Photoprotective effect of topical treatment with Lopezia racemosa extract against deleterious UVB irradiation effects in the skin of hairless mice.

Lopezia racemosa is known as a "mosquito flower or perlilla." It is commonly found in corn crops. In traditional Mexican medicine, this plant is used to treat stomach cancer and urinary tract infections. Likewise, compounds and extracts isolated from plants have shown cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the photochemoprotective effect of topical treatment with the methanolic extract of L. racemosa (MELR) as a photochemoprotective agent against the harmful effects of UV irradiation (UVR) on a bacterial model and hairless mice. The MELR components were separated and analyzed via HPLC-UV-ESI-MS. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by the ability of MERL to scavenge DPPH and ABTS free radicals and by its FRAP capacity. The toxicity of MELR was evaluated in keratinocyte cultures. The photoprotective capacity of MELR was assessed through challenge experiments using models with bacteria and hairless CD1 et/et mice; cytokines related to the damage caused by UVR were also measured. In the methanolic extract of L. racemosa, five metabolites were detected and identified: two isomers of quercetin 6-C glycoside, orientin, quercetin 3-(6″-acetylglycoside) and quercetin 3-(6″-galloylglycoside) 7-(2,3-dihydroxytetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-yl acetate). MELR exhibited DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging properties, in addition to Fe ion reducing activity. MELR showed a photoprotective effect against UVB radiation-induced death in Escherichia coli bacteria. At the histological level, topical treatment of CD-1 et/et mice with MERL reduced the damage caused by UVR. Quantification of interleukins in the blood of mice revealed that the expression of IL-12 was greater in the control group treated with ultraviolet radiation than in the group protected with MELR. The methanolic extract of L. racemosa has photochemoprotective properties.

Epigenetic Factors and ncRNAs in Testicular Cancer.

Testicular cancer is the most prevalent tumor among males aged 15 to 35, resulting in a significant number of newly diagnosed cases and fatalities annually. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as key regulators in various cellular processes and pathologies, including testicular cancer. Their involvement in gene regulation, coding, decoding, and overall gene expression control suggests their potential as targets for alternative treatment approaches for this type of cancer. Furthermore, epigenetic modifications, such as histone modifications, DNA methylation, and the regulation by microRNA (miRNA), have been implicated in testicular tumor progression and treatment response. Epigenetics may also offer critical insights for prognostic evaluation and targeted therapies in patients with testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT). This comprehensive review aims to present the latest discoveries regarding the involvement of some proteins and ncRNAs, mainly miRNAs and lncRNA, in the epigenetic aspect of testicular cancer, emphasizing their relevance in pathogenesis and their potential, given the fact that their specific expression holds promise for prognostic evaluation and targeted therapies.

Chemical profile, antimicrobial activity, and leaf anatomy of Adenophyllum porophyllum var. cancellatum.

Adenophyllum porophyllum var. cancellatum, known as "árnica del monte" in Mexico, is an aromatic annual plant belonging to the Asteraceae family that grows from southern Arizona to central Mexico. The aerial parts of the plant are used in traditional medicine to treat skin diseases such as irritations, infections, and wounds. In this study, the essential oil of this plant was characterized, and its antimicrobial activity was evaluated. This species has large glands in its leaves; therefore, for quality control purposes, an anatomical study of the leaves was performed. The essential oil was isolated from the aerial parts of the plant through hydro-distillation and analyzed using a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) system. Its anti-yeast activity was evaluated against three Candida species and ten bacterial strains using the disk diffusion technique. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined using broth microdilution. Anatomical study was performed on the middle part of the leaf. A yield of 0.5% of the essential oil was obtained from the herb, and Eighteen compounds in the essential oil were identified, within them trans pinocamphone (29.5%), limonene (24.7%), pinocarvone (21.8%), and cis pinocamphone (8.0%) were the main components. The inhibition zones were between 10 mm and 20 mm, and the MIC and MFC against the three Candida species ranged from 60 to 500 µg/ml. The leaf anatomy showed anisocytic stomata, simple and glandular trichomes of different types, and large and elliptical-shaped lysigenous glands, which can be used for taxonomic identification. The A. porophyllum var. cancellatum essential oil can serve as an alternative source of natural antimicrobial agents as an affordable approach to control infectious diseases. This is the first study that reports the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil, as well as the leaf anatomy of this species.

