Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered the epidemic of the 21st century. Traditional medicine uses plants to treat DM; many of these have hypoglycemic effects in both animal models and diabetic patients. Our objective was to evaluate the hypoglycemic activity ofTilia americana,Borago officinalis,Chenopodium nuttalliae, andPiper sanctumon diabetic rats. The methanolic extracts of the plants under study were obtained by Soxhlet extraction. Toxicity was evaluated onArtemia salina; the antioxidant potential was evaluated using the DPPH technique. Hypoglycemic capacity at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg was tested on Wistar rats with diabetes induced by alloxan (120 mg/kg). The toxicity onA. salinawas null for the extracts ofB. officinalisandP. sanctum, moderate forT. americana, and highly toxic forC. nuttalliae. The relevant extract ofT. americanavar. mexicana showed antioxidant activity. Three plants of the studied plants showed hypoglycemic activity:Tilia Americana(p=0.0142),Borago officinalis(p=0.0112), andPiper sanctum(p=0.0078);P. sanctumwas the one that showed the greatest reduction in glucose levels at a lower dose.

Depending on the morphology of the natural fibers, they can be used as reinforcement to improve flexural strength in cement-based composites or as aggregates to improve thermal conductivity properties. In this last aspect, hemp, coconut, flax, sunflower, and corn fibers have been used extensively, and further study is expected into different bioaggregates that allow diversifying of the raw materials. The objective of the research was to develop plant-based concretes with a matrix based on Portland cement and an aggregate of Agave salmiana (AS) leaves, obtained from the residues of the tequila industry that have no current purpose, as a total replacement for the calcareous aggregates commonly used in the manufacturing of mortars and whose extraction is associated with high levels of pollution, to improve their thermal properties and reduce the energy demand for air conditioning in homes. Characterization tests were carried out on the raw materials and the vegetal aggregate was processed to improve its compatibility with the cement paste through four different treatments: (a) freezing (T/C), (b) hornification (T/H), (c) sodium hydroxide (T/NaOH), and (d) solid paraffin (T/P). The effect of the treatments on the physical properties of the resulting composite was evaluated by studying the vegetal concrete under thermal conductivity, bulk density, and compressive strength tests with a volumetric ratio between the vegetal aggregate and the cement paste of 0.36 and a water/cement ratio of 0.35. The hornification treatment showed a 15.2% decrease in the water absorption capacity of the aggregate, resulting in a composite with a thermal conductivity of 0.49 W/mK and a compressive strength of 8.66 MPa, which allows its utilization as a construction material to produce prefabricated blocks.

Colon cancer (CC) is the third most frequent neoplasm, with a considerably high mortality rate. Due to the side effects of conventional forms of CC treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy), several studies have focused on the use of medicinal plant derivatives to provide a green therapy for CC; although phytochemicals have shown promising results against CC, translating the results obtained in vitro and in vivo to the clinical setting remains a challenge. Indeed, like other orally applied medicines, medicinal plant derivatives have to cross different physiological barriers to reach the CC microenvironment, which considerably limits their dose-dependent therapeutic efficacy. On the other hand, phytocompounds are not free from biopharmaceutical drawbacks, so novel strategies using nanoparticles (NPs) have been proposed to overcome the physiological barriers of the body and provide controlled release of actives of interest. Accordingly, the current review provides an overview and discussion on the predisposing factors to CC and conventional treatment, the use of medicinal plants in CC treatment, and the advantages provided by NPs in the treatment of CC.

The therapeutic potential of medicinal plants is known as an alternative in treatment of human affections; in effect, the conventional application of these medicinal sources has several limitations like low bioavailability, solubility and stability, which affect its pharmacological efficacy. In recent decades, extraordinary advances have been made in new drug delivery systems using nanocarriers. This work consisted in determining the in vitro antifungal activity of the methanolic extract of Euphorbia tirucalli formulated in polymeric nanoparticles. The antifungal activity was determined by the microdilution method in 96-well microplates, applying nanoparticles loaded with plant extract (NP-Ext) obtained by nanoprecipitation on clinical isolates of Trichophyton rubrum and T. interdigitalis. Regarding the nanoparticles, the lots used did not present significant differences in their physicochemical characteristics, with a size of 91.885 ± 1.621nm, polydispersity index of 0.152 ± 0.025 and Z-potential of -6.047 ± 0.987. The quantification of the extract in the polymeric matrix was determined by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), where an efficiency and encapsulation percentage of 22.15 ± 0.82 and 2.95 ± 0.11, respectively, were obtained. The in vitro antifungal activity of the crude and formulated extract was obtained calculating the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of each one; a MIC of 125 µg/mL was obtained against T. rubrum and T. interdigitalis with the crude extract, while a MIC value of 55.55 and 0.1 µg/mL was obtained with NP-Ext, respectively, against these same. Conclusions: biological activity is closely linked to the phytochemical profile of the extract; while the improvement of said potential with the NP-Ext with the dosage form was directly related to the physicochemical characteristics of the nanocarrier.

The objective of this work was to develop two prototypes of insulating materials based on natural plant fibers from Agave fourcroydes and Washingtonia filifera, available in Mexico, for their potential use in buildings. For the development of the prototypes, the raw materials were characterized by physical, chemical, and microstructural methods. The samples were prepared by a pulping process after boiling the fibers in a sodium hydroxide solution. We worked with a Taguchi experimental matrix of four variables in three levels, defining as response variables the sample’s thermal conductivity, density, and flexural strength. The results show that the henequen-based insulation obtained a density of 69.8 kg/m³ and a thermal conductivity of 0.0367 W/mK; on the other hand, the palm-based insulation obtained a density of 45.06 g/cm³ and a thermal conductivity of 0.0409 W/mK, which in both cases are like the conductivity values reported by conventional insulating materials, such as expanded polystyrene or mineral wool, and therefore both optimized prototypes are promising as thermal insulators with a high potential to be used in sustainable buildings in Mexico, reducing the energy consumption of air conditioning and the environmental impact associated with the production of materials.

We determined the antifungal and antimicrobial sensitivity of Euphorbia tirucalli extracts in vitro. Antifungal and antibacterial activity was determined based on the M38-A and M26-A protocols, respectively. The methanolic and ethanolic partitions demonstrated antidermatophytic activity against Trichophyton rubrum (MIC 125 µg/mL for ethanol and MIC 125 µg/mL for methanol) and T. interdigitalis (MIC 500 µg/mL for ethanol; 125 µg/mL for methanol). These partitions also showed antibacterial activity—the ethanolic partition had an MIC of 1.56 ± 0.02 mg/mL against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (clinical isolate), 6.25 ± 0.04 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus BAA-44, 3.13 ± 0.13 mg/mL against Pseudomonas aeruginosa 27853, and 3.13 ± 0.15 mg/mL against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922; the methanolic partition showed an MIC of 1.56 ± 0.02 mg/mL against P. aeruginosa 27853 and 1.56 ± 0.043 mg/mL against E. coli ATCC 25922. These partitions show promise as antimicrobial agents or adjuvants in the treatment of infections caused by these microorganisms.