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Background : Bioactivity assessments of plant-derived products can benefit human and animal health, especially in regions with vast plant diversity. This study focused on chemical and cardiovascular analyses of Erythroxylum campestre A. St. Hil. leaf extracts. Methods : High-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to elucidate the structures of the flavonoids in E. campestre . The E. campestre methanolic fraction (ECM-ppt-M; at doses of 1, 2, 3, and 6 mg∙kg -1 or vehicle) was administered intravenously to normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), and we recorded the mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), renal vascular resistance (RVR), and aortic vascular resistance (AVC). Results : The ECM-ppt-M extract demonstrated significant antihypertensive activity, as evidenced by reductions in MAP, RVR, and AVR, with effects that were particularly pronounced in SHRs. Following the establishment of these cardiovascular effects, phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of glycosylated flavonoids, which are likely contributors to the observed antihypertensive properties of the extract. Conclusions : The notable reductions in MAP and vascular resistance observed with ECM-ppt-M treatment suggest its antihypertensive effect. These findings demonstrate the potential therapeutic value of this extract with regard to the treatment of hypertension. Future studies on ECM may provide a promising therapeutic alternative capable of reducing the risk of toxicity and adverse effects associated with synthetic drugs.

Four novel triterpenoid saponins, 1 α ,3 β ,23-trihydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid 28- O - β -glycopyranoside ester ( 1 ), 1 α ,3 β ,23-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid 28- O - β -glycopyranoside ester ( 2 ), 3- O - β -galloyl-1 α ,23-dihydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic acid 28- O - β -glycopyranoside ester ( 3 ) and 3- O - β -galloyl-1 α ,23-dihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid 28- O - β -glycopyranoside ester ( 4 ) and two new pentacyclic triterpenoids, 3- O - β - trans - p -coumaroyl-1 α -hydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid ( 5 ) and 3- O - β - cis - p -coumaroyl-1 α -hydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid ( 6 ), together with six known compounds were isolated from the ethanolic extracts of Miconia burchellii leaves and stem bark. Their structures were established by HR-MS, 1D and 2D NMR and comparison with literature data. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity of the leaves and stem bark extracts and fractions was evaluated using the micro broth dilution technique. The crude extract, the ethyl acetate and methanol fractions of the stem bark were the most active against the tested bacteria, showing growth inhibition of both Gram-positive ( Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis ) and Gram-negative ( Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report on the antimicrobial activity of M. burchellii.

In this work was described the phytochemical investigation of Machaerium opacum Vogel (Fabaceae) leaves as well as the insecticidal activity of its crude extract and fractions against Atta sexdens Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The phytochemical study led to the identification of α-amyrin, β-amyrin, lupeol, phytol, isomucronulatol and rutin, described for the first time in M. opacum and mucronulatol. Insecticidal activity was assessed by the ingestion of the crude extract and fractions incorporated into an artificial diet at three different concentrations (0.2, 1.0 and 2.0 mg mL -1 ). Statistical analysis revealed that all the samples of M. opacum at all concentrations tested showed significant results when compared to the pure diet control.

Maxillofacial metastases are rare but represent advanced disease progression and a poor prognosis. The primary purpose of this article is to describe a patient with previously diagnosed and treated invasive ductal breast carcinoma who developed a metastatic lesion in the maxillary gingiva. In addition, this article presents a brief literature review of case reports on metastatic breast cancer manifestations in the gingiva. In the present case, a 68-year-old woman had been diagnosed and treated for invasive ductal breast carcinoma. At the 6-month follow-up after treatment for breast cancer, she complained of pain in the right leg and spine, swelling in the right arm associated with redness, and a nodular growth in the maxillary gingiva that was painful, friable, and associated with tooth mobility. Imaging examinations and microscopic analysis of an oral biopsy specimen revealed disease progression to the oral cavity, femur, lung, and brain. Because of the advanced disease, the patient died within a few weeks. The literature review identified 6 articles that reported varied clinical presentations of metastatic breast cancer in the gingiva. Invasive ductal carcinoma was the most common histologic type. Routine dental follow-up of patients with cancer is essential for the identification and diagnosis of oral lesions to ensure early intervention for lesions that may be distant metastases mimicking benign lesions., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest pertaining to any of the topics discussed in this article.

