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Pereskia aculeata Miller is known in Brazil as ora-pro-nobis (OPN) and has been used commonly in the folklore medicine. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the composition and the effects of OPN flour on the metabolic profile and intestinal motility of Wistar rats. Animals were divided randomly into five groups (n = 10): G1 (control group) and G2 (treated with OPN flour). For the intestinal motility: G3 (control group), G4 (treated with senne), and G5 (treated with OPN flour). After 40 days, G1 and G2 were euthanized and metabolic profiles were analyzed (glycemia, cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein [HDL-c], C reactive protein, AST, ALT, Lee Index, weight, and visceral fat). The flour of OPN was effective in reducing percentage of weight gain, visceral fat, levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein, and increased HDL-c. Significance was also found in the distance covered by the activated charcoal from the pylorus to the beginning of the cecum, which was higher in animals treated with OPN. Our results indicate that OPN flour may bring health benefits, as the improvement of the intestinal motility, and it is associated with reduction of visceral fat and lipid profile, as well as the increase of HDL-c levels. With these results, we may suggest that the incorporation of this flour in different industrial products may be a convenient and effective way for the intake of healthier products.

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Os objetivos deste trabalho foram calcular a CL (I) 50-96h do inseticida organofosforado paration metílico e do biopesticida azadiractina para alevinos e juvenis de pacu ( P. mesopotamicus). Também pretendeu-se avaliar o efeito do peso corpóreo sobre a toxicidade aguda do paration metílico e do neem para o pacu, bem como classificar o risco ambiental do uso de paration metílico e do neem para o controle de parasitas e patógenos de pacu. Foram realizados dois experimentos, em condições laboratoriais, para a determinação da concentração letal (CL (I) 50-96h). A CL (I) 50-96h calculada do paration metílico foi de 3,97 mg/L para os alevinos e de 9,89 mg/L para os juvenis. Para a azadiractina foi de 1,20 mg/L para os alevinos e de 1,18 mg/L para os juvenis. As concentrações de 1,0 mg/L de paration metílico para os alevinos e de 7,5 mg/L para os juvenis e as de 0,29 e 0,59 mg/L de azadiractina não provocaram mortalidade nos animais expostos e podem ser utilizadas como referência em estudos de controle de parasitas em pacu . O paration metílico foi menos tóxico para os alevinos e para os juvenis de pacu do que a azadiractina, indicando a necessidade de cuidados com a utilização de extratos aquosos de neem no ambiente aquático. ACUTE TOXICITY OF THE INSECTICIDE METHYL PARATHION AND OF THE BIOPESTICIDE AZADIRACHTIN FROM NEEM LEAVES (Azadirachta indica) TO ALEVINE AND JUVENILE PACU (Piaractus mesopotamicus) Abstract The objectives of the present study were: to calculate the lethal concentration LC (I) 50-96 h of methyl parathion and of the biopesticide azadirachtin to alevine and juvenile pacu ( P. mesopotamicus). Also to determine the effect of body weight on acute toxicity of methyl parathion and of neem for pacu, as well as to classify the environmental risk of the methyl parathion and neem uses for the control of pacu parasites and pathogens. Two experiments were performed under laboratory conditions for the determination of the LC (I) 50-96 h. The LC (I) 50-96 h of methyl parathion was 3.97 mg/L for alevine and 9.89 mg/L for juvenile fish. The LC (I) 50-96 h of azadirachtin was 1.20 mg/L for alevine and 1.18 mg/L for juvenile pacu. Concentrations of 1.0 and 7.5 mg/L of methyl parathion and of 0.29 and 0.59 mg/L of azadirachtin for alevine and juvenile pacu, respectively, did not cause mortality in the exposed animals and can be used as references in studies on the control of parasites in pacu. Methyl parathion was less toxic to alevine and juvenile pacu than azadirachtin, indicating the need for careful utilization of aqueous neem extracts in aquatic environments.

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Accumulating evidence points to relationships between increased production of reactive oxygen or decreased antioxidant protection in schizophrenic patients. Chlorpromazine (CPZ), which remains a benchmark treatment for people with schizophrenia, has been described as a pro-oxidant compound. Because the antioxidant compound melatonin exerts protective effects against CPZ-induced liver disease in rats, in this investigation, our main objective was to study the effect of CPZ as a co-catalyst of peroxidase-mediated oxidation of melatonin. We found that melatonin was an excellent reductor agent of preformed CPZ cation radical (CPZ(*+)). The addition of CPZ during the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-catalyzed oxidation of melatonin provoked a significant increase in the rate of oxidation and production of N(1)-acetyl-N(2)-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AFMK). Similar results were obtained using myeloperoxidase. The effect of CPZ on melatonin oxidation was rather higher at alkaline pH. At pH 9.0, the efficiency of oxidation of melatonin was 15 times higher and the production of AFMK was 30 times higher as compared with the assays in the absence of CPZ. We suggest that CPZ is able to exacerbate the rate of oxidation of melatonin by an electron transfer mechanism where CPZ(*+), generated during the peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation, is able to efficiently oxidize melatonin.