β-glucosidases are important components of the cellulase enzyme system in which they not only hydrolyse cellobiose to glucose, but also remove the feedback inhibition effects of cellobiose on exoglucanase and endoglucanase thereby increasing the rate of cellulose degradation to fermentable sugars. A total of 166 proteins were identified as β-glucosidases after manual BLASTp search on the Aspergillus comparative database from eight species. Evidence for Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) of bacterial origin of some β-glucosidase genes was provided by their lack of introns, absence of some fungal specific amino acid insertions in their sequences and unusual positions in phylogenetic trees showing similarities to bacterial proteins. A rapid plate assay based on Congo red methods was developed to study the optimum parameters such as pH and temperature for growth of strains and activities of the enzymes produced. Bacterial cellulose (BC) was produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinus. For the first time a fully detailed characterization by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and 13Carbon Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SSNMR) of pure BC before and after treatment with a commercially available Aspergillus cellulase enzyme was demonstrated. Two encoding sequences for novel Aspergillus nidulans hydrophobin genes ANID_05290.1 and ANID_07327 that do not fall into either the class I or class II category of hydrophobins were successfully cloned. Two encoding sequences for a novel β-glucosidase gene from an Aspergillus niger strain from Nigeria were amplified and cloned from genomic DNA using PCR. Aspergillus nidulans β-glucosidases (AN2227 and AN1804) expressed in Pichia were purified to homogeneity by using ammonium sulphate precipitation and DEAE-Sephadex A-50 chromatography. Both enzymes had a remarkably broad pH and temperature profile. Further experiments on the development of a technology for lignocellulose degradation based on co-production of β-glucosidase with hydrophobin for biofuel production are suggested.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-01-22T10:23:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 gustavorezendebelleideoliveira.pdf: 2916542 bytes, checksum: 307fa0e3fa1f842c7fbc463dd8a0a712 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-01-25T18:49:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 gustavorezendebelleideoliveira.pdf: 2916542 bytes, checksum: 307fa0e3fa1f842c7fbc463dd8a0a712 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-25T18:49:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 gustavorezendebelleideoliveira.pdf: 2916542 bytes, checksum: 307fa0e3fa1f842c7fbc463dd8a0a712 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-07-25 / FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / A obesidade é o resultado de diversas características do indivíduo, entre as quais se destacam os aspectos genéticos, ambientais e comportamentais. Sua ocorrência é devido ao acúmulo anormal ou excessivo de gordura, que pode resultar em risco de desenvolvimento de doenças graves e alterações lipídicas como dislipidemias e hipercolesterolemia. Vários tratamentos terapêuticos são utilizados para redução do peso corporal. Medicamentos com ação inibidora da lipase digetiva na região do lumen intestinal são utilizados para controlar o metabolismo lipídico, que propicia a redução da absorção de gordura. As plantas têm sido amplamente estudadas como recurso terapêutico, fundamentado no uso popular. Várias plantas apresentam ação antilipidêmica comprovada, devido à presença dos catecois. A Endopleura uchi, conhecida popularmente como uxi amarelo, apresenta em seus extratos, derivados fenólicos e flavonoídicos (catequinas). Este trabalho teve como objetivo, o estudo de avaliação da eficácia antilipidêmica da casca de Endopleura uchi, empregando método espectrofotométrico. A amostra de casca de E. uchi seca e triturada foi adquirida comercialmente. A metodologia envolveu a obtenção dos extratos; quantificação de derivados flavonoídicos e derivados fenólicos totais; avaliação da atividade antioxidante e determinação do efeito inibidor dos extratos na atividade enzimática da lipase pancreática. Foram preparados três extratos em solventes com polaridades diferentes, a partir de 200g de casca seca triturada de E. uchi. Para a determinação de derivados flavonídicos foi utilizado o método com cloreto de alumínio em meio ácido na presença de piridina e para derivados fenólicos totais o método com reagente de Folin-Ciocalteau. A atividade antioxidante foi realizada pelo ensaio de redução do radical DPPH. O efeito antilipidêmico dos extratos foi avaliado através da inibição enzimática da lipase pancreática utilizando como substrato o p-nitrofenolpalmitato. Os extratos obtidos apresentaram rendimento de 23,4 g (11,7%) para o extrato em água, 34,2g (17,1%) de extrato em etanol 80% e 26,6 g (13,3%) de extrato em acetona 80%. O conteúdo de derivados flavonoídicos equivalente em quercetina por grama de amostra foi de 1,35mg para extrato em água, 1,80mg para extrato em etanol 80% e 2,13 mg para extrato em acetona 80%. O conteúdo de derivados fenólicos expressos em