Tecnologia e Inovacao

The latest studies of attributes of soil of the Amazonian ecosystems provide information to make up a survey on these soil conditions in the face of several forms of changes they are submitted. This work aimed to describe and evaluate physical and hydric evolution as well oxisol mineralogy in lower Amazon in order to comprehend variations of these attributes in different vegetative covers. Deformed and non-deformed samples were collected for physical, chemical, hydric and mineralogical analyses, respectively in two points of a topographic sequence in Serra de Parintins: plateau and watershed, being showed three profiles of soil in each position. The results showed that predominant forest of the plateau and watershed profiles provide proper physical and hydric conditions for a good aggregation, higher intensity of large pores, larger saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ko) and better hydric retention of soils. Similar fact occurs in secondary forest, presenting such areas good permeability, porosity and water retention in soil. Carbon accumulation is higher in watershed profiles, decreasing in depth and relating directly with Ko and root system. Mineralogical analysis of clay fraction points kaolinite as predominant followed by gypsum, goethita, quartzo and anatásio, showing no variations along landscape. Serra de Parintins has poor acid clay soil of medium texture accumulating plintita on subsurface horizons, avoiding the phenomenon of terras caídas. A high gradient of volumetric humidity is observed on subsurface horizons, showing water retention when compared to surface horizons.

The objective of this work was to evaluate two different laboratory methods for determining the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ko), namely, the constant head permeameter method (PCC) and the falling decreasing head permeameter method (PCD) and their applicability and variability to Amazon soils. 125 undisturbed soil samples were collected with an Uhland soil sampler using volumetric rings of 0,072 m height and 0,069 m in diameter. Soil porosity was also estimated by volumetric ring samples collected at the same spots where Ko was evaluated. Disturbed soil samples were also collected for chemical and particle size analysis at the same spots. The results showed that the PCC method was more appropriate for the studied soils Oxisols, leading to the lowest coefficient of variation and standard deviation throughout the topographic sequence. The Ko values were distributed among P1(2,65 to 3,34 cm day-1), P2(2,85 to 3,38 cm day-1), P3(2,86 to 3,63 cm day-1), P4(2,75 to 3,49 cm day-1), P5(2,38 to 3,83 cm day-1) and P6 (2,47 to 3,52 cm day-1); having a tendency to show higher Ko values at soil surface. The use of Ko as a parameter for hydraulic analysis in soils with high porosity in the surface layer and high clay content in the subsoil, as is the case in the Amazon, must be undertaken with caution to avoid compacting the sample and porous discontinuities. Throughout the studied topographic sequence, changes of saturated hydraulic conductivity were more related to changes in soil physical properties than to changes in vegetation cover throughout the studied topographic sequence.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar dois métodos de laboratório para a determinação da condutividade hidráulica do solo saturada (Ko) conhecidos como Permeâmetro de carga constante (PCC) e Permeâmetro de carga decrescente (PCD), com o intuito de verificar sua aplicabilidade e variabilidade em solos amazônicos. Coletaram-se 125 amostras de solo com estrutura indeformada, através de amostrador tipo uhland, com anéis volumétricos, de 0,072 m de altura e 0,069 m de diâmetro, devido à variabilidade apresentada pelas determinações de tal parâmetro. nos mesmos pontos de amostragens da Ko, procedeu-se coleta de anéis volumétricos para a determinação da porosidade do solo. ainda nesses pontos foram coletadas amostras com estrutura deformada para análises físicas e químicas. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que o método do PCC foi o mais apropriado para a classe dos Latossolos estudados, apresentando os menores coeficientes de variação e desvio padrão ao longo da topossequência. Os valores de Ko estiveram distribuídos entre P1(2,65 à 3,34 cm dia -1 ), P2(2,85 à 3,38 cm dia -1 ), P3(2,86 à 3,63 cm dia -1 ), P4(2,75 à 3,49 cm dia -1 ), P5(2,38 à 3,83 cm dia -1 ) e P6 (2,47 à 3,52 cm dia -1 ); havendo uma tendência para maiores valores de K o na superficie. a utilização de Ko como parâmetro de análise hídrica em solos porosos na superfície e muito argilosos em profundidade, como os amazônicos, necessita ser realizada com precaução, evitando a interrupção da continuidade dos poros e compactação da amostra. Mudanças na condutividade hidráulica saturada estiveram mais relacionadas a alterações nas propriedades físicas do solo e posição no relevo do que nas alterações das coberturas vegetais ao longo da topossequência.

