Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant and Anti-Enzymatic Activities of Selected Adaptogenic Plants from South America, Asia, and Africa.

Despite the fact that there are many studies related to the adaptogenic and pro-healthy activities of plant-based compounds, there are some adaptogenic plants whose activities are not fully known, especially those coming from the wild regions of Asia, Africa, and South America. The aim of these studies was to examine the contents of non-nutritional compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids in ten adaptogenic species (Astragalus membranaceus (AM), Uncaria rhynchophylla (UR), Polygonum multiflorum (PM), Angelica sinensis (AS), Andrographis paniculatea (AP), Tinospora cordifolia (TC), Uncaria tomentosa (UT), Pfaffia paniculate (PP), Sutherlandia frutescens (SF), and Rhaponticum carthamoides (RC)). Considering biological activity, their antioxidant (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and ferrous-ion-chelating ability assays), anti-acetylcholinesterase, anti-hyaluronidase, and anti-tyrosinase activities were evaluated. The richest in polyphenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids was UR (327.78 mg GAE/g, 230.13 mg QE/g, and 81.03 mg CA/g, respectively). The highest inhibitions of acetylcholinesterase, hyaluronidase, and tyrosinase were observed for TC, UR, and PM, respectively. In the case of antioxidant properties, extract from PM appeared to most strongly reduce DPPH, extract from UR inhibited ABTS, and extract from SF showed the best chelating properties. It should be noted that a particularly interesting plant was Ulcaria rhynchophylla. The results mean that there were compounds in UR with broad biological activities, and this species should be explored in more detail. Additionally, our results justify the traditional use of these species in the nutripharmacological or ethnopharmacological care systems of different regions.

Chemical and Biological Aspects of Different Species of the Genus Clinanthus Herb. (Amaryllidaceae) from South America.

The genus Clinanthus Herb. is found in the Andes Region (South America), mainly in Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. These plants belong to the Amaryllidaceae family, specifically the Amaryllidoideae subfamily, which presents an exclusive group of alkaloids known as Amaryllidaceae alkaloids that show important structural diversity and pharmacological properties. It is possible to find some publications in the literature regarding the botanical aspects of Clinanthus species, although there is little information available about their chemical and biological activities. The aim of this work was to obtain the alkaloid profile and the anti-cholinesterase activity of four different samples of Clinanthus collected in South America: Clinanthus sp., Clinanthus incarnatus, and Clinanthus variegatus. The alkaloid extract of each sample was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and their potential against the enzymes acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase were evaluated. Thirteen alkaloids have been identified among these species, while six unidentified structures have also been detected in these plants. The alkaloid extract of the C. variegatus samples showed the highest structural diversity as well as the best activity against AChE, which was likely due to the presence of the alkaloid sanguinine. The results suggest this genus as a possible interesting new source of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, which could contribute to the development of new medicines.

