THIS STUDY FOCUSES ON THE EXTRACTION OF PLANT SPECIES ALKANNA TUBULOSA GROWING IN TURKEY, USING SOLVENTS OF DIFFERENT POLARITIES (ETHYL ACETATE, ETHANOL, ETHANOL/WATER, AND WATER) AND DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY. THE EXTRACTS WERE SUBJECTED TO QUALITATIVE LC-MS/MS ANALYSES, WHICH RESULTED IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF EVEN 50 DIFFERENT SECONDARY METABOLITES IN SOME EXTRACTS. THE EXISTENCE OF TOTAL PHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS WAS DETERMINED. OF TOTAL PHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS WAS DETERMINED. THE ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY WAS EVALUATED BY VARIOUS IN VITRO ASSAYS, AS WELL AS THE ENZYME INHIBITORY CAPACITY AGAINST CHOLINESTERASES (ACHE AND BCHE), TYROSINASE, ALPHA-AMYLASE, AND ALPHA-GLUCOSIDASE, AS WELL AS HUMAN ISOFORMS OF CARBONIC ANHYDRASE. IN ADDITION, THE CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF THE EXTRACTS WAS ALSO EXAMINED. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE ETHANOL/WATER EXTRACT SHOWED THE STRONGEST ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY (225.55 MG TE/G EXTRACT IN ABTS AND 381.14 MG TE/G EXTRACT IN CUPRAC), PROBABLY DUE TO THE HIGH TOTAL PHENOL (105.17 MG GAE/G EXTRACT) AND FLAVONOIDS (20.12 MG RE/G EXTRACT) CONTENT, WHILE THE ETHANOL EXTRACT SHOWED THE STRONGEST ENZYME INHIBITORY POTENTIAL. THESE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL FINDINGS PROVIDE VALUABLE INSIGHTS FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE PRODUCTS BASED ON THE A. TUBULOSA EXTRACTS WHICH COULD BE USED IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES.

TETRANYCHUS URTICAE IS A HIGHLY POLYPHAGOUS MITE SPECIES, WITH 1,140 HOST PLANT SPECIES REPORTED WORLDWIDE. IN THIS STUDY, BOTH BLECHNUM CORDATUM TOXICITY AND REPELLENT ACTIVITY AGAINST T. URTICAE ARE REPORTED. REGARDING TOXICITY, THE ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION AT 250 PPM AND THE N-HEXANE FRACTIONS AT 250 PPM AND 100 PPM CAUSED THE GREATEST ACCUMULATED MORTALITY RATE WHEN APPLICATION WAS MADE STARTING DURING THE LARVAL STAGE. RESULTS SHOWED THAT EVEN AT THE LOWEST EVALUATED CONCENTRATION (10 PPM), BOTH FRACTIONS CAUSED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE T. URTICAE POPULATION. THE N-HEXANE FRACTION CAUSED 100 % REPELLENCY AT 50 PPM AND REPELLENCY SIGNIFICANTLY SUPERIOR TO THE CONTROL AT 10 PPM. RELATIVELY LOW ACTIVITY WAS FOUND WHEN TREATMENTS WERE APPLIED DIRECTLY TO ADULTS. IN ADDITION, RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE CUMULATIVE MORTALITY COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY STARVATION DUE TO THE OBSERVED REPELLENCY AND THE WELL-KNOWN DETERRENT ACTIVITY OF PHYTOECDYSTEROIDS (PES) FOUND IN THE EXTRACTS. FOUR PES FROM THE B. CORDATUM N-HEXANE FRACTION WERE ISOLATED: ECDYSONE, PONASTERONE A, SHIDASTERONE AND 2-DEOXYCRUSTECDYSONE.

