Abstract Solvents play important and critical role in natural product chemistry and could generate artefacts during the extraction and purification of metabolites from a biological matrix. This study aimed to correlate the chromatographic profile with biological activity of Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Br., Convolvulaceae, extracts obtained with hydroethanolic extraction. Thus, aerial parts of I. pes-caprae were extracted with different concentration of ethanol (50, 70 and 90°GL) and the obtained extracts were analysed by HPLC–UV. HPLC data were studied employing chemometrics to discriminate the samples. Moreover these samples were further characterized by using UPLC–QTOF/MS data. The extracts were also biomonitored through the paw-oedema and spontaneous nociception induced by trypsin in mice. Different chromatographic profiles were obtained and the exploratory analysis clearly revealed higher level of ethyl caffeate in extracts of lower strength of ethanol (50°GL). This compound was suggested to be an artefact formed by transesterification of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives present in the plant, once it was not observed when other solvents were employed. During the biological assay, only the extract obtained with ethanol 50°GL presented significant inhibition of inflammation (45 ± 9%) and nociception (24 ± 3%). Ethyl caffeate seems to be linked to the anti-inflammatory effect since it reduced 86 ± 5% of paw-oedema induced by trypsin. Artefacts could contribute to the biological activity of herbal preparations and consequently lead to misinterpretation of the results.

The present study aimed to investigate the presence of compounds with antitumor activity in the plant Caesalpinia pluviosa var. peltophoroides. From bioactivity guided studies it was possible to isolate a new biflavonoid, named caesalpinioflavone, whose chemical structure was determined by spectroscopic (1H and 13C nucler magnetic ressonace, homonuclear correlation spectroscopy and heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation spectroscopy) and spectrometric (high resolution electrospray ionization mass) methods. According to in vitro assays, caesalpinioflavone was effective in reducing the cell viability of tumor cell lines A549, MCF7, Hst578T and HTC. This effect was consequent of cell cycle arrest in G1/S transition (A549 and MCF7) and cytotoxic activity (Hs578T and HTC). Taken together, these data indicate that caesalpinioflavone has a promising antitumor activity.

Várias substâncias de origem natural têm sido utilizadas como agentes imunomoduladores, permitindo modificar a função do sistema imune e propiciando o estudo de atividades terapêuticas de extratos de plantas. Este trabalho objetivou identificar a atividade imunomodulatória dos extratos de seis plantas medicinais da flora brasileira, Calophyllum brasiliense, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Matayba elaeagnoides, Maytenus robusta, Rubus imperialis e Vernonia scorpioides, sobre a proliferação de células esplênicas de camundongos. As células esplênicas murinas obtidas por ruptura mecânica do baço (5x14³ células/mL) foram incubadas com os extratos metanólicos das plantas (10, 50, 100, 200 µg/mL) e fito-hemaglutinina (PHA, 5 µg/mL). O controle basal de proliferação foi constituído de células apenas e o controle positivo formado por células e PHA. O cultivo celular foi mantido a 37 ºC, 5% de CO2, 72 horas, com quantificação da proliferação celular pelo ensaio de redução do azul de tetrazólio. Os resultados expressos em percentagem de crescimento foram analisados pelos testes de Kruskal-Wallis e Mann-Whitney. Os extratos de C. brasiliense, I. pes-caprae e M. elaeagnoides mostraram indução dose-dependente da proliferação celular (p<0,03), com percentagem de crescimento de, respectivamente, 88,2%, 73,1% e 52,7%, sugerindo estímulo de linfócitos T. Contrariamente, os extratos de M. robusta, R. imperialis e V. scorpioides apresentaram significância apenas com percentagem de crescimento negativa, indicando inibição da proliferação celular (p<0,04). A continuidade no estudo biomonitorado permitirá a identificação das frações e substâncias isoladas responsáveis pelas atividades imunomoduladoras.

A number of natural compounds have been used as immunomodulatory agents, enabling the function of the immune system to be modified by stimulating or suppressing it. There has been increasing interest in the study of therapeutic action of plant extracts regarding their immunomodulatory activity. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the action of extracts of the medicinal plants Calophyllum brasiliense, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Matayba elaeagnoides, Maytenus robusta, Rubus imperialis and Vernonia scorpioides on the development of spleen cells from mice, using the in vitro cellular proliferation assay. The cells, obtained by mechanical rupture of mice spleen (5x10(4) cells/mL), were incubated with methanol extracts (10, 50, 100 and 200 µg/mL) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA, 5 µg/mL). The basal control for proliferation consisted of cells alone, while the positive control consisted of cells and PHA. The cell culture was kept at 37 ºC in 5% CO2 for 72 hours, and cell proliferation was revealed by the blue tetrazolium reduction assay (MTT). The results were expressed as percentage of growth and were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. The C. brasiliense, I. pes-caprae and M. elaeagnoides extracts showed dose-dependent induction of cell proliferation, with a significant increase in cell proliferation (p<0.03) and percentage growth of 88.2%, 73.1% and 52.7%, respectively, suggesting T lymphocyte stimulation. By contrast, M. robusta, R. imperialis and V. scorpioides extracts showed significance only with a negative percentage of growth, suggesting inhibition of cell proliferation (p<0.04). Further biomonitoring studies will enable the fractions and isolated substances responsible for the immunomodulatory activities to be identified.

