Medicinal plants such as Aloysia polystachya are often used in the treatment of psychiatric diseases, including anxiety- and depression-related humor disturbances. In folk medicine, A. polystachya is used to treat digestive and respiratory tract disturbances, as a sedative and antidepressant agent, and as a tonic for the nerves. This study aimed to evaluate the antidepressant and anxiolytic effect from the hydroethanolic extract from the leaves of Aloysia polystachya (HELAp) in zebrafish. The extract was analyzed through ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS) and the main compound detected was acteoside. HELAp was administered orally (10 mg/kg) and through immersion (mg/L). The anxiolytic activity was evaluated through the scototaxis (light–dark) test using caffeine as an anxiogenic agent and buspirone as a positive control. The parameters assessed were: period spent in the white compartment (s), latency (s), alternations (n), erratic swims (n), period of freezing (s), thigmotaxis (s), and risk evaluation (n). The antidepressant effect was evaluated through the novel tank diving test using 1% ethanol, unpredictable chronic stress, and social isolation as depressors; fluoxetine was used as a positive control. The parameters assessed were: period spent at the top of the tank, latency, quadrants crossed, erratic swim, period of freezing, and distance of swam. The main chemical compound of HELAp was acteoside. The administration of the extract on zebrafish managed to revert the anxiogenic effect of caffeine without impairing their locomotion. Additionally, the treatment exerted antidepressant activity similarly to fluoxetine. Overall, the results suggest a significant anxiolytic and antidepressant activity to the extract, which is probably due to the presence of the major compound, acteoside.

Background: It has been hypothesized that fatty acids derived from a diet high in saturated fat may negatively affect endothelial function more significantly than a diet high in unsaturated fat; nevertheless, the effects of the long-term ingestion of monounsaturated fatty acids on endothelial function have been poorly studied. Methods: To examine the chronic effects of monounsaturated (e.g., extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)) or saturated (e.g., margarine (M)) fatty acid-rich diets on the development of insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction in rats, three groups of rats were fed control, high-EVOO or high-M diets for 20 weeks. Body weight, energy consumption, insulin resistance, lipid peroxidation and in vitro vascular reactivity with and without metformin were assessed during the study period. Results: Both high-fat diets produced obesity and insulin resistance. EVOO-fed rats showed smaller increases in total cholesterol and arterial lipid peroxidation when compared with M-fed rats. Vascular reactivity to phenylephrine and sodium nitroprusside was not modified, but the vasodilating effect of carbachol was especially reduced in the M-fed rats compared with the EVOO-fed or control groups. Metformin addition to the incubation media decreased the vascular response to phenylephrine; decrease that was lower in rats fed with both high fat diets, and increased the carbachol and nitroprusside effects, but the metformin-enhanced response to carbachol was lower in the M group. Conclusions: Our results suggest that feeding rats with high quantities of EVOO, despite producing obesity and insulin resistance, produces low levels of circulating cholesterol and arterial lipoperoxidation compared to M fed rats and shows a preserved endothelial response to carbachol, effect that is significantly enhanced by metformin only in rats fed with control and EVOO diets.

The zebrafish Danio rerio appears to be as an alternative experimental model mainly used on toxicological evaluations since the 1990s. In this chapter, we illustrate using a histopathological study the evaluation of a complex phytopreparation with janaguba milk (TPJM, used in popular medicine), which was administrated in zebrafish by immersion in water. We determined (1) lethal concentration 50 (LC50) – 1188.54 μg/mL; (2) the behavioral changes; and (3) the acute administration of TPJM modifications (48 h) at concentrations 500, 750, 1000, and 1500 μg/mL, on the histopathological parameters of the gills, kidneys, and liver. Also the concentrations of 1000 and 1500 μg/mL caused significant damage to the gill tissue and produced a high rate of histological changes in the liver. The kidneys showed greater changes at concentrations of 750, 1000, and 1500 μg/mL. Based on the percentage of TPJM extracts that was only 1.85%, the LC50 was calculated as 475 mg/kg; according to traditional indication, only 6 tablespoons/day is consumed; and it is possible to infer that only 0.5 g of active ingredient is ingested by an adult user per day, corresponding to a dose of 7.14 mg/kg, which is far from the toxic effects, demonstrating low toxicity of TPJM.

Introducción. El uso tradicional de plantas medicinales para tratar diferentes enfermedades, ya sean infecciosas o no, es ampliamente aceptado debido a su bajo costo y sus bajos índices de toxicidad. Estas plantas son frecuentemente usadas en casos que involucran irritaciones de la piel, heridas superficiales, picaduras de insectos y mordeduras de víboras.Objetivo. Recopilar la información disponible sobre los principales usos terapéuticos y los componentes fitoquímicos de Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, una planta conocida popularmente como chaya y que crece en regiones tropicales de México y Centroamérica.Materiales y métodos. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura sobre C. aconitifolius publicada hasta 2017 en las bases de datos BIREME, PubMed/Medline, Elsevier y SciELO. Para la búsqueda se emplearon los descriptores “Cnidoscolus” y “aconitifoloius”, y no se aplicaron filtros de idioma.Resultados. Se identificaron 82 artículos luego de completar la búsqueda inicial. Después de filtrar los estudios por título (presencia de descriptores de búsqueda en el título) y remover duplicados, se incluyeron 18 artículos en la revisión. De acuerdo a la información encontrada, fue posible confirmar que esta planta ofrece diversos beneficios para la salud.Conclusiones. El uso terapéutico tradicional de la chaya está sustentado por evidencia científica, por lo que se sugiere realizar más investigaciones centradas en la identificación de nuevas propiedades fitoquímicas de esta planta y, así, establecer alternativas terapéuticas para distintas afecciones.

Objetivo: demostrar que la agricultura es el inicio de un proceso autogenerador ligado a la producción y consumo de alimentos que permitan mejorar el estado nutricional y de salud promoviendo la seguridad alimentaria en dos comunidades rurales de Quintana Roo, México. Metodología: estudio cualitativo de corte trasversal y analítico que se realizó en San Pedro Peralta y Lázaro Cárdenas del Río II, Othón P. Blanco, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, con un muestreo no probabilístico realizando trabajo de campo y aplicación de encuestas alimentarias para conocer los productos consumidos y sus frecuencias para determinar el estado de nutrición, seguridad alimentaria y la salud de los participantes. Resultados: casi el 60 % de los encuestados tienen una buena alimentación que consiguen mayormente en tiendas de su propia comunidad y un 20 % proviene de su propia producción. Limitaciones: el presente estudio no alcanzó a cubrir la totalidad de hogares, por falta de tiempo en la visita a las comunidades, sin embargo, es una muestra representativa que nos arroja una perspectiva de la situación alimentaria en estos dos municipios. Conclusiones: existe un nivel de seguridad alimenticia dado que existe una relación entre lo que se produce y consume localmente que atienden a la nutrición y sus enfermedades. Esto verifica que existe un sistema auto sostenido que inicia con la agricultura y que garantiza la seguridad alimentaria. Hay posibilidades de mejorar o aumentar la seguridad alimentaria a través de la información sobre la importancia de la agricultura, la nutrición y la salud.