The Tillandsia genus: history, uses, chemistry, and biological activity / El género Tillandsia: historia, usos, química y actividad biológica

Tillandsia L. genus comprises 649 species, with different uses at different times. T. usneoides L. uses are reported since the late- archaic and pre-Columbian cultures. In XIX-XX centuries, T. usneoides was used in some manufactured products, as polish and packing fruit. Tillandsia has a favorable reputation as medicine: for leucorrhea, rheumatism, ulcers, hemorrhoid treatment, as an anti-diabetic remedy, emetic, analgesic, purgative, contraceptive, antispasmodic and diuretic. Tillandsia chemical composition includes cycloartane triterpenes and hydroxy-flavonoids, which are present in at least 24 species. Several extracts and compounds from Tillandsia spp. have been reported with pharmacological actions, as anti-neoplasia, hypolipidemic, antifungal, anti-HSV-1, hypoglycemic and microbicide. This review communicates the economic importance, ethnobotany, chemistry composition and biological activities of the Tillandsia genus, and analyze its biological and economic perspective. Tillandsia genus has cultural, economic and pharmacological relevance, with a high potential in many essential aspects of the modern society.

El género Tillandsia L. comprende 649 especies, con diferentes usos en diferentes épocas. T. usneoides L. se han reportado desde el arcáico tardío hasta las culturas precolombinas. En los siglos XIX-XX, T. usneoides se usó en productos manufacturados: como abrasivo y embalaje de fruta. Como medicina tradicional, el género Tillandsia se reporta para leucorrea, reumatismo, úlceras, hemorroides, remedio antidiabético, emético, analgésico, purgante, anticonceptivo, antiespasmódico y diurético. Su composición química incluye triterpenos de tipo ciclo-artano e hidroxi-flavonoides, presentes en al menos 24 especies. Los extractos y compuestos del género Tillandsia se han reportado con propiedades antineoplásicas, hipolipidémicas, antifúngicas, anti-HSV-1, hipoglucemiantes y microbicidas. Esta revisión comunica la importancia económica, etnobotánica, composición química y las actividades biológicas del género Tillandsia, y analiza su perspectiva biológica y potencial económica. Tillandsia tiene importancia cultural, económica y farmacológica, con gran potencial en muchos aspectos esenciales de la sociedad moderna.

Network Pharmacology Uncovers Anticancer Activity of Mammea-Type Coumarins from Calophyllum brasiliense.

Mammea-type coumarins are a particular type of secondary metabolites biosynthesized by the tropical rainforest tree Calophyllum Brasiliense, which is distributed from South America to Mexico. Particularly, mammea A/BA and A/BB (alone or as a mixture) possess biological properties such as cytotoxic and antitumoral activities, however, most of its molecular targets remain unknown. In this context, novel bioinformatic approaches, such as network pharmacology analysis, have been successfully used in herbal medicine to accelerate research in this field, and the support of experimental validations has been shown to be quite robust. In the present study, we performed a network pharmacology analysis to assess the possible molecular biological networks that interact with mammea A/BA and A/BB. Moreover, we validated the most relevant networks experimentally in vitro on K562 cancer cells. The results of the network pharmacology analysis indicate that mammea A/BA and A/BB interacts with cell death, PI3K/AKT, MAPK, Ras, and cancer pathways. The in vitro model shows that mammea A/BA and A/BB induce apoptosis through the overexpression of the proapoptotic proteins Bax and Bak, disrupt the autophagic flux as seen by the cytosolic accumulation of LC3-II and p62, disrupting the mitochondria ultrastructure and concomitantly increase the intracellular calcium concentration. Additionally, docking analysis predicted a possible interaction with a rapamycin-binding domain of mTOR. In conclusion, we validated network pharmacology analysis and report, for the first time, that mammea A/BA and A/BB coumarins induce apoptosis through the inhibition of the autophagic flux, possibly interacting with mTOR.