Descreve-se um caso de eritrocitose absoluta (hematócrito: 74%, hemoglobina: 24,2g/dl) em um cão com tumor venéreo transmissível cutâneo. A concentração de hemoglobina e o hematócrito retornaram ao valor normal após o tratamento com vincristina. A remissão da eritrocitose após o tratamento é sugestiva de uma associação entre o tumor e a alteração hematológica.

This report describes a case of absolute erythrocytosis (hematocrit: 74%, hemoglobin: 24.2g/dl) in a dog with transmissible cutaneous venereal tumor. Hemoglobin and hematocrit returned to normal range after the treatment with vincristine. The remission of the erythrocytosis after treatment suggests a relationship between the neoplastic lesions and the hematological abnormality.

As síndromes mielodisplásicas são reconhecidas como doenças que se originam nas células-tronco da medula óssea e que requerem avaliação sistemática e criteriosa de sangue periférico e medula óssea para seu correto diagnóstico. O objetivo deste relato é estabelecer os critérios morfológicos (cito-histológicos) como parâmetros para o diagnóstico de SMD em amostras de sangue periférico e medula óssea, com especial direcionamento aos hematologistas e patologistas clínicos que exercem a hematologia laboratorial na sua rotina de trabalho. Os principais achados morfológicos são listados no final deste relato, na forma de "check-list", objetivando a sistematização sobre estes achados.

Myelodysplastic syndromes require both thorougly and systematic blood smear and bone marrow examinations. The main goal of this report is to establish criteria of the morphological ( cyto-histological) features, as parameters for the diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes ( MDS) from peripheral blood smears and bone marrow samples, with especial address to hematology and pathology practitioners. The main features are listed ( checklist) at the end of this report, in order to synthesize them.

O papel das moléculas de adesão celular, na fisiopatologia do mieloma múltiplo (MM), tem sido alvo de vários estudos nos últimos anos. A expressão de CD56 pelos plasmócitos tumorais está associada a comportamento clínico menos agressivo da doença, e sua perda tem sido descrita na fase de leucemização plasmocitária. A determinação da expressão da molécula CD56 pelos plasmócitos tumorais pode ser obtida através de citometria em fluxo, revelando positividade em 55% a 78% dos casos. No presente estudo, objetivamos verificar a expressão da molécula CD56 por plasmócitos tumorais na medula óssea de portadores de MM, utilizando o estudo imuno-histoquímico das amostras histológicas obtidas ao diagnóstico. Analisamos as amostras de medula óssea de vinte portadores de MM, e realizamos o estudo imuno-histoquímico para determinação da expressão das cadeias leves kappa e lambda e da molécula CD56 pelos plasmócitos tumorais. A expressão da molécula CD56 foi importante em três casos, moderada em seis, discreta em quatro e negativa em sete. O estudo imuno-histoquímico mostrou-se válido para determinação da expressão de CD56 por plasmócitos tumorais em portadores de MM, fornecendo resultados semelhantes aos descritos para os obtidos por citometria em fluxo. Através do estudo imuno-histoquímico, foi possível observar variações da expressão da molécula CD56.

The role of adhesion molecules in the physiopathology of multiple myeloma has been the target of many studies over the last years. The CD56 expression by neoplastic plasma cells is related to a less aggressive clinical course, and its loss is described in plasma cell leukemia. The evaluation of the CD56 expression may be obtained by flow cytometry, with positivity in 55% to 78% of cases. In this study, we verified the CD56 expression by plasma cells in bone marrow of myeloma patients using immunohistochemistry in samples obtained at diagnosis. We analyzed bone marrow of 20 myeloma patients and performed immunohistochemistry to determine the expression of the kappa and lambda light chains and CD56 by neoplastic plasma cells. The CD56 expression was important in three samples, moderate in six, discrete in four and negative in seven. Immunohistochemistry was valid to determinate CD56 expression by neoplastic plasma cells in myeloma patients, giving similar results when compared with flow cytometry. It was possible to evaluate the variations in the CD 56 expression using this method.