Bioactive Compounds and Pharmacological Potential of Hojasen (Flourensia cernua): A Mini review

Flourensia cernua, commonly known as hojasen, is a shrub that is widely distributed in northern Mexico and the southern United States. The presence of this shrub indicates the characteristic flora of the Chihuahuan desert and southern Arizona, and it is an endemic plant of the Coahuila region in Mexico. The leaves and flowers of F. cernua are commercially available in Mexican markets for preparing infusions and are used as traditional medicine, mainly for gastrointestinal disorders such as indigestion, diarrhea, stomach pain, and dysentery, among others. Several studies have shown that F. cernua extracts contain bioactive compounds that can act as antioxidants in vitro by stopping free radicals from doing damage. In addition, F. cernua extracts have antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi. Additionally, F. cernua extracts have demonstrated antibacterial effects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Also, the anti-inflammatory effect of leaf extract at different doses has been studied to see how it affects the production of inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) in macrophage cultures. Therefore, identifying its components and pharmacological properties can promote its use as an adjunct or therapeutic candidate in controlling various diseases. With its potential to alleviate gastrointestinal issues, provide antioxidant protection, and inhibit fungi and bacteria, hojasen extract may prove to be a valuable addition to the treatment of many diseases. This minireview aims to expand the existing knowledge about hojasen, a semi-desert shrub that possesses different bioactive compounds belonging to families of interest such as flavonoids, sesquiterpenoids, and coumarins, hoping to arouse the interest of other researchers to further investigate the activities, properties and uses attributed to Flourensia cernua

Facile synthesis of aminonaphthoquinone Mannich bases by noncatalytic multicomponent reaction

<p>Mannich bases are formed in a noncatalytic multicomponent reaction, which is promoted by ultrasound irradiation. The procedure avoids the use of toxic solvents, catalyst, and purification, generating the desired compounds in excellent yields and short reaction times.</p

Anticancer Effect of Pomegranate Peel Polyphenols against Cervical Cancer

Polyphenols are a broad group of bioactive phytochemicals with powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antiviral activities. Numerous studies have demonstrated that polyphenol extracts obtained from natural sources can be used for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Pomegranate peel extract is an excellent source of polyphenols, such as punicalagin, punicalin, ellagic acid, and caffeic acid, among others. These phenolic compounds have antineoplastic activity in in vitro models of cervical cancer through the regulation of cellular redox balance, induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and modulation of different signaling pathways. The current review summarizes recent data from scientific reports that address the anticancer activity of the predominant polyphenol compounds present in PPE and their different mechanisms of action in cervical cancer models

Coffee pulp as a source for polyphenols extraction using ultrasound, microwave, and green solvents

Coffee pulp is rich in bioactive compounds. Currently, the use of “green methodologies” is being sought that promote cleaner, safer extraction protocols with lower energy consumption. The present study proposes the extraction of polyphenolic compounds from the coffee pulp through the use of methodologies such as ultrasound and microwave. Different extraction conditions were evaluated, varying the mass:volume ratio and the water:ethanol ratio. The mineral content, the amount of total and condensed polyphenols was determined as well as the characterization of the coffee pulp polyphenolic extracts by FT-IR, and HPLC-MS. The main mineral in the coffee pulp was potassium. The total content of polyphenols using ultrasound-microwave extraction was 165.2-328.9 mg GAE/g, where the best ratio was 1:16 m/v and the water/ethanol ratio showed no difference in the levels of polyphenol extraction. Likewise, for condensed polyphenols, values between 10.06-20.52 mg CE/g were obtained. The main polyphenols were 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid, 3-feruloylquinic acid, quercetin 3',7-dimethyl ether, (+)-gallocatechin, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, (–)-epicatechin-(2a-7)(4a-8)-epicatechin 3-O-galactoside, and 1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid. Therefore, the coffee pulp can be used to obtain bioactive compounds through green methodologies such as ultrasound and microwave

Curcumin Modifies the Activity of Plasmatic Antioxidant Enzymes and the Hippocampal Oxidative Profile in Rats upon Acute and Chronic Exposure to Ozone

Ozone (O3) is an oxidating tropospheric pollutant. When O3 interacts with biological substrates, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) are formed. Severe oxidative damage exhausts the endogenous antioxidant system, which leads to the decreased activity of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Curcumin (CUR) is a natural polyphenol with well-documented antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of curcumin on CAT, GPx, and SOD activity and the inhibition of oxidative damage after the acute and chronic exposure to O3. Fifty male Wistar rats were divided into five experimental groups: the intact control, CUR-fed control, exposed-to-O3 control, CUR-fed (preventive), and CUR-fed (therapeutic) groups. These two last groups received a CUR-supplemented diet while exposed to O3. These experiments were performed during acute- and chronic-exposure phases. In the preventive and therapeutic groups, the activity of plasma CAT, GPx, and SOD was increased during both exposure phases, with slight differences; concomitantly, lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation were inhibited. For this reason, we propose that CUR could be used to enhance the activity of the antioxidant system and to diminish the oxidative damage caused by exposure to O3

Antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects of polyphenols from pomegranate peel and coffee pulp on cancer cells

Pomegranate peel (PP) and coffee pulp (CP) are by-products of the food industry that can cause environmental pollution if not handled adequately. These by-products contain a significant amount of polyphenolic compounds which have antioxidant and possibly anticancer properties. We investigated the antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities of polyphenols from PP, CP and a 50–50% mixture of both against HeLa, A549, MDA-MB and Hek-293 cells. The total phenolic content of the PP and CP extracts was determined by high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation/mass spectrometry, and the antiproliferative and cytotoxic potentials were evaluated by MTT (3- (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) and Lactate Dehydogenase assays, respectively. Results showed antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects of polyphenols from PP and CP when administered at different concentrations or mixtures on HeLa, A549 and MDA-MB cells. No significant antiproliferative effects were observed on Hek-293 cells treated under similar conditions. These results suggest the potential of PP and CP polyphenols, individually or in combination, to modulate biological mechanisms involved in cervical, breast and lung cancer.</p