Volatile organic compounds from pachyrhizus ferrugineus and pachyrhizus erosus (Fabaceae) leaves / Compuestos orgánicos volátiles de las hojas de pachyrhizus ferrugineus y pachyrhizus erosus (Fabaceae)

In México, Pachyrhizus erosus (Fabaceae) commonly called "jícama", is widely known for its edible tubers. It is cultivated since the pre-Columbian period, and the powdered seeds have been used for the treatment of mange, lice, and fleas, due to their content of rotenone, a well-known insecticidal compound. On the other hand, P. ferrugineus, a wild species can only be found in the Tropical Forests, and has no commercial value. It is known that plants release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) showing qualitative and quantitative differences if are wild or cultivated. VOCs are also involved as repelling or attracting chemical signals to insect herbivores, and their natural enemies. Until now, the VOCs of the leaves of P. erosus and P. ferrugineus have not been investigated. In the present contribution the VOCs of both species were characterized by headspace solid-phase (HS-SPME) extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS-TOF). In P. erosus 21 VOCs were found, being the most abundant: cyclohexanone (32.8 percent), 3-hexen-1-ol (Z) (32.7 percent), 3-hexenal (Z) (10.5 percent). The majoritarian compounds were C6 or C5 derivatives In P. ferrugineus, the most abundant VOCs were: 5-hexene-1-ol acetate (51.5 percent), undecanal (22.4 percent), 2-hepten-1-al (14.5 percent). The majoritarian compounds were C6, C7 or C11 derivatives.

En México, Pachyrhizus erosus (Fabaceae) es llamada comúnmente "jícama" y es conocida por sus tubérculos comestibles. Se ha cultivado desde el período pre-Colombino y las semillas se han utilizado para el tratamiento tópico de la sarna, piojos, pulgas; las semillas contienen rotenona, un compuesto insecticida. Por otra parte, P. ferrugineus solo está presente en estado silvestre en los bosques tropicales y carece de valor comercial. Se sabe que las plantas liberan compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COV) y muestran diferencias cualitativas y cuantitativas dependiendo, si son silvestres o cultivadas. Los COV también son señales químicas atrayentes o repelentes de los insectos herbívoros y a sus enemigos naturales. Hasta ahora, los COV en las hojas de P. erosus y P. ferrugineus no han sido investigados. En el presente trabajo, los COV se identificaron mediante la microextracción (HS-SPME) en fase sólida, e identificados por cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas (GC-MS-TOF). En P. erosus se encontraron 21 COV, siendo los más abundantes: ciclohexanona (32.8 por ciento), 3-hexen-1-ol (Z) (32.7 por ciento) y 3-hexenal (Z) (10.5 por ciento). Los compuestos mayoritarios son C6 y C5. En P. ferrugineus los más abundantes fueron: 5-hexen-1-ol acetato (51.5 por ciento), undecanal (22.4 por ciento) y 2-hepten-1-al (14.5 por ciento). Los compuestos mayoritarios son C6, C7 o C11.

Rotenone isolated from Pachyrhizus erosus displays cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in K562 cells.

Pachyrhizus erosus (Fabaceae) is a herb commonly known as 'yam bean', which has been cultivated in México since pre-Columbian times for its edible tubers. The seeds are also known for their acaricidal and insecticidal properties due to rotenone and other isoflavonoid contents. Rotenone has exhibited cytotoxic activity against several human tumour cell lines; however, its mechanism of action is still not fully understood. In this study, we determined the cytotoxicity of rotenone isolated from P. erosus seeds on K562 human leukaemia cells. Rotenone exhibited significant cytotoxic activity (IC50 = 13.05 µM), as determined by the MTT assay. Three other isolated isoflavonoids were not cytotoxic. Rotenone genotoxicity was detected using the comet assay. Rotenone induced cell death, and caspase-3 activation as indicated by TUNEL assay, and immunocytofluorescence. Plasmid nicking assay indicated that rotenone does not interact directly with DNA.

Molecular mechanisms involved in the cytotoxicity induced by coumarins from Calophyllum brasiliense in K562 leukaemia cells.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cell death induced by mammea A/BA and A/BB (3 : 1) on K562 cells. METHODS: These compounds were isolated from Calophyllum brasiliense and its cytotoxicity was tested using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Cell death was evaluated by Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and immunocytofluorescence of active caspase-3. Genotoxicity was tested using comet assay. Lastly, a chemoinformatic analysis was performed with Osiris-Molinspiration software. KEY FINDINGS: The mixture of mammea A/BA and A/BB (3 : 1) showed cytotoxic activity against K562 cells (IC50 = 43.5 µm). TUNEL positive cells and active caspase-3 were detected after treatment. Genotoxicity of mammea A/BA and A/BB on K562 was detected since first hour of treatment. Additionally, mammea A/BA and A/BB were found to be in compliance with Lipinski 'rule of 5' suggesting that they possess strong potential of druglikeness. CONCLUSIONS: The overall results confirm and extend the knowledge about coumarins as an important resource of antitumor drugs, and indicate that these compounds could be used in further preclinical studies against leukaemia.