Technological Sciences and Development Department

The incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), increases continuously demanding the urgent development of anti-Alzheimer’s agents. Marine organisms (MO) have to create their own defenses due to the adverse environment where they live and so synthesize several classes of compounds, such as akaloids, to defend themselves. Therefore, the identification of marine natural products with neuroprotective effects is a necessity. Being that AD is not only a genetic but also an environmental complex disease, a treatment for AD remains to discover. As the major clinical indications (CI) of AD are extracellular plaques formed by β-amyloid (Aβ) protein, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) formed by hyper phosphorylated τ-protein, uncommon inflammatory response and neuron apoptosis and death caused by oxidative stress, alkaloids that may decrease CI, might be used against AD. Most of the alkalolids with those properties are derivatives of the amino acid try...

The scientific community is paying increasing attention to plant waste valorization, and also to “greener” practices in the agriculture, food and cosmetic sectors. In this context, unused forest biomass (e.g., leaves, seed cones, branches/twigs, bark and sapwood) of Cryptomeria japonica, a commercially important tree throughout Asia and the Azores Archipelago (Portugal), is currently waste/by-products of wood processing that can be converted into eco-friendly and high added-value products, such as essential oils (EOs), with social, environmental and economic impacts. Plant-derived EOs are complex mixtures of metabolites, mostly terpenes and terpenoids, with valuable bioactivities (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, antidepressant, antimicrobial, antiviral and pesticide), which can find applications in several industries, such as pharmaceutical, medical, aromatherapy, food, cosmetic, perfumery, household and agrochemical (e.g., biopesticides), with man...

The increase in the occurrence of the multifactorial Alzheimer’s disease (AD) demands an urgent effort towards the development of effective anti-AD agents, such as the multitarget-directed ligands (MTDLs). In fact, AD is a genetic and an environmental disease, involving a diversity of etiopathogenic processes, and there is not yet a successful AD treatment. The major AD clinical indications (CIs) are extracellular amyloid plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), abnormal inflammatory response, and neuron apoptosis and death caused by oxidative stress. The discovery of neuroprotective natural products, presenting good oral bioavailability, ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and safety profile, is indeed a necessity, and some flavonoids are in clinical trials for AD treatment. In this review, the several flavonoids from natural sources that have shown activity on mechanisms associated with AD are presented. Although several reviews have been presented in the ...

The composition of a methylene chloride extract from the leaves of Hedera helix growing on S. Miguel island (Azores) was investigated. Fourteen compounds were identified. The extract was rich in methyl esters of several carboxylic acids, stigmasterol and α− and β−amyrin ...

A novel oleanene triterpenetetrol was isolated from the chloroform extract of the aerial parts of Leontodon filii. Its structure was shown to be 2h,3h,15a,21h-olean-12-ene-2,3,15,21-tetrol by chemical and spectroscopic methods. The fungicidal efficacy of the chloroform and methanol extracts of the plant was also evaluated, a protective effect being found against Plasmopara viticola, Botrytis cinerea, particularly powerful against Pyricularia oryzae.

Flavothione and a number of synthesized hydroxy-(mono-and di-) substituted flavothiones have been thoroughly examined, particularly regarding their absorption, emission, photophysical (triplet yields and lifetimes), and oxygen-photosensitizing characteristics. These were all studied as a function of the nature of the solvent (four), which was particularly critical in terms of aiding in determining the energy and configurational nature of the lowest triplet state as well as the mechanism of intersystem crossing. Theoretical calculations were also performed. Both the location and number of hydroxyl groups have a substantial impact on the nature of the lowest excited triplet state as well as on the relative location of the two lowest excited singlet and triplet states. These in turn affect the magnitude and even the existence of triplet-state occupation as well as the ability to sensitize oxygen (to singlet oxygen). Three groups of compounds exist as characterized by the configurational nature of the triplet and the mechanism of intersystem crossing, or the essential absence of intersystem crossing altogether. The quantum yield of singlet oxygen formation is high for one group where the T(π, π*) state is lowest and generally high in another group where the T(n, π*) state is lowest, except in ethanol where competitive H-atom abstraction occurs. The potential of all hydroxy compounds as photosensitizers is evaluated.

A group of 30 flavonoids was tested for antifeedant activity against Mythimna unipuncta Haw (Lep., Noctuidae) to determine structural characteristics responsible for activity or inactivity of the flavonoids. The presence of a keto group at C4 of the flavonoid was considered to be important for the antifeedant activity. Hydroxylation as well as glycosidation of rings A and B seemed to be important. However, the functional group in the C-ring was not considered to be a significant factor in determining activity of the compound.

As doenças cardiovasculares constituem a principal causa de morte, morbilidade e invalidez em Portugal, sendo a taxa de mortalidade por doença isquémica cardíaca cerca de duas vezes maior nos Açores do que no continente português (DGS, 2006). A aterosclerose, a principal causa das doenças vasculares, é uma doença crónica, em que o processo oxidativo e a inflamação são componentes-chave . Actualmente, a interacção de vários factores de risco conduzem à aterogénese, nomeadamente, o sexo, a idade, a hipertensão arterial, as dislipidémias, a diabetes mellitus, a obesidade e o tabagismo. A hiper-homocisteinémia (um factor considerado como independente), alterações da concentração de alguns factores de coagulação do sangue (e. g. fibrinogénio) e de marcadores de inflamação (e. g. proteína C-reactiva) constituem factores de risco emergentes .

Auxin gradients are sustained by series of influx and efflux carriers whose subcellular localization is sensitive to both exogenous and endogenous factors. Recently the localization of the Arabidopsis thaliana auxin efflux carrier PIN-FORMED (PIN) 6 was reported to be tissue-specific and regulated through unknown mechanisms. Here, we used genetic, molecular and pharmacological approaches to characterize the molecular mechanism(s) controlling the subcellular localization of PIN6. PIN6 localizes to endomembrane domains in tissues with low PIN6 expression levels such as roots, but localizes at the plasma membrane (PM) in tissues with increased PIN6 expression such as the inflorescence stem and nectary glands. We provide evidence that this dual localization is controlled by PIN6 phosphorylation and demonstrate that PIN6 is phosphorylated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) MPK4 and MPK6. The analysis of transgenic plants expressing PIN6 at PM or in endomembrane domains reveals ...