Social determination of alcohol consumption among Indigenous peoples in Colombia: a qualitative meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption is a social phenomenon that involves society, groups, and individuals from different cultures around the world. Among some Indigenous groups located in Colombia, South America, alcohol consumption has been present in their lives, where contradictory processes occur and generate public health attention. We aimed to analyze qualitative research findings on alcohol consumption among Indigenous peoples in Colombia. METHODS: This article used the qualitative meta-synthesis methodology, which included: (a) comprehensive search strategy, (b) appraisal of qualitative research reports, (c) findings classification, and (d) synthesis. Databases were searched for papers published from 2004 to 2019 in SCOPUS, LILACS, PROQUEST, and JSTOR, among other sources of information. A total of 2,159 papers were reviewed and finally, 13 studies were included in this meta-synthesis. The synthesis of findings included a constant comparative analysis and also aimed for the articulation of its findings to alternative perspectives in a predefined matrix. RESULTS: Nine Indigenous ethnic groups of Colombia were represented in the 13 articles analyzed. From the analysis emerged the symbolic approach "Alcohol: a chameleon that unpredictable society colors" as the meta-theme of this research. This reflects four social processes that influence interaction with alcohol: Dynamic Systems Mergers (Indigenous system, influence of non-Indigenous system); Diverse Authority Spheres (parenting, Indigenous authority, school, university, religious and spiritual, traditional medicine); Between Transculturation and Interculturality (cultural crises effects and dynamism); and the Paradoxes of the Normalization of Alcohol (reasons, functions, and types of alcohol consumption). Likewise, these results support the social determination of health and sociocultural epidemiology perspectives, as being an adequate way of explaining a complex phenomenon. CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption among Indigenous peoples in Colombia is a social construction. Alcohol acts as an instrument, which is present in the changing relationships and tensions of social processes. This is reflected in harmonies, or disharmonies, in the life of Indigenous Colombians, which take place in a historical, sociocultural, economic, and political context. The results provide a reference point to guide practice and research but also reiterate the need to include the social determination of health perspective in public policies, as a path to the understanding of alcohol consumption.

Fossil berries reveal global radiation of the nightshade family by the early Cenozoic.

Fossil discoveries can transform our understanding of plant diversification over time and space. Recently described fossils in many plant families have pushed their known records farther back in time, pointing to alternative scenarios for their origin and spread. Here, we describe two new Eocene fossil berries of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) from the Esmeraldas Formation in Colombia and the Green River Formation in Colorado (USA). The placement of the fossils was assessed using clustering and parsimony analyses based on 10 discrete and five continuous characters, which were also scored in 291 extant taxa. The Colombian fossil grouped with members of the tomatillo subtribe, and the Coloradan fossil aligned with the chili pepper tribe. Along with two previously reported early Eocene fossils from the tomatillo genus, these findings indicate that Solanaceae were distributed at least from southern South America to northwestern North America by the early Eocene. Together with two other recently discovered Eocene berries, these fossils demonstrate that the diverse berry clade and, in turn, the entire nightshade family, is much older and was much more widespread in the past than previously thought.

Chemical Characterization, Antioxidant Capacity and Anti-Oxidative Stress Potential of South American Fabaceae Desmodium tortuosum.

It has been proposed that oxidative stress is a pathogenic mechanism to induce cytotoxicity and to cause cardiovascular and neuronal diseases. At present, natural compounds such as plant extracts have been used to reduce the cytotoxic effects produced by agents that induce oxidative stress. Our study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and cytoprotective capacity of Desmodium tortuosum (D. tortuosum) extract in the co- and pre-treatment in EA.hy926 and SH-SY5Y cell lines subjected to oxidative stress induced by tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BOOH). Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), caspase 3/7 activity, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and molecular expression of oxidative stress biomarkers (SOD2, NRF2 and NFκB1) and cell death (APAF1, BAX, Caspase3) were all evaluated. It was observed that the D. tortuosum extract, in a dose-dependent manner, was able to reduce the oxidative and cytotoxicity effects induced by t-BOOH, even normalized to a dose of 200 µg/mL, which would be due to the high content of phenolic compounds mainly phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids and other antioxidant compounds. Finally, these results are indicators that the extract of D. tortuosum could be a natural alternative against the cytotoxic exposure to stressful and cytotoxic chemical agents.

O trânsito de plantas: circulação de saberes e práticas médicas na América Meridional durante a Época Moderna / The transit of plants: circulation of medical knowledge and practices in South America during the Modern Era

Resumo A partir dos registros sobre plantas e ervas de médicos, agentes de cura, missionários, administradores coloniais nos séculos XVII e XVIII, o artigo explora as formas de construção do conhecimento sobre a flora, utilizando o conceito de circulação proposto por Kapil Raj. As experiências distintas e os documentos analisados demonstram o processo de observação, coleta, sistematização e circulação do conhecimento e a influência da história natural e da tradição hipocrática na classificação das ervas e plantas e na descrição adotada nos textos reunidos neste artigo. Desde livros impressos até anotações dispersas em diários de viagens, os usos das espécies para a vida humana foi o elemento valorizado por aqueles que observaram diretamente o potencial de plantas, frutos e ervas americanas.

