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Verbena litolaris (V. litoraris) es una planta usada en la medicina tradicional de México por la población pluricultural y ha mostrado ser efectiva para aliviar síntomas del resfriado, dolor de estómago, fiebre, diarrea, entre otros. Los reportes científicos de su potencial farmacológico son limitados, por lo que en este estudio se determinó el potencial antimicrobiano de extractos de V. litoraris sobre cepas patógenas responsables de infecciones gastrointestinales. La preparación de los extractos crudos orgánicos fue por sonicación y el efecto de inhibición del crecimiento bacteriano se realizó mediante el método de difusión en discos y la concentración mínima inhibitoria de los extractos se obtuvo a través de microdilución en placa. También se hizo el análisis fitoquímico mediante Cromatografía en Capa Fina (CCF) y espectrofotometría de luz visible. El extracto metanólico de hoja y los extractos etanólico y cetónico de tallo de V. litolaris evidenciaron un efecto positivo de inhibición del crecimiento en todas las cepas evaluadas. E. coli fue la cepa con mayor sensibilidad a los componentes del extracto etanólico de tallo con una concentración mínima inhibitoria (CMI) de 5 mg/mL. El extracto metanólico de hoja de V litolaris presentó la mayor concentración de fenilpropanoides con 11.75 + 0.03 µg Eq rutina/mL. Este es el primer reporte de la presencia de cumarinas, antronas y antraquinonas en V. litoralis y con nuestros resultados se contribuye para validar su uso como una alternativa para inhibir el crecimiento de las cepas evaluadas.

La sequía es el factor más común que limita el desarrollo y productividad de los cultivos, afectando severamente a la agricultura. En México, uno de los cultivos de importancia económica y gastronómica sensible al estrés hídrico es el género Capsicum. En el presente estudio se evaluó la aplicación de prolina en plantas de Capsicum frutescens expuestas a sequía inducida por polietilenglicol (PEG) en un sistema hidropónico. Empleando un diseño factorial 22, se evaluaron un total de 60 plántulas durante 120 h dividas en cuatro tratamientos: PEG (0 y 10 %) y Pro (0 y 10 mM) como variables de estudio. Los resultados demostraron que la exposición a 10 mM de Pro indujo un aumento significativo en la concentración de clorofila y de prolina endógena (hoja y raíz) en las plántulas en ausencia de estrés. Además, se observó un 80 % de supervivencia de las plántulas y un aumento en el contenido de prolina en aquellas que estuvieron expuestas a 10 mM Pro + 10 % PEG. De igual manera, se presentó un aumento en el contenido de clorofila (13 µg • mL-1), contenido relativo de agua (CRA) en raíz (77.6 %), porcentaje de electrolitos en hoja y raíz (~44 y ~52 % respectivamente), en comparación con el tratamiento de 0 mM Pro + 10 % PEG. Los resultados sugieren que la aplicación previa de prolina tiene un efecto positivo en la supervivencia de las plántulas bajo condiciones de sequía inducida por PEG.

La producción anual del cultivo de frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) en México se reduce principalmente por enfermedades y plagas. Una alternativa de control biológico es el empleo de esporas de Metarhizium anisopliae por su capacidad de colonizar la rizosfera, pero su efectividad disminuye por la sensibilidad a factores ambientales. Por tanto, el objetivo de este estudio fue analizar el potencial de biocontrol de una formulación de alginato con esporas de M. anisopliae en el cultivo de frijol infectado con Fusarium. Se planteó un diseño experimental completamente al azar, utilizando plantas sanas como control, también se inocularon de plantas con una suspensión de Fusarium oxysporum en el sustrato y adicionalmente a una parte de estas se les depositó en la base del tallo 1 g de cápsulas de alginato que contenían esporas de M. anisopliae por planta, se midieron los parámetros morfométricos cada 8 días durante 8 semanas, así como la aparición de síntomas de fusariosis. Tras analizar los datos obtenidos se observó que hubo diferencias significativas a los 64 días después de la inoculación (ddi) siendo mayor el peso seco foliar y de raíces, así como la longitud de raíz en las plantas donde hubo interacción de Fusarium y las esporas encapsuladas de Metarhizium, esto sugiere que la presencia de ambos microorganismos afectó de forma positiva el metabolismo de las plantas, superando los beneficios de Metarhizium como promotor de crecimiento. Además, se observó que el porcentaje de incidencia en la raíz disminuyó con el tratamiento 4 sin presentar diferencia significativa de 32 a 64 ddi con valores similares al tratamiento 3 a los 16 días. Se concluyó que la aplicación de esporas encapsuladas de M. anisopliae es una opción viable para reducir el efecto del marchitamiento por Fusarium en el cultivo de frijol.

