O vírus sincicial respiratório humano (VSRH) é o agente viral mais freqüentemente relacionado a doenças do trato respiratório inferior em crianças abaixo de um ano de idade. Analíse da varibilidade antigênica e gênica mostraram que o VSRH pode ser divido em dois grupos: A e B. O vírus é um membro do gênero Pneumovirus pertencente a família Paramyxoviridea, e possui três principais proteínas que são: glicoproteina F (fusão), glicoproteina G (adesão), glicoproteina SH (pequena proteína hidrofóbica). A proteína F é responsável pela fusão da célula ao vírus, enquanto a proteína G tem papel fundamental na replicação do vírus, porém a função da proteína SH, ainda não está bem definida, estudos recentes mostram-na como responsável por inibir a sinalização do fator de necrose tumoral alfa (TNF-a). Neste estudo foram colhidas amostras de 965 crianças, entre os anos de 2004 e 2005, dentre as quais 424 foram positivas. 117 amostras foram seqüenciadas a proteína SH e G e comparadas com amostras que circularam mundialmente. A analíse filogenética mostrou uma baixa variabilidade entre os genótipos estudados tanto do grupo A quanto do B. / The human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the major cause of lawer respiratory tract infections in infantis, young children and elderly. Analysis of the antigenic and genetic variability has shown that there are two groups of the virus HRSV, A and B. The virus (HRSV) is a member of the genus pneumovirus in the paramyxoviridae family. The virus encodes three membrane-bound glicoproteins, namely the fusion (F) attachment (G) and small hydrophobic (SH) proteins. The F mediates fusion of the virus and cell membranes and the G proteins is involved in virus attachment. The biological properties of the F and G glicoproteins and role that they play during virus replication relatively well understood, however the functional significance of the SH protein during replication remains unclear, although recent study shown that it can inhibit TNF-alpha. In this study, HRSV strains were isolated from nasopharyngeal aspirates collected from 965 children between 2004 and 2005, yielding 424 positive samples. We sequenced the small hydrophobic protein (SH) gene and protein (G) of 117 samples and compared them with other viruses identified worldwide. The phylogenetic analysis showed a low genetic variably among the isolates but allowed us to classify the viruses into different genotypes for the A and B HRSV strains.

This work deals with questions about the measuring of the tantalum capacitor leakage current. This thesis answers to many questions of this sphere e.g. Study of basic parameters, analysis of the measurment LI Head, creating software for the connection between the measuring LI Head, the computer and the analog measuring card, activation of the measuring set, verification of set functionality and economic evaluation of the whole project.

No description available.

A investigação do potencial terapêutico de compostos naturais não tóxicos capazes de prevenir ou reduzir o impacto do estresse oxidativo em doenças inflamatórias diretamente relacionadas a dor tem exercido um papel fundamental no desenvolvimento de novas medicamentos. O ácido chiquímico (ACH) é um composto natural originalmente extraído da Illicium verum Hook. f., uma planta medicinal usada no tratamento de doenças inflamatórias. Apesar do ACH ter sido usado como um precursor químico na síntese do antiviral Tamiflu®, o seu potencial como um composto anti-inflamatório e antioxidante, já enraizado pelo uso popular, ainda permanece desconhecido. Baseado nisso, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a atividade antioxidante, anti-inflamatória e antinociceptiva do ACH em modelos in vitro e in vivo. Inicialmente as propriedades físico-químicas do ACH foram avaliadas e a atividade antioxidante comprovada, bem como seu potencial de proteger a morte celular induzida por peróxido de hidrogênio em células de neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y. O ACH atenuou a inflamação induzida pelo LPS em macrófagos RAW 264.7, foi capaz de inibir a produção de citocinas (TNF-α e IL-β) e de NO, assim como a ativação das MAPKs (ERK1/2 e P38) induzida pelo LPS, sugerindo que o ACH pode exercer uma atividade anti-inflamatória. In vivo, o ACH bloqueou a hiperalgesia mediada pela carragenina (CG), TNF-α, prostaglandinas (PEG2) e dopamina (DA) em camundongos. Esses resultados sugerem que o efeito antinociceptivo do ACH pode ser atribuído, em parte, a sua ação antioxidante e anti-inflamatória, dois mecanismos que sustentam a transdução do sinal doloroso. / The investigation of the therapeutic potential of natural non-toxic compounds capable of counteracting oxidative stress associated with inflammatory disease and painful conditions, has been of key interest in drug development. Shiquimic acid (SA) is a nature-derived compound originally