TETRANYCHUS URTICAE ES UNA ESPECIE DE ÁCARO ALTAMENTE POLÍFAGO, CON REGISTROS EN 1.140 ESPECIES HOSPEDERAS A NIVEL MUNDIAL. EN EL PRESENTE ESTUDIO, SE REPORTA LA TOXICIDAD Y LA REPELENCIA DE BLECHNUM CORDATUM CONTRA T. URTICAE. CON RELACIÓN A LA TOXICIDAD, LAS FRACCIONES OBTENIDAS CON ACETATO DE ETILO A 250 PPM Y N-HEXANO A 250 PPM Y 100 PPM CAUSARON LAS MÁS ALTA TASAS DE MORTALIDAD ACUMULADA CUANDO SE HIZO LA APLICACIÓN DESDE EL ESTADIO LARVAL. LOS RESULTADOS DEL ESTUDIO MUESTRAN QUE AÚN A LAS MÁS BAJAS CONCENTRACIONES EVALUADAS (10 PPM), AMBAS FRACCIONES CAUSARON UNA DISMINUCIÓN SIGNIFICATIVA EN LA POBLACIÓN DEL ÁCARO. LA FRACCIÓN HEXÁNICA CAUSÓ 100 % DE REPELENCIA A 50 PPM Y UNA REPELENCIA SIGNIFICATIVAMENTE SUPERIOR AL CONTROL A 10 PPM. SE ENCONTRÓ UNA RELATIVA BAJA ACTIVIDAD CUANDO LOS TRATAMIENTOS SE APLICARON DIRECTAMENTE A ADULTOS. LOS RESULTADOS PERMITEN INFERIR QUE LA MORTALIDAD ACUMULADA PUDO HABER SIDO CAUSADA POR INANICIÓN DADA LA ACTIVIDAD REPELENTE O LA MUY BIEN CONOCIDA ACTIVIDAD DISUASORA DE LOS FITOECDISTEROIDES (FES) PRESENTES EN LOS EXTRACTOS. SE AISLARON E IDENTIFICARON CUATRO FES A PARTIR DE LA FRACCIÓN HEXÁNICA DE B. CORDATUM: ECDISONA, PONASTERONA A, SHIDASTERONA Y 2-DEOXICRUSTECDISONA.

CONTEXT: PENSTEMON GENTIANOIDES (KUNTH) POIR. AND PENSTEMON CAMPANULATUS (CAV.) WILLD. (PLANTAGINACEAE) ARE IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANTS IN MEXICO USED BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE FOR THEIR ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS AND TO ALSO REDUCE RHEUMATIC PAINS. OBJECTIVE: IN ADDITION TO RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY, THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF THE EXTRACTS, FRACTIONS AND COMPOUNDS OF THESE PLANTS WERE INVESTIGATED AND REPORTED HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES OF MEOH, CH(2)CL(2), AND ETHYL ACETATE EXTRACTS AND IRIDOID, FLAVONOIDS, AND PHENYLPROPANOIDS FROM PENSTEMON GENTIANOIDES AND P. CAMPANULATUS WERE STUDIED IN THE TPA-INDUCED MOUSE EAR EDEMA MODEL. IN ADDITION, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AGAINST DPPH, CROCIN AND ?-CAROTENE WERE INVESTGATED. RESULTS: ALL EXTRACTS WERE TESTED AND A SELECTION OF KNOWN COMPOUNDS SIGNIFICANTLY (P

THE OLEANANE-TYPE TRITERPENE CHICHIPEGENIN AND THE STEROLS PENIOCEROL AND MACDOUGALLIN, ISOLATED FROM MYRTILLOCACTUS GEOMETRIZANS, SHOWED ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES IN BOTH THE 12-O-TETRADECANOYLPHORBOL-13-ACETATE (TPA)-INDUCED MOUSE EAR EDEMA MODEL AND THE CARRAGEENAN-INDUCED RAT PAW EDEMA MODEL. ALL TESTED COMPOUNDS INHIBITED THE TPA-INDUCED EDEMA IN A DOSE-DEPENDENT MANNER, WITH ED50 VALUES LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO THAT SHOWN BY INDOMETHACIN. AMONG THEM, PENIOCEROL WAS THE MOST ACTIVE COMPOUND. HOWEVER, ONLY PENIOCEROL AND MACDOUGALLIN REDUCED CARRAGEENAN-INDUCED RAT PAW EDEMA. ON THE OTHER HAND, PENIOCEROL AND MACDOUGALLIN SHOWED CYTOTOXICITY AGAINST SEVERAL HUMAN CANCER CELL LINES. THESE RESULTS INDICATE THAT COMPOUNDS ISOLATED FROM M. GEOMETRIZANS POSSESS ANTIINFLAMMATORY AND CYTOTOXIC PROPERTIES, AND THE PRESENCE OF CHICHIPEGENIN IN THE AERIAL PARTS COULD JUSTIFY THE MEDICINAL USES ATTRIBUTED TO THE PLANT.

THIS STUDY REPORTS THE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF AN OLIGOSACCHARIDE, PREPARED BY PARTIAL ACID HYDROLYSIS OF A NATIVE PAECILOMYCES SP. EXOPOLYSACCHARIDE, AND OF ITS AMINOGLYCOSYLATED DERIVATIVE, PREPARED BY REDUCTIVE ALKYLATION OF THE OLIGOSACCHARIDE, AGAINST E. COLI AND S. AUREUS.

