Context: In the Valley of Ica-Peru, the seeds of the fruit of Vitis vinifera L. (grape) are residues from the Pisco Industry, and due to their bioactive compounds, they can represent a new economic and sustainable activity for the population of the mentioned Valley. Aims: To characterize polyunsaturated fatty acids from the seeds of the fruit of Vitis vinifera L. (grape) from the Ica Valley, Peru and determine the antioxidant activity in vitro. Methods: The oil from five grape varieties (Quebranta, Moscatel, Torontel, Mollar, and Italia) was obtained by ethereal extraction with ultrasound. The profile of fatty acids was characterized by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The total polyphenolic content was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and antioxidant activity by two in vitro methods. Results: The values obtained from the 5 grape varieties are presented in a range: total polyphenolic content (TPC: 0.59-154 mg GAE/g); linoleic acid content (69.90-71.87%), oleic acid (18.35-19.90%) and others in a lower percentage (p>0.05). Antioxidant activity: DPPH IC50 38.30-48.43 µL; FRAP 0.49-0.77 μg TEAC/g. TPC/DPPH and TPC/FRAP were significantly different (p0.05). Conclusions: The oils from the seeds of the Vitis vinifera fruit (grapes) that are residues from the production of Pisco present physicochemical characteristics of oils of high nutritional value with a predominance of polyunsaturated fatty acids and potential antioxidant activity.

Carbamazepine is a drug with a narrow therapeutic range that requires clinical monitoring, since its toxic effects are not easily predictable, and the therapeutic level can vary. Our study aimed to monitor the serum level and determine the concentration/dose relationship of carbamazepine in people with epilepsy, analyzing its clinical implication. It is observed that 90.48% of the study volunteers present serum level values (4.3–10.4 mg/L) within the therapeutic range (4–12 mg/L); 7.14% present supratherapeutic levels (12.7–14.4 mg/L), 2.38% subtherapeutic (0.93 mg/L). The findings indicate a negative correlation (r = -0.616; r²= 0.379; p = 0.001), between the dose (mg/day) and the dose ratio (mg/L/mg/day); and a positive correlation (r = 0.544; r²= 0.296; p = 0.002), between the dose (mg/day)-serum concentration (mg/L). ANOVA and Tukey’s test mean difference is significant (p<0.05). It is concluded that there is a positive and significant linear correlation between daily doses and serum carbamazepine concentrations, which should be considered to individualize the dose and optimize clinical results.

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder with a worldwide incidence of 20% and a treatment failure rate of 25–30%. The fluctuation in serum levels, efficacy and safety of antiepileptic drugs can be attributed to single nucleotide polymorphisms of genes encoding their respective proteins involved in drug metabolism. The present study attempted to evaluate the pharmacogenetic variants of CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 associated with adverse reactions induced by antiepileptic drugs used in Peru. Few studies were found to significantly associate the CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3, CYP2C19*2, and CYP2C19*3 single nucleotide polymorphisms with elevated serum levels of valproic acid and carbamazepine, and valproic acid induction of hyperammonemia, and adverse reactions cutaneous for carbamazepine. There is further evidence of a significant association of CYP2C9*2/CYP2C9*3 with severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and epidermal necrolysis (TEN) phenytoin-induced. CYP2C9*3 may be a pharmacogenetic biomarker for such a drug. It is proposed to reduce the dose of drugs for intermediate and poor metabolizers. No pharmacogenetic studies were found in patients with epilepsy in Peruvian populations. It is concluded that this review could help physicians in the prediction and prevention of adverse reactions induced by antiepileptic drugs, as well as to improve their pharmacotherapeutic results. It could also be used as scientific evidence to carry out pharmacogenetic and precision medicine studies in Peruvian patients with epilepsy, due to their tricontinental and Latin American ancestry.

