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Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, represents an important and worldwide public health issue, particularly in Latin America. Limitations of conventional treatment with benznidazole and nifurtimox underscore the urgent need for new therapeutic strategies for this disease. Schinus molle, a tree used in traditional medicine for various ailments, has demonstrated promising antiparasitic activity. The in vitro anti-T. cruzi activity of Schinus molle crude methanol extract, partitions, and fractions, as well as their cytotoxicity in Vero cells and Artemia salina, and hemolytic activity in human erythrocytes were assessed. Most of the extracts possessed anti-T. cruzi effects, with Sm-CF3 being the fraction with the highest activity (IC50 = 19 µg/mL; SI = 6.8). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis identified 20 compounds, with fatty acyls comprising the predominant chemical class (55%). We also identified the antiparasitic compounds cis-5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid and trans-Z-α-bisabolene epoxide, suggesting their potential contribution to the observed anti-T. cruzi activity. In conclusion, our findings support the therapeutic potential of S. molle as a source of novel antiparasitic agents against T. cruzi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beauveria bassiana has potential for Aedes aegypti biological control. However, its efficacy depends on the strain's geographic location, host susceptibility, and virulence. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of B. bassiana strain BBPTG4 conidia in controlling Ae. aegypti adults and its detection via introns profile on exposed mosquito corpses. Morphologic characteristics among strains were highly similar. Comprehensive testing of these strains demonstrated that BBPT4 exhibited the ideal biological activity for Ae. aegypti control, with a median lethal time (TL50) of 7.5 d compared to ~3 d and ~10 d for BB01 and BB37 strains, respectively. Infected mosquitoes died after GHA and BBPTG4 exposure, and corpses were analyzed for infecting strains detection. Differences among the seven evaluated strains were determined, assessing five different insertion group I intron profiles in BBTG4, BB01, GHA, BB37, and BB02 strains. Mosquitoes infected by BBPTG4 and non-exposed (negative control) intron profiles were obtained. We detected the presence of introns in the BBPTG4 strain, which were not present in non-exposed mosquitoes. In conclusion, B. bassiana strains showed similarities in terms of their cultural and microscopic morphological characteristics and biologicals virulence level, but different intron profiles. BBPTG4 strain-infected Ae. aegypti adult corpses, showing specific amplicons, enabled us to identify B. bassiana at the strain level among infected mosquitoes. However, monitoring and detection of field-infected insects is essential for further verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotavirus is the main cause of acute diarrhea in children up to five years of age. In this regard, probiotics are commonly used to treat or prevent gastroenteritis including viral infections. The anti-rotavirus effect of Bifidobacterium longum and Chlorella sorokiniana, by reducing viral infectivity and improving IFN-type I response, has been previously reported. The present study aimed to study the effect of B. longum and/or C. sorokiniana on modulating the antiviral cellular immune response mediated by IFN-γ, IL-10, SOCS3, STAT1, and STAT2 genes in rotavirus-infected cells. To determine the mRNA relative expression of these genes, HT-29 cells were treated with B. longum and C. sorokiniana alone or in combination, followed by rotavirus infection. In addition, infected cells were treated with B. longum and/or C. sorokiniana. Cellular RNA was purified, used for cDNA synthesis, and amplified by qPCR. Our results demonstrated that the combination of B. longum and C. sorokiniana stimulates the antiviral cellular immune response by upregulating IFN-γ and may block pro-inflammatory cytokines by upregulating IL-10 and SOCS3. The results of our study indicated that B. longum, C. sorokiniana, or their combination improve antiviral cellular immune response and might modulate pro-inflammatory responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beauveria bassiana (B. bassiana) is a significant entomopathogenic fungus (EPF) in agriculture as a sprayable biocontrol agent. It has the potential to be established as an endophyte (ENP) in various crops, resulting in beneficial effects for the host plants, including resistance to pest insects and increased growth and yield. However, it is not known whether a B. bassiana strain has such a favorable impact on the plant, since it is a common soil microorganism. Therefore, techniques that allow strain monitoring will be advantageous. To date, methods for detecting or monitoring a specific EPF strain after external application are scarce. In the present study, an in planta nested PCR technique was standardized to differentiate between three B. bassiana strains (GHA, PTG4, and BB37) established as endophytes in bean plants under laboratory conditions by detecting the insertion profile of four group I introns located in the 28S gene of B. bassiana ribosomal DNA. This technique recognized a distinct pattern of bands of different sizes for each strain, with a sensitivity of 1 pg per 10 ng of plant DNA. This molecular approach may be more effective monitoring B. bassiana strains after application to evaluate their significance on crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Ruta chalepensis is an herb used to treat various ailments, and its potential cytotoxic effects on different tumor cell lines have been extensively studied. The present study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of R. chalepensis methanol extract (RCME), sub-partitions obtained from solvents of increasing polarity, and major compounds, as well as their hemolytic, anti-hemolytic, and antioxidant potential. The in vitro cytotoxic activity against the human hepatocarcinoma (HEP-G2) and the murine lymphoma cell line (L5178Y-R) was evaluated using the colorimetric 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction assay, whereas selectivity indices (SIs) were determined by comparing cytotoxicity against normal African green monkey kidney cells (VERO) and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Hemolytic and anti-hemolytic activities were evaluated on human erythrocytes. The most effective cytotoxic treatment was evaluated for nitric oxide release by J774A.1 macrophages. Antioxidant activity of R. chalepensis material was also determined. Results showed that RCME produced significant (p < 0.05) cytotoxicity in HEP-G2 (IC50 = 1.79 µg/mL) and L5178Y-R (IC50 = 1.60 µg/mL) cells and exhibited high SIs (291.50 and 114.80, respectively). In addition, the n-hexane fraction (RCHF) showed an IC50 of 18.31 µg/mL in HEP-G2 cells and an SI of 9.48 in VERO cells, whereas the chloroform fraction (RCCF) evidenced an IC50 of 1.60 µg/mL in L5178Y-R cells and an SI of 34.27 in PBMC cells. Chalepensin (CHL), rutamarin (RTM), and graveolin (GRV), which are major components of R. chalepensis, showed high activity against L5178Y-R cells, with IC50 of 9.15, 15.13 and SI of 45.08 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, CHL, RTM, and GRV showed SIs of 24.76, 9.98, and 3.52, respectively, when compared with PBMC cells. RCME at concentrations of 125 µg/mL and 250 µg/mL, significantly (p < 0.05) decreased nitrite production in J774A.1 cells, when exposed to lipopolysaccharide. This study demonstrated that RCME showed significant cytotoxic activity against HEP-G2 and L5178Y-R cells, without affecting normal VERO, PBMC, and J774A.1 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]