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Introduction: Tropaeolum tuberosum (mashua), is a member of the Tropaeolaceae family, is considered an ecological, millenary crop native in Peru, which began to be consumed in The Andes for having nutritional and medicinal properties. The objective of the present literature review is to highlight the importance of mashua as a source of diverse bioactives and to summarize its pharmacological activities. The method of the present study is a literature review, where original scientific articles on pharmacological activity and bioactive compounds of mashua were searched in the following electronic databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar, published during the period 2019 to 2023. Result: After the bibliographic search, a total of 22 articles were obtained. It is concluded that despite the fact that mashua is attributed several medicinal uses, there are no studies to date that support the efficacy and safety of its use in a pathology. The information presented in this document will be useful to increase the interest and use in the future of the biological compounds of mashua, as well as to give it a new pharmacological or clinical use, thus, becoming useful for the creation of a new drug formulation in the future, or through the application of the bioactive compounds of mashua in combination with existing drugs to optimize the treatment of pathologies such as cancer, anemia, lithiasis, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tradescantia zebrina is a species used mainly in South America, with few reports about its chemical composition and bioactivity. Aim: To determine phenolic bioactive compounds, for the first time in the literature, and the antioxidant and hemolytic activities of extracts (dried and in natura) of this species. Methods: The extracts were obtained by maceration in methanol and the total phenolic and flavonoid contents were expressed in mg equivalent of gallic acid (EAG)/g and quercetin (EQ) of extract, respectively. The antioxidant potential was evaluated by DPPH• and ABTS•+ radical capture methods. The identification and quantification of phenolic bioactive compounds was performed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode detector (HPLC-DAD) and, the hemolytic activity assay was performed by diffusion in blood agar, using the disk antiobiogram technique. Results: The total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the extracts (in natura and dried) were 67.68 and 233.94 mg EAG/g and 29.70 and 10.99 mg EQ/g of concentrated extract, respectively. Phenolic acids (caffeic, ellagic, ferulic, ρ-coumaric and protocatechuic), flavonoids (chrysin and rutin) and a phenolic aldehyde (vanillin) were determined by high performance liquid chromatography-diodearray detector (HPLC-DAD). The antioxidant activities were confirmed by inhibition of DPPH• (44.08%) and ABTS•+ (46.99%) radicals for in natura samples, respectively. Conclusion: The tested methanolic extracts of Tradescantia zebrina did not present toxicities when tested for hemolytic activity after 72 hours. Therefore, Tradescantia zebrina is a potential source of bioactive substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at evaluating effective methods for breaking the hard and insoluble spores of Ganoderma lucidum to recover functional biomolecules. Rupture techniques were evaluated such as manual maceration (RM), maceration with spheres of various materials (BR), and microwave exposure plus maceration with steel/chrome spheres (MBR1). Spore rupture was evaluated using UV-Vis spectroscopy, which showed vibrations of 2955, 1642, 1240, 1080 and 1746 cm-1 corresponding to changes in spore walls. The MBR1 extract contained the largest amounts of carbohydrates (19.80 mg.g-1 spores) and polyphenols (2.21 mg.g-1 spores), whereas the BR extract had higher antioxidant activity (57.22%Inb DPPH). The MBR1 and BR extracts contained 62.2 and 73.5% glucose, respectively. Both methods also involved significant extraction of carbohydrates and proteins. The best way to extract biomolecules from spore walls is to perform a microwave heat treatment and break the walls with steel/chrome spheres; this produces large quantities of carbohydrates with antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the synthesis and detailed characterization of lanthanide complexes La(III), Ce(III), Nd(III) y Sm(III) with tridentate ligands derived from heteroaromatic hybrids. The ligands and their metal complexes were characterized by different physicochemical techniques, including elemental and thermogravimetric analysis; UV-Vis, IR, ¹H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy; molar conductance measurements; and mass spectrometry. The spectral data showed that the hybrid ligand behaves as a NOO tridentate ligand through the nitrogen and oxygen atoms of the benzimidazole and oxadiazole rings and the oxygen atom of the carbonyl group. Elemental and thermal analyses indicated that the obtained metal complexes were formed in 1:2 stoichiometry (metal-ligand). The antioxidant capacity of these compounds was evaluated by both DPPH· assay and electrochemical measurements (cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry). The results showed that the metal complexes have higher antioxidant activity compare to the free ligands. Finally, the antibacterial activities of the ligands and their complexes were determined by in vitro tests against Gram-positive bacterial strains and Gram-negative bacterial strains using the broth microdilution method. The metal complexes showed greater antimicrobial activities than the precursor ligands against some of the microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature gives us a large number of compounds with interesting biological properties, within them we have essential oils, which are an important source of new bioactive molecules, which can replace synthetic chemicals, since they are friendly to the environment and they are less toxic. Currently there are more than 20.000 publications in which essential oils are related to some biological activity, according to the search made in different databases until January 2018. This confirms the wide utility of essential oils as the main source of bioactive metabolites, which can be used in different areas of our life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saponins are a type of secondary metabolite that have been widely studied due to their recognized biological properties. Most research into phytochemical has focused on finding new natural sources of saponins with medicinal interest. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is a plant that has attained importance as a valuable source of food highly nutritious and rich in triterpenes saponins which are mainly in the outer husks of the seeds. Up to date, about 30 saponins derived from hederagenin, oleanolic acid, phytolaccagenic acid, and serjanic acid have been identified in the plant. Quinoa consumption involves removal of the husk to reduce its bitter taste, the ingestion of residual levels of saponins and obtaining a product rich in saponins. This revision, initially, offers a general contextualization of saponins, then, gathers the structural features of identified saponins in quinoa, describes the effect of the processing of the grain on its saponins content, and finally, exposes the biological properties explored with quinoa saponins extracts which might be considered as a starting point for future investigations aimed at strengthening of their use in the pharmaceutical and/or nutraceutical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]