extracted from Illicium verum Hook. f., a chinese medicinal herb used to treat inflammatory diseases. Even though SA has currently been used as a chemical precursor for synthesis of the antiviral Tamiflu, its potential as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound – already rooted by its popular use - remains unknown until now. Based on that, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activity of SA in vitro and in vivo models. Initially the physic-chemical properties of SA were evaluated and proven antioxidant activity, as well as its potential to protect hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. SA attenuates LPS-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages, SA was capable of inhibiting TNF-α and IL-1β cytokines production, NO production as well as LPS-induced activation of MAPKs (p38 and ERK1/2), thus suggesting that SA may exert anti-inflammatory activity. In vivo, SA blocked carrageenan, TNF-alpha-, prostaglandin (PE2)-, and dopamine-induced hyperalgesia in mice. These results suggest that anti-nociceptive effect of SA could be attributed, at least in part, to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, two mechanisms underpinning painful signal transduction.

The dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) is responsible for the marked motor impairment observed in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this are not completely understood. Since by the time of diagnosis, 50-70% of the dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal pathway have already been degenerated, it is difficult to investigate the early-stage events of disease pathogenesis. Due to inaccessibility of the human brain to study initial pathogenic mechanisms of the disease, experimental models have been developed in an attempt to elucidate PD etiology and its progression. Nevertheless, PD models are a controversial issue in neuroscience research since it is challenging to mimic human neuronal complexity. Therefore, the lack of optimal models that recreate disease pathology is one of the causes of failure of clinical trials that have attempted to find new/better PD therapies. Taking this in consideration, the development of more suitable models is necessary to improve our knowledge regarding PD etiological mechanisms. Additionally, the understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of models already established would also be beneficial for PD research, which our group addressed by reviewing this subject. Considering this, we chose SH-SY5Y cells as a PD model for our studies. To investigate the initial stages of PD-induced neurodegeneration, our work focused in the role of cofilin-1, a protein involved in mitochondrial dysfunction caused by oxidant-induced-apoptosis, which are two pathogenic processes strongly related to PD. Hence, in the thesis, we aimed to validate the use of retinoic-acid-(RA)-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells as an in vitro model and use it to investigate the potential role of cofilin-1 in the initial molecular and cellular mechanisms of PD. Although SH-SY5Y cells are widely used in PD research, their major drawback is their lack of important neuronal features, such as low levels of proliferation and stellate morphology. On the other hand, SH-SY5Y cells can acquire a neuronal phenotype when treated with differentiation agents such as RA. Since several protocols have been described, the consequence of which may be the discrepancies observed among studies regarding neuronal and dopaminergic features. In Chapter I, we aimed to validate a RA-differentiation protocol for SH-SY5Y cells previously established by our research group, focusing upon characterization of neuronal features and its subsequent response to 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a toxin widely used to induce dopaminergic degeneration. RA-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells have low proliferative rates, a pronounced neuronal morphology and high expression of genes related to synapse vesicle cycle, dopamine synthesis/degradation, and dopamine transporter (DAT). After exploring phenotypic differences between these two models, we verified that RA-differentiated cells were more sensitive to 6-OHDA toxicity than undifferentiated cells, which could be related to an increase of DAT immunocontent. Many lines of evidence have showed that DAT is responsible for 6-OHDA uptake in vivo. Once inside the neuron, 6-OHDA underwent auto-oxidation causing a significant increase in oxidative stress. However, toxin uptake is not an essential step in undifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells, as auto-oxidation occurs extracellularly. We showed here, for the first time, that RA-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells can mimic, at least in part, an important mechanism of the 6-OHDA-induced cell