The term inflammaging is now widely used to designate the inflammatory process of natural aging. During this process, cytokine balance is altered, presumably due to the loss of homeostasis, thus contributing to a greater predisposition to disease and exacerbation of chronic diseases. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between pro-inflammatory markers and age in the natural aging process of healthy individuals. One hundred and ten subjects were divided into 5 groups according to age (22 subjects/group). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were quantified using the ELISA method. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) was analyzed by turbidimetry according to laboratory procedures. The main findings of this study were: a positive correlation between hsCRP and IL-6 as a function of age (110 subjects); women showed stronger correlations; the 51–60 age group had the highest values for hsCRP and IL-6; women presented higher values for hsCRP in the 51–60 age group and higher values for IL-6 in the 61–70 age group; and men showed higher values in the 51–60 age group for hsCRP and IL-6. In conclusion, the natural aging process increased IL-6 and hsCRP levels, which is consistent with the inflammaging theory; however, women presented stronger correlations compared to men (IL-6 and hsCRP) and the 51–60 age range seems to be a key point for these increases. These findings are important because they indicate that early preventive measures may minimize the increase in these inflammatory markers in natural human aging.

The development of nanofibrous membranes with tunable wettability, degradation, and biocompatibility is highly keen for biomedical applications, including drug delivery and wound dressing. In this study, biocompatible and biodegradable nanofibrous membranes with antioxidant properties were successfully prepared by the electrospinning technique. The membranes were developed using polylactic acid (PLA) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) as the matrix, with the addition of grape seed extract (GSE), a rich source of natural antioxidants. The nanofibrous membranes were thoroughly characterized both from the materials and from the biocompatibility point of view. PLA and PLA/PEO nanofibers showed high encapsulation efficiency, close to 90%, while the encapsulated GSE retained its antioxidant capacity in the membranes. In vitro release studies showed that GSE diffuses from PLA/GSE and PLA/PEO/GSE membranes in a Fickian diffusion manner, whose experimental data were well fitted using the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. Furthermore, a higher controlled release of GSE was observed for the PLA/PEO/GSE membrane. Moreover, culturing experiments with human foreskin fibroblast (HFF1) cells demonstrated that all samples are biocompatible and showed that the GSE-loaded PLA/PEO nanofibrous membranes support better cell attachment and proliferation compared to the PLA/GSE nanofibrous membranes, owing to the superior hydrophilicity. In summary, the results suggested that the GSE-loaded membranes are a promising topical drug delivery system and have a great potential for wound dressing applications.

No abstract

Schistosomiasis is one of the most common human parasitic diseases whose socioeconomic impact is only surpassed by malaria. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the only drug commercially available for the treatment of all schistosome species causing disease in humans. However, there has been stronger evidences of PZQ-resistance on Schistosoma mansoni and thus it is very important to study the phenotypic characteristics associated with it. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological alterations in S. mansoni PZQ-resistant adult worms and eggs, by comparing a PZQ- resistant strain obtained under PZQ drug pressure with a PZQ-susceptible strain. For this, scanning electronic microscopy was used to assess tegumental responsiveness of both strains under PZQ exposure, and optical microscopy allowed the monitoring of worms and eggs in the presence of the drug. Those assays showed that PZQ-susceptible worms exposed to the drug had more severe tegumental damages than the resistant one, which had only minor alterations. Moreover, contrary to what occurred in the susceptible strain, resistant worms were viable after PZQ exposure and gradually regaining full motility after removal of the drug. Eggs from resistant strain parasites are considerably smaller than those from susceptible strain. Our results suggest that there might be a difference in the tegument composition of the resistant strain and that worms are less responsive to PZQ. Changes observed in egg morphology might imply alterations in the biology of schistosomes associated to PZQ-resistance, which could impact on transmission and pathology of the disease. Moreover, we propose a hypothetical scenario where there is a different egg tropism of the S. mansoni resistant strain. This study is the first comparing two strains that only differ in their resistance characteristics, which makes it a relevant step in the search for resistance determinants.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of trematode worms and it is believed that more than 261 million people are affected worldwide. New drug development has become essential because there is a risk of the parasite becoming resistant to Praziquantel, the only drug available for this infection. This study evaluated parasitological, immunological and histological parameters in mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni and treated with an herbal commercial medicine. This drug consists of menthol (30–55%) and menthone (14–32%). A 60 day treatment regimen with the herbal medicine decreased the number of S. mansoni eggs in the feces, liver, and intestine and reduced the number of hepatic granulomas. We observed a reduction of 84% in blood eosinophilia and a decrease in the IL-4 and IL-10 blood levels after treatment. Therefore, we propose that schistosomiasis treatment with this herbal medicine for 60 days has an immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory action in this animal model for schistosomiasis thus contributing to the decrease in physio pathological effects caused by S. mansoni infection.