Perfeccionamiento de la estrategia curricular de medio ambiente de la carrera de ciencias farmacéuticas de la Universidad de Oriente, Cuba.

La Educación ambiental se enfoca en los aspectos relacionados a cómo continuar el desarrollo al mismo tiempo que se protege, preserva y conserva los sistemas de soporte vital del planeta. Para poder garantizar el enfoque sistémico y multidisciplinario de los aspectos relacionados con este tipo de educación es imprescindible realizar en los colectivos, actividades metodológicas para establecer un sistema para la enseñanza de sus diferentes métodos, instrumentos y metodología que permitan lograr una mayor preparación de los estudiantes en la solución a los problemas de su esfera profesional. Es por ello que el objetivo del presente trabajo es perfeccionar la Estrategia de Medio Ambiente de la Carrera de Ciencias Farmacéuticas desde el enfoque Ciencia-Tecnología-Sociedad en aspectos relacionados con investigaciones realizadas sobre el uso de insecticidas de menor riesgo para la salud humana y el medio ambiente. Como punto de partida, se tomó el desarrollo de insecticidas botánicos a partir de plantas medicinales, que es una de las líneas de investigación del Departamento de Farmacia de la Universidad de Oriente, que evalúa la eficacia de diferentes plantas del Oriente de Cuba para el control alternativo de moscas y mosquitos de importancia médico-sanitaria, demostrando la efectividad y no toxicidad de estos extractos vegetales, representando estas sustancias un método alternativo eficaz. Se revisó la Estrategia Curricular de Medio Ambiente de la Carrera y se incluyeron en estas actividades relacionadas con las investigaciones realizadas sobre el uso de insecticidas ecológicos en seis asignaturas pertenecientes tanto al currículo base como optativo

Effects of Persea americana Mill. seed extracts on the postembryonic development of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscoide)

Context: The synthetic insecticides used to control Diptera are harmful to the environment and humans. Extracts and compounds from plants are a more sustainable source for the development of bio-insecticides. Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of a hydroalcoholic extract of Persea americana Mill seeds as an alternative control of the species Musca domestica. Methods: The extracts were obtained by two methods, the Shaker (S) and the Soxhlet extraction (SE) method, using 94% ethanol as the solvent. Also, the qualitative chemical composition was determined by phytochemical screening. The effect of the two extracts on the post-embryonic development of the fly as well as the adulticidal effect was evaluated. Results: Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of metabolites such as alkaloids, coumarins, tannins, flavonoids, sugars and amino acids. The influence on the post-embryonic development of M. domestica was demonstrated, especially on the viability of larvae and neolarvae to adults; however, the effect on the weight and duration of each period was low. The adulticidal effects of the extracts were determined by the lethal concentration 50(LC50) of 2.910 mg/100 mL and 3.944 mg/100 mL for the S and SE extracts, respectively. Conclusions: Both extracts showed their insecticidal effects against Musca domestica, but the extract elaborated by S method showed greater influence diminishing viability and better adulticidal effect

Inhibition of Bacterial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation by Seed-Derived Ethanol Extracts from Persea americana Mill

The increase in antibiotic resistance demands innovative strategies to combat microorganisms. The current study evaluated the antibacterial and antivirulence effects of ethanol extracts from Persea americana seeds obtained by the Soxhlet (SE) and maceration (MaE) methods. The UHPLC-DAD-QTOF analysis showed mainly the presence of polyphenols and neolignan. Ethanol extracts were not cytotoxic to mammalian cells (CC50 > 500 µg/mL) and displayed a moderate antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (IC50 = 87 and 187 µg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus (IC50 = 144 and 159 µg/mL). Interestingly, no antibacterial activity was found against Escherichia coli. SE and MaE extracts were also able to significantly reduce the bacterial adhesion to A549 lung epithelial cells. Additionally, both extracts inhibited the biofilm growth at 24 h and facilitated the release of internal cell components in P. aeruginosa, which might be associated with cell membrane destabilization. Real-time PCR and agarose electrophoresis gel analysis indicated that avocado seed ethanol extracts (64 µg/mL) downregulated virulence-related factors such as mexT and lasA genes. Our results support the potential of bioproducts from P. americana seeds as anti-adhesive and anti-biofilm agents

LC-MS Characterization and Biological Activities of Cuban Cultivars of Plectranthus neochilus Schltr

Plectranthus neochilus Schltr. (Lamiaceae) is a plant recently introduced in Cuba. Worldwide, it is an ethnomedicinal alternative for its use against microbial infections, but the Cuban population use the extracts to treat sleep disorders. To address this apparent incongruity, four collections (from different seasonal conditions in the year) of Cuban P. neochilus cultivars were analyzed in terms of their pharmacognostic characteristics. Three extracts using fresh and dried leaves were chemically and biologically characterized. UPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis was performed to determine their chemical composition, while a panel of nine microorganisms was used to evaluate their antimicrobial activity. Finally, cytotoxic effects of different fractions were measured in three cell lines by the resazurin viability assay. In contrast to previously reported micro and macromorphological properties of P. neochilus, the leaves from the Cuban cultivars did not present glandular trichomes, nor did they produce quantifiable levels of essential oils. Moreover, aqueous extracts used by the population revealed no significant antimicrobial activity and were not cytotoxic. The three extracts showed a similar phytochemical composition, i.e., eight flavonoids, seven abietane diterpenes, and rosmarinic acid as the major constituent, most of them reported for the first time in this species. The low yield of essential oil, the absence of glandular trichomes, compounds with a high level of oxidation, and a moderate antimicrobial activity detected were the most distinctive pharmacognostic and biological characteristics of P. neochilus grown in Cuba. These aspects could explain its non-use as an antimicrobial