EXTRACTS FROM CALCEOLARIA TALCANA EXHIBITED STRONG BIOINSECTICIDAL EFFECTS AGAINST DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER AND SPODOPTERA FRUGIPERDA. THE MOST ACTIVE EXTRACT WAS ETHYL ACETATE AND ITS MAJORITY COMPOUND VERBASCOSIDE. THE HIGHEST LETHAL CONCENTRATION TO THE LARVAE OF S. FRUGIPERDA AND D. MELANOGASTER WAS 20.0 ?G/ML OF THE ETHYL ACETATE EXTRACT WITH 95.8% AND 67.0% OF MORTALITY, RESPECTIVELY. AGAINST D. MELANOGASTER THE ETHYL ACETATE EXTRACT SHOWED THE HIGHEST ACTIVITY WITH 75.05% OF ANTIFEEDANT INDEX AT 25 ?G/ML, METHANOL EXTRACT INSTEAD SHOWED 100% TO 100 ?G/ML. AT VERY LOW CONCENTRATIONS ETHYL ACETATE AND METHANOL EXTRACTS INDUCE ANTIFEEDANT AND INSECT GROWTH REGULATORY ACTIVITY SHOWING SELECTIVE EFFECTS AS DETERRENT AND ON THE SCLEROTIZATION SHOWING A PRE-EMERGENCE EFFECT ON S. FRUGIPERDA. THE RESULTS FROM THESE EXTRACTS WERE BETTER THAN SHOWED BY METHANOL EXTRACTS FROM CEDRELA SALVADORENSIS, MYRTILLOCACTUS GEOMETRIZANS AND YUCCA PERICULOSA SAMPLES USED AS POSITIVE CONTROLS.

EXTRACTS OBTAINED FROM LIQUID MYCELIAL FERMENTATIONS OF THE CHILEAN FUNGUS STEREUM HIRSUTUM (SH134-11) SHOWED ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY AGAINST BOTRYTIS CINEREA. TWO TYPES OF EXTRACTS WERE OBTAINED: ETOAC-EXTRACT (LIQUID PHASE) AND MEOH-EXTRACT (MYCELIAL PHASE). PLATE DIFFUSION ASSAY SHOWED THAT ETOAC-EXTRACTS WERE MORE ACTIVE THAN MEOH-EXTRACTS. A LARGE-SCALE FERMENTATION OF SH134-11 AND CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHODS ALLOWED TO ISOLATED FOUR COMPOUNDS: MS-3, VIBRALACTONE, VIBRALACTONE B AND STERENIN D. ONLY STERENIN D SHOWED ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY AGAINST B. CINEREA IN THE TESTS PERFORMED. EFFECTS ON THE MYCELIAL GROWTH OF B. CINEREA SHOWED THAT STERENIN D SHOWED INHIBITION AT 1000-2000 ?G/ML REACHING 67% AND 76% RESPECTIVELY. STERENIN D WAS MORE EFFECTIVE TO CONTROL THE SPOROGENESIS, INHIBITING IN 96% THE SPORULATION AT 500 ?G/ML. ASSAYS SHOWED THAT STERENIN D EXHIBITED A MINIMAL FUNGICIDAL CONCENTRATION (MFC) OF 50 ?G/ML AND MINIMAL INHIBITORY CONCENTRATION (MIC) AT 20 ?G/ML. OUR STUDY INDICATED THAT SUBMERGED FERMENTATIONS OF CHILEAN S. HIRSUTUM (SH134-11) PRODUCED EXTRACTS WITH ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY AND STERENIN D IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ACTIVITY, WHICH COULD BE USED AS POSSIBLE BIOFUNGICIDES ALTERNATIVE TO SYNTHETIC FUNGICIDES.