Abstract From records on plants and herbs made by doctors, healers, missionaries, and colonial administrators in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, this article explores ways of constructing knowledge about flora using the concept of circulation proposed by Kapil Raj. The distinct experiences and documents analyzed demonstrate the process of observing, collecting, systematizing, and circulating knowledge, and the influence of natural history and the Hippocratic tradition on the classification of herbs and plants and on the descriptions adopted in these texts. From printed books to notes scattered through travel diaries, usefulness of these species to humankind was the element valued by those who directly observed the potential of American plants, fruits, and herbs.

Distribution of kisspeptin system and its relation with gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus of the South American plains vizcacha, Lagostomus maximus.

Kisspeptin (KISS), a key hormone involved in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis, has been localized in the anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) nucleus and the neighboring rostral periventricular nucleus (PeVN), and in the arcuate (ARC) nucleus of the mammalian hypothalamus. In the ARC, the KISS neurons that co-express neurokinin B (NKB) and dynorphin A (Dyn) are named KNDy cells. The South American plains vizcacha is a rodent with peculiar reproductive traits. Around mid-pregnancy, vizcacha shows the reactivation of its HPO axis with the pulsatile release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), an essential event for the success of gestation. Considering the role of KISS system in GnRH modulation, the aim of this work was to study their neuroanatomical distribution in adult vizcachas. AVPV showed sexual dimorphism with a significant smaller area in males (t-Test, p < 0.05), and KISS immunoreactivity was detected in somas and varicosities homogenously distributed in the AVPV with a concordant sex-related expression pattern. NKB and Dyn expression was also observed in cytoplasm of neurons scattered in the AVPV. Three subpopulations of neurons were detected in the AVPV: neurons expressing Dyn and NKB (DyNK cells), neurons expressing KISS and NKB (KiNK cells), and single NKB expressing neurons. Strikingly, KISS and Dyn were always expressed in different cells. In addition, in the ARC nucleus, KNDy cells were detected. On the other hand, KISS and GnRH expression was detected in different subpopulations of neurons, GnRH cells showed KISS receptor (KISSR or GPR-54) expression, and KISS immunoreactive afferent contacts were detected making close appositions onto somas and dendrites of GnRH cells. These results show similarities and differences between the KISS system in the hypothalamus of the vizcacha and other mammals, and constitute crucial observations about KISS and GnRH relation. Considering the peculiarity of HPO axis regulation in this species, the present work provides a neuroanatomical framework for the further elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying GnRH expression and secretion.

Phylogenetics and Evolution of Potato Virus V: Another Potyvirus that Originated in the Andes.

Potato virus V (PVV) causes a disease of potato (Solanum tubersosum) in South and Central America, Europe, and the Middle East. We report here the complete genomic sequences of 42 new PVV isolates from the potato's Andean domestication center in Peru and of eight historical or recent isolates from Europe. When the principal open reading frames of these genomic sequences together with those of nine previously published genomic sequences were analyzed, only two from Peru and one from Iran were found to be recombinant. The phylogeny of the 56 nonrecombinant open reading frame sequences showed that the PVV population had two major phylogroups, one of which formed three minor phylogroups (A1 to A3) of isolates, all of which are found only in the Andean region of South America (Peru and Colombia), and the other formed two minor phylogroups, a basal one of Andean isolates (A4) that is paraphyletic to a crown cluster containing all the isolates found outside South America (World). This suggests that PVV originated in the Andean region, with only one minor phylogroup spreading elsewhere in the world. In minor phylogroups A1 and A3, there were two subclades on long branches containing isolates from S. phureja evolving more rapidly than the others, and these interfered with dating calculations. Although no temporal signal was directly detected among the dated nonrecombinant sequences, PVV and potato virus Y (PVY) are from the same potyvirus lineage and are ecologically similar, so "subtree dating" was done via a single maximum likelihood phylogeny of PVV and PVY sequences, and PVY's well-supported 157 ce "time to most common recent ancestor" was extrapolated to date that of PVV as 29 bce. Thus the independent historical coincidences supporting the datings of the PVV and PVY phylogenies are the same; PVV arose ≥2,000 years ago in the Andes and was taken to Europe during the Columbian Exchange, where it diversified around 1853 ce, soon after the European potato late blight pandemic. PVV is likely to be more widespread than currently realized and is of biosecurity relevance for world regions that have not yet recorded its presence.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Melatonin is involved in the modulation of the hypothalamic and pituitary activity in the South American plains vizcacha, Lagostomus maximus.

