Percorrer por autor "Estevinho, Maria Manuela"
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- An overview of the bioactive compounds, therapeutic properties and toxic effects of apitoxinPublication . Pascoal, Ananias; Estevinho, Maria Manuela; Choupina, Altino; Sousa-Pimenta, Mário; Estevinho, Leticia M.Apitoxin, also known as bee venom (BV), is produced in two specialized abdominal glands of worker bees and is used as a defence weapon of bees’ colony (Choi et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2016). In addition, this natural product has been used since the ancient times to relieve pain and to treat chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, tendinitis, bursitis, skin conditions and even neurologic disorders (Moreno and Giralt, 2015). This natural product is a light-yellow liquid, characterized by a bitter taste, pungent smell and a pH ranging from 4.5 to 5.5 (Eze et al., 2016; Hossen et al., 2017). Some studies have described that 88% of BV is water, yet its specific composition varies depending on bee’ species and season (Moreno and Giralt, 2015). Indeed, BV has been reported to contain a complex of biologically active compounds among which enzymes (phospholipase A2 [PLA2], lysophospholipase, hyaluronidase, acid phosphomonoesterase; α-glucosidase, dipeptidyl peptidase IV and vitellogenin), peptides (melittin [MLT], apamin, mast cell degranulating [MCD], mastocytolytic peptide, scapin, adolapin, minimine; apidaecin; tertiapin; melittin F; cadiopep; procamine A, B, pamine, and proteaseinhibitors), biogenic amines (histamine, dopamine, noradrenaline, norepinephrine, neurotransmitters) and other compounds such as amino acids (γ-aminobutyric acid, α-amino acids), carbohydrates (glucose, fructose), pheromones (Iso-pentyl acetate, n-buttyl acetate, iso-pentanol, n-hexyl acetate, n-octyl acetate, 2-nonanol, n-decyl acetate, benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol and (2)-11 –eicosen-1-ol) and minerals (P, Ca and Mg) (Nguyen et al., 2015; Tusiimire et al., 2015; Rady et al., 2017; Moga et al., 2018; Lee et al., 2018). Among these compounds, MLT is the main therapeutic ingredient of BV, representing between 40 and 60% of the dry weight (Abd-Elhakim et al., 2014).
- Anti-bacterial activity of Annona muricata Linnaeus extracts: a systematic reviewPublication . Silva, Ricardo Mendes da; Silva, Isabella de Matos Mendes da; Estevinho, Maria Manuela; Estevinho, Leticia M.Current analysis systematically reviews data available in the literature on the anti-bacterial activity of Annona muricata extracts (AME) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Search was undertaken at four electronic databases and studies’ quality were assessed. Results were summarized and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of AME (versus antimicrobial control) against S. aureus and E. coli was the main datum analyzed. The initial database search yielded 2,433 results. We selected 14 studies and four were used for meta-analysis. The MIC ranged between 156 μg/mL and 1,024 μg/mL against S. aureus and between 256 μg/mL and 1,024 μg/mL against E. coli. The different strains of E. coli studied were more sensitive to AME than those of S. aureus. The differences mean concentrations and standard deviations between AME and antimicrobials were 101.91 and 946.05 for E. coli, and 388.90 and 970.61 for S. aureus respectively. The heterogeneity of data is highlighted. Different methodologies were used, several studies didn’t include antibiotics as control, antibiotics were different and various concentrations of extracts were tested. Studies showed possibilities of the plant under analysis as a source of new phytochemical compounds against microorganisms.
- Oxidative stress and inflammation in B-Cell lymphomasPublication . Sousa-Pimenta, Mário; Estevinho, Maria Manuela; Dias, Miguel Luís Sousa; Martins, Ângelo; Estevinho, Leticia M.Mature lymphoid neoplasms arise de novo or by the transformation of more indolent lymphomas in a process that relies on the stepwise accumulation of genomic and transcriptomic alterations. The microenvironment and neoplastic precursor cells are heavily influenced by pro-inflammatory signaling, regulated in part by oxidative stress and inflammation. Reactive oxygen species (ROSs) are by-products of cellular metabolism able to modulate cell signaling and fate. Moreover, they play a crucial role in the phagocyte system, which is responsible for antigen presentation and the selection of mature B and T cells under normal conditions. Imbalances in pro-oxidant and antioxidant signaling can lead to physiological dysfunction and disease development by disrupting metabolic processes and cell signaling. This narrative review aims to analyze the impact of reactive oxygen species on lymphomagenesis, specifically examining the regulation of microenvironmental players, as well as the response to therapy for B-cell-derived non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Further research is needed to investigate the involvement of ROS and inflammation in the development of lymphomas, which may unravel disease mechanisms and identify innovative therapeutic targets.