Abstract This study was carried out to determine the toxicity and biochemical and morphophysiological changes caused by Serjania erecta leaf aqueous extract in pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus). For acute toxicity testing (CL50-4h), pacu juveniles were exposed during 4 h to Serjania erecta aqueous extract concentrations of 2.5, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 150 µg mL-1, which were added directly to the water in the tanks. In the control group, the animals were kept in water free from aqueous extract. CL50-4 h was estimated at 57.43 µg mL-1. After exposure to the aqueous extract, the highest (P<0.05) glucose concentration and the lowest (P<0.05) plasma sodium level were when the fish were exposed to the S. erecta concentration of 50 µg mL-1. Mortality occurred at S. erecta extract levels higher than 50 μg mL-1, and all fish died at concentrations greater than 100 μg mL-1. In addition, exposure to this extract caused severe histological changes in the gills and liver with higher prevalence of necrosis (30.2%), and fatty degeneration (77.4%) respectively. At the concentrations tested here, S. erecta aqueous extract causes morphofunctional alterations in this fish species.

ABSTRACT Wasps are a diverse group of insects that possess a sting apparatus associated with a venom gland, which is used for predation and colony defense. The biochemistry of Hymenoptera venom has been evaluated in relation to allergy and immunology, and proteomics has been shown to be a powerful tool for the identification of compounds with pharmacological potential. Data on wasps venom the of genus Apoica are scarce, so the objective of the present work was to identify the venom proteins of the eusocial wasp Apoica pallens, as a first step towards further investigation of applied uses of the venom and its protein constituents. The venom proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, followed by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. A total of 259 spots were detected, with molecular weights from 4.9 to 141 kDa. Thirty of these proteins were identified and classified into eight functional categories: allergen, enzyme, metabolism, structural, environmental response, proteoglycan, active in DNA and RNA, and unknown function. Due to the few available proteomic data for wasp venom, many proteins could not be identified, which makes studies with proteomic analysis of Hymenoptera venom even more important.

ABSTRACT The constant use of chemical insecticides for Aedes aegypti control has caused resistance in the mosquito populations. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the larvicidal potential of extracts and fractions of plants on A. aegypti larvae. The analysis included sixty one extracts and twenty five fractions of fifty botanical species at concentrations of 0.25; 0.12; 0.06 to 0.03 mg mL-1; 4 replications and one negative control of dechlorinate water and 1% DMSO; and a positive control with rotenone. The toxicity index in descending order with LC50 for the most active of the extracts selected were ethanol extract of Ormosea arborea (0.111 mg mL-1) seeds and ethanol extracts of leaves such as Piper hispidum (0.169 mg mL-1), Solanum variabile (0.188 mg mL-1), O. arborea (0.238 mg mL-1), Turnera umifolia (0.242 mg mL-1) and Piper hispidum (0.567 mg mL-1). For plant fractions, the most active were chloroform (0.192 mg mL-1) and hexane (0.342 mg mL-1) P. aduncum leaves, hexane fraction (0.415 mg mL-1) and methanol extract (0.625 mg mL-1) of Spermacocea latifolia leaves. Regarding the extract of T. umifolia single species, there is no bibliographic report on their degree of efficiency as an insecticide.

ABSTRACT Guavira fruits have antimicrobial, antioxidant, antinociceptive, and anti-inflammatory activities. Spray drying has been widely used in the food industry presenting good retention in bioactive compounds used to transform the pulp/fruit juice into powder form. Therefore, the present study has evaluated the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of the microencapsulated pulp of Campomanesia adamantium (Cambess.) O.Berg, Myrtaceae, by spray drying. Different groups of mice were treated with the doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg of microencapsulated "guavira" pulp and inflammatory parameters were assessed in a carrageenan paw edema-model and leukocyte migration with pleurisy model, while the antinociceptive activity was assessed using the formalin method and CFA-induced hyperalgesia model. A significant reduction in leukocyte migration and in paw edema was observed in rodents in all time after carrageenan injection for both doses of microencapsulated pulp of C. adamantium when compared with control group. Microencapsulated pulp of C. adamantium also reduced licking time at the first (nociceptive) and second (inflammatory) phases in the formalin model. In CFA-induced cold and mechanical hyperalgesia, depressive behavior, and knee edema, all parameters analyzed were significantly inhibited by microencapsulated pulp of C. adamantium. Microencapsulation by spray drying proved to be a technique that promotes bioavailability and the preservation of bioactive components in guavira pulp.

Inflammatory and genetic alterations are related to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer. Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, Anacardiaceae, is used in folk medicine to treat inflammation, wounds and tumors. This study evaluated the anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, chemopreventive, and wound healing potentials of the methanolic extract from the leaves of Schinus terebinthifolius. The chemical composition of the extract was characterized using preliminary analytical LC methods. The results showed that the anti-inflammatory activity of the methanolic extract was similar to that of dexamethasone for edema reduction. Also, it inhibited the leukocyte migration into the air pouch and decreased plasma extravasation. In addition, the methanolic extract showed a healing action similar to that observed with collagenase. The methanolic extract is not genotoxic nor mutagenic, and in contrast it has chemopreventive activity, which elicits a high percentage of damage reduction by comet and micronucleus assay, preferably by bioantimutagenic action. The methanolic extract induced apoptosis and enhanced splenic phagocytosis in animals treated with cyclophosphamide. The methanolic extract contents, resolved by LC, include phenolic acid and flavonoids. Our results suggest a therapeutic potential for the methanolic extract.