Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Since the treatment of this disease currently relies on a single drug, praziquantel, new and safe schistosomicidal agents are urgently required. Nerolidol, a sesquiterpene present in the essential oils of several plants, is found in many foods and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In this study we analysed the in vitro antiparasitic effect of nerolidol on Schistosoma mansoni adult worms. Nerolidol at concentrations of 31.2 and 62.5 μM reduced the worm motor activity and caused the death of all male and female schistosomes, respectively. In addition, confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed morphological alterations on the tegument of worms such as disintegration, sloughing and erosion of the surface, and a correlation between viability and tegumental damage was observed. In conclusion, nerolidol may be a promising lead compound for the development of antischistosomal natural agents.

Os antioxidantes podem ser de grande benefício para a melhoria da qualidade de vida, já que eles têm a capacidade de proteger um organismo dos danos causados pelos radicais livres, prevenindo ou adiando o início de várias doenças. Uma das técnicas atualmente utilizada para detectar a presença de compostos antioxidantes, é um método baseado na eliminação do radical livre estável 1,1-difenil-2-picrilhidrazil (DPPH•). Este método é considerado fácil, preciso, rápido, simples, e econômico, sendo adequado para a determinação da capacidade antioxidante de substâncias puras e misturas. O objetivo deste artigo de revisão é fornecer informações sobre esse método. A pesquisa foi realizada usando o termo radical DPPH•, capacidade antioxidante-DPPH• e método DPPH• em periódicos, tais como: Pubmed, Wiley Online Library, ACS Publications, SpringerLink e ScinceDirect até janeiro de 2014.

Background: Central nervous system disorders such as anxiety, depression and epilepsy are characterized by sharing several molecular mechanisms in common and the involvement of the L-arginine/NO pathway in neurobehavioral studies with β-caryophyllene is still little discussed. Objectives: One of the objectives of the present study was to demonstrate the anxiolytic behavioral effect of β-caryophyllene (β-CBP) in female Swiss mice, as well as to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the results obtained. Methods: This study evaluated the neurobehavioral effects of β-CBP using the open field test, rota-rod test, elevated plus maze test, novelty suppressed feeding test, tail suspension test and forced swim test, as well as pilocarpine, pentylenetetrazole and isoniazid-induced epileptic seizure models. Results:: The results demonstrated that the neuropharmacological activities of β-CBP may involve benzodiazepine/GABAergic receptors, since the pre-treatment of β-CBP (200 mg/kg) associated with flumazenil (5 mg/kg, benzodiazepine receptor antagonist) and bicuculline (1 mg/kg, selective GABAA receptor antagonist) reestablished the anxiety parameters in the elevated plus-maze test, as well as the results of reduced latency to consume food in the novelty suppressed feeding test. In addition to benzodiazepine/GABAergic receptors, the neuropharmacological properties of β-CBP may be related to inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis, since pre-treatment with L-arginine (500- 750 mg/kg) reversed significantly the anxiolytic, antidepressant and anticonvulsant activities of β-CBP. Conclusion: The results obtained provide additional support in understanding the neuromolecular mechanisms underlying the anxiolytic, antidepressant and anticonvulsive properties of β-CBP in female Swiss mice.