Calcium signaling in vascular endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is essential for the regulation of vascular tone. However, the changes to intracellular Ca²⁺ concentrations are often influenced by sex differences. Furthermore, a large body of evidence shows that sex hormone imbalance leads to dysregulation of Ca²⁺ signaling and this is a key factor in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. In this review, the effects of estrogens and androgens on vascular calcium-handling proteins are discussed, with emphasis on the associated genomic or nongenomic molecular mechanisms. The experimental models from which data were collected were also considered. The review highlights 1) in female ECs, transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) and mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uniporter (MCU) enhance Ca²⁺-dependent nitric oxide (NO) generation. In males, only transient receptor potential canonical 3 (TRPC3) plays a fundamental role in this effect. 2) Female VSMCs have lower cytosolic Ca²⁺ levels than males due to differences in the activity and expression of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), calcium release-activated calcium modulator 1 (Orai1), calcium voltage-gated channel subunit-α_1C (Ca_V1.2), Na⁺-K⁺-2Cl⁻ symporter (NKCC1), and the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase. 3) When compared with androgens, the influence of estrogens on Ca²⁺ homeostasis, vascular tone, and incidence of vascular disease is better documented. 4) Many studies use supraphysiological concentrations of sex hormones, which may limit the physiological relevance of outcomes. 5) Sex-dependent differences in Ca²⁺ signaling mean both sexes ought to be included in experimental design.

Tuberculosis (TB), a highly fatal infectious disease, is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that has inflicted mankind for several centuries. In 2019, the staggering number of new cases reached 10 million resulting in 1.2 million deaths. The emergence of multidrug-resistance- Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant-Mycobacterium tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is a global concern that requires the search for novel, effective, and safer short-term therapies. Nowadays, among the few alternatives available to treat resistant-Mtb strains, the majority have limitations, which include drug-drug interactions, long-term treatment, and chronic induced toxicities. Therefore, it is mandatory to develop new anti-Mtb agents to achieve health policy goals to mitigate the disease by 2035. Among the several bioactive anti-Mtb compounds, chalcones have been described as the privileged scaffold useful for drug design. Overall, this review explores and analyzes 37 chalcones that exhibited anti-Mtb activity described in the literature up to April 2021 with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC₉₀) values inferior to 20 μM and selective index superior to 10. In addition, the correlation of some properties for most active compounds was evaluated, and the main targets for these compounds were discussed.

Background and Aim: Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is mainly characterized by its antioxidant and healing properties. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of an ointment based on S. tuberosum L. “papa tumbay” on burns induced in Balb/c mice (Mus musculus). Materials and Methods: The experimental animals were divided into four groups (n = 5/group) 48 h before second-degree burns were inducted. After epilating the loin areas of the mice and anesthetizing them with ketamine/xylazine (80 mg/kg/10 mg/kg) through intraperitoneal (i.p.) route, a round metal rod (0.7 cm in diameter) was placed on the depilated skin at a temperature of 100°C for 5 s. Group I was not given any treatment, Group II was treated with silver sulfadiazine (1%), and the other two groups (III and IV) were treated with the ointment formulated based on S. tuberosum L. “papa tumbay” at 1% and 2%, respectively. After performing the treatment for 21 days, the mice were euthanized using i.p. sodium pentobarbital (185 mg/kg) to obtain skin samples. The samples were preserved in 10% neutral-buffered formalin and subjected to histopathological analysis. Results: We found statistically significant differences in the histopathological sections between the groups (p < 0.05). The abundant collagen and fibroblasts observed in the direction of the dermis in Groups III and IV indicate that the phytoconstituents present in the potato might promote the healing of the second-degree burns until day 21 of treatment. Conclusion: Our findings showed that the ointments based on the ethanolic extracts of S. tuberosum L. “papa tumbay,” especially the 2% ointment, might accelerate the healing of second-degree burns induced in Balb/c mice. Keywords: burn healing, herbal medicine, histopathology, ointment, potato, skin, Solanum tuberosum L.

Antecedentes: La diversidad botánica del Perú ha hecho que actualmente se esté promoviendo el uso de plantas medicinales en las instituciones de salud a nivel nacional. El objetivo de esta revisión es proporcionar información científica que respalde las propiedades terapéuticas del agracejo como Berberis vulgaris. Métodos: Se buscó información en bases de datos científicas, Plantlist, Scopus, PubMed, Google Académico y repositorios de tesis universitarias sobre, información etnobotánica y etnofarmacológica y se comparó con el Berberis rigida Hieron, Berberis vulgaris, Ilex guayusa Loes, Vellesia glabra (Cav), dado que todas ellas presentan también el nombre común de agracejo. Resultados: Actualmente existen 3 familia y 4 géneros que presentan a una especie conocida como agracejo, se destaca 5 tesis universitarias peruanas en los últimos 10 años que abordan las utilidades del género Berberidaceae y sus especies, teniendo como mayor utilidad la tintura. La mayor información científica, 1 363 estudios entre etnobotánico y etnofarmacológicos, respaldan la utilidad del B. vulgaris, aunque son provenientes de países orientales y solo 3 son peruanas. Conclusiones: La información que respalda la utilidad del B. vulgaris (agracejo), proviene de publicaciones internacionales (Irán, Pakistán), además no se cuenta con información científica etnobotánica y etnofarmacológica peruana, esto genera un riesgo de confusión de especies, más aún si presenta el mismo nombre común, y características fitoterapéuticas similares. Estas dos situaciones originarían que se adopte información de otros países, lo que a su vez pone en riesgo de posible inefectividad del tratamiento con medicina tradicional. Palabras claves: Berberis, indicación fitoterapéutica, medicina tradicional, plantas medicinales, agracejo, metabolitos secundarios, berberidaceae, aquifoliaceae, apocynaceae.