Cytotoxic Activity of Essential Oils of Some Species from Lamiaceae Family

Cancer is considered one of the most lethal diseases in the world, with a prevalence of 439.2 cases and 163.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, in the period from 2011 to 2015; this disease has a greater impact in underdeveloped countries. For the treatment of this disease, a combination of chemotherapy with surgery or radiation is generally used, however, it is not exempt from adverse effects or resistance of the tumor to this type of treatment, for this reason the search for new treatments is constant. The plants are a possible source to achieve this; Lamiaceae is a family of plants widely distributed on the planet and has been used traditionally for the treatment of different diseases, and various essential oils with the potential for cancer treatment have been isolated from this species. The scope of this review is to present 46 essential oils isolated from different species of Lamiaceae which have been tested against different cancer cell lines

Cytotoxic and Antitumoral Activities of Compounds Isolated from Cucurbitaceae Plants

The WHO says that annual cases of cancer will increase from 14 million in 2012 to 22 million in the next two decades. Cancer is the second cause of death in the world; in 2015, it caused 8.8 million deaths. On the other hand, it is necessary to consider that 70% of the total deaths due to this disease occur in developing countries, who have the least resources to acquire the drugs of choice for the treatment of this disease. Although there are treatments and these are effective, there are currently cases of resistance to drugs used to treat this disease, which has led to the search for new sources of drugs or compounds effective against the cancer being active; plants are the possible sources to achieve this. Cucurbitaceae is a family of plants widely distributed on the planet which has been used traditionally for the treatment of this disease and from they have been isolated different cucurbitanes. These compounds possess a wide biological activity, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, or cytotoxic and antitumoral effects. The aim of this review is to present 51 cucurbitacin compounds and 2 with different structures isolated from Cucurbitaceae plants with cytotoxic or antitumoral activity

Terpenes from Natural Products with Potential Anti-Inflammatory Activity

The development and progression of many diseases is related with an inflammatory process, which could affect different organs or tissues. Currently, many drugs are used to treat inflammation. However, some of these compounds induce severe side effects. For this reason, the search of new therapeutic options for the treatment of inflammation is very desirable. Medicinal plants have been an interesting source for obtaining new active compounds, including several terpenes and terpenoids with anti-inflammatory activity. This book chapter includes 62 sesquiterpenes, 34 diterpenes, and 22 triterpenes with anti-inflammatory activity. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated using in vitro, in vivo, and both models. These terpenes were obtained from 44 plant species belonging to 25 botanical families. Eight of theses species belong to the Asteraceae family and four to Lamiaceae family, respectively, and the other species belong to 13 different botanical families, one sesquiterpene was obtained from a sponge and two diterpenes were isolated from corals

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of free-base 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin and its Zn, Cu, Co metalloderivatives

In this study, the 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (TpOHPP) and its Zn, Cu, and Co complexes have been synthesized and evaluated as photosensitizers and for anti-inflammatory activity. TpOHPP and its Zn (Zn-TpOHPP), Cu (Cu-TpOHPP), and Co (Co-TpOHPP) ligands have been synthesised using the Alder-Longo method; their photosensitizer activity has been screened by irradiating HeLa cells with red light, comparing their relative activity to those of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) and cisplatin (CDDP). The edema mouse model in which inflammation is induced with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) has been adopted. Finally, molecular modeling (docking) on the test drugs have been conducted using the Autodock VINA software. TpOHPP induced time-dependent cell replication inhibition when the cells are exposed to red light (IC50 = 16.35 µM, 2.3 µM, and 2.1 µM at 0, 15, and 30 minutes, respectively). Comparatively, Zn-TpOHPP exerts essentially the same cell replication inhibitory profile with and without red light exposure (IC50 = 1.35 µM and 1.38 µM respectively). The percent inhibition of inflammation determined for the test molecules are 54.16% for TpOHPP, 60.38% for Zn-TpOHPP, 67.10% for Cu-TpOHPP, and 67.53% with Co-TpOHPP. TpOHPP and its Zn complex show anti-proliferative activity at low micromolar levels and the four porphyrins exerted significant anti-inflammatory activity in vivo

Anti-inflammatory evaluation and antioxidant potential of Senna crotalarioides and Penstemon roseus.