PRIMARY ALIPHATIC ALKANOLS FROM C6 TO C13 WERE TESTED FOR THEIR ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY AGAINST SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE USING A BROTH DILUTION METHOD. UNDECANOL (C11) WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST POTENT FUNGICIDE AGAINST THIS YEAST WITH THE MINIMUM FUNGICIDAL CONCENTRATION (MFC) OF 25 ?G/ML (0.14 MM), FOLLOWED BY DECANOL (C10) WITH THE MINIMUM INHIBITORY CONCENTRATION (MIC) OF 50 ?G/ML (0.31 MM). THE TIME-KILL CURVE STUDY SHOWED THAT UNDECANOL WAS FUNGICIDAL AGAINST S. CEREVISIAE AT ANY GROWTH STAGES. THIS FUNGICIDAL ACTIVITY WAS NOT INFLUENCED BY PH VALUES. DODECANOL (C12) WAS THE MOST EFFECTIVE FUNGISTATIC BUT DID NOT SHOW ANY FUNGICIDAL ACTIVITY UP TO 1600 ?G/ML. FUNGISTATIC DODECANOL QUICKLY REDUCED CELL VIABILITY, BUT THE CELL VIABILITY RECOVERED SHORTLY AFTER AND THEN FINALLY BECAME NO LONGER DIFFERENT FROM THE CONTROL INDICATING THAT THE EFFECT OF DODECANOL ON S. CEREVISIAE WAS CLASSIFIED AS A SUBLETHAL DAMAGE. HOWEVER, FUNGISTATIC DODECANOL COMBINED WITH SUBLETHAL AMOUNT OF ANETHOLE SHOWED A FUNGICIDAL ACTIVITY AGAINST THIS YEAST. ANETHOLE COMPLETELY RESTRICTED THE RECOVERY OF CELL VIABILITY. THEREFORE EXPRESSION OF THE SYNERGISTIC EFFECT WAS PROBABLY DUE TO THE BLOCKADE OF THE RECOVERING PROCESS FROM DODECANOL INDUCED-STRESS. THE ALKANOLS TESTED INHIBITED GLUCOSE-INDUCED ACIDIFICATION BY INHIBITING THE PLASMA MEMBRANE H+-ATPASE. OCTANOL (C8) INCREASED PLASMA MEMBRANE FLUIDITY IN THE SPHEROPLAST CELLS OF S. CEREVISIAE. THE SAME SERIES OF ALIPHATIC PRIMARY ALKANOLS WAS ALSO TESTED AGAINST A FOOD SPOILAGE FUNGUS ZYGOSACCHAROMYCES BAILII AND COMPARED WITH THEIR EFFECTS AGAINST S. CEREVISIAE. DECANOL WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST POTENT FUNGICIDE AGAINST Z. BAILII WITH AN MFC OF 50 ?G/ML (0.31 MM), WHEREAS UNDECANOL WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST POTENT FUNGISTATIC WITH AN MIC OF 25 ?G/ML (0.14 MM). THE TIME-KILL CURVE STUDY SHOWED THAT DECANOL WAS FUNGICIDAL AGAINST Z. BAILII AT ANY GROWTH STAGE. THIS ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY WAS SLIGHTLY ENHANCED IN COMBINATION WITH ANETHOLE. THE PR

PSITTACANTHUS CALYCULATUS (DC.) G. DON (LORANTACEAE) IS KNOWN AS INGERTO. THE AERIAL PARTS ARE USED IN THE TREATMENT OF DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION. METHANOLIC EXTRACT WAS TESTED WITH STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS. DOSE OF 200 MG/KG BODY WEIGHT FOR ACUTE EXPERIMENTS, AS WELL AS 200 AND 400 MG/KG FOR SEMI-CHRONIC BIOASSAY WERE USED. IN BOTH EXPERIMENTS EXTRACT PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT HYPOGLYCEMIC ACTIVITY IN STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED RATS WHEN COMPARED WITH DIABETIC CONTROL (P 0.05). TO STUDY POSSIBLE CLASTOGENIC EFFECTS OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT A MOUSE MICRONUCLEUS TEST WAS PERFORMED (AS PART OF THE GENETIC TOXICOLOGY TRIAL). CD-1 WHITE MICE WERE ADMINISTERED WITH 200 AND 400 MG /KG OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF P. CALYCULATUS DISSOLVED IN WATER BY INTRAPERITONEAL INJECTION. THE CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY POLYCHROMATIC ERYTHROCYTES/NORMOCHROMATIC ERYTHROCYTES (PCE/NCE) AND THE INDUCTION OF MICRONUCLEI IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD ERYTHROCYTES (MNPCE) WAS RECORDED WITH SAMPLING TIMES OF 24, 48 AND 72, H AFTER AN EXPOSURE WITHOUT KILLING OF MICE. THE FREQUENCY OF MNPCE IN THE CIRCULATING BLOOD OBTAINED FROM THE TAIL OF THE MOUSE WAS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT COMPARED WITH ITS NEGATIVE CONTROL ANIMALS (TIME ZERO) AND THE PCE/NCE RATIO SHOWED EVIDENCES OF LIGHT CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY COMPARED WITH ITS NEGATIVE CONTROL ANIMALS (TIME ZERO). THUS, IN THIS TEST, THE METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF PSITTACANTHUS CALYCULATUS DISSOLVED IN WATER DID NOT INDUCE CHROMOSOMAL DAMAGE RESULTING IN MICRONUCLEUS FORMATION IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD ERYTHROCYTES AND SHOWED LIGHT CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY.

