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BackgroundEmerging evidence has shown that miRNAs are involved in human carcinogenesis as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in pre-miRNAs may affect the processing and therefore, influence the expression of mature miRNAs. Previous studies generated conflicting results when reporting association between the hsa-miR-196a2 rs11614913 common polymorphism and breast cancer.MethodsThis study evaluated the hsa-miR-196a2 rs11614913 SNP in 388 breast cancer cases and 388 controls in Brazilian women. Polymorphism was determined by real-time PCR; control and experimental groups were compared through statistical analysis using the X2 or Fisher’s exact tests.ResultsThe analysis of the SNPs frequencies showed a significant difference between the groups (BC and CT) in regards to genotype distribution (χ2: p = 0.024); the homozygous variant (CC) was more frequent in the CT than in the BC group (p = 0.009). The presence of the hsa-miR-196a2 rs11614913 C/T polymorphism was not associated with histological grades (p = 0.522), axillary lymph node positive status (p = 0.805), or clinical stage (p = 0.670) among the breast cancer patients.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicated that the CC polymorphic genotype is associated with a decreased risk of BC and the presence of the T allele was significantly associated with an increased risk of BC.

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Recent studies have shown that some monoterpenes exert anxiolytic- and depressant-like actions, however, these effects from monoterpene 1,4-cineole are still unknown. This work aimed to study the effects of 1,4-cineole in classic animal models for depression- and anxiety-like behavior, specifically the elevated plus maze (EPM), hole board, open field, pentobarbital sleeping time, forced swimming, tail suspension and rota rod tests. 1,4-Cineole was administered orally to mice (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg), while diazepam (1 or 2 mg/kg) and imipramine (10 or 30 mg/kg) were used as standard drugs. 1,4-Cineole (400 mg/kg) modified all parameters observed in the EPM, while no significant variation was observed on general motor activity in the open-field test. In the hole-board assay, 1,4-cineole induced increase on the number of head dips. Forced swimming and tail suspension tests showed that cineole (200 and/or 400 mg/kg) was able to promote significant increase on the immobility time, while a decreased sleep latency was observed (200 and 400 mg/kg ) on the pentobarbital sleeping time. Cineole had no effect on the motor coordination of animals in the rota rod test. The results suggest that 1,4-cineole presents potential anxiolytic-like action consistent with possible general depression of the CNS.

Petiveria alliacea L. (tipi), a shrub from Phytolaccaceae family is a perennial, subligneous, upstanding herbaceous, with characteristic garlicky odour and slender, compressed, semi-erect, mounting branches. Leaves present short petioles and are alternate, membranous, entire, sharp or acuminating at the apex and narrowing at the base. Flowers are sessile, reduced and on lean bracteate ears. The fruit is capsular, reduced and cuneiform. 1,2) Indigenous to the Amazon Rainforest and widely distributed in other areas including tropical America, the Caribbean, Africa, Sri Lanka, and the south-eastern Unites States.3,4) It was brought by slaves to Brazil where it is popularly known as tipi, pipi, guine root, erva-pipi, anamu, apacin, garlic guinea henweed. 3,5) This plant is commonly used for several medicinal purposes. The roots in decoction or powder and the infusion of leaves, is employed as antispasmodic, antirheumatic (topic use), anti-inflammatory, 6) antinociceptive, 7) hypoglycemiant and abortifacient. 8,9) They are reputed as sudorific, anti-venereal, diuretic, sedative, antihelminthic, emmenagogue, stimulant, anesthetic and depurative. [8][9][10] Tipi was used in religious ceremony by slaves, who called the herb "to tame the master" a reference to its toxic and sedative properties. The chief pharmacologic activities of tipi (already identified in a preliminary report) relates to the areas of infectology, rheumatology and oncology.This plant contains a diversity of biologically active compounds such as essential oil (Petiverina), saponinic glicosides, isoarborinol-triterpene, isoarborinol-acetate, isoarborinolcinnamate, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins. [11][12][13] Acoording to the literature, the tipi root chemical analysis have revealed coumarins, benzyl-hydroxy-ethyl-trisulfide, benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, dibenzyl trisulphide, potassium nitrate, b-sitosterol, isoarborinol, isoarborinol acetate, isoarborinol cinnamate, polyphenols, trithiolaniacine, glucose and glycine. 8)The recently reported studies of Benevides et al.,14) who isolated di-n-propyl disulfide, benzyl hydroxymethyl sulfide and several other antifungal polysulfides from the roots of Petiveria alliacea L., as well as the work of Szczepanski et al. 12)Dibenzyl trisulphide, a main lipophilic compound in Petiveria alliacea L., has interesting biological activities, affecting, in addition to immunomodulation, microtubule-dependent cellular events and tyrosine phosphorylation-mediated MAP kinase signalling. 15,16) Petiveria alliacea L. is included in the Brazilian and Paraguay Pharmacopoeias and by the Japanese Directory of Drugs.The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the antinociceptive effect of the acetate (FA), hexanic (FH), hydroalcoholic (FHA) and precipitated hydroalcoholic (FHAppt) fractions of Petiveria alliacea L. in different experimental models of nociception in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plant MaterialThe roots of tipi were collected in Pentecoste, state of Ceará, and brought to the Department of Organic Chemist...