Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic non-communicable disease with an increasing prevalence in Latin America and worldwide, impacting various social and economic areas. It causes numerous complications for those affected. Current treatments for diabetes include oral hypoglycemic drugs, which can lead to adverse effects and health complications. Other natural alternatives for DM treatment have been studied as adjunct therapies that could reduce or eliminate the need for antidiabetic medications. Several natural supplements may offer an alternative way to improve the quality of life for patients with DM, and they may have other nutraceutical applications. Due to their phenolic compound content, some leguminous substances have been proposed as these alternatives. Phenolic compounds, with their high antioxidant activity, have shown promising potential in insulin synthesis, secretion, and the functionality of the endocrine pancreas. This review provides valuable information on various leguminous plants with anti-diabetic properties, including antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-fat-induced damage, and anti-apoptotic properties in vitro and in vivo, attributed to the high content of phenolic compounds in their seeds. Natural products with antidiabetic and pharmacological treatment potential improve diabetes management by offering more effective and complementary alternatives. To integrate these herbal remedies into modern medicine, further research on phenolic compound type, doses, efficacy, and safety in the human population is needed.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic non-communicable disease with increasing prevalence in Latin America and worldwide, impacting various social and economic areas. It causes numerous complications for those affected. Current treatments for diabetes include oral hypoglycemic drugs, which can lead to adverse effects and health complications. Other natural alternatives for DM treatment have been studied as adjunct therapies to reduce or eliminate the need for antidiabetic medications. Several natural supplements may offer an alternative to improve the quality of life for patients with DM and in nutraceutical applications. Due to their phenolic compound content, some leguminous substances have been proposed for these alternatives. Phenolic compounds, with their high antioxidant activity, have shown promising potential in insulin synthesis, secretion, and the functionality of the endocrine pancreas. This review provides valuable information on various leguminous plants with anti-diabetic properties, including antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-fat-induced damage, and anti-apoptotic properties in vitro and in vivo, attributed to their high content of phenolic compounds in seeds. Natural products with antidiabetic potential and pharmacological treatments improve diabetes management by offering more effective and complementary alternatives. To integrate these herbal remedies into modern medicine, further research on phenolic compound type, doses, efficacy, and safety in the human population.

Control of Fusarium spp. is recognized as a global phytosanitary challenge due to its broad host range and persistence in soil. This work is aimed at analyzing the biological and technological foundations that support the use of RNA interference as an alternative to conventional fungicides, particularly spray-based RNA delivery. Molecular mechanisms of infection and gene silencing were reviewed, and RNA design criteria with interference potential were considered on the basis of structural accessibility, nucleotide bias, and thermodynamic asymmetry. The methodology consisted of a review of scientific literature, with emphasis on molecular mechanisms of infection, gene silencing, and RNA design criteria with interference potential, complemented by the analysis of reported experimental spraybased application. Gene silencing strategies are presented as offering advantages over traditional methods because of their specificity and lower environmental impact, although limitations associated with genetic variability, environmental conditions, and regulatory frameworks were acknowledged. It is concluded that integrating molecular design criteria with ecological knowledge of the pathogen will enable progress toward more robust and sustainable control strategies.

Capsaicinoids are synthesized in the placenta of Capsicum fruit, where vanillylamine aminotransferase (VAMT) catalyzes the formation of vanillylamine, the precursor of the pathway. The modulation of pungency has relied on genetic breeding and transgenic approaches, and this pathway has not been addressed by spray-induced gene silencing. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a single non-invasive spray of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting VAMT allows the gene to be silenced and capsaicinoid accumulation to be modified in Capsicum chinense fruit. The molecule was designed in silico and applied at 10 days post-anthesis. Pedicel injection reduced the VAMT transcript in a dose-dependent manner, with three levels of inhibition distinguishable from one another. Spraying with surfactant reduced it by 86.2 %, a magnitude statistically indistinguishable from the 90.6 % obtained by injection, and also reduced the Pun1 transcript, a co-regulation previously described only as a difference between cultivars. Analysis by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry showed reductions of 84.4 % in capsaicin and 68.5 % in dihydrocapsaicin, the loss of nonivamide and one further vanillylamine-derived compound, and the detection of capsiate and a second capsinoid, absent in control fruits. The siRNA was detected in non-treated tissues, and a single topical application is therefore sufficient to silence an endogenous biosynthetic gene and shift the metabolic profile of the fruit without genetic modification. Key Message: VAMT was silenced by a single spray as effectively as by injection, capsaicin was reduced by 84.4 %, Pun1 was co-reduced, and the siRNA was detected in non-treated tissues