Las propiedades antiinflamatorias y antioxidantes de los extractos de cloroformo, metanol y agua de Penstemon roseus y Senna crotalarioides fueron investigadas. El extracto acuoso no tuvo actividad sobre el edema auricular inducido con TPA, pero el extracto de cloroformo y etanol de ambas plantas inhibieron significativamente el edema. El extracto de cloroformo mostró actividad sobre el edema plantar inducido con carragenina y el edema auricular en ratón inducido por múltiples aplicaciones de TPA, y solo P. roseus y S. crotalarioides tuvieron la mejor actividad en las pruebas de DPPH y poder reductor. Los valores de la DL50 en ratón de ambos extractos de cloroformo son considerados con ligera toxicidad aguda y mayores que las dosis empleadas en el estudio.Chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of Penstemon roseus and Senna crotalarioides were investigated for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The aqueous extract had no activity on TPA-induced ear edema, but the chloroform and methanol extracts of both plants caused a significant inhibition of the edema. The chloroform extracts showed activity on carrageenan-induced paw edema and mouse ear edema induced by multiple topical applications of TPA, and only P. roseus (dose of 100 mg/kg) exhibited anti-arthritic activity. The methanol extracts of P. roseus and S. crotalarioides had the most activity in the DPPH and reducing power tests. The LD50 values in mice of both chloroform extracts were considerate as slight acute toxic and higher than the doses used in this study

Cytotoxic and Antimicrobial Activities of Quinones Isolated from Different Organism

Cancer is a group of related diseases in which there is uncontrolled cell growth that spreads to the surrounding tissues and damages them. Cancer remains the disease with the leading cause of death worldwide, and incidence and mortality are increasing rapidly. The main cancer treatment is chemotherapy; however, the compounds used in this treatment have serious side effects for this reason, is necessary to develop new therapeutic strategies. Natural products are an excellent pharmacological alternative for the treatment of cancer and infections. In search of new compounds with cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity, we have found quinones that have a high pharmacological potency in the treatment of these health problems. Quinones are an aromatic system of one or diketone and are mainly isolated from plants, fungi, bacteria, and other organisms. These compounds are secondary metabolites derived from the oxidation of hydroquinones; they include benzoquinones, naphthoquinones, anthraquinones, and polyquinones. This review summarizes the activity of 152 anticancer and 30 antimicrobial quinones

Linfonodos y carne molida de res como reservorios de Salmonella spp. de importancia en salud pública

This study aimed to determine the frequency of contamination, serovar diversity, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of Salmonella enterica (SE) in lymph nodes and ground beef. A total of 1,545 samples from 400 beef carcasses were analyzed. Samples included peripheral (PLN) and deep lymph nodes (DLN), lean and fatty ground beef obtained in warm (April-July) and cold (September-December) seasons during 2017 and 2018. The pure isolates were subjected to complete genome sequencing. With these data, the in silico prediction of serovars and the MLST profile was performed. In total, 78 SE isolates were obtained (5 % of the total analyzed samples). The frequency of contamination was associated with the type of sample ( 2=23.7, P<0.0001) and the time of year ( 2=20.3, P<0.0001), being higher in PLN (9.7%) and during the warm season (7.0%). The predominant serovars were Anatum and Reading (each one with n= 23), Typhimurium (n= 11), and London (n= 9). The MLST profile of strains of the Typhimurium (ST 19 and 34) and Kentucky (ST 198) serovars has been previously reported in isolates involved in clinical cases. It was concluded that lymph nodes and ground beef are reservoirs of SE of public health importance, especially during the warm months of the year. Therefore, it is necessary to establish measures to prevent dissemination throughout the production chain of strains associated with apparently healthy animals.El objetivo fue estimar la frecuencia de contaminación, diversidad de serotipos y tipificación por multilocus (MLST) de Salmonella enterica (SE) en linfonodos y carne molida de bovino. Para ello, se analizaron 1545 muestras provenientes de 400 canales bovinas. El muestreo incluyó linfonodos superficiales (LNS) y profundos, carne molida magra y con grasa, obtenidas en estación cálida (abril-julio) y fría (septiembre-diciembre) durante 2017 y 2018. Los aislamientos puros se sometieron a secuenciación completa del genoma. Con estos datos, se realizó la predicción in silico de serotipos y del perfil de MLST. En total, se obtuvieron 78 aislamientos de SE (5% del total de muestras analizadas). La frecuencia de contaminación se asoció con el tipo de muestra (2=23.7, P<0.0001) y con la época del año (2=20.3, P<0.0001), siendo mayor en LNS (9.7%) y en estación cálida (7.0%). Los serotipos predominantes fueron Anatum y Reading (n=23 cada uno), Typhimurium (n=11) y London (n=9). El perfil de MLST de cepas de los serotipos Typhimurium (ST 19 y 34) y Kentucky (ST 198) se ha reportado previamente en aislamientos involucrados en casos clínicos. Se concluye que los linfonodos y la carne molida de res son reservorios de SE de importancia en salud pública, especialmente durante los meses cálidos del año. Por tanto, es necesario establecer medidas encaminadas a prevenir la diseminación, a lo largo de la cadena productiva, de las cepas asociadas con animales aparentemente sanos

