Delving into the Latest Updates on University of Federal Maranhao with Synapse

Overview

Author: Nascimento, Maria do Desterro Soares Brandão ; Lima, Josélia Alencar ; Diz, Joyce Sobreiro Francisco ; Dos Santos, Eduardo Mendes ; França, Tanos Celmar Costa ; LaPlante, Steven R ; do Nascimento, Claudia Jorge ; de Azevedo-Santos, Ana Paula Silva ; Neto, Denise Cristian Ferreira ; Guimarães, Sulayne Janayna Araújo

Despite being present in many drugs, guanylhydrazones and semicarbazones are two functional groups that have been little investigated as potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). For this reason, we initiated the synthesis and evaluation of these compounds as potential anticholinesterase agents, aiming to offer new alternatives for drug development against AD. In the severe phase of AD butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) becomes the main enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of acetylcholine (ACh). Therefore, in this project, we present the results of BChE inhibitory activity, enzyme kinetics, cytotoxicity, and molecular modeling studies for three guanylhydrazone and two semicarbazone derivatives that were previously synthesized and evaluated as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors. Among the compounds tested, guanylhydrazones (1, 2, and 3) showed inhibitory activity against BChE, exhibiting a mixed non-competitive inhibition profile. Specifically, compound 2 (phenanthrenequinone) demonstrated superior inhibitory potency with an IC₅₀ of 0.68 μM, compared to compound 1 (acridinone) with an IC₅₀ of 3.87 μM, and compound 3 (benzodioxole) with an IC₅₀ of 101.7 μM. In contrast, semicarbazones (4 and 5) showed no BChE inhibition up to the highest concentration tested (300 μM). Importantly, all five compounds were found to be non-cytotoxic. Our results suggest that these compounds have potential as drug prototypes targeting different phases of AD. Compounds 3, 4, and 5 may be more effective in the early phase, when AChE activity remains high; compound 1 could be useful in the intermediate phase; and compound 2 appears particularly promising for the severe phase, when BChE plays a more dominant role.

01 Jun 2025·Marine Environmental Research

Invasive lionfish spread through southwestern atlantic marine protected areas

Article

Author: Xavier, Afonso de Lima ; Mendes, Liana F ; Giarrizzo, Tommaso ; Reis-Filho, José Amorim ; Pereira, Pedro Henrique Cipresso ; Sampaio, Claudio L S ; Bleuel, Jessica ; Nunes, Jorge ; Soares, Marcelo O ; Rabelo, Emanuelle F

Invasive lionfish are recognized as a major management concern in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) because of their high density and adverse effects on native biodiversity, fisheries, and food web processes. Despite these pressing concerns, there is a lack of research focused on the current and future invasion of lionfish in Southwestern Atlantic MPAs. To address this knowledge gap and support global marine conservation efforts, our study systematically assessed the extent and types of MPAs invaded by lionfish (Pterois volitans) in the SW Atlantic. Additionally, we used Species Distribution Models (Maximum Entropy modeling) to predict potential future distributions of this invasive species. Our findings revealed that lionfish have successfully invaded at least 18 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) between 2020 and 2024, across a 4000 km stretch of the SW Atlantic. These include twelve protected areas with sustainable use, three marine parks, one biological reserve, and two reserves dedicated to protecting artisanal fisheries. Based on the confirmed invasions, the majority of the affected MPAs (78 %) were multiple-use, with 22 % designated as no-take areas. The growth of lionfish populations is expected to continue in part due to the absence of regular culling efforts in most (88 %) of these MPAs. The potential distribution model predicts that lionfish currently occur in 33 % of Brazilian MPAs and will expand its range to an additional 25 MPAs within the next 10 years, potentially reaching 60 % of the total Brazilian MPAs. The results also showed that the benthic salinity range and sea body temperature were the most critical factors in predicting lionfish distribution across SW Atlantic MPAs in both current and projected scenarios. This rapid spread underscores the urgent need for coordinated management strategies to mitigate the threat posed by lionfish throughout the Atlantic Ocean basin.

100 Deals associated with University of Federal Maranhao

Login to view more data

100 Translational Medicine associated with University of Federal Maranhao

Login to view more data