Establishment of cell suspension cultures of two Costa Rican Jatropha species (Euphorbiaceae).

J. curcas has been studied in different countries and some interesting agronomic, pharmacological and industrial properties have been reported. More recently, it has been considered an important alternative source for biofuel production. The objective of this study was to establish a long-term method for the maintenance of calli and cell suspension cultures of the local species J. curcas and J. gossypifolia, in order to allow future studies for novel compounds with pharmaceutical or industrial applications. For this, friable calli were successfully induced from hypocotyl segments of.. curcas and J. gossypifolia that were cultured in semisolid MS media supplemented with 1.5 mg/L, and 0.5 mg/L of 2,4-D, respectively. Cell suspension cultures of J. curcas were established using 1 g of 35 and 60-day calli, in 50 mL of liquid MS media supplied with 1.5 mg/L of 2,4-D; sucrose and maltose were additionally evaluated as carbon sources. After 35 days, cell suspension cultures initiated with 35-day calli, showed greater cell growth with a maximum biomass of 194.9 g/L fresh weight, 6.59 g/L dry weight and 17.3% packed volume. The exponential phase ended at day 35 for cultures initiated with 35-day calli, and at day 21 for cultures initiated with 60-day calli. Higher biomass production was obtained with sucrose. Cell cultures were established with 35-day calli in MS media with the same 2,4-D concentration used for calli induction and 30g/L sucrose. This medium was considered optimum for the maintenance and growth of cell suspensions for both species, with sub-cultures every 20 days. The biotechnological potential for the production of bioactive compounds in these species for pharmacological, agricultural and industrial applications is being evaluated.

"One-step production of biodiesel from Jatropha oil with high-acid value in ionic liquids" [Bioresour. Technol. 102 (11) (2011)].

Catalytic conversion of un-pretreated Jatropha oil with high-acid value (13.8 mg KOH/g) to biodiesel was studied in ionic liquids (ILs) with metal chlorides. Several commercial ILs were used to catalyze the esterification of oleic acid. It was found that 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tosylate {[BMIm][TS]} had high catalytic activity with 93% esterification rate for oleic acid at 140 °C but only 63.7% Jatropha biodiesel yield at 200 °C. When ZnCl2 was added to [BMIm][TS], a maximum Jatropha biodiesel yield of 92.5% was achieved at 180 °C. Addition of metal ions supplied Lewis acidic sites in ILs promoted both esterification and transestrification reactions. It was also found that the transition metal ions performed higher catalytic activity in transestrification than the ions of Group A. Mixture of [BMIm][TS] and ZnCl2 was easily separated from products for reuse to avoid producing pollutants.

Utilization of deoiled Jatropha curcas seed cake for production of xylanase from thermophilic Scytalidium thermophilum.

Jatropha curcas is a major biodiesel crop. Large amount of deoiled cake is generated as by-product during biodiesel production from its seeds. Deoiled J. curcas seed cake was assessed as substrate for the production of xylanase from thermophilic fungus Scytalidium thermophilum by solid-state fermentation. The seed cake was efficiently utilized by S. thermophilum for its growth during which it produced good amount of heat stable extracellular xylanase. The solid-state fermentation conditions were optimized for maximum xylanase production. Under the optimized conditions viz. deoiled seed cake supplemented with 1% oat-spelt xylan, adjusted to pH 9.0, moisture content 1:3 w/v, inoculated with 1×10(6) spores per 5 g cake and incubated at 45 °C, 1455 U xylanase/g deoiled seed cake was obtained. The xylanase was useful in biobleaching of paper pulp. Solid-state fermentation of deoiled cake appears a potentially viable approach for its effective utilization.

Evaluación del efecto farmacológico del extracto de Jatropha macranta Muell. Arg huanarpo macho en pene aislado de conejo / Evaluation of the pharmacological effect of Jatropha macranta Muell. Arg huanarpo macho on isolated rabbit penis

Introducción. La disfunción eréctil es una patología frecuente en varones mayores de 40 años de edad, por lo que existe gran interés por el conocimiento de su fisiopatología y tratamiento. Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto del huanarpo macho sobre la fibra muscular lisa del pene de conejo. Material y Método. Utilizamos los extractos (acuoso, etanólico, clorofórmico y etéreo) de la Jatropha macranta Muell. Arg huanarpo macho, procedente la sierra central del Perú y evaluamos sus efectos en la musculatura lisa del pene de conejo, de raza nueva Zelandia. La actividad muscular de cada tira aislada, se midió usando el sistema del Equipo de Baño de órganos aislados Power Lab y Bridge Amp, con el software chart v 4.2.3 A.D. resultados. Encontramos que el huanarpo macho, presenta efecto bifásico sobre la musculatura lise peneanaa, es estimulante a dosis bajas, y relajante a mayores dosis. Discusión. El efecto relajante del huanarpo macho, podría explicar el efecto afrodisíaca que se le atribuye dentro de la medicina tradicional. Requerimos mayores estudios para determinar los principios activos de la planta, responsables de tales efectos. Conclusión. El huanarpo macho ejerce actividad sobre la musculatura lisa del pene conejo, siendo el mayor efecto relajante y dosis dependiente.

Introduction. The erectil disfunction is a frequent alteration in men over forty years, that is why many people interested in knowing the physiopathology and treatment of this pathology. Objective. To evaluate the effect of huanarpo macho extracts on the smooth muscle of the rabbit penis. Material and Method. We used total extracts of Huanarpo macho collected from the central Peruvian Andes and evaluated its effects on the smooth muscle of the New Zealand lineage rabbit penis. The activity of the penis muscle was registered in an isolated organs bath apparatus Power Lab y Bridge Amp. Results. We found that the huanarpo macho had a biphasic effect on the smooth muscles of the rabbit penis being the relaxing effect the most important. At lower doses it is stimulant whereas at higher doses is relaxing. Conclusion. huanarpo macho is active on the smooth muscle of rabbit penis.