Melatonin, the key messenger of photoperiodic information, is synthesized in the pineal gland by arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase enzyme (AANAT). It binds to specific receptors MT1 and MT2 located in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Melatonin can modulate the reproductive axis affecting the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The South American plains vizcacha, Lagostomus maximus, shows natural poliovulation of up to 800 oocytes per estrous cycle, a 154-day long pregnancy, and reactivation of the reproductive axis at mid-gestation with pre-ovulatory follicular recruitment, presence of active corpora lutea, and variations of the endocrine status. Here we analyzed the involvement of melatonin in the modulation of the hypothalamic and pituitary gland physiology of vizcacha thorough several approaches, including histological localization of melatoninergic system components, assessment of melatoninergic components expression throughout the reproductive cycle, and evaluation of the effect of melatonin on hypothalamic and pituitary activities during the follicular and luteal phases of the estrous cycle. AANAT and melatonin receptors were localized in the pineal gland and preoptic area of the hypothalamus. Increase in pineal AANAT and serum melatonin expression was observed as pregnancy progressed, with the lowest hypothalamic MT1 and MT2 levels at mid-pregnancy. Pulsatility assays demonstrated that melatonin induces GnRH and LH secretion at luteal phase. The melatoninergic system effects on hypothalamic and pituitary gland hormones secretion during pregnancy pinpoint to melatonin as a potential key factor underlying the reactivation of the reproductive axis activity at mid-gestation.

Species diversification in the lowlands of mid-latitude South America: Turnera sidoides subsp. carnea as a case study.

The lowlands of mid-latitude South America comprise complex temperate ecoregions characterized by a unique biodiversity. However, the processes responsible for shaping its species diversity are still largely unknown. Turnera sidoides subsp. carnea is a variable subspecies occurring in the lowlands of northeastern Argentina and Uruguay, extending to southern Paraguay and Brazil. It constitutes a good model to perform evolutionary studies. Here we used an integrative approach to understand the process of diversification within this subspecies and to increase the knowledge concerning patterns and processes responsible for shaping the species diversity in the temperate lowlands of South America. The results provided strong evidences that this subspecies is an autopolyploid complex per se, being in an active process of intrasubspecific diversification. Morphological and genetic data show that the diversity of T. sidoides subsp. carnea is in congruence with the great past and present abiotic and biotic variability of the mid-latitude South American lowlands. The evolutionary history of this subspecies is consistent with past fragmentation and allopatric differentiation at diploid level. Geographic isolation and local adaptation would have promoted strong morphological, ecological, and genetic differentiation, resulting in two morphotypes and different genetic groups indicative of incipient speciation.

