Publications by authors named "Nara L M Quintao"

Calophyllum brasiliense is employed in folk medicine as an analgesic and to treat inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of C. brasiliense leaves' methanol extract, fractions, and the isolated compound amentoflavone.

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Cancer is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide and conventional chemotherapy frequently induce irreversible adverse effects in patients. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common adverse effect of both paclitaxel (PTX) and oxaliplatin (OXA) chemotherapies, affecting approximately 30-50% of patients. As cancer survival rates have improved, the efforts of scientific community to develop new strategies for preventing CIPN are also growing.

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Weeds are a concern in agriculture and the use of herbicides constitutes an effective, efficient, and economical way to control their growth. Recent discoveries of herbicides are promising for the management of resistant weeds. However, there is a gap in the knowledge of the toxic effects of some herbicides previously reported on immune cells.

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Pyrazolines are compounds that have been studied for their strong biological potential and structure diversity. Several studies demonstrated their biological effectiveness, highlighting their anti-inflammatory potential. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical profile, the safety, and the anti-inflammatory effects of four pyrazolines (PH0, PH3, PH4, and PH7).

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Article Synopsis
  • Oxaliplatin, a chemotherapy drug, can cause a painful condition called oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN), and this study examines the role of T-type calcium channels in this process.
  • The research involved chronic treatment of mice with oxaliplatin to assess their pain responses and changes in calcium channel expression, while also testing the effects of specific channel blockers on cold sensitivity.
  • Results indicated that T-type channels contribute to both mechanical and cold hypersensitivity differently in male and female mice, suggesting that targeting these channels might help manage OIPN pain without causing additional cold sensitivity issues.
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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Tagetes erecta L. (Asteraceae), popularly known as Aztec Marigold, is used in folk medicine to treat several ailments including inflammatory processes. Despite its historical use, the specific mechanisms through which it may modulate inflammation, particularly its effects on neutrophils and macrophages activation, have not yet been completely investigated.

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Peripheral neuropathy is an important adverse effect caused by some chemotherapeutic agents, including oxaliplatin (OXA). OXA-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) is a challenging condition due to diagnostic complexities and a lack of effective treatment. In this study, we investigated the antiallodynic effect of β-caryophyllene (BCP), a cannabinoid type 2 (CB2) receptor agonist, in a mouse model of OIPN.

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Article Synopsis
  • Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) affects a significant percentage of patients receiving paclitaxel, leading researchers to explore TZD-A1, a new potential treatment.
  • The study involved various analyses to assess TZD-A1's interaction with PPARγ, its safety, and its effects on CIPN in mice, revealing a positive safety profile and effective reduction of neuropathy symptoms.
  • Results suggest that TZD-A1 mitigates the negative effects of paclitaxel by preventing neuroinflammation and mitochondrial damage, making it a promising candidate for enhancing the quality of life in cancer patients.
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Sugar-induced metabolic imbalances are a major health problem since an excessive consumption of saccharides has been linked to greater obesity rates at a global level. Sucrose, a disaccharide composed of 50% glucose and 50% fructose, is commonly used in the food industry and found in a range of fast, restaurant, and processed foods. Herein, we investigated the effects of a TRPC4/TRPC5 blocker, ML204, in the metabolic imbalances triggered by early exposure to sucrose-enriched diet in mice.

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The ostrich oil (OO) has been topically used for decades to treat skin diseases. Its oral use has been encouraged through e-commerce advertising several health benefits to OO without scientific evidence on its safety or effectiveness. This study presents the chromatographic profile of a commercially available OO and its acute and 28-day repeated dose in vivo toxicological profiles.

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is a genus widespread in South America with many species presenting anti-inflammatory and biological properties. We investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of crude hydroalcoholic extract of leaves (CHE-MP) using macrophages (RAW 264.7), and the air pouch model in mice to evaluate leukocyte migration and mediator's release.

