. Histopathological findings of tubular degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration reinforced GM-induced nephrotoxicity. All these alterations were attenuated by previous oral treatment with GF. Animals from the GM؉GF groups showed amelioration in renal function parameters and reduced lipid peroxidation and nitrosative stress, in addition to an increment in the levels of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Gingerols also promoted significant reductions in mRNA transcription for TNF-␣, IL-2, and IFN-␥. These effects were dose dependent. These results demonstrate that GF promotes a nephroprotective effect on GM-mediated nephropathy by oxidative stress, inflammatory processes, and renal dysfunction.

Riparin III (Rip III) is an alcamide isolated from Aniba riparia that has presented effects of antidepressant and anxiolytic activities in acute stress behavioral models. The trial's goal was to investigate the activity of Rip III in mice exposed to corticosterone-induced chronic depression model. Swiss female mice, 22-25 g, were distributed in following experimental groups: control group (vehicle1: saline containing 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide and 0.1% Tween-80, SC+ vehicle 2: distilled water emulsified with 2% Tween-80, PO); stressed group (corticosterone, 20 mg/kg, SC, + vehicle 2, orally); Rip III group (50 mg/kg, orally); and fluvoxamine (Flu) group (50 mg/kg, orally). The mice were exposed to the behavioral tests, and posteriorly, Brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein levels were assessed in hippocampal samples. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by one-way anova, followed by Newman-Keuls test. Both administrations of Rip III and Flu significantly reduced the immobility time in tail suspension and forced swimming tests after 21 days without affecting locomotor function. There was also an increase in BDNF protein levels in the mice hippocampus. These findings further support the hypothesis that Rip III could be a new pharmacological target for the treatment of mood disorders.

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Objectives Based on this, the central therapeutic effects of thymol were verified in the neurotrophic pathway. Methods Female swiss mice were divided into four groups: control, corticosterone (Cort), thymol (Cort + thymol) and fluvoxamine (Cort + Flu). The administration of corticosterone was used to induce depressive symptoms for 23 days. After the treatment, the animals were exposed the behavioural tests, such as forced swimming test, tail suspension test, sucrose preference test, light/dark test, social interaction test, Y-maze test, plus-maze test and hole-board test. The hippocampus was also removed, and BDNF was measured by ELISA and Western blot. Key findings As a result, thymol and fluvoxamine were able to reverse the depressive symptoms, as well as to improve the anxious frame. The anhedonic and short-term memory was restored with the treatment. In the neurochemical tests, both thymol and fluvoxamine restored BDNF levels, improving the depressive condition. Conclusions This work opens up new investigations aiming at the use of this molecule as a therapeutic alternative for treating depression disorders.

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In past studies conducted by our group, riparin I (rip I) isolated from the green fruit of Aniba riparia presented antianxiety effects in mice, while its analogs rip II and III showed anxiolytic and antidepressant-like actions. This time around, we investigated a possible antidepressant activity of rip I using the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) as predictive tests for antidepressant activity in rodents. In addition, the involvement of the monoaminergic system in this effect was also assessed. rip I was acutely administered by intraperitoneal (i.p.) and oral (p.o) routes to male mice at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg. Results showed that rip I at both tested doses and administration routes produced a significant decrease in immobility time in FST and TST. The pretreatment of mice with prazosin (1 mg/kg, i.p., an α₁ -adrenoceptor antagonist), yohimbine (1 mg/kg, i.p., an α₂ -adrenoceptor antagonist), SCH23390 (15 μg/kg, i.p., a dopamine D1 receptor antagonist), sulpiride (50 mg/kg, i.p., a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist), p-chlorophenylalanine (100 mg/kg, an inhibitor of serotonin synthesis) or ritanserin (4 mg/kg, a serotonin 5-HT2(A)/2(C) receptor antagonist) blocked the anti-immobility effects elicited by rip I (50 mg/kg, p.o.) in the FST. Taken together, results indicate that rip I produces significant antidepressant-like activity in the FST and TST, and this effect seems to be dependent on its interaction with noradrenergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic systems.

The use of psychoactive substances is an ancient fact in human history that has become a public health problem. Recognizing the severity of oral problems related to drug abuse and in view of the importance of the contribution of Dentistry in this theme, it became pertinent to perform a literature review on oral manifestations resulting from drug use. A literature review of articles published between 1991 and 2019 was performed, mainly through MEDLINE and LILACS, using as descriptors "oral manifestations" , "drugs of abuse" , "oral disorders" . We selected 41 articles related to the theme. There was a high prevalence of oral lesions among drug users in relation to the general population. Among the most frequent oral manifestations are caries, periodontitis, xerostomia, leukoplakia. The abuse of drugs can cause the most diverse damages to the oral health. Dental surgeons, when aware of the oral manifestation / drug abuse relationship, can play an active role in identifying and treating drug addicts.

The new coronavirus (COVID-19) is a viral disease that was classified as a pandemic situation on a global scale in early 2020. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV)-2 has the enzyme Mpro, until then, best characterized as an important biological target for intracellular viral replication. To investigate the interactions between curcumins and other compounds derived from cinnamic acid with the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro protease as well as to infer their physicochemical and drug-like properties, four natural curcumins and eight related compounds were selected for in silico screening, of molecular docking with the biological target Mpro, to suggest a therapeutic method associated with antiSARS-CoV-2 drugs, such as anakinra, azithromycin, baricitinib, hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir. All curcumins and related compounds can act as synergistic inhibitors of the main viral protein in SARS-CoV-2. The curcumins and other compound ligands showed similar interactions with the enzyme comparable to the control ligands. The ligands capsaicin, dehydrozingerol, dibenzoylmethane and isoeugenol stand out, due to their strong interactions. Among the compounds tested in this study, capsaicin, an alkaloid that is obtained from the fruits of plants of the genus Capsicum, showed significant activity in terms of its potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 viral replication.