Petiveria alliacea L. is an herb used in traditional medicine in Mexico and its roots have been studied to treat pain. However, until now, the antinociceptive properties of the leaves have not been investigated, being the main section used empirically for the treatment of diseases. For this reason, this study aimed to evaluate the antinociceptive and toxoicological activity of various extracts (aqueous, hexanic, and methanolic) from P. alliacea L. leaves in NIH mice and to perform an in silico analysis of the phytochemical compounds. Firstly, the antinociceptive effect was analyzed using the formalin model and the different doses of each of the extracts that were administered orally to obtain the dose–response curves. In addition, acute toxicity was determined by the up and down method and serum biochemical analysis. Later, the phytochemical study of extracts was carried out by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and visible light spectroscopy, and the volatile chemical components were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Moreover, the most abundant compounds identified in the phytochemical study were analyzed in silico to predict their biological activity (PASSonline) and toxicology (OSIRIS Property Explorer). As a result, it was known that all extracts at doses from 10 to 316 mg/kg significantly reduced the pain response in both phases of the formalin model, with values of 50–60% for the inflammatory response. The toxicological studies (DL50) exhibited that all extracts did not cause any mortality up to the 2000 mg/kg dose level. This was corroborated by the values in the normal range of the biochemical parameters in the serum. Finally, the phytochemical screening of the presence of phenolic structures (coumarins, flavonoids) and terpenes (saponins and terpenes) was verified, and the highest content was of a lipid nature, 1.65 ± 0.54 meq diosgenin/mL in the methanolic extract. A total of 54 components were identified, 11 were the most abundant, and only four (Eicosane, Methyl oleate, 4-bis(1-phenylethyl) phenol, and Ethyl linolenate) of them showed a probability towards active antinociceptive activity in silico greater than 0.5. These results showed that the P. alliacea L. leaf extract possesses molecules with antinociceptive activity.

Fusarium are considered as the major plant pathogen fungi, that cause the majority of soil-borne diseases to more than 100 plant species in the world, including maize. Thus, there are emerging demands of biocontrol reagents, and Crotalaria longirostrata showed fungicidal activity. The C. longirostrata branch extract was phytochemically characterized and evaluated for efficacy for the control of Fusarium wilt in maize. The application of the extract reduced the percentage of disease incidence significantly caused by Fusarium verticillioides from 70.4% to 40.12% as compared to non-treated plants, and evenly the disease severity was reduced from 40.15% to 29.46%. The phytochemical components of the extract were cinnamic acids (caffeic acid and ferulic acid) and phenolic acid (gallic acid). Furthermore, multiple structures were detected through mass spectrometry such as: phenols, alkaloids, esters, terpene, ketones, and amides. The bioautography assay showed that to separate the compounds of C. longirostrata branch extract causes it’s the loss of fungicidal activity. This is due to the synergy or additive interactions of secondary metabolites present in the raw extract. Our results suggest that the application of C. longirostrata branch extract is a promising strategy to be applied to the soil as a preventive treatment.

