Home / Journals / BIOCELL / Vol.36, No.2, 2012
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  • Open AccessOpen Access

    ARTICLE

    A study of chlorophyll-like and phycobilin pigments in the C endosymbiont of the apple- snail Pomacea canaliculata

    ISRAEL A. VEGA*1,2, FEDERICO A. DELLAGNOLA1, JORGE A. HURST3, MARTÍN S. GODOY1 AND ALFREDO CASTRO-VAZQUEZ1,2
    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 (CI , CII and CIII ), 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 CI fraction; (2) a mixture of pheophorbides a and b in the major green fraction, CII; and (3) a modified pheophorbide a in the… More >

  • Open AccessOpen Access

    ARTICLE

    Seasonal testicular changes in Dendropsophus minutus Peters, 1872 (Anura, Hylidae)

    ADELINA FERREIRA1,* 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 is discontinuous and… More >

  • Open AccessOpen Access

    ARTICLE

    Butein imparts free radical scavenging, anti-oxidative and proapoptotic properties in the flower extracts of Butea monosperma

    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 antioxidant enzymes glutathione S-transferase… More >

  • Open AccessOpen Access

    ARTICLE

    Human umbilical artery smooth muscle exhibits a 2-apb- sensitive capacitative contractile response evoked by vasoactive substances and exprsses mrnas for stim, orai and trpc channelsa

    ANA ROCÍO ROLDÁN PALOMO1, PEDRO MARTÍN1, ALEJANDRO REBOLLEDO1*, 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 or histamine… More >

  • Open AccessOpen Access

    ARTICLE

    Histological analysis of pollen-pistil interactions in sour passion fruit plants (Passiflora edulis Sims)

    HÉRIKA CHAGAS MADUREIRA1*, 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 incompatible (genetically related) pollen grains.… More >

  • Open AccessOpen Access

    ARTICLE

    Modulation of IL-10/IL-10R expression by mafosfamide, a derivative of 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide, in a rat B-cell lymphoma

    MARÍA J. RICO*1,2, PABLO MATAR*1,2, O. GRACIELA SCHAROVSKY1,3
    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. Our current aim was to… More >

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