Reactive species are frequently formed after viral infections. Antioxidant defences, including enzymatic and non-enzymatic components, protect against reactive species, but sometimes these defences are not completely adequate. An imbalance in the production of reactive species and the body's inability to detoxify these reactive species is referred to as oxidative stress. The aim of this review is to analyse the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of viral infections and highlight some major therapeutic approaches that have gained importance, with regards to controlling virus-induced oxidative injury. Attention will be focused on DNA viruses (papillomaviruses, hepadnaviruses), RNA viruses (flaviviruses, orthomyxoviruses, paramyxoviruses, togaviruses) and retroviruses (human immunodeficiency virus). In general, viruses cause an imbalance in the cellular redox environment, which depending on the virus and the cell can result in different responses, e.g. cell signaling, antioxidant defences, reactive species, and other processes. Therefore, the modulation of reactive species production and oxidative stress potentially represents a novel pharmacological approach for reducing the consequences of viral pathogenesis.

Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) has recently emerged as a promising source of natural antioxidants. Because increased oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant defense mechanisms are important factors in the development of diabetic complications and many health claims have been reported for açai, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the possible protective effects of açai on the production of reactive oxygen species by neutrophils and on the liver antioxidant defense system in control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Diet supplementation with 2% açai was found to increase mRNA levels for gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione peroxidase in liver tissue and to decrease reactive oxygen species production by neutrophils. Compared to control animals, diabetic rats exhibited lower levels of mRNA coding for Zn-superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and higher levels of reactive oxygen species production by neutrophils, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and carbonyl proteins in hepatic tissues. Although açai supplementation was not effective in restore gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in diabetic rats, it showed a protective effect, decreasing thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances levels and increasing reduced glutathione content in the liver. These findings suggest that açai can modulate reactive oxygen species production by neutrophils and that it has a significant favorable effect on the liver antioxidant defense system under fisiological conditions of oxidative stress and partially revert deleterious effects of diabetes in the liver.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the ingestion of açaí pulp can improve serum lipid profile in various animal models; therefore, we hypothesized that açaí pulp (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) may modulate the expression of the genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis in the liver and increase fecal excretion, thus reducing serum cholesterol. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the expression of 7α-hydroxylase and ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G transporters (ABCG5 and ABCG8), which are genes involved with the secretion of cholesterol in the rat. We also evaluated the expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase, low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R), and apolipoprotein B100, which are involved in cholesterol biosynthesis. Female Fischer rats were divided into 4 groups: the C group, which was fed a standard AIN-93 M diet; the CA group, which was fed a standard diet supplemented with 2% açaí pulp; the H group, which was fed a hypercholesterolemic diet (25% soy oil and 1% cholesterol); and the HA group, which was fed a hypercholesterolemic diet supplemented with 2% açaí pulp. At the end of the experimental period, the rats were euthanized, and their blood and livers were collected. The HA group exhibited a significant decrease in serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and atherogenic index and also had increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and cholesterol excretion in feces compared with the H group. In addition, the expression of the LDL-R, ABCG5, and ABCG8 genes was significantly increased by the presence of açaí pulp. These results suggest that açaí pulp promotes a hypocholesterolemic effect in a rat model of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia through an increase in the expression of ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G transporters, and LDL-R genes.

Mayaro virus (MAYV) is a neglected tropical arbovirus that causes a febrile syndrome that is sometimes accompanied by incapacitating arthritis/arthralgia. The pathogenesis of MAYV has not been completely defined and oxidative stress mediated by an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and/or depletion of antioxidant defences has been found to contribute to several aspects of viral disease. To investigate whether MAYV induced oxidative stress in host cells, we monitored ROS production, oxidative stress markers and antioxidant defences at different time points after infection. Our results show that MAYV induced significant oxidative stress in infected HepG2 cells, as indicated by the increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl levels, and by a significant decrease of the reduced versus oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio. Generally, MAYV-infected HepG2 cells also showed an increase in antioxidant defences. We observed an increase in the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and the total glutathione content. To determine whether similar effects occurred in other cell types, we evaluated the ROS, MDA and SOD activity levels in J774 cells after MAYV infection. Similar to our observations in HepG2 cells, the J774 cells showed an increase in ROS, MDA and total SOD activity following MAYV infection. Thus, since the cellular redox environment is influenced by the production and removal of ROS, we hypothesize that the overproduction of ROS was responsible for the oxidative stress in response to the MAYV infection despite the increase in the antioxidant status. This study is the first report on the involvement of oxidative stress during MAYV infection. Collectively, our data shed light on some mechanisms that are operational in host cells following exposure to MAYV.

Background The incidence rates of melanoma have risen to worrying levels over the last decade. Delayed diagnosis, due to faults on the detection stage, indicates the necessity of new aiding diagnosis techniques. Since metabolic activity is highly connected to neoplasia formation, a detection technique that focuses its results on vascular responses, as Infrared thermal (IRT), seems to be a viable option. Materials and methods Static and dynamic (cooling) thermal images of melanoma and melanocytic nevi lesions were collected and analysed to retrieve thermal parameters characteristic of this skin lesion types. The steady‐state and dynamic variables were tested separately with different machine learning classifiers to verify whether the distinction of melanoma and nevi lesions was achievable. Results The differentiation of both types of skin tumours was doable, achieving an accuracy of 84.2% and a sensitivity of 91.3% with the implementation of a learner based on support vector machines and an input vector composed by static variables. Conclusion The use of IRT for skin tumour classification is achievable, but some improvement is needed to raise the metrics of sensitivity and specificity. For future work, it is recommended the study of dynamic parameters for the classification of other types of skin neoplasia.