Sepsis is a complex disease and is the cause of many deaths worldwide. Sepsis pathogenesis involves a dysregulated inflammatory response with consequent production of inflammatory mediators and reactive species. The production and excessive release of these substances into the systemic circulation trigger various cellular and metabolic alterations that are observed during the disease evolution. Thus, more studies have been carried out to investigate the therapeutic potential of plants such as Morus nigra L., popularly known as black mulberry. Studies have shown that plants belonging to the Morus genus are rich in secondary metabolites such as flavonoids which are associated with important biological activities as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Based on this context, the objective of our study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Morus nigra L. in a sepsis model induced by LPS. Male C57BL/6 mice were distributed in four groups: control, sepsis, sepsis treated with leaf extract of mulberry, and sepsis treated with mulberry pulp. The animals were treated with 100 μL of their respective treatments for twenty-one days. Sepsis was induced at the 21st day with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by intraperitoneal injection. The animals were euthanized 24 hours after receiving the LPS injection. The data obtained were analyzed in GraphPad Prism 6.0 software. Our results showed that treatment with either extract significantly decreased the number of leukocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum levels of TNF in septic animals. Regarding the redox status, the treatments significantly decreased the antioxidant activity of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase. Regarding metalloproteinase type 2, it was observed that the treatment with black mulberry pulp was able to significantly reduce the activity of this enzyme concerning the sepsis group. Finally, these results together promoted an increase in the animal's survival that received the black mulberry leaf or pulp extract.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia and alterations in the carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. DM is associated with increased oxidative stress and pancreatic beta cell damage, which impair the production of insulin and the maintenance of normoglycemia. Inhibiting oxidative damage and controlling hyperglycemia are two important strategies for the prevention of diabetes. The pulp and leaf extracts of mulberry (Morus nigra L.) have abundant total phenolics and flavonoids, and its antioxidant potential may be an important factor for modulating oxidative stress induced by diabetes. In this study, DM was induced by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan monohydrate (135 mg kg(-1)). Female Fischer rats were divided into four groups: control, diabetic, diabetic pulp, and diabetic leaf extract. Animals in the diabetic pulp and diabetic leaf extract groups were treated for 30 days with M. nigra L. pulp or leaf extracts, respectively. At the end of treatment, animals were euthanized and, liver and blood samples were collected for analysis of biochemical and metabolic parameters. Our study demonstrated that treatment of diabetic rats with leaf extracts decreased the superoxide dismutase (SOD)/catalase (CAT) ratio and carbonylated protein levels by reducing oxidative stress. Moreover, the leaf extract of M. nigra L. decreased the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 activity, increased insulinemia, and alleviated hyperglycemia-induced diabetes. In conclusion, our study found that the leaf extract of M. nigra L. improved oxidative stress and complications in diabetic rats, suggesting the utility of this herbal remedy in the prevention and treatment of DM.

Habitat segregation is considered the most prevalent resource-partitioning mechanism for stream fishes and the species morphology can be a strong predictor of their spatial distribution. However, most studies addressing morphology-habitat relationships have defined the space in physiognomically homogeneous units (i.e., mesohabitat), probably not detecting segregation among several closely related species. Here we investigated the ecomorphology and the use of habitat in a fine spatial scale (i.e., microhabitat) by two closely phylogenetically related grazer fishes (the loricariids Parotocinclus maculicauda and Hisonotus notatus), syntopic in an Atlantic Forest stream. We conducted standardized underwater observations in two 50 m long stream sections differing in canopy condition, totaling 273 individual microhabitat records. We clearly detected microhabitat segregation between the species. In both sample sites, H. notatus remained near the stream banks and closer to shelters, while P. maculicauda predominantly occurred in more hydrodynamic microhabitats, facing higher focal current velocities and water turbulence. Differences in focal elevation and water depth (i.e., vertical segregation) were exclusively detected in the deforested site. The spatial segregation was congruent with slight interspecific morphological differences, being in accordance with hypotheses about form-function relationships previously reported for fishes. Given that the diel activity and diet of these grazer species were strongly overlapping, we believe that the observed microhabitat segregation favors resource partitioning between P. maculicauda and H. notatus, facilitating their coexistence in high abundances in the studied system. This study illustrates how the assessment of fine-tuned ecological processes can provide subsidy to management strategies aiming the conservation of tropical stream biodiversity.

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