Effects of Anthocyanin Supplementation on Reduction of Obesity Criteria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Anthocyanins, water-soluble flavonoids that produce red-to-blue pigment in plants, have antioxidant properties and have been developed as a functional food to fight obesity. In randomized controlled trials (RCTs), a systematic review with meta-analysis (SR-MA) was used to investigate these anti-obesity effects. Using search engines (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane-library, and CINAHL) and keywords (anthocyanins, BMI, WC, WHR, and inflammatory biomarkers), 11 out of 642 RCTs (28.3-500 mg/day of anthocyanins for 4 to 24 weeks) were included. The results showed a significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) (MD = -0.36, 95% CI = -0.58 to -0.13), but body weight (BW) and waist circumference (WC) did not change. Anthocyanins decreased BMI in the non-obese (non-OB) group in five RCTs (BMI ≤ 25; MD = -0.40 kg/m2; 95% CI = -0.64 to -0.16;) but did not affect BMI in the obese (OB) group. A subgroup analysis of six RCTs showed that fewer than 300 mg/day reduced BMI (MD = -0.37; 95% CI = -0.06 to -0.14), but ≥300 mg/day did not. A treatment duration of four weeks for four RCTs was sufficient to decrease the BMI (MD = -0.41; 95% CI = -0.66 to -0.16) as opposed to a longer treatment (6-8 or ≥12 weeks). An analysis of the effect of anthocyanins on the BMI showed a significant fall among those from the Middle East compared to those from Asia, Europe, South America, or Oceania. In conclusion, the anthocyanin supplementation of 300 mg/day or less for four weeks was sufficient to reduce the BMI and BW compared to the higher-dose and longer-treatment RCTs. However, further studies might be conducted regarding the dose- or period-dependent responses on various obese biomarkers.

Mineral Content, Antioxidant Activity and Essential Oil of Allophylus edulis (A. St.-Hil., A. Juss. & Cambess.) Radlk. Leaves: Plant from South American Biodiversity.

Allophylus edulis (A. St.-Hil., A. Juss. & Cambess.) Radlk. (Sapindaceae) is an edible plant from the South American biodiversity that is a potential source of bioactive compounds. The mineral content and antioxidant activity of Allophylus edulis leaves were investigated, as well as the composition and the antioxidant activity of the essential oil. The mineral content was determined by ICP - OES and the antioxidant assays were assessed by ABTS, DPPH and FRAP. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS. Calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, and magnesium were the main minerals found in A. edulis leaves. Of the toxic metals that were present, a low level of aluminum was detected. The essential oil of A. edulis has (E)-nerolidol as major compound and both, the leaves, and the essential oil isolated from the leaves have antioxidant potential. These findings could provide a framework for developing new food and non-food products with A. edulis leaves.

Sustainability of wild plant use in the Andean Community of South America.

Overexploitation is the second biggest driver of global plant extinction. Meanwhile, useful plant species are vital to livelihoods across the world, with global conservation efforts increasingly applying the concept of 'conservation-through-use.' However, successfully balancing conservation and biodiversity use remains challenging. We reviewed literature on the sustainability of wild-collected plant use across the countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia-a region of global importance for its biological and cultural richness. After applying defined search terms and a two-stage screening process, 68 articles were reviewed. The numbers which reported sustainable, unsustainable, or context-dependent outcomes were relatively even, but national differences emerged. Through narrative synthesis, we identified five key, reoccurring themes: plant biology; land tenure; knowledge, resource, and capacity; economics and market pressures; and institutional structures, policy, and legislation. Our results show the need for flexible, context-specific approaches and the importance of collaboration, with bottom-up management and conservation methods involving local communities and traditional ecological knowledge often proving most effective.

Stingless Bee-Collected Pollen (Bee Bread): Chemical and Microbiology Properties and Health Benefits.