equivalente em ácido tânico por grama de amostra foi de 0,639g para extrato em água, 0,950g para extrato em etanol 80% e 0,930g para extrato em acetona 80%. As concentrações efetivas 50% para o método de DPPH variaram de 12,4 μg/mL, 9,7 μg/mL e 7,9 μg/mL para os extratos em água, etanol 80% e em acetona 80% respectivamente. Foi encontrada forte correlação entre atividade antioxidante e o conteúdo de derivados fenólicos. O coeficiente de Pearson para os três extratos foi r > 0,9. Na avaliação dos extratos frente a inibição da lipase pancreática, o extrato aquoso mostrou atividade inibidora de 47,54% (106,90 UIL/g), em etanol 80% (1:1) 36,88% (96,06 UIL/g) e extrato em acetona 80% (1:1) 49,33% (112,14 UIL/g). Os resultados obtidos mostraram a presença das atividades antilipidêmica e antioxidante dos extratos de casca de E. uchi, importantes para o tratamento de redução de gordura corporal. / Obesity is the result of various individual characteristics, among which stand out the genetic, environmental and behavioral aspects. Its occurrence is due to abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may result in the risk of developing serious diseases and lipid disorders such as dyslipidemia and hypercholesterolemia. Many therapeutic treatments are used for reducing body weight. Drugs that inhibits the digestive lipase in the intestinal lumen region are used to control lipid metabolism, which promotes the reduction of fat absorption. Plants have been widely studied as a treatment method based on the popular use. Several plants have proven, due to the presence of catechols antilipemic action. The Endopleura uchi, popularly known as yellow uxi presents in their extracts, phenolic derivatives and flavonoids (catechins). This work aimed to study the efficacy assessment antilipemic bark Endopleura uchi, employing spectrophotometric method. A sample of E. uchi bark was dried and crushed commercially acquired. The methodology involved obtaining the extracts; quantification of flavonoid compounds and phenolic derivatives; evaluation of antioxidant activity and determination of the inhibitory effect of the extract on the enzymatic activity of pancreatic lipase. Three extracts were prepared in solvents with different polarities from 200g dry shredded bark of E. uchi. For the determination of the method flavonoid derivative with aluminum chloride in an acid medium in the presence of pyridine and phenolic derivatives with the method of Folin-Ciocalteau reagent was used. The antioxidant activity assay was performed by reduction of DPPH. Antilipemic effect of the extracts was assessed by enzymatic inhibition of pancreatic lipase using a substrate of p-nitrofenylpalmitate. The extracts showed yield 23,4 g (11,7%) for the water extract, 34,2 g (17.1%) of 80% ethanol extract and 26,6 g (13,3%) of 80% acetone extract. The content of flavonoid compounds in quercetin equivalent of gram of sample was 1,35 mg to water extract, 1,80 mg extract in 80% ethanol and 2,13 mg 80% extract acetone. The contents of phenolic derivatives expressed in equivalent of gram of tannic acid was 0,639 g sample to extract in water to 0,950 g in 80% ethanol extract and 0,930 g in 80% acetone extract. The effective concentration for 50% DPPH assay ranged from 12,4 μg/mL, 9,7 μg/mL and 7,9 μg/mL for the extracts with water, 80% ethanol and 80% acetone, respectively. Strong correlation between antioxidant activity and content of phenolic derivatives was found. The Pearson coefficient for the three extracts was r > 0,9. In the evaluation of the extracts against pancreatic lipase inhibition of the aqueous extract showed inhibitory activity of 47.54% (106,90 ALI/g) in 80% ethanol (1:1) 36,88% (96,06 ALI/g) and extract with 80% acetone (1:1) 49,33% (112,14 ALI/g). The results showed the presence of antilipemic and antioxidant activities of the extracts of bark of E. uchi, important for the treatment of body fat reduction.

In this work, the application of boron-doped diamond electrodes with various surface pre- treatment were tested on selected oxidizable and reducible model compounds, specifically para and ortho cresols and 2'-deoxycytidine and 7-deazaadenosine labeled by 4-nitrophenyl triazole. The aim of the study was the investigation of electrochemical and adsorptive processes with respect to the development of electroanalytical methods of detection of the selected compounds, or utilization of boron-doped diamond electrodes as detectors in liquid-flow systems. Cresols were used as the model oxidizable compound. On O-terminated and polished boron- doped diamond electrodes, cresols provide oxidation signal owing to their oxidation to methylphenoxy radical at comparable potentials as on other carbon-based electrodes used as a reference in this work, i.e., glassy carbon electrode, pyrolytic graphite electrode, and carbon paste electrode. These carbon electrode materials show relatively high propensity to adsorption of reaction products, while such adsorption is minimal on boron-doped diamond. In situ anodic activation allows for a rapid regeneration of boron-doped diamond surface prior to each scan. A differential pulse voltammetric method that was developed with a detection limit of 0.61 mol∙l-1 to 2.97 mol∙l-1...