KA (kojic acid) is a secondary metabolite isolated from Aspergillus fungi that has demonstrated skin whitening, antioxidant and antitumour properties among others. However, limited information is available regarding its effects on macrophages, the major cell involved in cell defence. The aim of the present study was to analyse whether KA affects functional properties related to macrophage activation, such as phagocytosis and spreading ability over a substrate. Treatment of resident macrophages with 50 μg/ml KA for 1 h induced both morphological and physiological alterations in cells. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed enhanced cell spreading and an increase in cell surface exposure, associated with a rearrangement of microtubules, actin filaments and intermediate filaments. KA also potentiated phagocytosis by macrophages, as demonstrated by the increase in phagocytic activity towards yeast, when compared to untreated cells. KA increased the production of ROS (reactive oxygen species), but not NO (nitric oxide) production. Three tests were used to assess cell viability; MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide], NR (neutral red) uptake and PI (propidium iodide) exclusion test, which showed that macrophages maintain their viability following KA treatment. Results indicate that KA can modulate macrophage activation through cytoskeleton rearrangement, increase cell surface exposure, enhance the phagocytic process and ROS production. The study demonstrates a new role for KA as a macrophage activator.

Kojic acid (KA) is a fungal metabolite used as a topical treatment skin-whitening cosmetic agent for melasma in humans; however its potential as an anti-leishmanial agent is unknown. Chemotherapy is one of the most effective treatments for Leishmaniasis. However, the drugs available are expensive, invasive, require long-term treatment and have severe side effects. Thus, the development of new effective leishmanicidal agents is a necessity. In this study we investigated the anti-leishmanial effect of KA on L. amazonensis, following in vitro and in vivo infections. KA (50 μg/mL) was found to decrease the growth by 62% (IC50 34 μg/mL) and 79% (IC50 27.84 μg/mL) of promastigotes and amastigotes in vitro, respectively. Ultrastructural analysis of KA-treated amastigotes showed the presence of vesicles bodies into the flagellar pocket, and an intense intracellular vacuolization and swelling of the mitochondrion. During the in vitro interaction of parasites and the host cell, KA reverses the superoxide anions (O2 -) inhibitory mechanism promoted by parasite. In addition, 4 weeks after KA-topical formulation treatment of infected animals, a healing process was observed with a high production of collagen fibers and a decrease in parasite burden. Thus, these results demonstrated the great potential of KA as an anti-leishmanial compound.

Amostras de cabelo foram utilizadas como bioindicador para avaliar os níveis de As, Cd, Pb e Hg na população residente na área "Volta Grande" do rio Xingu, no Norte do Brasil. As concentrações de As e Cd estão de acordo com os valores encontrados na literatura, no entanto, foram encontrados valores anômalos de Pb e Hg , o que pode sugerir uma variação inter-regional. Os elevados valores encontrados de Pb e Hg, em cabelos de moradores da Ilha do Canteiro, podem ser atribuídos à exposição ambiental das famílias, por estarem em uma área ambiental impactada pela mineração de ouro. A aplicação dos métodos de estatística multivariada mostrou que a concentração dos metais, estudados neste trabalho, pode ser classificatória entre pessoas de localidades diferentes do município de Altamira. Os resultados neste trabalho refletem o impacto ambiental destes elementos sobre a saúde dos habitantes desta área de garimpagem de ouro.Human hair was used as a bioindicator to evaluate the levels of As, Cd, Pb and Hg in the resident population of the "Volta Grande" area of the Xingu river, in the North of Brazil. The concentrations of As and Cd are in agreement with the values found in the literature, however, the Pb and Hg concentration is very different, which can suggest an inter-regional variation. Moreover, the high values found for these elements in the residents of the Canteiro Island can be attributed to environmental exposure of this population in an area with environmental impact from activities of gold mining. The application of these methods showed that the concentrations of the metals studied in this work can correctly classify two different localities in the Altamira district. The results reflect the impact of these elements on the health of the inhabitants of this auriferous area.Keywords: arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, hair, Altamira, environmental, chemometric methods, multivariate statistics IntroductionThe Amazon region possesses one of the biggest hydrographic basins of our planet. The construction of a hydroelectric dam in Monte Belo, Pará state, will help to resolve some of Brazil´s energy demand. However, its construction points to conflicts with respect to the socialeconomics of the environment and of the population living in Altamira and in other localities near the "Volta grande" area of the Xingu river, in the North of Brazil.The exploitation of hydroeletric energy implies a significant environmental impact that can not be neglected. The formation of the accumulation basin behind the dam will provoke flooding of the forests, the disappearance of important fauna from the submersed area as well as land used for agriculture, and villages and towns with traditional and cultural knowledge. The dam will also provoke displacement of the population, changes in the quality of the water, increases in production of gaseous carbon compounds (CO 2 , CH 4 ) and, nitrogen compounds) and other disruptions. 1,2All these environmental factors modify the biodisponibility of the metals in the aquatic environment and modifies...

