Folk uses and scientific investigations have highlighted the importance of Casearia sylvestris extracts and their relevant bioactive potential. The aim of this work was to review the pharmacological properties of C. sylvestris, emphasizing its anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, anti-ophidian and antitumor potentialities. Ethanolic extracts and essential oil of their leaves have antiulcerogenic activity and reduce gastric volume without altering the stomach pH, which corroborates their consumption on gastrointestinal disorders. Leaf water extracts show phospholipase A 2 inhibitory activity that prevents damage effects on the muscular tissue after toxin inoculation. This antiphospholipasic action is probably related to the use as an anti-inflammatory, proposing a pharmacological blockage similar to that obtained with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on arachidonic acid and cyclooxygenase pathways. Bioguided-assay fractionations lead to the identification of secondary metabolites, especially the clerodane diterpenes casearins (A-X) and casearvestrins (A-C), compounds with a remarkable cytotoxic and antitumor action. Therefore, the C. sylvestris shrub holds a known worldwide pharmacological arsenal by its extensive folk utilization, exciting searches for new molecules and a better comprehension about biological properties.

Male fertility is the ability of sperm to fertilize the egg and sustain embryo development. Several factors determine the fertilizing capacity of mammalian sperm, including those intrinsic to sperm and components of the seminal plasma. The present study analyzed the seminal fluid proteome of Bos taurus and potential associations between proteins and fertility scores. Mass spectrometry coupled with nano HPLC allowed the identification of 1,159 proteins in the dairy bull seminal plasma. There were 50 and 29 seminal proteins more abundant in high (HF) low fertility (LF) bulls, respectively. Based on multivariate analysis, C-type natriuretic peptide, TIMP-2, BSP5 and sulfhydryl oxidase indicated relationship with HF bulls. Clusterin, tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2, galectin-3-binding protein and 5′-nucleotidase were associated with LF bulls. Abundance of NAD(P)(+)-arginine ADP-ribosyltransferase, prosaposin and transmembrane protein 2 proteins had the highest positive correlations with fertility ranking. Quantities of vitamin D-binding protein, nucleotide exchange factor SIL1 and galectin-3-binding protein showed the highest negative correlations with fertility ranking. A fertility ranking score was calculated and the relationship with these proteins was significant (Spearman’s rho = 0.94). The present findings represent a major and novel contribution to the study of bovine seminal proteins. Indicators of fertility can be used to improve reproductive biotechnologies.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, and it is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. Despite recent progress in the development of screening programs and in the management of patients with colorectal cancer, there are still many gaps to fill, ranging from the prevention and early diagnosis to the determination of prognosis factors and treatment of metastatic disease, to establish a personalized approach. The genetic profile approach has been increasingly used in the decision-making process, especially in the choice of targeted therapies and in the prediction of drug response, but there are still few validated biomarkers of colorectal cancer for clinical practice. The discovery of non-invasive, sensitive, and specific biomarkers is an urgent need, and translational proteomics play a key role in this process, as they enable better comprehension of colorectal carcinogenesis, identification of potential markers, and subsequent validation. This review provides an overview of recent advances in the search for colorectal cancer biomarkers through proteomics studies according to biomarker function and clinical application.