This study investigated the toxic effects of dried pulverized Caloncoba echinata leaves on the hematology, blood biochemistry and vital organs of male albino rats. Twenty adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups of five rats each. Groups A, B and C were fed 25.00%, 15.00% and 5.00% of pulverized C. echinata leaves in feed respectively while group D was given norm...

The seeds of Caesalpinia echinata and C. ferrea behaved as typical endospermic seeds, despite their different morphological classification (exendospermic seeds were described for C. echinata and endospermic seeds for C. ferrea). Then, the aim of this work was to compare, under ultrastructural and histochemical terms, the nature of the storage substances and their accumulation sites, as well as ...

Sex change occurs when an individual changes from one functional sex to another. The direction of sex change occurs mainly from male to female (protandry) or vice versa (protogyny), but sometimes may be bidirectional (repetitive). Here, for the first time in stony corals, we report on a protandrous sex change exhibited by two mushroom corals, Fungia repanda and Ctenactis echinata, with the latt...

Raulinoa is a monospecific genus and the species Raulinoa echinata Cowan (Rutaceae) is endemic in the Itajaí Valley, SC, Brazil. This perennial woody shrub is characterized by the presence of spines and has only been found in a short interval (1000 m) on the frequently inundated banks of Itajaí river in an approximate altitude of 100 m, showing a high degree of adaptation to the environment. We...

Apoptotic cell death plays an important role in many developmental pathways in multicellular animals. Here, we show that metamorphosis in the basal invertebrate Hydractinia echinata (Cnidaria) depends on the activity of caspases, the central enzymes in apoptosis. Caspases are activated during metamorphosis and this activity can be measured with caspase-3 specific fluorogenic substrates. In affi...

INTRODUCTION the search of new antimalarial compounds comprises, among its challenges, the development of therapeutic alternatives for cerebral malaria; due to the high mortality and neurological deficiencies that persist after treatment with recommended drugs. OBJECTIVES to evaluate the activity of organic fractions of Mycale laxissima and Clathria echinata in the cerebral malaria model of i...

Luffa Echinata Roxb. fruits popularly known, as ‘Bindal’ in Hindi is a slender herb belonging to the Cucurbitaceae which grows widely in India. In traditional system of medicine, Luffa echinata Roxb. fruits were used for various ailments including inflammation, diabetes etc. To investigate the folkloric use of the fruits the present study was carried out on Freund’s adjuvant induced arthritic r...

Using new variations of anionic aromatic chemistry, the total synthesis of oxygenated brazanquinones (1a-1c), derived from beta-brasan, a natural product isolated from Caesalpina echinata, via carbamates 2a-2c is described.