BECAUSE OF THE INCREASING INTEREST IN IMPROVING HUMAN HEALTH WORLDWIDE, PHYTOCHEMICAL ANTIOXIDANTS FROM MEDICINAL AND FOOD PLANTS ARE OF GREAT INTEREST. THE SEARCH FOR NEW SOURCES OF ANTIOXIDANTS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE BEST USE OF BIODIVERSITY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK WAS TO EVALUATE THE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND THE TOTAL PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS WITH DPPH AND FOLIN-CIOCALTEU ASSAYS FOR EXTRACTS AND FRACTIONS OF BLECHNUM CHILENSE, CURCUMA DOMESTICA AND TAGETES VERTICILLATA. B. CHILENSE WATER-METHANOLIC AND ETOAC FRACTIONS, FOLLOWS OF C. DOMESTICA ETOAC EXTRACT SHOWED AN IMPORTANT QUANTITY OF TOTAL PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS. COMPARED WITH ARISTOTELIA CHILENSIS MEOH EXTRACT, T. VERTICILLATA EXTRACT SHOWED GOOD ACTIVITY, FOLLOWS BY ETOAC FRACTION FROM B. CHILENSE AND BY ETOAC EXTRACT FROM C. DOMESTICA, WITH VERY SIMILAR RESULTS WITH N-HEXANE FRACTION FROM B. CHILENSE AND PETROLEUM ETHER EXTRACT FROM C. DOMESTICA. ALL OF THESE RESULTS WERE GREATER THAN ?-TOCOPHEROL DPPH SCAVENGING ACTIVITY. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT ALL PLANTS STUDIED COULD BE ARE NEW SOURCES OF ANTIOXIDANTS AND THE WORK ARE FOLLOWING WITH THE IDENTIFICATION OF THESE COMPOUNDS.

CONTEXT: STEMS AND LEAVES OF PITTOCAULON SPP. (ASTERACEAE) ARE USED IN MEXICAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE AS AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY SUBSTANCE AND FOR THE TREATMENT OF SKIN INJURIES. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF METHANOL (MEOH) AND DICHLOROMETHANE (DC) EXTRACTS OF FIVE PITTOCAULON SPECIES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DC AND MEOH EXTRACTS FROM FLOWERS, ROOTS, AND STEMS OF PITTOCAULON PRAECOX (CAV.) H. ROB. & BRETTELL, P. BOMBYCOPHOLE (BULLOCK) H. ROB. & BRETTELL, P. FILARE (MC VAUGH) H. ROB. & BRETTELL, P. VELATUM (GREENM.) ROB. & BRETTELL AND P. HINTONII H. ROB. & BRETTELL.

BACKGROUND: ANTHOCYANINS, FLAVONOIDS AND ORGANIC ACIDS WIDELY OCCURRING IN EXTRACTS OF THE FRUITS OF ARISTOTELIA CHILENSIS (?MAQUI?), CONCERTEDLY ACTS ON THE EXPRESSION OF CYCLOOXYGENASE-2 (COX-2), NF-?B, HT-29 AND CACO-2 COLON CANCER CELL GROWTH INHIBITION AND ON THE PRODUCTION OF INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF EXTRACTS FROM FRUITS OF ?MAQUI BERRY?, ON THE HT-29 AND CACO-2 HUMAN COLORECTAL CANCER CELL LINES BY MEASURING COX-2 AND NF-?B AS WELL AS THEIR ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITIES. MATERIAL AND METHODS: METHANOL/WATER EXTRACTS AND ITS PARTITIONS (ACETONE AND ETHYL ACETATE) FROM THREE VARIETIES OF ?MAQUI? WERE USED TO ACCESS THEIR EFFECTS ON GROWTH OF HT-29 AND CACO-2 COLON CANCER CELLS, COX-2, NF-?B, NO FORMATION, OXIDATIONS BY DPPH, TBARS, FRAP AND ORAC.

THIS OVERVIEW BRINGS TOGETHER WIDELY SCATTERED AND DISPARATE LITERATURE CONCERNING NATURAL PRODUCTS FROM LATIN-AMERICAN PLANTS; IN PARTICULAR, STUDIES BASED ON SCREENING OF SECONDARY METABOLITES ARE REVIEWED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ANTIOXIDANTS AND BIOCIDES.