death found in previous in vivo studies. Hence, the cellular model established by our research group presents essential neuronal features, being a suitable model for PD research. In Chapter II, RA-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells were used as cellular model to investigate disease molecular mechanisms, focusing upon cofilin-1. Our previous data have shown that oxidation of non-phosphorylate (activated) cofilin-1 leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death induced by apoptosis in tumour cells. Here we found that cofilin-1 played a role in early stages of neuronal apoptosis induced by 6-OHDA in our cellular model since cofilin-1 mitochondrial translocation precedes organelle dysfunction. Overexpression of wild type CFL1 resulted in increased sensitivity of SH-SY5Y cells to 6-OHDA-induced neuronal cell death. Furthermore, overexpression of non-oxidizable CFL1 containing Cys-to-Ala mutations (positions 39, 80 and 139) increased neuronal resistance to this toxin, suggesting that oxidation is an important step in 6-OHDA toxicity. Follow-up experiments were performed in order to evaluate clinically whether cofilin-1 pathway proteins content is altered in PD post mortem human brain. Our findings showed a significant decrease in p-cofilin-1/cofilin-1 ratio in PD patients, which indicates an increase in the amount of activated cofilin-1 available for oxidation. Moreover, through principal component analysis, the immunodetection of cofilin-1 pathway proteins were able to discriminate controls and PD individuals during the early-stage of neuropathological changings. Hence, we demonstrated, for the first time, a possible role for cofilin-1 in PD pathogenesis and its potential use as biomarker. Taken together, our data showed that RA-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells present terminally-differentiated dopaminergic neuron features, that are essential to mimic dopaminergic neurons. By using this cellular model and post mortem brain tissue, we also demonstrated a possible role for cofilin-1 in early steps of the neurodegeneration process found in PD, which it could impact drug and biomarker discovery researches.

Submitted by Sandro Camargo (sandro.camargo@unipampa.edu.br) on 2015-03-09T02:41:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 116110008.pdf: 947235 bytes, checksum: 0fc6b0c6b9f1408dc187ce2420690ed3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-09T02:41:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 116110008.pdf: 947235 bytes, checksum: 0fc6b0c6b9f1408dc187ce2420690ed3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-07 / O ferro é um elemento essencial que participa de várias atividades metabólicas das células. No entanto, acredita-se que o excesso de ferro pode ser uma das principais causas de estresse oxidativo, em sujeitos submetidos à terapia de transfusão de sangue. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi determinar os níveis de ferro plasmático e avaliar os marcadores de estresse oxidativo e da atividade das enzimas antioxidantes em indivíduos anêmicos que receberam repetidas transfusões sanguíneas no último ano, em comparação com os controles saudáveis (doadores de sangue). Participaram deste estudo 50 indivíduos multitransfundidos e 20 controles (nenhuma transfusão), divididos em 4 grupos: grupo controle (n = 20); grupo que recebeu até cinco (<5 transfusões) transfusões de sangue (n = 15); grupo que recebeu de cinco a dez (5-10 transfusões) transfusões de sangue (n = 17); grupo que recebeu mais do que 10 (>10 transfusões) transfusões de sangue (n = 18). O conteúdo de ferro plasmático e os marcadores de estresse oxidativo (proteína carbonil, TBARS e DCFH-DA oxidação) foram significativamente mais elevados, enquanto que níveis de total-SH foi significativamente menor nos indivíduos que receberam transfusões de sangue, em comparação aos controles. A atividade das enzimas antioxidantes (SOD, CAT e GPx) estavam significativamente diminuídas nos pacientes multitransfundidos quando comparados aos indivíduos controles. Além disso, encontramos correlações estatisticamente significativas entre o número de transfusões, o teor de ferro plasmático, os marcadores de estresse oxidativo (proteína carbonil, TBARS, e total-SH) e a atividade das enzimas antioxidantes (SOD, CAT, GPx). Em resumo, nossos dados confirmam o envolvimento do estresse oxidativo em pacientes anêmicos após repetidas transfusões de sangue. Além disso, verificou-se que as alterações nos marcadores de estresse oxidativo estão significativamente correlacionados com o conteúdo de ferro e o número de transfusões sanguíneas. / Iron is an essential element that participates in several metabolic activities of cells. However, its excess is believed to be a major cause of iron-induced oxidative stress in subjects undergoing blood transfusion therapy. Thus, the objective this study was