As part of an ongoing collaborative effort to discover new anticancer agents from plants, an extract obtained from the leaves and twigs of Avicennia germinans, collected in a coastal area of southern Florida, was identified as possessing cytotoxic activity in a panel of human cancer cell lines. Fractionation of the petroleum ether partition, using cytotoxicity to guide the fractionation, led to the isolation of 3-chlorodeoxylapachol. The antitumour potential of 3-chlorodeoxylapachol was demonstrated with the in-vivo hollow fibre assay, a model of antitumour activity using human cancer cell-filled fibres implanted into mice. The possibility that this compound is an artefact of the isolation procedure was ruled out by liquid chromatography—mass spectrometry analysis of extracts prepared without the use of chlorinated solvent. In conclusion, 3-chlordeoxylapachol, a secondary metabolite obtained from the chloroform-soluble extract of a mangrove tree, was cytotoxic in a panel of human cancer cells, and active against KB human cancer cells in the murine hollow fibre antitumour model, with selectivity in KB cells for the intravenous site at lower doses, indicating possible metabolic activation.

The increase in critical bone diseases and defects in the world's population increases the need for bone substitutes to restore form and function. Organic and inorganic scaffolds with antibacterial properties could provide advantages for bone regeneration. In this study, we obtained scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) charged with calcium phosphates nanoparticles and impregnated with extracts of Colombian plants as an alternative for potential bone regeneration. Calcium phosphate nanoparticles were obtained via auto-combustion synthesis. The nanoparticles were incorporated into the PCL with a chemical dissolution-disperse process. The composite obtained was used to produce a filament to print Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) based scaffolds. Such geometry facilitates cellular growth thanks to its interconnected porosity. The scaffolds were impregnated with extracts of Justicia cf colorifera (Acanthaceae), and Billia rosea (Sapindaceae) due to their ancestral medical applications. A physical and biological characterization was conducted. The process to print scaffolds with an enhanced geometry to facilitate the flux of biological fluids was successful. The scaffolds loaded with B. rosea showed strong antibacterial behavior, suggesting the presence of reported terpenoids with antibacterial properties. The approach used in this study evidenced promising prospects for bone defect repair.