The development of a new methodology for neurotoxicity evaluation of natural products by the gene FOS expression in the Apis mellifera nervous system

• Grant number: 07/04140-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2008
• End date: January 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Cytology and Cell Biology
• Principal Investigator: Osmar Malaspina
• Grantee: Roberta Cornélio Ferreira Nocelli
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The FOS gene expressed in neurons have been considered an important metabolic marker of the nervous system structure and have been used to evaluate changes induced for several substances in the central nervous system. Its transcription can be changed for different trigger like chemical, electrical or physiological. The experiments performed to evaluate many compounds about the FOS expression use, most part of the time, rodents as an experimental model. Since the FOS expression had discovered in the insects brain, new possibilities of experimental models and new application of this marker became viable. In order to the insects can be used as experimental models of FOS expression it will be necessary a basal expression mapping by the immunohistochemistry that will be performed with Apis mellifera bees, where previous researches done in our laboratory showed FOS expression in the nervous system of this insect in many stages of its development. So that the model can be compared to the resusts achieved in rodents it will be evaluate the FOS expression after application of molecular low mass compounds of Parawixia bistriata venom. (AU)