Congreso del alumnado como herramienta para el desarrollo de habilidades competenciales en los Grados de Educación Infantil y Primaria

De acuerdo con la literatura, uno de los objetivos fundamentales del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior es que el alumnado debe desarrollar una serie de competencias, siendo agentes activos de su propio conocimiento, primando el aprendizaje por descubrimiento guiado por el profesor. Siguiendo esta línea, desarrollamos un proyecto de innovación docente con el objetivo de fomentar en los estudiantes una actitud activa y autónoma hacia la adquisición de su propio conocimiento. Para ello, los estudiantes siguieron una metodología de aprendizaje basado en la investigación, potenciando una actitud crítica sustentada en criterios científicos. Así surgió el « I Congreso de Psicología y Educación: el Congreso de los Estudiantes » llevado a cabo en la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad de Córdoba. Un Congreso Científico donde los alumnos que cursaban distintas asignaturas de Psicología en los grados de Educación Infantil y Primaria fueron los protagonistas de las presentaciones orales, así como de los pósteres científicos, sobre temáticas cuyo eje fundamental fue la Psicología en el ámbito educativo. Un año más tarde se celebró su segunda edición continuando en la misma línea de actuación. En ésta se consiguió perseverar en los objetivos y perfeccionar la forma de llevar a cabo la experiencia adaptándola a nuevas temáticas y ampliando la participación.According to the literature, one of the main aims of the European Higher Education Area is that students must develop basic competences, being active agents of their own knowledge, emphasizing discovery learning and the role of the professor as a guide. Following this line, we have developed a project of educational innovation which main aim was fostering autonomy and active learning in students. With this purpose, the students followed a learning methodology based on research and promoting a critical attitude rooted in scientific approach. Thus, the «I Congress of Psychology and Education: the Congress of Students» emerged at the Faculty of Education of the University of Cordoba. A Scientific Congress where the students, who were studying different Psychology subjects in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education or Bachelor of Primary Education, were the agents of the oral presentations, as well as the scientific posters. The main topic was Educational psychology. In the same line, one year later, it was celebrated the second edition of the Congress. In this edition, we expanded the participation and topics and the methodology was improved

Brain edema and inflammatory activation in bile duct ligated rats with diet-induced hyperammonemia: A model of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis

Presented in part as a poster at 2005 Meeting EASL, Paris.Studies of the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy are hampered by the lack of a satisfactory animal model. We examined the neurological features of rats after bile duct ligation fed a hyperammonemic diet (BDL+HD). Six groups were studied: sham, sham pair-fed, hyperammonemic, bile duct ligation (BDL), BDL pair fed, and BDL+HD. The BDL+HD rats were made hyperammonemic via an ammonia-containing diet that began 2 weeks after operation. One week later, the animals were sacrificed. BDL+HD rats displayed an increased level of cerebral ammonia and neuroanatomical characteristics of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), including the presence of type II Alzheimer astrocytes. Both BDL and BDL+HD rats showed activation of the inflammatory system. BDL+HD rats showed an increased amount of brain glutamine, a decreased amount of brain myo-inositol, and a significant increase in the level of brain water. In coordination tests, BDL+HD rats showed severe impairment of motor activity and performance as opposed to BDL rats, whose results seemed only mildly affected. In conclusion, the BDL+HD rats displayed similar neuroanatomical and neurochemical characteristics to human HE in liver cirrhosis. Brain edema and inflammatory activation can be detected under these circumstances.Supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Convocatoria de RedesTematicas (G03/155 and C03/02); Conselleria de Sanitat, Escuela Valenciana para Estudios de la Salud (BM-004/2002); Organisme Public Valencia d’Investigacio, Ajudes per a Accions Especials (21-2002), Generalitat Valenciana,GV Grupos 03/053, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (GC-02-022)and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI03/0576).Peer reviewe