Context: Senecio nutans Sch. Beep. is used by the Andean population of Ayacucho-Peru as traditional medicine for various health problems. Aims: To evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic extract of leaves of S. nutans against the enteropathogen Escherichia coli and the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger. Methods: The antioxidant capacity of the ethanolic extract was evaluated by ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays; the antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the agar diffusion method, and determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal (MBC), and fungicidal concentration (MFC). Results: Polyphenols, terpenes, and tannins were identified; the total polyphenolic content was 67.91 ± 0.29 mg GAE/g. The ethanolic extract at 20 mg/mL showed moderate antibacterial activity (79.14 ± 0.02% inhibition, MIC and MBC >400 μg/mL on E. coli), and antifungal (88.90 ± 0.17% inhibition, MIC and MCF >400 μg/mL on A. niger); radical scavenging capacity (ABTS 10.31 ± 0.09 mM TE/g; DPPH 8.28 ± 0.07 IC50 µg/mL) and iron reducing power (FRAP 17.72 ± 0.11 mM TE/g). S. nutans turned out to be a potential antimicrobial and antioxidant species associated with the presence of its bioactive components, for which further investigation is warranted. Conclusions: The ethanolic extract of leaves S. nutans showed moderate activity against pathogenic bacteria (E. coli) and filamentous fungus (A. niger), as well as antioxidant activity in three in vitro methods.

Currently, there is a greater interest in using natural products in various chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. However, these investigations have not considered the components of grape seeds. In this context, the current study explored the in vitro antioxidant and in vivo hypoglycemic activity of biophenols and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from Vitis vinifera L. muscat and quebranta seeds from the Ica Valley, Peru. The total polyphenol content (TPC) of muscat (1.57±0.015 mg GAE/g) and quebranta (1.43±0.015 mg GAE/g) seeds was estimated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. In vitro antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH• free radical assay for muscat and quebranta (IC50: 38.60±0.624 µg/mL and 42.83±0.306 µg/mL, respectively) and by FRAP 0.79±0.030 μg TEAC/g for muscat and 0.61±0.038 μg TEAC/g for quebranta. After inducing experimental hyperglycemia with alloxane in Rattus norvegicus strain Holtzman, treatment was carried out for 7 days and glucose levels were measured at 1, 2 and 4 hours. At a dose of 500 mg/kg, orally, of biophenols/PUFA from muscat and quebranta seeds, a hypoglycemic effect was observed; whose results were verified with the Shapiro-Wilk test (p-value > α = 0.05), Tukey’s multiple comparisons test (p-value 0.0001 < α = 0.05), Student’s T with p-value < α = 0.05 at 1 hour for days 1 to 6, and p-value 0.999 > α = 0.05 for 2 and 4 hours on day 7, indicates a small probability of difference; in ANOVA results the mean difference is significant (p-value 0.0001 < α 0.05). The Pearson analysis found a strong correlation [0.50 ≤ (0.9530–0.9827) < 1.0] between glibenclamide/biophenols-PUFA glucose levels. Current data show an in vitro antioxidant effect and hypoglycemic activity of the seeds of grapes of the muscat and quebranta varieties. Graphical abstract

Various properties are attributed to “maca”, including immunomodulatory properties due to its secondary metabolites such as macamides, glucosinolates, isothiocyanates and flavonoids. Immunosuppression, hemolytic anemia, and thymic involution were induced with cyclophosphamide. Three concentrations of doses of dehydrated hydroalcoholic extract of purple maca (EHADM) were used for 30 days, the analysis of variance and Duncan’s multiple comparisons test the results are statistically significant (p<.05) which shows immunostimulatory activity in the marrow bone (monocytes, lymphocytes and white blood cells) and antianemic (hematocrit 31%) compared to the negative control group (G-1). At 84 mg/kg and at 167 mg/kg, it shows immunomodulatory activity on the humoral response in 66.70% of the experimental animals (G-3 and G-4). It is concluded that the dehydrated hydroalcoholic extract of purple maca presents immunostimulating and immunomodulatory activity on the humoral response in 66.7% of the Oryctolagus cuniculus induced to immunodeficiency with cyclophosphamide.