In the present study, the hexane, acetone and methanol extracts of stem, branches and roots from Crotalaria longirostrata were evaluated for their antifungal activity against Fusarium sp., Fusarium verticillioides and Aspergillus flavus. The variables analyzed were inhibition halos, mycelial growth inhibition, sporulation and minimum inhibitory concentration. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of saponins, coumarins, anthrones, anthraquinones, flavonoids and alkaloids on different organic extracts. The hexane extract showed zones of inhibition between 6.3 and 10.5 mm. The mycelia growth and sporulation of A. flavus were reduced to 90% with methanol extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration values obtained with hexane extracts were 6.75 mg mL-1 and with methanol extracts were 50 and 25 mg mL-1 for Fusarium strains. This is the first study reporting of phytochemical composition and biological activity of C. longirostrata that could be used as a natural alternative to control in vitro of certain important pathogenic fungi.

The effect of Beauveria bassiana and extracts of Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Piper auritum on Fusarium oxysporum In vivo, pathogen of Solanum lycopersicum and the peroxidase activity in S. lycopersicum infected with F. oxysporum, the work was carried out in the greenhouse of the Tecnológico Nacional de México, Tuxtla Gutiérrez campus, in the soil ecology laboratory, under a randomized complete block treatment design, with twelve repetitions, having 300 experimental units, the treatments were applied to the soil, five days after the transplant and F. oxysporum was applied eight days after transplant. The variables measured were peroxidase activity and morphometrics in S. lycopersicum plants. As a result, mycelial growth of B. bassiana with plant extracts presented an inhibitory effect against F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and higher concentrations of peroxidase activity, helping the plant to generate better defense mechanisms and obtain greater protection in the presence of F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, likewise there was no significant difference between the afore mentioned treatments and chemical treatment in the morphometric variables, so in conclusion that it can be used as a biological control in S. lycopersicum plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there are various physical and mechanical agents that can cause skin wounds, which are still traditionally treated with plant extracts. It has been reported that the genus Tagetes has a wide range of biological properties, including antibacterial and wound healing activity. Likewise, Agave americana extract and Aloe vera gel have shown potential in the treatment of burn wounds and other skin conditions both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, the antibacterial and wound healing activities of each of these plants were investigated, as well as the possibility of enhancing these activities by combining them. First, the secondary metabolites of the extracts were quantified, the antibacterial activity was evaluated using the Kirby-Bauer method, and their cytotoxicity was measured in 3T3 and HaCaT cells using the sulforhodamine B assay. The results revealed that Tagetes nelsonii extract had a higher amount of secondary metabolites, which is why it exhibited antibacterial activity. Finally, the scratch assay showed that the individual extracts of T. nelsonii and A. americana demonstrated greater cell migration and proliferation starting from 12 h, as well as when using the combination of A. americana extract and A. vera gel, which almost completely closed the wound compared to the control.

Drought, exacerbated by climate change, represents a growing challenge for agriculture, significantly impacting on crops such as chili peppers (Capsicum), essential in the global diet. This work evaluated the response to water stress by suspending irrigation in Siete Caldos chili pepper plants (Capsicum frutescens). Control plants were watered every 48 h, while stress was induced in the test plants by withholding irrigation for 14 days, followed by an evaluation of recovery through rehydration on day 15. Growth parameters such as the fresh weight of the aerial part, root length, and number of flower buds showed significant differences between the two groups from the eighth day onwards. However, physiologically and biochemically stress-induced decreased relative water content, membrane stability, and chlorophyll content, coupled with increased electrolyte leakage, proline content, and antioxidant activity (catalases and peroxidases), were observed starting on the third day. These effects were more severe on day 14. At the molecular level, the expression of stress response genes (AP2, LOX2, CAT, CuSOD, MnSOD, and P5CS) was quantified at days 3, 14, and 15, revealing differences in transcript levels between the treatments. Finally, rehydration in the stressed plants resulted in the recovery of the evaluated parameters and a survival rate of 100%. Therefore, chili pepper has tolerance mechanisms that allow it to withstand a period of 14 days without irrigation, without reaching its permanent wilting point, and it can recover if conditions improve. This study underscores the complexity of plant responses and tolerance mechanisms to drought, providing insights into the behavior of semi-domesticated species.