In clinical acupuncture, when acupuncture points are stimulated, several types of reflex responses can be evoked. Consequently, different categories of physiological responses are induced, which include changes in the activities of internal organs and tissues. The acupuncture point Sanyinjiao (SP6) has been used successfully to treat different human gastrointestinal conditions. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of end-organ response induced by acupuncture point SP6 on the bioavailability of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate (Na99mTcO4) in Wistar rats. Healthy rats were allocated into 2 groups, control-CG and treated-TG. TG was bilaterally stimulated at acupuncture point SP6 with stainless steel needles. Ocular plexus administration of Na99mTcO4 (3.7MBq) was carried out 10 min after every needle insertion in all animals. Ten minutes later, the animals were killed, the organs were isolated, the radioactivity was determined in a well gamma counter, and the percentage of injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g) was determined for each organ. The %ID/g was significantly altered (p < 0.05) in the small intestine of TG (0.56 +/- 0.09) when compared to CG (0.82 +/- 0.18). These results may suggest that this stimulation might induce physiological responses capable of altering the bioavailability of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate. These findings aid in providing a better understanding of acupuncture and its effects on various organs and tissues.

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Stannous chloride (SnCl2) is used in nuclear medicine as a reducing agent to obtain technetium-99m-radiopharmaceuticals. It have been reported that natural products might reduce the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects related to SnCl2. This work evaluated the biological effects of an aqueous extract of Salix alba on the survival of Escherichia coli (E. coli) AB1157 (wild type) cultures submitted to the action of SnCl2. E. coli AB1157 cultures (exponential growth phase) were collected by centrifugation, washed and resuspended in 0.9%NaCl. Samples were incubated in water bath shaker with: (a) SnCl2 (25μg/ml), (b)Salix alba extract(11.6mg/ml) and (c)SnCl2(25μg/ml) + Salix alba extract (11.6mg/ml). Incubation with 0.9% NaCl was also carried out (control). At 60 min intervals, aliquots were withdrawn, diluted, spread onto Petri dishes with solid LB medium and incubated overnight. The colonies formed were counted and the survival fractions calculated. The extract was not able to protect the E. coli cultures against the lesive action of SnCl2. The extract also did not interfere with the survival of the cultures. It suggested that the substances present in the Salix alba aqueous extract did not interfere strongly with cellular metabolism and did not alter the survival fractions of E. coli AB1157. It is speculated that this extract cannot interfere with the generation of free radicals, the possible main agent responsible for SnCl2 lesive action.

Experimental models have aided to understand the mechanism and the exercise effects on biological systems. To evaluate the effects of acute swimming exercise on the bioavailability of the radiopharmaceutical technetium-99m methylenediphosphonate ( 99m Tc-MDP) used for bone scintigraphy, the rats were divided into control, sedentary, and exercised groups. Sedentary and exercised groups were adapted to water for 2 weeks (5 min/day, 5 days/week). After that, the exercised groups (EG) were submitted to acute swimming exercise for 5, 10 or 20 min (loads of 5% of body weight), and then all animals were anaesthetized, 99m Tc-MDP was administered and after 180 min the animals were sacrificed. Blood and organs were removed, the radioactivity was determined in a well counter and the percentage per gram of tissue of injected dose (%ID/g) was calculated. The findings showed a significant decrease of %ID/g in the hearts of the sedentary group, EG-5min, EG-10min and EG-20min when compared to the control group, in the bones of EG-20min when compared to the control group, and in the lungs of EG-5min and EG-10min when compared to the control group. These findings could be associated with specific modifications of the metabolism in certain organs, which are highly relevant when evaluations of the bone using 99m Tc-MDP are being carried out.

The use of microalgae as a source of food and pharmaceutical ingredients has garnered growing interest in recent years. Despite the rapid growth of the nutraceutical market, knowledge about the potential of bioactive molecules from microalgae remains insufficient. The present study aimed to investigate the biotechnological potential of the green microalga Desmodesmus armatus isolated from a semi-arid region of Brazil. The algal biomass was characterized in terms of gross biochemical composition, exopolysaccharide content, enzymatic inhibition capacity, and antioxidant, antibacterial, and hemolytic activities from solvents of different polarities (water, ethanol, acetone, and hexane). D armatus biomass had 40% of crude protein content, 25.94% of lipids, and 25.03% of carbohydrates. The prebiotic potential of exopolysaccharides from D armatus was demonstrated, which stimulated the growth of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum bacteria strains. Moreover, the enzyme inhibition capacity for the proteases chymotrypsin (34.78%–45.8%) and pepsin (16.64%–27.27%), in addition to α-amylase (24.79%) and lipase (31.05%) was confirmed. The antioxidant potential varied between the different extracts, with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl sequestration values varying between 17.51% and 63.12%, and those of the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) method between 6.82% and 22.89%. In the antibacterial activity test, only the ethanolic extract showed inhibition against Listeria sp. (at minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] = 256 µg mL−1). This fraction also presented the highest significant levels of hemolysis (31.88%–52.45%). In summary, the data presented in the study suggest the presence of biocompounds with biotechnological and nutraceutical potential in the D armatus biomass. Future studies may evaluate the inclusion of this biomass in foods in order to increase their biological value.