Infrastructure
1. NEMPI
We offer the infrastructure of the Microscopy and Image Processing Study Center (NEMPI), available at www.nempi.ufc.br. NEMPI was established as a research group under the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in 2009, coordinated by Professors Gerly Anne Castro Brito (the coordinator of this project and a CNPq Productivity Fellow IB) and Reinaldo Barreto Oriá (CNPq Productivity Fellow 2).
NEMPI houses three laboratories spanning a total of 113.65 m² within the Department of Morphology, equipped for histology, morphometry, immunohistochemistry, cell death assays, cytokine and nitric oxide assays, among other laboratory procedures. It accommodates up to 50 students and is fully air-conditioned, featuring workbenches and furniture for students and equipment, including refrigerators, microwaves, -80°C freezers, exhaust hoods, three stereomicroscopes (LEICA S8APO and S4E models), one microtome (LEICA RM2235), one microscope with a camera and image acquisition system (LEICA DM1000 with LAZ 3.5 software), an automatic tissue processor (LEICA TP1020), and a paraffin embedding machine (LEICA EG1150C). Additional equipment includes water baths, pH meters, immunohistochemistry processors, tissue homogenizers, digital scales, centrifuges, and a cell culture room equipped with a CO₂ incubator, two laminar flow hoods, and one inverted microscope (NIKON). Furthermore, NEMPI manages a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (Olympus FLUOVIEW 1000).
2. LABICONTE
The Laboratory of Wound Healing, Ontogeny, and Tissue Nutrition (LABICONTE) www.labiconte.ufc.br is located at the Brazilian Semi-Arid Institute of Biomedicine, within the School of Medicine at the Federal University of Ceará. It was founded by Prof. Dr. Reinaldo B. Oriá. LABICONTE’s objectives include identifying and understanding molecular mechanisms involved in tissue regeneration through nutritional interventions, employing proteomics and microscopic imaging analyses.
Our research areas encompass malnutrition and enteric infections, intestinal mucositis, cerebral ischemia, and experimental periodontitis, focusing on immunoinflammatory modulation and signal transduction pathways regulated by the apolipoprotein E gene. LABICONTE provides internet and intranet access, including connections to the CAPES journal system. The laboratory is equipped with thermocyclers for polymerase chain reactions (PCR), Western blotting apparatuses (including vacuum systems), spectrophotometers, ELISA plate readers, gel documentation systems, a Milli-Q water purification system, CO₂ incubators, and laminar flow hoods for cell culture. Additional resources include an epifluorescence microscope, histological and immunohistological staining kits, analytical balances, refrigerated centrifuges, and a -80°C freezer. LABICONTE also maintains a colony of ApoE knockout transgenic animals.
3. LAFICA
The Laboratory for Functional and Cellular Analysis (LAFICA) provides the following infrastructure: surgical instruments (forceps, scissors), disposable materials (Eppendorf tubes, Falcon tubes), glassware (beakers, manual pipettes, test tubes), automatic pipettes, pharmaceuticals, and reagents. It also houses specialized equipment such as a Dispergierstation T8.10 IKA vortex (Maxi Mix II Thermolyne model 37600), ELISA reader (Biotec ELx800), Eppendorf 5804R centrifuge, Ohaus Analytical Standard precision scales, and blood sampling materials. Additional equipment includes a -70°C freezer (Sony), Micronal spectrophotometer, refrigerators, and -20°C freezers.
LAFICA is equipped with an intravital microscope (NIKON), a microscope with an image acquisition system (LEICA DM1000 with LAZ 3.5 software), and a well-structured cell culture lab with laminar flow hoods, CO₂ incubators, and an inverted microscope. It also supports molecular biology with electrophoresis power supplies, gel chambers, and real-time PCR systems (BioRad). Functional tissue and organ studies are enabled through equipment such as a muscle contraction system with an electrical stimulator and a Langendorff isolated organ system from ADInstruments.
4. LAMOFOPA
LAMOFOPA spans a built area of 400 m² and is equipped with the following key instruments: an 80 KVA generator, drying ovens, histological ovens, a controlled freezer, two cryogenic containers, six CO₂ incubators, freezers, refrigerators, microwaves, a microtome, an exhaust hood for histological processing, analytical scales, laminar flow hoods, inverted microscopes, optical microscopes, a potentiometer, a tissue chopper, a water distiller, a Milli-Q water purification system, Fyrite gas analyzers, real-time PCR thermocyclers, stereomicroscopes, printers, and desktop computers.
LAMOFOPA is composed of 34 members: six undergraduate students, 20 master’s and Ph.D. students, three postdoctoral researchers, three faculty researchers, and two technicians supported by grants from CNPq and Banco do Nordeste.
5. Neuropharmacology and Biophysiology Laboratories – School of Medicine, Juazeiro
The laboratories of Neuropharmacology and Biophysiology provide the following equipment: -80°C freezers, refrigerators, refrigerated centrifuges, metabolic cages, a guillotine, electrophoresis systems, platelet aggregation analyzers, spectrophotometers, HPLC systems (with fluorescence and electrochemical detectors), pH meters, scintillation counters, Milli-Q water systems, water baths, autoclaves, incubators, optical microscopes, analytical scales, laminar flow hoods, exhaust hoods, plate readers, and devices for behavioral and memory studies (Ugo Basile). Additional equipment includes computers, physiographs, binding apparatuses, infusion pumps, vacuum pumps, and electroshock equipment.