Brazil is blessed with a great biodiversity, which constitutes one of the most important sources of biologically active compounds, even if it has been largely underexplored. As is the case of the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests, the Brazilian marine fauna remains practically unexplored in the search for new biologically active natural products. Considering that marine organisms have been shown to be one of the most promising sources of new bioactive compounds for the treatment of different human diseases, the 8000 km of the Brazilian coastline represents a great potential for finding new pharmacologically active secondary metabolites. This review presents the status of marine natural products chemistry in Brazil, including results reported by different research groups with emphasis on the isolation, structure elucidation, and evaluation of biological activities of natural products isolated from sponges, ascidians, octocorals, and Opistobranch mollusks. A brief overview of the first Brazilian program on the isolation of marine bacteria and fungi, directed toward the production of biologically active compounds, is also discussed. The current multidisciplinary collaborative program under development at the Universidade de Sã o Paulo proposes to establish a new paradigm toward the management of the Brazilian marine biodiversity, integrating research on the species diversity, ecology, taxonomy, and biogeography of marine invertebrates and microorganisms. This program also includes a broad screening program of Brazilian marine bioresources, to search for active compounds that may be of interest for the development of new drug leads.

Dibromotyrosine-derived metabolites are of common occurrence within marine sponges belonging to the order Verongida. However, previous chemical analysis of crude extracts obtained from samples of the verongid sponge Aplysina fulva collected in Brazil did not provide any dibromotyrosine-derived compounds. In this investigation, five samples of A. fulva from five different locations along the Brazilian coastline and one sample from a temperate reef in the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) (Georgia, USA) were investigated for the presence of bromotyrosine-derived compounds. All six samples collected yielded dibromotyrosinederived compounds, including a new derivative, named aplysinafulvin, which has been identified by analysis of spectroscopic data. These results confirm previous assumptions that dibromotyrosine-derived metabolites can be considered as chemotaxonomic markers of verongid sponges. The isolation of aplysinafulvin provides additional support for a biogenetic pathway involving an arene oxide intermediate in the biosynthesis of Verongida metabolites. It cannot yet be established if the chemical variability observed among the six samples of A. fulva collected in Brazil and the SAB is the result of different environmental factors, distinct chemical extraction and isolation protocols, or a consequence of hidden genetic diversity within the postulated morphological plasticity of this species.

The increase in both opportunistic mycoses and antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic microorganisms has determined the need to develop new chemotherapies agents. Amazon Forest Plants has been used as natural drug by local people in the treatment of various tropical diseases. The objective of the study is to evaluate the antifungal activity of twenty-eight species of plants extracts belonging to twenty botanical families from the Amazon forest. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the one hundred fourteen crude extracts of dichloromethane, methanol and water were evaluated against three Candida species: Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Candida parapsilosis. Seventy-four extracts showed activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration between 0.06 and 1mg/mL, against the three species evaluated. The results observed in this study, mainly about the families Arecaceae, Apocynaceae, Salicaceae and Urticaceae, showed that these extracts are promising for the development of new drugs that can be used in the treatment against opportunistic fungal infections.

Context: Duroia macrophylla (Rubiaceae) is endemic from the Amazon Rainforest.
Aims: To perform phytochemical profile of Duroia macrophylla extracts and to evaluate them as antioxidant, insecticidal and cytotoxic.
Methods: Dichloromethane and methanol extracts of leaves and branches (collected three times) were subjected to phytochemical screening by comparative thin layer chromatography and NMR analyses. The extracts were assayed to antioxidant (DPPH and Fe-phenanthroline, at 10 μg/mL), insecticidal on Sitophilus zeamais (by ingestion of stored grains and contact, both at 10 mg/mL) and toxic activities on Artemia salina (1000 μg/mL).
Results: There were found evidences of terpenes, phenolic substances (phenols and flavonoids) and alkaloids, with differences between the vegetal part, collection period and solvent used. Antioxidant evaluations showed three of twelve were active and two were considered moderately active, with a relationship dependently of concentration. All methanol extracts showed the presence of phenolic substances (phenols and flavonoids) but one showed only phenols. For insecticidal activity, there were three most active extracts, two of which showed only presence of terpenes and the other, besides terpenes, phenolic substances (phenols and flavonoids). For Artemia salina toxicity assay, the five most active were all from the 2nd and 3rd collections.
Conclusions: The active extracts of D. macrophylla in each test were different. Three methanol extracts showed antioxidant activity; three extracts showed insecticidal activity and the presence of terpenic substances and five extracts presented cytotoxic activity, but it was not possible to correlate it with any specific secondary metabolite.