Development of an Oral Vaccine for the Control of Cysticercosis

Parasitic diseases fecally transmitted, such taeniasis/cysticercosis Taenia solium binomial, represent a health problem whose incidence continues due to the prevalence of inadequate sanitary conditions, particularly in developing countries. When the larval stage of the parasite is established in the central nervous system causes neurocysticercosis a disease than can severely affect human health. It can also affect pigs causing cysticercosis causing economic losses. Since pigs are obligatory intermediate hosts, they have been considered as the targets for vaccination to interrupt the transmission of the parasitosis and eventually reduce the disease. Progress has been made in the development of vaccines for the prevention of porcine cysticercosis. In our research group, three peptides have been identified that, expressed synthetically (S3Pvac) or recombinantly (S3Pvac-phage), reduced the amount of cysticerci by 98.7% and 87%, respectively, in pigs exposed to natural conditions of infection. Considering that cysticercosis is orally acquired, it seems feasible to develop an edible vaccine, which could be administered by the pig farmers, simplifying the logistical difficulties of its application, reducing costs, and facilitating the implementation of vaccination programs. This chapter describes the most important advances towards the development of an oral vaccine against porcine cysticercosis

Biotechnology for the production of medicines from mexican plants

Presencia UniversitariaLas plantas son una fuente natural para la obtención de compuestos que pueden ser usados como medicamentos. Estos se encuentran en bajas concentraciones y su presencia y acumulación dependen de la genética de la planta y de variables ecológicas. Lo anterior pone de manifiesto la necesidad de estandarizar las materias primas vegetales para fabricar productos herbolarios de alta calidad. La biotecnología proporciona herramientas metodológicas útiles a través del cultivo de tejidos vegetales para producir los compuestos activos de las plantas en forma homogénea y controlada, y para incrementar su producción. El análisis computacional de los perfiles metabólicos ofrece un camino innovador para la estandarización de los extractos vegetales ya que facilita la detección simultánea y rápida de un amplio rango de compuestos en un momento del desarrollo de una planta. México es poseedor de una gran biodiversidad vegetal y las plantas medicinales ocupan un lugar preponderante en las prácticas médicas tradicionales de un amplio sector de la población. En este trabajo se presenta la investigación científica de la planta Galphimia glauca productora de compuestos sedantes y ansiolíticos. Este estudio ilustra los beneficios de realizar un trabajo experimental multidisciplinario con enfoque en la biotecnología, para investigar una planta endémica de México.Higher plants are a major source of compounds which can be used as medicines. These are produced in very small amounts and their synthesis depends on genetic and environmental factors. Hence, it is required to standardize and increase the production levels of active compounds in plants. Biotechnology offers novel procedures to adequately exploit the medicinal flora by using in vitro cultures systems of plant cells, tissues and organs, that produce these compounds. In silico procedures as metabolic profiling are leading technologies for the analysis of plant extracts that offered a fast and simultaneous detection of a high number of metabolites. México possess an enormous plant diversity, and herbal medicines are widely used for health-care needs. In this work we present the scientific investigation of the species Galphimia glauca which produce important sedative and anxyolitic metabolites. This study reflects the benefits of a multidisciplinary project focused in biotechnological procedures for the study of a native plant from México