to determine the plasmatic iron content and evaluate the oxidative stress markers and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes in anemic subjects receiving repeated blood transfusions in the past year, comparing with healthy controls (blood donors). A total of 50 individuals multitransfused and 20 controls (no transfusion), divided into 4 groups: control group (n=20); group that received up to five (<5 transfusions) blood transfusions (n=15); group that received from five up to ten (5 – 10 transfusions) blood transfusions (n=17); group that received over than ten (>10 transfusions) blood transfusions (n=18). Plasmatic iron and oxidative stress markers (protein carbonyl, TBARS and DCFH-DA oxidation) were significantly higher, whereas total -SH levels was significantly lower in subjects receiving blood transfusion compared to controls. Additionally, the activity of the antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD and GPx) were significantly lower in the multitransfused subjects whem compared to controls subjects. Moreover, we found statistically significant correlations between the number of transfusions, the plasmatic iron content, the oxidative stress markers (protein carbonyl, TBARS, and total –SH) and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD, and GPx). In summary, our data confirm the involvement of oxidative stress in anemic patients after repeated blood transfusions. Additionally, we found that the changes in the oxidative stress markers are significantly correlated with both iron content and number of blood transfusions.

O crescente interesse científico relacionado ao estudo das propriedades dos grãos de arroz vermelho (Oryza glaberrima) e preto (Oryza sativa) está atrelado ao elevado teor nutricional desses grãos. Quando submetidos ao processo de beneficiamento, eles geram subprodutos, entre os quais a quirera e o farelo, ricos em amido e compostos fenólicos, respectivamente. Uma vez consideradas as diferenças varietais dos grãos e o potencial uso dos seus subprodutos, os objetivos deste trabalho foram, primeiramente, determinar a composição química e o perfil de compostos bioativos desses grãos e, sequencialmente, avaliar sua atividade antioxidante por meio da análise do efeito protetor de células SH- SY5Y. Posteriormente, esses grãos e seus subprodutos foram utilizados como material para o desenvolvimento de filmes biodegradáveis. A identificação e quantificação de compostos fenólicos foi avaliada em extratos da fração farelo de ambos os grãos, por ser essa a fração que contém sua maior concentração. Os resultados evidenciaram que o ácido ferúlico foi o principal composto fenólico encontrado em ambas as amostras. Enquanto no farelo de arroz preto a cianidina-3-glicosídeo foi a antocianina majoritária, no farelo de arroz vermelho foi identificada a presença de proantocianidinas Com relação à atividade antioxidante, o ensaio realizado em cultura de células SH-SY5Y, demonstrou que os extratos de ambos os farelos de arroz, nas duas concentrações testadas (10 and 50 μg/mL), apresentam um efeito protetor contra as espécies reativas geradas pelo H2O2 (ensaio DCFH-DA) e, esse resultado foi relacionado à presença de compostos bioativos, especialmente ácidos fenólicos e antocianinas. Devido às propriedades físico-químicas e antioxidantes, amido e farinha de arroz vermelho foram utilizados para o desenvolvimento de filmes biodegradáveis. Foram desenvolvidas formulações contendo diferentes proporções de farinha e amido (10:0, 9:1, 7:3, 5:5 e 0:10, p/p). A incorporação de amido nos filmes de farinha promoveu melhora das propriedades mecânicas e estruturais e, redução da permeabilidade ao vapor de água. Baseado na excelente atividade de sequestro do radical DPPH. e no menor custo de produção, a formulação 9:1 foi escolhida para ser aplicada na forma de sachê para análise da estabilidade de óleo de girassol armazenado sob condições de oxidação acelerada. Os resultados demonstraram que os filmes foram eficazes como embalagem protetora impedindo a formação de produtos de degradação primários (peróxidos e dienos conjugados) e secundários (trienos conjugados) durante o armazenamento. A partir dos resultados obtidos neste trabalho, fica evidenciada a possibilidade de utilização dos grãos de arroz vermelho e preto e seus subprodutos como matérias-primas promissoras para o desenvolvimento de embalagens biodegradáveis fonte de compostos antioxidantes. / The increase scientific interest related to the study of the properties of red (Oryza glaberrima) and black rice (Oryza sativa) grains is related to the high nutritional content of these grains. When submitted to the polishing process, they generate by-products, among them broken grains and bran, rich in starch and phenolic compounds, respectively. Once considered varietal differences of the grains, and the potential use of their by-products, the goals of