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ISRAEL A. VEGA^*1,2, FEDERICO A. DELLAGNOLA¹, JORGE A. HURST³, MARTÍN S. GODOY¹ AND ALFREDO CASTRO-VAZQUEZ^1,2
BIOCELL, Vol.36, No.2, pp. 47-55, 2012, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2012.36.047
Abstract Pigments present in the brown-greenish C morph of an intracellular endosymbiont of Pomacea canaliculata were investigated. Acetone extracts of the endosymbiotic corpuscles showed an absorption spectrum similar to that of chlorophylls. Three fractions obtained from silica gel column chromatography of the acetone extracts (C_I , C_II and C_III ), were studied by positive ion fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB–MS) and hydrogen-nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR). Results indicated the presence of (1) a sterol in the yellow colored C_I fraction; (2) a mixture of pheophorbides a and b in the major green fraction, C_II; and (3) a modified pheophorbide a in the More >

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ADELINA FERREIRA^1,* AND MAHMOUD MEHANNA²
BIOCELL, Vol.36, No.2, pp. 57-62, 2012, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2012.36.057
Abstract The reproductive cycle in anurans may be either continuous or discontinuous. These differences may be connected to seasonal climate changes and/or to anthropic activity. Forty adult male individuals of the Dendropsophus minutus species were collected during one year, in the municipality of Chapada dos Guimarães (Mato Grosso, Brazil). The testicles were studied under light and transmission electron microscopy. No variations were observed when the diameter of the seminiferous tubules and the thickness of the interstitial tissue were studied. However, changes in spermatogenesis were conspicuous and indicated that the reproductive cycle of D. minutus in Chapada dos Guimarães More >

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ANURADHA SEHRAWAT AND VIJAY KUMAR^*
BIOCELL, Vol.36, No.2, pp. 63-71, 2012, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2012.36.063
Abstract The flower of Butea monosperma (Lam.) (Fabaceae) has been used in traditional Indian medicine in the treatment of many ailments including liver disorders. To understand the pharmacological basis of its beneficial effects, the extracts of dried flowers in water, methanol, butanol, ethyl acetate and acetone were evaluated for free radical scavenging and pro-apoptotic activities in cell cultures (human hepatoma Huh-7 cell line and immortalized AML-12 mouse hepatocytes). Butrin and butein -the active constituents of flower extracts- were used as reference molecules. The levels of cell injury markers like lactate dehydrogenase, glutathione and lipid peroxidation and primary… More >

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ANA ROCÍO ROLDÁN PALOMO¹, PEDRO MARTÍN¹, ALEJANDRO REBOLLEDO^1*, NICOLÁS ENRIQUE¹, LUIS E. FLORES², VERÓNICA MILESI¹
BIOCELL, Vol.36, No.2, pp. 73-81, 2012, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2012.36.073
Abstract After depletion of intracellular Ca²⁺ stores the capacitative response triggers an extracellular Ca²⁺ influx through store-operated channels (SOCs) which refills these stores. Our objective was to explore if human umbilical artery smooth muscle presented this response and if it was involved in the mechanism of serotonin- and histamine-induced contractions. Intracellular Ca²⁺ depletion by a Ca²⁺-free extracellular solution followed by Ca²⁺ readdition produced a contraction in artery rings which was inhibited by the blocker of Orai and TRPC channels 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB), suggesting a capacitative response. In presence of 2-APB the magnitude of a second paired contraction by serotonin… More >

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HÉRIKA CHAGAS MADUREIRA^1*, TELMA NAIR SANTANA PEREIRA¹, MAURA DA CUNHA², DENISE ESPELLET KLEIN³
BIOCELL, Vol.36, No.2, pp. 83-90, 2012, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2012.36.083
Abstract The success of sexual plant reproduction is directly influenced by specific interactions between the pollen and pistil. Light, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to evaluate the steps of pollination in sour passion fruit plants (Passiflora edulis Sims). In the compatible interaction, pollen tubes grow through stigma projections towards the ovary. The pollen grain surface was found to be spheroidal and to consist of heteroreticulate exine with six colpi. Furthermore, analysis in vivo of pollenpistil interactions indicated that stigmas of flowers 24 hours before anthesis are unable to discriminate compatible (genetically unrelated) and More >

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MARÍA J. RICO^*1,2, PABLO MATAR^*1,2, O. GRACIELA SCHAROVSKY^1,3
BIOCELL, Vol.36, No.2, pp. 91-95, 2012, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2012.36.091
Abstract We have already shown that IL-10 plays an important role in immunosuppression and metastatic dissemination in the rat B-cell lymphoma L-TACB model. It was suggested that the up-regulation of IL10 production and IL-10 receptor (IL-10R) expression would be part of the transition from primary tumor to metastatic phenotype and that IL-10, besides its immunosuppressive activity, may act as a growth factor for metastatic L-TACB cells. The treatment of L-TACB-bearing rats with a single low-dose cyclophosphamide decreased IL-10 production, reverted immunosuppression and induced the immunologic rejection of tumor metastasis without any effect on primary tumor growth.… More >

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