Latin American Plants against Microorganisms.

The constant emergence of severe health threats, such as antibacterial resistance or highly transmissible viruses, necessitates the investigation of novel therapeutic approaches for discovering and developing new antimicrobials, which will be critical in combating resistance and ensuring available options. Due to the richness and structural variety of natural compounds, techniques centered on obtaining novel active principles from natural sources have yielded promising results. This review describes natural products and extracts from Latin America with antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant strains, as well as classes and subclasses of plant secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity and the structures of promising compounds for combating drug-resistant pathogenic microbes. The main mechanisms of action of the plant antimicrobial compounds found in medicinal plants are discussed, and extracts of plants with activity against pathogenic fungi and antiviral properties and their possible mechanisms of action are also summarized. For example, the secondary metabolites obtained from Isatis indigotica that show activity against SARS-CoV are aloe-emodin, ß-sitosterol, hesperetin, indigo, and sinigrin. The structures of the plant antimicrobial compounds found in medicinal plants from Latin America are discussed. Most relevant studies, reviewed in the present work, have focused on evaluating different types of extracts with several classes and subclasses of secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity. More studies on structure-activity relationships are needed.

Chemical composition, antioxidant activity and toxicity of the essential oil from Clinopodium mexicanum.

Clinopodium mexicanum (CM) has been used by the population as a home remedy for inducing sleep, and as a sedative and analgesic. This study presents the first evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the essential oil (EO) obtained through hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of CM. NaCl, CaCl2, and Tween 20 were used as additives and the yield, chemical composition, and toxicity of the EO were evaluated. The findings revealed that the highest yield of EO was obtained through hydrodistillation without additives, and the additives significantly influenced the antioxidant activity of the EO. The main components of the EO were found to be pulegone and menthone. The toxicity of the EO was determined using the brine shrimp assay, with an LD50 of 32 mg/L. Based on these results, the authors suggest that the Clinopodium mexicanum EO has the potential to serve as a natural antioxidant.

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Compounds from Edible Plants with Anti-Cancer Activity and Their Potential Use as Drugs.

Food is our daily companion, performing numerous beneficial functions for our bodies. Many of them can help to alleviate or prevent ailments and diseases. In this review, an extensive bibliographic search is conducted in various databases to update information on unprocessed foods with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can aid in treating diseases such as cancer. The current state of knowledge on inflammatory processes involving some interleukins and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is reviewed. As well as unprocessed foods, which may help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are important factors in cancer development. Many studies are still needed to take full advantage of the food products we use daily.

Phytochemical Screening and Bioactivities of Cactaceae Family Members Endemic to Mexico.

Mexico is a center of diversification for the Cactaceae family, with 69% of the species recorded as endemic. Certain members of the Cactaceae family have been chemically analyzed to relate their medicinal use with their phytochemistry. Here, the phytochemistry and bioactivity of ethanol extracts of Ferocactus echidne, F. latispinus, and Mammillaria geminispina were evaluated. A preliminary phytochemical analysis was performed, detecting the presence of saponins, tannins, cardiotonic glycosides, and sesquiterpene lactones. The presence of nicotinic acid in F. echidne and F. latispinus was identified by GC-MS. Other compounds found in the extracts of these three species were gentisic acid, diosmetin, chlorogenic acid, N-methyltyramide, and hordenine. The antioxidant activity was estimated with the DPPH free radical scavenging test. To determine the toxicity of the extracts, the in vivo model of Artemia spp. was used. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the extract was tested on C6, HaCaT, THP-1, and U937 cell lines, while the inflammatory activity was tested by measuring the secretion of cytokines using macrophage cells. The three species showed different bioactivities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory activities. To the best of our knowledge, the results presented here are the first described for these species.

Antimycobacterial, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory activities of Artemisialudoviciana.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: A third part of the world population has been exposed to the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB). TB is a deadly disease, and its treatment has been hampered because of the lack of new antibiotics or the development of new antimycobacterial agents against this pathogen. The situation is aggravated because of the appearance of multidrug-resistant strains. In Mexican traditional medicine, records showed Artemisia ludoviciana for the treatment of TB. Thus, the combination of antibiotics and plant extracts might represent new antimycobacterial agents as an attractive alternative. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The biological activities of ethanol extract obtained from A. ludoviciana were evaluated for its antimycobacterial activities using an M. tuberculosis clinical isolate. Also, the toxicity of the extracts was assessed ex vivo and in vivo using the human-derived macrophages cell line (THP-1) and the Artemia spp. model, respectively. Lastly, the inflammatory response of macrophages exposed to the extracts was also evaluated. RESULTS: The ethanol extract of A. ludoviciana showed antimycobacterial activity with a MIC of 250 µg/mL against a clinical strain of M. tuberculosis. Ex vivo cytotoxicity using the THP-1 cell line incubated with the ethanol extract showed an IC50 of 20 µg/mL. On the other hand, the Artemia model's toxicity test showed moderate toxicity when the A. ludoviciana extract was tested with LC50 of 195.64 µg/mL. Analysis of the inflammatory response of THP-1 cells exposed to the same extract showed no increase in secreted interleukine-6 and -10. Also, no effect was observed in the pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-α cytokine level. Moreover, a chemical profile of the extracts identified achillin as the major component in the ethanol extract, along with other minor components such as thujone and stigmasterol. CONCLUSIONS: We showed that the ethanol extract of A. ludoviciana possessed antimycobacterial activity and could potentially be used to supplement the antibiotic treatment of TB.

Antimicrobial, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities of Lopezia racemosa.

The present study investigates the potential benefits of the Mexican medicinal plant Lopezia racemosa (Onagraceae). Extracts and fractions from aerial parts of this plant were assessed to determine their antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities in vitro. Aerial parts of the plant were extracted with various solvents and fractionated accordingly. Extracts and fractions were tested against a panel of nine bacterial and four fungal species. The antiparasitic activity was tested against Leishmania donovani, whereas the anti-inflammatory activity of the compounds was determined by measuring the secretion of interleukin-6 from human-derived macrophages. The same macrophage cell line was used to investigate the cytotoxicity of the compounds. Various extracts and fractions showed antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and anti-inflammatory activities. The hexanic fraction HF 11-14b was the most interesting fraction with antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities. The benefit of L. racemosa as a traditional medicinal plant was confirmed as shown by its antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the biological activities of L. racemosa, including antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory activities.