this work were, firstly, to determine the chemical composition and the bioactive compounds profile of these grains and, sequentially evaluate their antioxidant activity by analyzing the protective effect of SH-SY5Y cells. Subsequently, these grains and their by-products were used as material for the development of biodegradable films. The identification and quantification of phenolic compounds was evaluated in extracts of the bran fraction of both grains, since this is the fraction that contains the highest concentration of them. The results showed that ferulic acid was the main phenolic compound found in both samples. While in the black rice bran cyanidin-3-glycoside was the major anthocyanin, in the red rice bran the presence of proanthocyanidins was identified. In relation to the antioxidant activity, the SHSY5Y cell culture assay showed that the extracts from both rice bran, at both concentrations tested (10 and 50 μg/ mL), had a protective effect against the reactive species generated by H2O2 (DCFH-DA assay) and this result was related to the presence of bioactive compounds, especially phenolic acids and anthocyanins. Due to the physicochemical and antioxidant properties, starch and red rice flour were used for the development of biodegradable films Formulations containing different ratios of flour and starch (10:0, 9:1, 7:3, 5:5 and 0:10, w/w) were developed. The incorporation of starch in the flour films promoted improved mechanical and structural properties, and reduced permeability to water vapor. Based on excellent scavenging activity of DPPH radical and lowest production cost, the 9: 1 formulation was chosen to be applied in the form of sachets to analyze the stability of sunflower oil stored under accelerated oxidation conditions. The results demonstrated that the films were effective as protective packaging preventing the formation of primary degradation products (peroxides and conjugated dienes) and secondary (conjugated trienes) during the storage. Based on the results obtained in this work, it was confirmed the possibility of using red and black rice grains and their by-products as promising raw materials for the development of biodegradable packaging source of antioxidant compounds.

The enzyme phospholipase A2 (PLA2) specifically hydrolyzes the 2-acyl ester bond of 1,2-diacyl-3-sn-phosphoglycerides releasing fatty acids and lysophospholipids in the presence of Ca2+. Both products represent precursors for signaling molecules that can exert a multitude of biological functions including phospholipid metabolism, exocytosis and inflammation. Consequently, PLA2 not only plays a role in regulating physiological processes, but also exhibits pharmacological effects in inflammatory diseases. Nevertheless, the signaling pathway leading to cell death still remains elusive. In the present study, the cytotoxicity of Naja naja atra PLA2 toward human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells and leukemia K562 cells were respectively evaluated to explore the signaling pathway of PLA2-induced cell death. Upon exposure to PLA2, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, extracellularsignal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) inactivation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (£G£Zm), cytochrome c release and upregulation of Fas/FasL were found in SK-N-SH or K562 cells. N-Acetylcysteine (ROS scavenger), BAPTA-AM (Ca2+ chelator), SB202190 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) or SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) abrogated p38 MAPK or JNK activation and rescued cell viability, £G£Zm, cytochrome c release and suppressed Fas/FasL upregulation of PLA2-treated cells, but restored phosphorylation of ERK. Activated ERK was found to attenuate p38 MAPK-mediated upregulation of Fas/FasL. Besides, sustained JNK activation was also observed in SB202190/PLA2-treated K562 cells after exterminating p38 MAPK activation, but also retained the cytotoxicity of PLA2. Knockdown of p38 MAPK or JNK1 by siRNA proved that PLA2 induced Fas/FasL upregulation through p38 MAPK/ATF-2 or JNK1/c-Jun pathways in K562 cells. Furthermore, deprivation of catalytic activity could not diminish PLA2-induced cell death and Fas/FasL upregulation. The cytotoxicity of arachidonic acid (AA) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) was not related to the expression of Fas/FasL. The results showed that the cytotoxicity of AA is mediated through mitochondria-dependent death pathway, eliciting by AA-induced ROS generation and Ca2+-evoked activation of p38 MAPK and JNK. Besides, ERK activation abrogated by U0126 improved the ability of AA-mediated Fas/FasL upregulation in K562 cells. Taken together, our results indicate that PLA2-induced cell death is through Ca2+- and ROS evoked p38 MAPK or JNK activation. Upregulation of Fas/FasL partially involves in cytotoxicity of PLA2.