Stingless bee-collected pollen (bee bread) is a mixture of bee pollen, bee salivary enzymes, and regurgitated honey, fermented by indigenous microbes during storage in the cerumen pot. Current literature data for bee bread is overshadowed by bee pollen, particularly of honeybee Apis. In regions such as South America, Australia, and Southeast Asia, information on stingless bee bee bread is mainly sought to promote the meliponiculture industry for socioeconomic development. This review aims to highlight the physicochemical properties and health benefits of bee bread from the stingless bee. In addition, it describes the current progress on identification of beneficial microbes associated with bee bread and its relation to the bee gut. This review provides the basis for promoting research on stingless bee bee bread, its nutrients, and microbes for application in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Impact of mid Eocene greenhouse warming on America's southernmost floras.

A major climate shift took place about 40 Myr ago-the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum or MECO-triggered by a significant rise of atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The biotic response to this MECO is well documented in the marine realm, but poorly explored in adjacent landmasses. Here, we quantify the response of the floras from America's southernmost latitudes based on the analysis of terrestrially derived spores and pollen grains from the mid-late Eocene (~46-34 Myr) of southern Patagonia. Robust nonparametric estimators indicate that floras in southern Patagonia were in average ~40% more diverse during the MECO than pre-MECO and post-MECO intervals. The high atmospheric CO2 and increasing temperatures may have favored the combination of neotropical migrants with Gondwanan species, explaining in part the high diversity that we observed during the MECO. Our reconstructed biota reflects a greenhouse world and offers a climatic and ecological deep time scenario of an ice-free sub-Antarctic realm.

Complementary and alternative medicine in epilepsy: A global survey of physicians' opinions.

PURPOSE: To investigate the opinions of physicians on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in patients with epilepsy (PWE) worldwide. METHODS: Online survey addressed to neurologists and psychiatrists from different countries. RESULTS: Totally, 1112 physicians from 25 countries (different world region: Europe, North America, South America, Middle-East, Africa, Former Soviet Union Republics) participated; 804 (72.3%) believed that CAM might be helpful in PWE. The most commonly endorsed CAM included meditation (41%) and yoga (39%). Female sex, psychiatry specialization, and working in North and South America were associated with the belief that CAM is helpful in PWE. Two-hundred and forty five out of 1098 participants (22.3%) used/prescribed CAM to PWE; among them, 174 (71%) people perceived CAM to be less effective and 114 (46.5%) people found CAM to be safer than conventional antiseizure medications (ASMs). The most common reasons to prescribe CAM for PWE were: to satisfy the patient (49.9%), dissatisfaction with the efficacy (35.6%), and dissatisfaction with the adverse effects (31.2%) of conventional therapies. CONCLUSION: Although the evidence supporting the use of CAM for the treatment of epilepsy is extremely sparse, most physicians worldwide believe that it could be integrated with the use of conventional ASMs, at least in some patients. High-quality controlled trials are warranted to provide robust evidence on the usefulness of CAM options in PWE.

Higher Energy and Zinc Intakes from Complementary Feeding Are Associated with Decreased Risk of Undernutrition in Children from South America, Africa, and Asia.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have focused on quantitatively analyzing nutrients from infant diets, compromising complementary feeding evaluation and health promotion worldwide. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe dietary intake in infants from 9 to 24 mo of age, determining nutrient intakes associated with the risk of underweight, wasting, and stunting. METHODS: Usual nutrient intakes from complementary feeding were determined by 24-h recalls collected when infants were 9-24 mo of age in communities from 7 low- and middle-income countries: Brazil (n = 169), Peru (n = 199), South Africa (n = 221), Tanzania (n = 210), Bangladesh (n = 208), India (n = 227), and Nepal (n = 229), totaling 1463 children and 22,282 food recalls. Intakes were corrected for within- and between-person variance and energy intake. Multivariable regression models were constructed to determine nutrient intakes associated with the development of underweight, wasting, and stunting at 12, 18, and 24 mo of age. RESULTS: Children with malnutrition presented significantly lower intakes of energy and zinc at 12, 18, and 24 mo of age, ranging from -16.4% to -25.9% for energy and -2.3% to -48.8% for zinc. Higher energy intakes decreased the risk of underweight at 12 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 0.90; 95% CI: 0.84, 0.96] and 24 mo (AOR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.86, 0.96), and wasting at 18 (AOR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.83, 0.99) and 24 mo (AOR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.92). Higher zinc intakes decreased the risk of underweight (AOR: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.55) and wasting (AOR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.92) at 12 mo, and wasting (AOR: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.00, 0.76) at 24 mo. CONCLUSIONS: Higher intakes of energy and zinc in complementary feeding were associated with decreased risk of undernutrition in the studied children. Data suggest these are characteristics to be improved in children's complementary feeding across countries.

