ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to verify whether enalapril and captopril would reverse the renal damage caused by N-methylglucamine antimoniate in C57BL/6 mice. We used inbred C57BL/6 female mice, obtained from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Salvador, BA. The mice were divided into four groups as follows: Group1: received saline by the intramuscular (IM) route; Group 2: received N-methylglucamine antimonate (IM); Group 3: received N-methylglucamine antimoniate and captopril; Group 4: was treated with N-methylglucamine antimoniate and enalapril. Both enalapril and captopril were orally administered in drinking water (ad libitum). After 30 days of treatment, the animals were sacrificed and their kidneys were collected for histological analysis which showed that enalapril completely reversed the edema, the podocytes hyperplasia and nucleus of the epithelial cells in the proximal convoluted tubules caused by N-methylglucamine antimoniate. On the other hand, the captopril treatment partially inhibited kidney harmful effects caused by N-metilgucamina antimoniate. Taken together, we would conclude that enalapril and captopril reverse edema and renalhyperplasia caused by N-methylglucamine antimonate in mice.

Keratinases are enzymes of great importance involved in pathogenic processes of some fungi. They also have a widespread ecological role since they are responsible for the degradation and recycling of keratin. On the one hand, studying them furthers our knowledge of pathogenicity mechanisms, which has important implications for human health, and on the other hand, understanding their ecological role in keratin recycling has biotechnological potential. Here, a wild-type keratinolytic Candida parapsilosis strain isolated from a poultry farm was treated with ethyl methanesulfonate in order to generate mutants with increased keratinase activity. Mutants were then cultured on media with keratin extracted from chicken feathers as the sole source of nitrogen and carbon. Approximately 500 mutants were screened and compared with the described keratinolytic wild type. Three strains, H36, I7 and J5, showed enhanced keratinase activity. The wild-type strain produced 80 U/mL of keratinolytic activity, strain H36 produced 110 U/mL, strain I7, 130 U/mL, and strain J5, 140 U/mL. A 70% increase in enzyme activity was recorded for strain J5. Enzymatic activity was evaluated by zymograms with proteic substrates. A peptidase migrating at 100 kDa was detected with keratin, bovine serum albumin and casein. In addition, a peptidase with a molecular mass of 50 kDa was observed with casein in the wild-type strain and in mutants H36 and J5. Gelatinase activity was detected at 60 kDa. A single band of 35 kDa was found in wild-type C. parapsilosis and in mutants with hemoglobin substrate.

This study was made with the objective of realize a morphological evaluation of Santa Inês like ovines using the factorial analysis. Twenty two sheeps were used: 12 ewes and 10 rams. The measurements were taken every fifteen days, after the animals reached the average live weight of 26.8 ± 5.2 kg and were 4.5 months old. The following variables were measured: withers height, hindquarters height, back height; body length, hindquarters length, back length, scrotum length; hindquarters width, breast width; scrotal perimeter and thoracic perimeter. The factorial analysis was used in order to verify the existence of main relationships among morphometric measurements. Five factors were found and their respective communalities. The factorial analysis was efficient to group the linear measurements made ease the visualization of the main relationships among morphological measurements. These results can be of great importance in the determination of body attributes of sheep in both reproduction and meat production.

Objetivou-se, neste estudo, realizar a avaliação morfológica de ovinos tipo Santa Inês, adotando-se a análise fatorial. Foram utilizados 22 carneiros, 12 fêmeas e 10 machos inteiros. As medidas foram feitas, quinzenalmente, quando os animais atingiram peso vivo médio de 26,8 ± 5,2 kg e uma faixa etária de 4,5 meses. Foram medidos: altura da cernelha, da garupa e do costado; comprimento do corpo, da garupa, do dorso e escrotal; largura de garupa, do peito e púbis; perímetro escrotal e torácico. A analise fatorial foi empregada para verificar a existência de relações importantes entre as medidas morfométricas. Foram obtidos 5 fatores e as respectivas comunalidades. A análise fatorial foi eficiente em agrupar as medidas lineares, facilitando a visualização de relações importantes entre as medidas morfométricas, o que pode ser de grande importância para a determinação dos atributos corporais de carneiros destinados à reprodução e recria.