Abstract:The search for more effective and lower cost therapeutic approaches for wound healing remains a challenge for modern medicine. In the search for new therapeutic options, plants and their metabolites are a great source of novel biomolecules. Among their constituents, the monoterpenes represent 90% of essential oils, and have a variety of structures with several activities such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and wound healing. Based on that, and also due to the lack of reviews concerning the wound-healing activity of monoterpenes, we performed this systematic review-which provides an overview of their characteristics and mechanisms of action. In this search, the terms "terpenes", "monoterpenes", "wound healing" and "wound closure techniques" were used to retrieve articles published in LILACS, PUBMED and EMBASE until May 2013. Seven papers were found concerning the potential wound healing effect of five compouds (three monoterpenes and two iridoid derivatives) in preclinical studies. Among the products used for wound care, the films were the most studied pharmaceutical form. Monoterpenes are a class of compounds of great diversity of biological activities and therapeutic potential. The data reviewed here suggest that monoterpenes, although poorly studied in this context, are promising compounds for the treatment of chronic wound conditions.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by chronic non-inflammatory widespread pain (CWP) and changes in sympathetic function. In attempt to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms of FM we used a well-established CWP animal model. We aimed to evaluate changes in cardiac autonomic balance and baroreflex function in response to CWP induction in rats. CWP was induced by two injections of acidic saline (pH 4.0, n=8) five days apart into the left gastrocnemius muscle. Control animals were injected twice with normal saline (pH 7.2, n=6). One day after the second injection of acidic saline or normal saline, the animals had pulse interval (PI) and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) variability, and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) evaluated. After induction of CWP, there was an increase of power in the low frequency (LF) band of PI spectrum (12.75 ± 1.04 nu), a decrease in the high frequency (HF) band (87.25 ± 1.04 nu) and an increase of LF/HF ratio (0.16 ± 0.01), when compared to control animals (7.83 ± 1.13 nu LF; 92.16 ± 1.13 nu HF; 0.08 ± 0.01 LF/HF). In addition, there was an increase of power in the LF band of SAP spectrum (7.93 ± 1.39 mmHg2) when compared to control animals (2.97 ± 0.61 mmHg2). BRS was lower in acidic saline injected rats (0.59 ± 0.06 ms/mmHg) when compared to control animals (0.71 ± 0.03 ms/mmHg). Our results showed that induction of CWP in rats shifts cardiac sympathovagal balance towards sympathetic predominance and decreases BRS. These data corroborate findings in humans with FM.
Resistance training is one of the most common kind of exercise used nowadays. Long-term high-intensity resistance training are associated with deleterious effects on vascular adjustments. On the other hand, is unclear whether low-intensity resistance training (LI-RT) is able to induce systemic changes in vascular tone. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effects of chronic LI-RT on endothelial nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability of mesenteric artery and cardiovascular autonomic modulation in healthy rats. Wistar animals were divided into two groups: exercised (Ex) and sedentary (SED) rats submitted to the resistance (40% of 1RM) or fictitious training for 8 weeks, respectively. After LI-RT, hemodynamic measurements and cardiovascular autonomic modulation by spectral analysis were evaluated. Vascular reactivity, NO production and protein expression of endothelial and neuronal nitric oxide synthase isoforms (eNOS and nNOS, respectively) were evaluated in mesenteric artery. In addition, cardiac superoxide anion production and ventricle morphological changes were also assessed. In vivo measurements revealed a reduction in mean arterial pressure and heart rate after 8 weeks of LI-RT. In vitro studies showed an increased acetylcholine (ACh)-induced vasorelaxation and greater NOS dependence in Ex than SED rats. Hence, decreased phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction was found in Ex rats. Accordingly, LI-RT increased the NO bioavailability under basal and ACh stimulation conditions, associated with upregulation of eNOS and nNOS protein expression in mesenteric artery. Regarding autonomic control, LI-RT increased spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity, which was associated to reduction in both, cardiac and vascular sympathetic modulation. No changes in cardiac superoxide anion or left ventricle morphometric parameters after LI-RT were observed. In summary, these results suggest that RT promotes beneficial vascular adjustments favoring augmented endothelial NO bioavailability and reduction of sympathetic vascular modulation, without evidence of cardiac overload.
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