The objectives of this work was to isolate endophytic bacteria from Jacaranda decurrens Cham. and screening of some enzymes of biotechnological interest. Ten (10) bacterial species were isolated and identified from the leaves and steams. All the isolates presented enzymatic activity, which was ranked as follows: proteolytic (60%) and amilolytic activity (60%), lipolytic (40%), esterasic (40%). However, cellulolytic and pectinolytic activities were not detected. This is the first report on the isolation and identification of endophytic bacteria from Jacaranda decurrensCham.

Increased oxygen consumption and activation of specific metabolic pathways during or after physical exercise lead to the formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. An investigation was made into the effects of pequi oil supplementation in protecting liver cells against injury resulting from oxidative stress. The experiments involved 20 male adult Wistar rats ( Rattus norvegicus). The animals were divided into four experimental groups: Group 1: sedentary control group; Group 2: exercise control group; Group 3: supplemented sedentary group; and Group 4: supplemented exercise group. Supplementation consisted of pequi oil administered by oral gavage (400 mg). The animals of the exercised groups were subjected to 20 swimming sessions for 5 weeks (with progressive increase of 10 minutes until exhaustion). Samples were collected from the right hepatic lobe for histopathological analysis and determination of malondialdehyde levels. The histopathological analyses revealed that the animals of the exercised control group had moderate liver damage, while the animals of the supplemented exercised group had slight tissue damage, and the sedentary control and sedentary supplemented groups showed no tissue damage. The malondialdehyde levels showed higher and statistically significant in exercise control group when compared to the other evaluated groups (p<0.05). In conclusion the supplementation with pequi oil had a protective effect on liver cells against damage caused by oxygen free radicals during strenuous exercise, as demonstrated by the indicator of lipid peroxidation.

RESUMO Endofíticos são micro-organismos que passam uma parte ou todo o ciclo de vida no interior de vegetais. Sob condições de estresse, tais como déficit hídrico, invasão por fitopatógenos ou contato com substâncias tóxicas, eles geram diversas biomoléculas que auxiliam na proteção vegetal. O atual estudo visou isolar e avaliar o potencial enzimático e antimicrobiano de micro-organismos endofíticos de Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit., uma espécie vegetal amplamente empregada em fitoterapia brasileira. Um total de 39 isolados microbianos foram selecionados de diferentes partes da planta. Após identificação, constatou-se que a maior parte dos micro-organismos isolados eram bactérias pertencentes aos gêneros Pseudomonas sp. (23,1%), Bacillus sp. (23,0%), Streptomyces sp. (20,5%), Alcaligenes sp. (17,9%), Micrococcus sp. (5,1%), Comamonas sp. (2,6%), Acinetobacter sp. (2,6%) e Staphylococcus sp. (2,6%), e uma levedura do gênero Rhodotorula sp. (2,6%). Pelo menos um tipo de ação de uma exoenzima (amilase, lipase, esterase, pectinase ou protease) foi observada para 25 isolados (64,1%). Quanto a triagem da atividade antimicrobiana in vitro, verificou-se que 15 isolados (38,5%) exibiram capacidade de inibir o crescimento de algum dos 16 micro-organismos-alvo, com destaque as amostras Pseudomonas aeruginosa MC 7B e Pseudomonas fluorescens MC 15, as quais apresentaram o maior grau de ação antibiótica contra 15 (93,8%) e 9 (56,2%) das cepas bacterianas indicadoras, respectivamente. Em conclusão, a pesquisa evidencia que a comunidade endofítica dessa planta medicinal exibe um profícuo potencial para a geração de enzimas de interesse industrial e antimicrobianos. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: micro-organismos endofíticos, Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit., enzimas, atividade antibacteriana, bioprospecção.