Intraoral stents aim to reduce the oral complications associated with head and neck cancers radiotherapy. The aim of this study is to determine the benefits associated with these devices. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases selecting full articles published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish until June 6, 2020 (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020185065). The studies were evaluated by Hadorn and Somerfield criteria and guidelines were established. Nineteen studies were identified suggesting the use of intraoral stent for radiotherapy for patients with cancer on/near the mandible to reduce oral mucositis, trismus, xerostomia (LoE III), and dose in healthy structures (LoE IV) and for cancer on/near the maxilla to reduce oral mucositis and dose in healthy structures (LoE IV). Despite the limited scientific evidence, several benefits associated with the use of intraoral stent for radiotherapy of the head and neck neoplasia have been reported., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

This work describes the synthesis of three new ruthenium(ii) complexes with gallic acid and derivatives of the general formula [Ru(L)(dppb)(bipy)]PF 6 , where L = gallate (GAC), benzoate (BAC), and esterified-gallate (EGA), bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine and dppb = 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductivity, NMR, cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis and IR spectroscopy, and two of them by X-ray crystallography. Cell viability assays show promising results, indicating higher cytotoxicity of the complexes in MDA-MB-231 cells, a triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line, compared with the hormone-dependent MCF-7 cell line. Studies in vitro with the MDA-MB-231 cell line showed that only Ru(BAC) and Ru(GAC) interacted with BSA. Besides that, the Ru(GAC) complex, which has a polyphenolic acid, interacted in an apo-Tf structure and function dependent manner and it was able to inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species. Ru(GAC) was able to cause damage to the cellular cytoskeleton leading to inhibition of some cellular processes of TNBC cells, such as invasion, migration, and adhesion.

The triple-negative breast cancer subtype (TNBC) is highly aggressive and metastatic and corresponds to 15-20% of diagnosed cases. TNBC treatment is hampered, because these cells usually do not respond to hormonal therapy, and they develop resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. On the other hand, the severe side effects of cisplatin represent an obstacle for its clinical use. Ruthenium (Ru)-based complexes have emerged as promising antitumor and antimetastatic substitutes for cisplatin. In this study, we demonstrated the effects of a Ru/biphosphine complex, containing gallic acid (GA) as a ligand, [Ru(GA)(dppe) 2 ]PF 6 , hereafter called Ru(GA), on a TNBC cell line, and compared them to the effects in a nontumor breast cell line. Ru(GA) complex presented selective cytotoxicity against TNBC over nontumor cells, inhibited its migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis. These effects were associated with the increased amount of transferrin receptors (TfR) on tumor cells, compared to nontumor ones. Silencing of TfR decreased Ru(GA) effects on TNBC cells, demonstrating that these receptors were at least partially responsible for Ru(GA) delivery into tumor cells. The Ru(GA) compound must be further studied in different in vivo assays in order to investigate its antitumor properties and its toxicity in complex biological systems.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising candidates for the development of future antibiotics. In an attempt to increase the efficacy of therapeutic AMPs, computer-based design methods appear as a reliable strategy. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial efficiency and mechanism of action of a novel designed AMP named PaDBS1R1, previously designed by means of the Joker algorithm, using a fragment of the ribosomal protein L39E from the archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum as a template. PaDBS1R1 displayed low micromolar broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative (MIC of 1.5 μM) and Gram-positive (MIC of 3 μM) bacteria, including carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (MIC of 6.25 μM) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MIC of 12.5 μM), without cytotoxicity towards HEK-293 cells. In addition, membrane permeabilization and depolarization assays, combined with time-kill studies and FEG-SEM imaging, indicated a fast membrane permeation and further leakage of intracellular content. Biophysical studies with lipid vesicles show a preference of PaDBS1R1 for Gram-negative bacteria-like membranes. We investigated the three-dimensional structure of PaDBS1R1 by CD and NMR analyses. Our results suggest that PaDBS1R1 adopts an amphipathic α-helix upon interacting with hydrophobic environments, after an initial electrostatic interaction with negative charges, suggesting a membrane lytic effect. This study reveals that PaDBS1R1 has potential application in antibiotic therapy., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)