Steroidal sapogenins have shown antiproliferative effects against several tumor cell lines; and their effects on human cancer cells are currently under study. Changes in the functionality on the steroidal structure make it possible to modify the biological activity of compounds. Herein, we report the synthesis and in vitro antitumor activity of two steroidal oxime compounds on cervical cancer cells. These derivatives were synthesized from the steroidal sapogenin diosgenin in good yields. The in vitro assays show that the steroidal oximes show significant antiproliferative activity compared to the one observed for diosgenin. Cell proliferation, cell death, and the cytotoxic effects were determined in both cervical cancer cells and human lymphocytes. The cancer cells showed apoptotic morphology and an increased presence of active caspase-3, providing the notion of a death pathway in the cell. Significantly, the steroidal oximes did not exert a cytotoxic effect on lymphocytes.

The search for new cancer treatments from traditional medicine involves developing studies to understand at the molecular level different cell signaling pathways involved in cancer development. In this work, we present a model of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which plays a key role in cell cycle regulation and is related to cell survival, proliferation, and growth in cancer, as well as resistance to antitumor therapies, so finding drugs that act on this pathway is ideal to propose a new adjuvant treatment. The aim of this work was to model, simulate and predict in silico using the Big Data-Cellulat platform the possible targets in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway on which the Opuntia joconostle extract acts, as well as to indicate the concentration range to be used to find the mean lethal dose in in vitro experiments on breast cancer cells. The in silico results show that, in a cancer cell, the activation of JAK and STAT, as well as PI3K and Akt is related to the effect of cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and inhibition of apoptosis, and that the extract of O. joconostle has an antiproliferative effect on breast cancer cells by inhibiting cell proliferation, regulating the cell cycle and inhibiting apoptosis through this signaling pathway . In vitro it was demonstrated that the extract shows an antiproliferative effect, causing the arrest of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of in silico tools is a valuable method to perform virtual experiments and discover new treatments. The use of this type of model supports in vitro experimentation, reducing the costs and number of experiments in the real laboratory.

Diosgenone [(20S,22R,25R)-spirost-4-en-3-one, C₂₇H₄₀O₃] has been proposed as a new therapeutic alternative for the treatment of malaria. The first X-ray structure report for diosgenone was by Piroet al.[(2002).Z. Naturforsch. Teil C,57, 947–950] in the space groupP2₁(Z′ = 2). We now report a new polymorph in the same space group, with two molecules in the asymmetric unit. Both molecules have similar conformations, characterized by a skewed envelopeAring, which contains the C=C bond conjugated with the ketone functionality at C3. The dimorphism results from a modification of the relative orientation of the molecules in the asymmetric unit: two independent molecules were arranged antiparallel in the Piro report, while they are parallel in the present determination.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is characterized by excessive collagen deposition and impaired lung function. Pulmonary surfactant may modulate fibroblast activity and offer therapeutic benefits. We developed a natural porcine pulmonary surfactant (NPPS) enriched with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-rac-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and evaluated its biophysical and biological properties. Biophysical analysis showed that PE improved surfactant performance by increasing surface pressure and stability. In vitro, NPPS-PE reduced collagen expression and induced apoptosis in normal human lung fibroblasts; in addition, it decreased proliferation in fibroblasts stimulated with TGF-β. In vivo, NPPS-PE improved gas exchange and significantly reduced collagen deposition in bleomycin-treated mice. These findings suggest that NPPS-PE may be a promising therapeutic strategy for fibrosing lung diseases.

The title steroid, [(25R)-spirost-4-en-3,6-dione, C₂₇H₃₈O₄], is obtained by oxidation of diosgenin, using the Jones reagent (CrO₃/H₂SO₄). The crystal structure was previously reported in space group P2₁2₁2₁, but nonetheless with the wrong absolute configuration and omitting positions for H atoms [Rajnikant et al. (2000). Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. Sci. Technol. Sect. C, 12, 101–110]. The diffraction data set reported herein is for a second polymorph in the same space group, as evidenced by simulated powder patterns. Both forms are characterized by a similar orthorhombic unit cell, and a similar arrangement of the molecules in the crystal structure. However, the conformation of the A/B rings in the steroid nucleus is slightly modified, leading to the observed polymorphism.