Adansonia digitata L. fruit, also known as baobab, has been used traditionally throughout the world for its medicinal properties. Ethnopharmacological uses of various plant parts have been reported for hydration, antipyretic, antiparasitic, antitussive, and sudorific properties and also in the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery in many African countries. Several studies have revealed that in addition to these applications, baobab has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antimicrobial activities. The health benefits of baobab have been attributed to its bioactive compounds, namely phenols, flavonoids, proanthocyanins, tannins, catechins, and carotenoids. Baobab fruit is also an important source of vitamin C and micronutrients, including zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, and protein, which may reduce nutritional deficiencies. Despite scientific studies revealing that this fruit has a wide diversity of bioactive compounds with beneficial effects on health, there is a gap in the review of information about their mechanisms of action and critical analysis of clinical trials exploring, in particular, their effect on glycemia regulation. This work aims to present a current overview of the bioactive compounds, biological activities, and effects of A. digitata fruit on blood glucose, highlighting their potential mechanisms of action and effects on glycemia regulation, evaluated in recent animal and human trials.

Cultured cells of Tropaeolum majus produce significant amounts of benzyl glucosinolate which, through enzymatic hydrolysis, results in the production of benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC). This study reports on the in vitro anticancer properties of BITC against a variety of human and murine tumor cell lines by four independent methods; SRB, MTT, cell counting, and clonogenic assays. Regardless of the assay used, BITC showed promising cytotoxicity in the low micromolar range (0.86 to 9.4 µM) against four human ovarian carcinoma cell lines (SKOV-3, 41 -M, CHI, CHlcisR), a human lung tumor (H-69), a murine leukemia (L-1210), and a murine plasmacytoma (PC6/sens). The L1210 cells were most sensitive. BITC administered to mice bearing the ADJ/PC6 plasmacytoma subcutaneous tumor showed toxic effects at a dose of 200 mg/kg (within 24 h of drug administration) but no reduction in tumor mass. However, the growth inhibitory properties of BITC against a range of tumor cell types warrant further in vivo anti-tumor evaluation as well as its biotechnological production.

The jellyfish Catostylus tagi was studied as a food source. C. tagi is an abundant and unexplored resource of the Southwest Portuguese coast. The umbrella and the oral arms were separately assayed. Inorganics, nitrogen, and lipid content were estimated, being identified the major mineral, amino acid and fatty acid (FA) components. The scavenging capacity of C. tagi aqueous extracts for hydroxyl (HO^•), superoxide anion (O₂ ^•-) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals were investigated, as well as their ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Both tissues presented acceptable levels of heavy metals for seafood with mercury and lead not being detected. The contents of boron, taurine, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), together with the in vitro capacity to quench HO^•, have shown that C. tagi is potentially interesting for human consumption as well as for the production of specialty ingredients for the manufacturing of aquaculture feeds.

Baobab fruits have been traditionally used in Africa due to their therapeutic properties attributed to their high polyphenol content. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of baobab fruit on postprandial glycaemia in healthy adults and to measure its bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity. The study (NCT05140629) was conducted on 31 healthy subjects. The participants were randomly allocated in the control group (oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT); n = 16) and in the intervention group (OGTT, followed by administration of 250 mL baobab aqueous extract (BAE); n = 15). Total phenols, proanthocyanins, hydrolyzable tannins, and antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH, ABTS, and inhibition of O2^•− and NO^• methods) were quantified. Repeated measures ANOVA of mixed type and independent samples t-test were used. Glycemia incremental area under the curve (p = 0.012) and glucose maximum concentration (p = 0.029) was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group. The BAE revealed high total contents of phenols, proanthocyanins, and hydrolyzable tannins, as well as a strong capacity to scavenge superoxide anions and nitric oxide radicals and a high antioxidant activity. In conclusion, this study encourages the use of this food component as a promising source of natural antioxidants and a hypoglycemic agent under glucose load acute conditions.

Malaria remains an important and challenging infectious disease, and novel antimalarials are required. Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), the main breakdown product of benzyl glucosinolate, is present in all parts of Tropaeolum majus L. (T. majus) and has antibacterial and antiparasitic activities. To our knowledge, there is no information on the effects of BITC against malaria. The present study evaluates the antimalarial activity of aqueous extracts of BITC and T. majus seeds, leaves, and stems. We used flow cytometry to calculate the growth inhibition (GI) percentage of the extracts and BITC against unsynchronized cultures of the chloroquine-susceptible Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 − GFP strain. Extracts and/or compounds with at least 70% GI were validated by IC50 estimation against P. falciparum 3D7 − GFP and Dd2 (chloroquine-resistant strain) unsynchronized cultures by flow cytometry, and the resistance index (RI) was determined. T. majus aqueous extracts showed some antimalarial activity that was higher in seeds than in leaves or stems. BITC’s GI was comparable to chloroquine’s. BITC’s IC50 was similar in both strains; thus, a cross-resistance absence with aminoquinolines was found (RI < 1). BITC presented features that could open new avenues for malaria drug discovery.