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The lack of sensitive and robust behavioral assessments of pain in preclinical models has been a major limitation for both pain research and the development of novel analgesics. Here, we demonstrate a novel data acquisition and analysis platform that provides automated, quantitative, and objective measures of naturalistic rodent behavior in an observer-independent and unbiased fashion. The technology records freely behaving mice, in the dark, over extended periods for continuous acquisition of 2 parallel video data streams: (1) near-infrared frustrated total internal reflection for detecting the degree, force, and timing of surface contact and (2) simultaneous ongoing video graphing of whole-body pose.

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Although traditional use of elderberry flowers is recognized by Medical Agencies, there are not suitable products on the Brazilian market. To overcome poor stability of tinctures of flowers, we aimed to develop spray dried microparticles. Statistical experimental design was applied taking inlet temperature and maltodextrin% at five different levels.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Sambucus nigra L. is a plant of European origin and popularly known as elder, elderberry, black elder, European elder, European elderberry, and European black elderberry, being described in pharmacopoeia of several countries. Its flowers and berries have been used in folk medicine to treat feverish conditions, coughing, nasal congestion, and influenza besides its popular use as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and diuretic agent.

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Background: (Mart.) Bohs is a native Brazilian plant belonging to the Solanaceae family, popularly known as "tomatinho do mato" and poorly investigated. Herein, we presented for the first time evidence for the anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities of fruit hydroalcoholic extract.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Synadenium grantii Hook. f., popularly known as "janaúba" or "leiterinha", is used in the folk medicine to treat gastric disorders, some types of neoplasias and inflammatory diseases.

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Isocordoin (1), a chalcone isolated from different plants, has been found to present a range of interesting biological properties. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-hypersensitive and anti-inflammatory effects of isocordoin (1) and several natural and semisynthetic derivatives (2-10). Initial evaluation of (1), dihydroisocordoin (2) and six semisynthetic derivatives (3-8) in the inhibition of abdominal writhes induced by acetic acid model showed that only isocordoin dimethylether (5) caused more than 70% of inhibition.

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Chalcones present potential therapeutic activities reported on literature, which led us to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects and the acute toxicity of 2',6'-dihydroxy-4'-methoxydihydrochalcone (DHMDC) using in vitro and in vivo models. The anti-inflammatory activity was firstly in vitro investigated using macrophages (RAW 264.7) and neutrophils previously treated with DHMCD activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

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Taxane-derived drugs are antineoplastic agents used for the treatment of highly common malignancies. Paclitaxel and docetaxel are the most commonly used taxanes; however, other drugs and formulations have been used, such as cabazitaxel and nab-paclitaxel. Taxane treatment is associated with neurotoxicity, a well-known and relevant side effect, very prevalent amongst patients undergoing chemotherapy.

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Article Synopsis
  • Intestinal mucositis is a harmful side effect caused by cancer treatments like irinotecan, leading to significant mucosal damage; this research explores luteolin as a possible preventive treatment.
  • In mouse experiments, luteolin demonstrated effectiveness in reducing symptoms of mucositis, including weight loss and diarrhoea, while also protecting intestinal tissue from damage and oxidative stress.
  • The study concludes that luteolin could enhance cancer treatment by preventing intestinal mucositis without affecting the effectiveness of irinotecan, potentially improving patient compliance and outcomes in cancer therapy.
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Chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (CINP) is one of the most severe side effects of anticancer agents, such as platinum- and taxanes-derived drugs (oxaliplatin, cisplatin, carboplatin and paclitaxel). CINP may even be a factor of interruption of treatment and consequently increasing the risk of death. Besides that, it is important to take into consideration that the incidence of cancer is increasing worldwide, including colorectal, gastric, lung, cervical, ovary and breast cancers, all treated with the aforementioned drugs, justifying the concern of the medical community about the patient's quality of life.

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Garcinia humilis is popularly used to treat digestive, intestinal and inflammatory illness. We investigated the in vivo and in vitro effects of the methanol extract of G. humilis leaves (MEGh) on inflammatory cells behavior (migration and chemical mediators release) and hypersensitivity.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The leaves of Eugenia species are widely used in popular medicine to treat several diseases, such as arthritis, rheumatism and diabetes. Eugenia umbelliflora O. Berg is popularly known in Brazil as "baguaçu", name also conferred to Eugenia jambolana probably due to their apparent similarity.

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