Among the three common gas hydrate structures, structure-H (sH) hydrate has been regarded as forming only in the laboratory since it was first reported in 1987. However, natural gas hydrate samples obtained from the Cascadia margin showed that sH hydrate can form naturally. Not only was the sH hydrate found in natural samples, but it was also discovered that n-alkanes such as n-pentane and n-hexane, considered to have too large molecular size to be sH hydrate formers, can act as co-guests of sH hydrates in mixtures with other sH hydrate formers. In this study, thermodynamic measurements and spectroscopic analysis of powder X-ray diffraction and 13C solid-state NMR methods, were performed for synthetic hydrate samples in order to identify the accommodation of n-alkanes with five or more carbon atoms. In addition, some new hydrate guests were found to form sH hydrates. From the present results, it is clear that, so far, our understanding of gas hydrates and guest enclathration needs to be revised and expanded in order to explain new findings.

A investigação do potencial terapêutico de compostos naturais não tóxicos capazes de prevenir ou reduzir o impacto do estresse oxidativo em doenças inflamatórias diretamente relacionadas a dor tem exercido um papel fundamental no desenvolvimento de novas medicamentos. O ácido chiquímico (ACH) é um composto natural originalmente extraído da Illicium verum Hook. f., uma planta medicinal usada no tratamento de doenças inflamatórias. Apesar do ACH ter sido usado como um precursor químico na síntese do antiviral Tamiflu®, o seu potencial como um composto anti-inflamatório e antioxidante, já enraizado pelo uso popular, ainda permanece desconhecido. Baseado nisso, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a atividade antioxidante, anti-inflamatória e antinociceptiva do ACH em modelos in vitro e in vivo. Inicialmente as propriedades físico-químicas do ACH foram avaliadas e a atividade antioxidante comprovada, bem como seu potencial de proteger a morte celular induzida por peróxido de hidrogênio em células de neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y. O ACH atenuou a inflamação induzida pelo LPS em macrófagos RAW 264.7, foi capaz de inibir a produção de citocinas (TNF-α e IL-β) e de NO, assim como a ativação das MAPKs (ERK1/2 e P38) induzida pelo LPS, sugerindo que o ACH pode exercer uma atividade anti-inflamatória. In vivo, o ACH bloqueou a hiperalgesia mediada pela carragenina (CG), TNF-α, prostaglandinas (PEG2) e dopamina (DA) em camundongos. Esses resultados sugerem que o efeito antinociceptivo do ACH pode ser atribuído, em parte, a sua ação antioxidante e anti-inflamatória, dois mecanismos que sustentam a transdução do sinal doloroso. / The investigation of the therapeutic potential of natural non-toxic compounds capable of counteracting oxidative stress associated with inflammatory disease and painful conditions, has been of key interest in drug development. Shiquimic acid (SA) is a nature-derived compound originally extracted from Illicium verum Hook. f., a chinese medicinal herb used to treat inflammatory diseases. Even though SA has currently been used as a chemical precursor for synthesis of the antiviral Tamiflu, its potential as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound – already rooted by its popular use - remains unknown until now. Based on that, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activity of SA in vitro and in vivo models. Initially the physic-chemical properties of SA were evaluated and proven antioxidant activity, as well as its potential to protect hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. SA attenuates LPS-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages, SA was capable of inhibiting TNF-α and IL-1β cytokines production, NO production as well as LPS-induced activation of MAPKs (p38 and ERK1/2), thus suggesting that SA may exert anti-inflammatory activity. In vivo, SA blocked carrageenan, TNF-alpha-, prostaglandin (PE2)-, and dopamine-induced hyperalgesia in mice. These results suggest that anti-nociceptive effect of SA could be attributed, at least in part, to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, two mechanisms underpinning painful signal transduction.