí) are anthocyanins. This paper aimed to standardize the extraction process and characterize an anthocyanin-rich dry extract obtained from this fruit. A 23 full factorial design was used. The volumes of ethanol 92% and acetic acid and the extraction time were used as factors. Total solids and anthocyanins content were used as feedback. The dry extract was obtained by freeze-drying. The content of anthocyanins was determined spectrophotometrically. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimeter, Thermogravimetry, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry were used for characterizingthe dry extract. The DPPH method was used for evaluating radical scavenging activity. The extraction conditions were established. The most influent factor was the volume of acetic acid. The dry extract moisture content was equal to 1.39 ± 0.25%, the evaporation residue 97.25 ± 1.28%, total ashes 0.62 ± 0.12%, and the anthocyanin content was 61.75 ± 3.28%. The elemental composition shows the presence of manganese 4.85 ppm, iron 1.62 ppm, zinc 0.05, copper 1.38 ppm, calcium 1.01 ppm, cadmium 0.003 ppm, nickel 0.37 ppm, and lead 0.38 ppm. The dried extract IC50 estimated by the radical scavenging assay with DPPH was 31.25 ± 2.31 ppm. The optimal extraction conditions were: the volume of ethanol 92%: 400 ml; volume of acetic acid: 75 ml; an extraction time: 4 h. Keywords: Açai, Anthocyanins, Antioxidant, Dry extract, Extraction, Factorial design