Cereus hildmannianus (K.) Schum. (Cactaceae): Ethnomedical uses, phytochemistry and biological activities.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cereus hildmannianus (K.) Schum. (syn. C. peruvianus) is a native medicinal plant in the Neotropical region. C. hildmannianus cladodes extracts are used in folk medicine for weight loss, reducing cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, as diuretic and cardiotonic, and to treat various diseases, including pulmonary disorders, rheumatism, and in topical treatment for wounds and lithiasis. Fruits and flowers of C. hildmmanianus have high nutritional value. AIM OF THE REVIEW: In this review, previous reports on C. hildmannianus (syn. C. peruvianus) concerning its botanical description, geographical distribution, ethnomedicinal use, phytochemistry, in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties, food benefits and plant biotechnology were summarized. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Scientific search engines, including ScienceDirect, Capes Journals Portal, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scielo, and Scifinder, were consulted to gather data on C. hildmannianus. The present review is an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of phytochemical compounds, ethnomedicinal uses, phytopharmacological activities, and food value of cladodes, flowers, fruits, seeds, and tissue culture from C. hildmannianus. RESULTS: In traditional medicine, C.hildmannianus is used to treat various diseases, including pulmonary disorders, rheumatism, and in topical treatment for wounds and lithiasis. The extracts from the cladodes of C. hildmannianus exhibited numerous in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities such as gastroprotective, antioxidant, antifungal, ovicidal, hemagglutinating and slimming, and anticancer activity. These extracts' substances belong to different classes of chemical compounds such as fatty acids, polysaccharides, terpenes, alkaloids, phenolic acids, and flavonoids CONCLUSIONS: Ethnomedicinal surveys have indicated the use of C. hildmannianus, an important medicinal plant in South America, for the treatment of various diseases. The ethnobotanical, phytochemical, pharmacological, and ethnomedicinal properties from various morphological parts of the plant of C. hildmannianus were highlighted in this review, which provides information for future studies, commercial exploration and reveals that this plant has a huge potential for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.

Trypanocidal activity of South American Vernonieae (Asteraceae) extracts and its sesquiterpene lactones.

Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and affects the poorest population in the Americas. Fourteen plant extracts and seventeen sesquiterpene lactones from the tribe Vernonieae (Asteraceae), were evaluated for the first time against T. cruzi. Cytotoxicity employing HeLa cells was also assessed. The best results were obtained with leaves and flowers rinse extracts from Vernonanthura nebularum (E-1 and E-3) and Elephantopus mollis (E-11 and E-13), with IC50 values <2 µg/mL, being E-1 the most active (IC50 = 0.8 µg/mL). Additionally, these extracts displayed a good selectivity (SI > 10). The most active sesquiterpene lactones, isolated from the extracts, were 2 (2-methoxy-2,5-epoxy-8-methacryloxygermacra-3Z,11(13)-dien-6,12-olide) and 6 (2-ethoxy-2,5-epoxy-8-angeloxygermacra-3Z,11(13)-dien-6,12-olide) from V. nebularum and 12 (8α-methacryloxyhirsutinolide 13-O-acetate) from V. pinguis, with IC50 of 1.5, 2.1 and 2.0 µM, respectively. These compounds showed SI values >14, better than those of the reference drug nifurtimox. Plants living in South American ecosystems could become a potential source of trypanocidal agents.