Several treatments for skin whitening are available today, but few of them are completely adequate, especially owing to the carcinogenic potential attributed to classical drugs like hydroquinone, arbutin and kojic acid. To provide an alternative and safer technology for whitening, we developed two botanical compounds originated from Brazilian biodiversity, an extract of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi and a linoleic acid fraction isolated from Passiflora edulis oil. The whitening effect of these compounds was assessed using biochemical assays and in vitro models including cellular assays and equivalent skin. The results showed that S. terebinthifolius Raddi extract is able to reduce the tyrosinase activity in vitro, and the combination of this extract with linoleic acid is able to decrease the level of melanin produced by B16 cells cultured with melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Furthermore, melanin was also reduced in human reconstituted epidermis (containing melanocytes) treated with the compounds. The combination of the compounds may provide a synergistic positive whitening effect rather than their isolated use. Finally, we demonstrated that the performance of these mixed compounds is comparable to classical molecules used for skin whitening, as kojic acid. This new natural mixture could be considered an alternative therapeutic agent for treating hyperpigmentation and an effective component in whitening cosmetics.
Fungal endophytes of Brachiaria, a nonhost of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, may harbor species with antagonistic effects against this plant pathogen. The objective of this work was to investigate the diversity of endophytic fungi associated with different Brachiaria species and hybrids and evaluate their potential to inhibit the plant pathogen S. sclerotiorum. Stem samples from 39 Brachiaria spp. plants were collected in pasture fields and experimental areas of three states of Brazil resulting in 74 endophytes isolated. Twenty-eight species were identified by sequences of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and 18S rDNA regions. Paraconiothyrium sp. was the most abundant endophyte, accounting for 24 % (14 isolates) of total, and it was isolated from B. ruziziensis, B. decumbens, B. humidicola, and B. brizantha. Phoma sorghina was the second most abundant taxon, followed by Sarocladium strictum, and Plenodomus sp. In vitro analyses showed that Paraconiothyrium sp., Sarocladium kiliense, Acremonium curvulum, Setophoma terrestris, Dissoconium sp., and Cladosporium flabelliforme exhibited antagonistic activity against S. sclerotiorum, with percentages of growth inhibition ranging from 25 to 60 (p < 0.05). Paraconiothyrium sp. BBXE1 (60 %), BBPB4.1 (60 %), BCMT4.1 (54 %), and S. kiliense (54 %) showed the highest values of Antagonism Percentages (AP). Therefore, fungi with inhibitory activity against S. sclerotiorum such as Paraconiothyrium sp. are naturally endophytic in Brachiaria grasses. Sampling Brachiaria plants Thirty-nine disease-free plants of different species and hybrids of Brachiaria were sampled: B. ruziziensis; B. decumbens cv. Basilisk; B. mutica cv. Angola; hybrid cv. Mulato I and cv. Mulato II; B. humidicola common, cv. Llanero and cv. Tupi; B. brizantha cv. Piatã, cv. Xaraés, and cv. Marandu, in which 11 were collected from pasture fields and 28 from experimental plots. The samples were collected during the rainy and dry seasons from
Natural habitat was the area with the highest number of endophytic fungi genera recovered from E. erythropappus Some genera of endophytic fungi from E. erythropappus showed antagonism against phytopathogenic fungi The most of the endophytic fungi isolated from E. erythropappus belong to the Ascomycota phylum S. sclerotiorum was the most sensitive phytopathogen inhibited by endophytic fungi isolated from E.
The selection of efficient rhizobia for the inoculation of velvet bean may increase the use of this plant as green manure, maximizing the addition of nitrogen (N) to the crop. This study aimed to select rhizobia that nodulate velvet bean more efficiently than do strains currently recommended and for the potential of rhizobia to compose an inoculant. A greenhouse experiment evaluated 39 strains using non-sterile soil and was followed by a field experiment with the five most effective strains under field conditions on a dystrocohesive Yellow Argisol. Both experiments included non-inoculated and inoculated treatments with currently recommended strains and N-fertilized controls. Nodules, root and shoot dry mass, shoot N concentration and accumulation and relative efficiency were evaluated. The N dose corresponding to the shoot dry mass increase of the inoculated plants was also estimated. Under field conditions, the plants inoculated with the strains T2.19A and T1.17M had a shoot N concentration similar to that from the application of 80 kg ha -1 N, and the N concentration was significantly higher that of the other treatments; additionally, the N accumulation was significantly higher than that of the control (112 and 104% for the two strains, respectively), the recommended strain mixture inoculation (99 and 91%, respectively) and the mineral N application (58 and 52%, respectively). Inoculation with T2.19A and T1.17M presented promising results, showing the potential of these strains for recommendation and inoculation of velvet bean.Index terms: Green manure; efficient rhizobia; biological nitrogen fixation. RESUMOA seleção de rizóbios eficientes para inoculação em mucuna preta pode aumentar o uso dessa leguminosa como adubo verde, maximizando o incremento de nitrogênio (N) na cultura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi selecionar rizóbios que nodulam mucuna preta com eficiência superior às estirpes atualmente recomendadas, com potencial para compor um inoculante. Um experimento em casa de vegetação avaliou 39 estirpes em solo não esterilizado, seguido de um experimento de campo com as cinco estirpes mais efetivas sob condições de campo em um argisolo amarelo distrocoeso. Ambos os experimentos incluíram a inoculação com as estirpes atualmente recomendadas, sem inoculação e os controles fertilizados com N, avaliando-se assim os nódulos, a massa seca da raiz e da parte aérea, a concentração e acúmulo de N da parte aérea e eficiência relativa. A dose de N correspondente ao ganho de massa seca da parte aérea das plantas inoculadas foi também estimada. Em condições de campo, as plantas inoculadas com os isolados T2.19A e T1.17M tiveram concentração de N na parte aérea similar a aplicação de 80 kg ha -1 de N e significativamente superior aos demais tratamentos. Além disso, o acúmulo de N foi significativamente superior ao controle (112 e 104%), à inoculação com a mistura das estirpes recomendadas (99 e 91%) e à aplicação de nitrogênio mineral (58 e 52%), respectivamente. A inoculação com as estirpes T2.19A e T1.17M apr...
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