Federal do Pará. Av. Augusto Correa, s/n-Guamá. Belém, Pará, Brasil. RESUMO: Óleo de Copaifera multijuga Hayne, in natura e as frações foram avaliadas quanto às atividades fungitóxicas in vitro, frente a cinco espécies de fungos filamentosos do gênero Aspergillus e três espécies de leveduras do gênero Candida. Concentrações de óleo resina e de óleo essencial na faixa de 0,08 mg mL -1 a 1,6 mg mL -1 foram usadas para as análises qualitativa e quantitativas. As amostras foram dispostas sobre discos de papel de 5 mm de diâmetro e distribuídos sobre o meio Saboraud em placas de Petri, inoculadas com esporos dos microorganismos e incubadas a 28ºC durante 10 dias. Utilizou-se solução com 1,6 mg mL -1 de nitrato de miconazol como controle positivo. Os resultados qualitativos mostraram que o óleo resina apresentou boa atividade fungistática, porém uma das frações do óleo essencial se mostrou altamente efetiva contra Candida parapsilosis IOC-2882, Aspergillus flavus IOC-3874 e A tamarii IOC-187 com halos de inibição de 16,0±1,4 mm, 19,5±2,1 mm e 12,5±3,5 mm, respectivamente. Já a avaliação quantitativa mostrou que 0,3 mg mL -1 do óleo resina inibiu o crescimento de A. flavus e C. parapsilosis, enquanto que 0,08 mg mL -1 da fração do óleo essencial atingiu esta mesma atividade. Palavras-chave: Copaifera multijuga, óleo essencial, atividade antifúngico, Aspergillus, Candida ABTRACT:In vitro fungitoxic effect of the oil-resin and the essential oil of copaiba (Copaifera multijuga Hayne). Copaifera multijuga Hayne oil, crude and fractions, was evaluated for its in vitro fungitoxic activities against five species of filamentous fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus and three yeast species of the genus Candida. Oil-resin and essential oil concentrations ranging from 0.008 mg mL -1 to 1.6 mg mL -1 were used in qualitative and quantitative analyses. Samples were placed onto 5mm-diameter paper disks and distributed on Saboraud culture medium in Petri dishes inoculated with conidia and incubated at 28ºC during 10 days. A solution with 1.6 mg mL -1 of miconazole nitrate was used as positive control. Qualitative results indicated that the oil-resin presented good fungistatic activity; however, one of the essential oil fractions was highly effective against Candida parapsilosis IOC-2882, Aspergillus flavus IOC-3874 and A. tamarii IOC-187, with inhibition halos of 16.0±1.4 mm, 19.5±2.1 mm and 12.5±3.5 mm, respectively. The quantitative evaluation indicated that 0.3 mg mL -1 of the oil-resin inhibited Aspergillus flavus and Candida parapsilosis growth, whereas 0.08 mg mL -1 of the essential oil fraction reached this same activity.