Stress is an important factor in the etiology of some illnesses such as gastric ulcers and depression. Castilleja tenuiflora Benth. (Orobanchaceae) is used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and nervous disorders. Previous studies indicated that organic extracts from C. tenuiflora had gastroprotective effects and antidepressant activity. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the gastroprotective and antidepressant activity of fractions and isolated compounds from the methanolic extract (MECt) of C. tenuiflora in stressed mice. Chromatographic fractionation of MECt produced four fractions (FCt-1, FCt-2, CFt-3, and FCt-4) as well as four bioactive compounds which were identified using TLC, HPLC and NMR analyses. The cold restraint stress (CRS)-induced gastric ulcer model followed by the tail suspension test and the forced swim test were used to evaluate the gastroprotective effect and antidepressant activity of the extract fractions. FCt-2 and FCt-3 at 100 mg/kg had significant gastroprotective and antidepressant effects. All isolated compounds (verbascoside, teniufloroside and mixture geniposide/ musseanoside) displayed gastroprotective effects and antidepressant activity at 1 or 2 mg/kg. The above results allow us to conclude that these polyphenols and iridoids from C. tenuiflora are responsible for the gastroprotective and antidepressant effects.

Several Mesoamerican cultures have used Inga jinicuil as traditional medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal, inflammatory, and infectious issues. The aims of this contribution were to elucidate the phytochemical profile of the organic extracts from the bark and leaves of I. jinicuil and to assess the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of these extracts. The preliminary chemical profile was determined by HPLC-PDA and GC-MS; the anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated with a mouse ear edema model, whereas the antibacterial activity was screened against several bacteria. The phytochemical profile of both organs (bark and leaves) of I. jinicuil led to the identification of 42 compounds, such as polyphenolic, flavonoids, triterpenes, prenol-type lipids, and aliphatic and non-aliphatic esters. This molecular diversity gave moderate anti-inflammatory activity (67.3 ± 2.0%, dichloromethane bark extract) and excellent antibacterial activity against Pseudomona aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Sthaphylococcus aureus (MIC values of ˂3.12 and 50 µg/mL, respectively). These results contribute to the chemotaxonomic characterization and the rational use in traditional medicine of Inga jinicuil Schltdl & Cham. ex G. Don.

Aristolochia odoratissima L. is employed for the treatment of pain and as an antidote against the poison of venomous animals in traditional medicine. However, reports have not been found, to our knowledge, about the evaluation of the antinociceptive activity of extracts nor about the presence of compounds associated with this activity. Thus, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of extracts and compounds isolated from the stems of Artistolochia odoratissima L. The extracts were obtained with solvents of increasing polarity and the compounds were isolated and characterized by column chromatography, HPLC, and NMR. The antinociceptive activity was carried out by the formalin test in mice. Ethyl acetate (AoEA) and methanolic (AoM) extracts decreased the paw licking in both phases of the formalin test. The isolated compounds (kaurenoic acid and hinokinin) from AoEA showed the highest antinociceptive activity in both phases of the formalin test. These results confirmed the analgesic effect of this specie described in traditional medicine and provided a base for a novel analgesic agent. They also allowed an approach for the development of standardized plant extracts with isolated metabolites.

There is a significant need to gain access to new and better antibacterial agents. Acalypha arvensis, a plant from the Euphorbiaceae family, has been used in traditional medicine for centuries to treat infectious diseases. This manuscript reports the isolation, characterization, and antibacterial screening of 8 natural products extracted from maceration of aerial parts of Acalypha arvensis. Specifically, three extracts were assessed (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol), in which antibacterial activity was evaluated against diverse bacterial strains. The ethanolic extract showed the best activity against methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, which supports the medicinal properties attributed to this plant. The chromatographic fractions AaR4 and AaR5 were the most bioactive, in which the ellagitannin natural product known as corilagin (1) was identified for the first time in this plant. Therefore, it can be said that this is the main chemical responsible for the observed antibacterial activity. However, we also identified chlorogenic acid (2), rutin (3), quercetin-3-O-glucoside (4), caffeic acid (5), among others (6–8). Hence, this plant can be considered to be a good alternative to treat health-related issues caused by various bacteria.

Three functionalized chalcones containing combinations of nitro functional groups have been synthesized via Claisen-Schmidt condensation between 2-nitroacetophenone and nitrobenzaldehyde, and the crystal structures obtained ((E)-1,3-bis(2-nitrophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one, 1a, (E)-1-(2-nitrophenyl)-3-(3-nitrophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one, 1b and (E)-1-(2-nitrophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one, 1c), C₁₅H₁₀N₂O_5, are reported. Compounds 1a and 1c crystallized in the triclinic centrosymmetric space group P$\overline{1}$, whereas compound 1b crystallized in the orthorhombic space group Pbca. The X-ray analysis reveals that structures 1a and 1b exhibits s-trans conformation, whereas structure 1c exists in s-cis conformation, concerning the olefinic double bonds. In addition, the results show that the position of the nitro substituent attached to the aromatic B-ring has a direct effect on the molecular coplanarity of these compounds. The Hirshfeld surface analysis suggests that the non-covalent π-π stacking interactions are the most important contributors for the crystal packing of 1a and 1b. In 1c, the crystal packing is mainly stabilized by weak intermolecular C―H···O interactions due to the planar nature of the molecule.

Annona muricata is an important and widespread neotropical perennial fruit tree, that has received increasing attention in recent years for its pharmaceutical potential, particularly for the presence of metabolites with reported anti-tumoral properties. In this study, 191 samples of this species were collected from homegardens across four states of southern Mexico. and analyzed using a dual approach, including genetic and chemical analyses. The local genetic diversity and population structure was determined through the analysis of 10 microsatellite loci- The metabolic content of flavonoids and polyphenols was analyzed at ten localities. Genetic diversity was found to be low to moderate in all populations with values of expected heterozygosity (H_e) ranging from 0.28 to 0.52. Our research indicated the presence of three distinct genetic groups, which did not appear to be associated with geographical origin. Variations in the chemical content of flavonoids and polyphenols were observed among the different locations examined, with flavonoid values ranging between 73.48 and 592.70 mg RE/gE and polyphenol values ranging from 13.10 to 126.59 mg GAE/gE. Accessions from Champoton and Emiliano Zapata demonstrated the highest flavonoid content, while Palenque, Champoton and Centro presented the highest polyphenol content. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis revealed a correlation between genetic profiles, chemical profiles and the influence of human activity in the populations examined. This analysis revealed significant genetic differences between these populations, suggesting that they are associated with different levels of chemical contents. Remarkably, highly disturbed sites appeared to correlate with a considerable increase in chemical content.