Milpa is a traditional polyculture production system mainly composed of corn, beans and pumpkin, together with other edible plants. It represents an important food and nutrients supply, but also bioactive compounds source, such as phenols, anthocyanins, phytosterols, phytates, resistant starch, peptides, among others compounds that confer multiple health benefits. Therefore, the aim of this work was to gather the scientific evidence on the health effects of the bioactive compounds found in the plants that belong to the milpa. Although there are few studies that report the interaction between different biomolecules and crops in combination, as in meant to be at regular eating; evidence, here summarized, suggests that consumption of milpa vegetables has an active effect of biomolecules from these crops was found active, mainly on chronic non-communicable diseases. Thus, the main objective of this study was to summarize the scientific evidence on bioactive compounds found in the plants grown as part of the milpa and their health-related benefits.

Evidence of the role that dietary carbohydrates (total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, total sugars, dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL)) exerts on insulin levels in adolescents is controversial. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the association between dietary carbohydrates and insulin resistance in adolescents from Chiapas, México. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 217 adolescents. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, dietary and biochemical data were obtained. Total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, total sugars, dietary GI and GL were calculated from 24 h recalls. Two validated cut-off points for the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were used as surrogates of insulin resistance. Fasting insulin levels ≥ 14.38 μU/mL were considered as abnormal. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to assess the association between tertiles of dietary carbohydrates and insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia. In our study, adolescents with the highest dietary fiber intake had lower odds of HOMA-IR > 2.97 (OR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.13–0.93) when adjusted for sex, age, body fat percentage and saturated fatty acids intake. No significant associations were found for the rest of the carbohydrate variables. In summary, high-fiber diets reduce the probability of insulin resistance in adolescents from marginalized areas of Chiapas, México.

Malaria is a disease that affects many people in the world. In Mexico, malaria remains an active disease in certain regions, particularly in the states of Chiapas and Chihuahua. While antimalarial effects have been attributed to some species of Cecropia in various countries, no such studies have been conducted in Mexico. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the in silico antimalarial activity of some active compounds identified according to the literature in the species of Cecropia obtusifolia, belonging to the Cecropiaceae family, such as ursolic acid, α-amyrin, chrysin, and isoorientin. These compounds were evaluated with specific molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) studies using three different malarial targets with the PDB codes 1CET, 2BL9, and 4ZL4 as well as the prediction of their pharmacokinetic (Pk) properties. Docking analysis revealed the following best binding energies (kcal/mol): isoorientin–1CET (−9.1), isoorientin–2BL9 (−8.8), and chrysin–4ZL4 (−9.6). MD simulation validated the stability of the complexes. Pharmacokinetics analysis suggested that the compounds would generally perform well if administered. Therefore, these results suggest that these compounds may be used as potential drugs for the treatment of malaria.

Malaria is a disease that affects many people in the world. In Mexico, malaria is still a disease with active zones, especially in the states of Chiapas and southern Chihuahua where several communities are affected year after year. According to previous studies, a moderate antimalarial effect has been attributed to some Cecropia species in several countries, such as Brazil, Panama, and Colombia. To date in Mexico, no studies have evaluated the possible antimalarial activity of Cecropia Obtisifolia Bertol. The objective of the present study was to identify the main metabolites present in the acetonic extract of C. Obtusifolia and to evaluate their possible antimalarial activity in silico analysis. An acetonic extraction of C. Obtusifolia leaves was performed using Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography HPLC, and the main compounds were identified. The identified compounds were evaluated with specific molecular docking studies using four different malarial targets with the PDB codes 1CET, 1PZ4, 2BL9, and 4ZL4; the evaluation was performed using AutodockVina and visualized using LigPlot and PyMOL. From the acetone extract, the compounds were found to be ursolic acid, α-amyrin, chrysin, and isoorientin using TLC and HPLC. The docking studies showed that the ligands docked well with the targets, resulting in the following strongest binding energies between the ligands and the targets (kcal/mol): isoorientin–1CET (−9.1), chrysin–1PZ4 (9.6 kcal/mol), isoorientin–2BL9 (−8.8), and chrysin–4ZL4 (−9.6). These binding affinities were stronger than the control ligands. An analysis of the results suggests that isoorientin and chrysin could act as anti-malarial agents.