This study aimed at assessing the effect of different concentrations of the growth factor similar to insulin 1 (IGF-1) in the development, survival and ultrastructure of the bovine preantral follicles cultured in situ. Fragments of bovine ovarian cortical tissue were cultured during 1 and 7 days in 1 ml of α-MEM(+) , supplemented with different concentrations of human recombinant IGF-1 (0, 30, 70 and 100 ng/ml), in an incubator at 37°C and 5% of CO2 in 24-well plates with total replacement of the medium every 2 days. Non-cultured ovarian fragments (control) and ovarian fragments cultured during 1 and 7 days were processed for classic histology, mechanical isolation and electron transmission microscopy (ETM). Parameters such as normality, viability, activation, development, diameter and ultrastructure were evaluated. All statistical analyses were carried out using sas Version 9.2. The results showed that the percentage of follicles morphologically normal in the IGF-1 30 ng/ml treatment was similar to the fresh control (p > 0.05) both on the day 1 and on the day 7 of in vitro culture. In the viability analysis, the cultured treatments maintained the percentage of viable follicles during the entire culture period (p > 0.05). After 7 days of culture, the IGF-1 30 ng/ml treatment showed higher percentages of developing follicles (48.33%) than those of the fresh control (22.22%) and the cultured treatments (p < 0.05). Also, after 7 days of culture, IGF-1 30 ng/ml presented a higher follicular diameter when compared to the control and other concentrations of IGF-1 tested. Ultrastructurally, the non-cultured control and IGF-1 30 ng/ml, after 7 days of culture, showed conserved oocytes, nuclei and organelles. Hence, it is concluded that IGF-1 30 ng/ml was the most efficient concentration for the development of bovine preantral follicles cultured in vitro.

Endophytic microorganisms are able to promote plant growth through various mechanisms, such as production of plant hormones and antimicrobial substances, as well as to provide the soil with nutrients, for instance, inorganic phosphate. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of endophytic bacteria isolated from cashew leaves to produce substances involved in the promotion of plant growth, such as indole-3-acetic acid, the phosphate solubilization capacity, and the antimicrobial activity. For this, 31 isolate samples were used, out of which 17 (54.8%) produce indole-3-acetic acid in concentrations ranging from 11.79 to 145.85 µg.mL . It was observed that Fusarium oxysporum and Colletotrichum sp. were inhibited by 70 and 40% of the strains, respectively. It was found out that five bacteria (25%) were Gram-positive, predominantly the species Staphylococcus saprophyticus (100%), while 15 bacteria (75%) were Gram-negative. Out of these, 4 (26.6%) and 3 (20%) belong to the species Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri, respectively. Studying the endophytic population is something important due its biotechnological applications, because it has a great potential for promoting plant growth.