Mariana Palma-Tenango

Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) with multiple uses, notably its medicinal applications due to its richness and diversity in secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids, which possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.This study analyzed plant growth and biomass distribution, as well as total flavonoid concentration in tubular, ligulate flowers, and flower heads throughout floral development. . Floral initiation and differentiation occurred five weeks after transplantation, following a sigmoid pattern of biomass accumulation in its organs as well as in plant height. Aerial organs reached a maximum biomass of 76 g/ g/plant on day 69. The maximum absolute growth rate was 2.38 g/day at 62 days, while the highest relative growth rate was recorded in reproductive organs on day 48 (0.137 g/g/day). Flavonoids, expressed as quercetin equivalents, showed higher concentrations during stages ranging from flower buds about to open to fully opened flower heads (145-177 mg/g of dry matter). These findings emphasize the importance of harvesting at optimal stages to maximize flavonoid content and leverage their potential for therapeutic and commercial applications.

Objective: To report the Genus richness, the traditional uses and the main chemical constituents of Salvia species distributed in Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: A bibliographic review was made in several databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar to know the diversity of the Genus, compile the traditional uses and the main chemical constituents of Salvia. Books and theses available in the repositories of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM in Spanish) were also reviewed. Results: In Mexico there are 307 species distributed in three subgenera with an endemism of about 77 %; 63 native species of Salvia have traditional uses, mainly medicinal and only 17 species are edible, ornamental and ceremonial. Sages are used to treat 141 ailments, the most reported being stomach pain, diarrhoea, insomnia, fever, susto, bile, cough and dysentery. Terpenes are the most diverse and abundant constituents in Salvia species, followed by phenolic acids and flavonoids. Study Limitations/Implications: This review provided insight into the great diversity of Mexican salvias and their medicinal importance in treating various ailments. However, few species have been studied phytochemically and pharmacologically. Findings/Conclusions: In the future, with prior implementation of their cultivation, Mexican sages could be a promising resource as a herbal remedy and/or as a source of bioactive compounds to provide medical care in the treatment of diseases, mainly of the digestive system. Keywords: Ethnobotany, phytochemistry, flavonoids, traditional medicine, terpenoids.

Open access peer-reviewed chapter

Salvia semiatrata Zucc. (Lamiaceae) is endemic to Oaxaca, Mexico, and is known for its analgesic properties. Terpenoids and phenolic compounds with antinociceptive potential have been characterised from this species. The aim of this research was to determine the variation in terpenoids and flavonoids in ethyl acetate extracts of S. semiatrata collected from ten different localities, as well as to evaluate the antinociceptive effect between plants with higher and lower contents of these secondary metabolites. Quantification of S. semiatrata compounds was performed via HPLC-DAD, whereas in vivo evaluation of the antinociceptive effect was performed via formalin test. The results showed that the most abundant groups of metabolites are oleanolic acid (89.60–59.20 µg/mg), quercetin (34.81–16.28 µg/mg), catechin (11.30–9.30 µg/mg), and 7-keto-neoclerodan-3,13-dien-18,19:15,16-diolide (7-keto) (8.01–4.76 µg/mg). Principal component and canonical correspondence analysis showed that the most contrasting localities in terms of compound content and climatic variables are Miahuatlán and Santiago Huauclilla. The differences in metabolite content between the two locations did not affect the antinociceptive effects evaluated at a dose of 300 mg/kg, p.o. In conclusion, the results indicate that S. semiatrata is effective in relieving pain, regardless of the site of collection, reinforcing its traditional use as analgesic.

Phenolic compounds of breads added with turmeric at different concentrations (A: 0, B: 1.25, C: 2.5, D: 5 and E:10%) and radiated by UV-C (I. 0, II. 15, III. 30 and IV. 60 s), have been evaluated by HPLC (High-performance liquid chromatography). It is shown that: (i) UV-C radiation modifies the content of phenolic compounds as a function of the percentage of addition of turmeric and the exposure time. There were significant differences (ρ ≤ 0.05) in the concentration of phenolic acids of the turmeric bread (TB): 0 s (sinapic, chlorogenic, protocatechuic), 15 s (chlorogenic, ferulic, protocatechuic, p-hydroxybenzoic, gallic), 30 s (chlorogenic and gallic) and 60 s (chlorogenic). (ii) In TB without radiation appeared, the sinapic, beta resorcylic, syringic and ferulic acids. In the radiation of bread at 15 s, the phenolic acids chlorogenic, ferulic, protocatechuic, p-hydroxybenzoic, gallic, had the highest concentration in the breads added with turmeric at 10% (0.02 μg mL⁻¹), 10% (0.38 μg mL⁻¹), 1.25, 2.5, 5% (0.39 μg mL⁻¹), 10% (1.06 μg mL ⁻¹) and 0% (1.10 μg mL⁻¹). (iii) There was a degradation of phenolic acids due to UV-C radiation at 30 and 60 s. At 15 s radiation, sinapic, beta resorcylic, syringic and ferulic acids were not detected in turmeric breads from breads added with turmeric at (1.25, 1.25, 0 and 0%). In radiation at 60 s, beta resorcylic, syringic and ferulic acids were not detected in any bread added with turmeric. In addition, measurements of proximate chemistry, color, sensory analysis, and number of fungal colonies were performed. It is important to mention that the sanitary quality is improved by both UV-C radiation and turmeric. However, the highest results in sanitary quality improvement were due to turmeric.

Mexico is the center of origin of the species popularly known as toronjil or lemon balm (Agastache mexicana Linton & Epling). Two subspecies have been identified and are commonly called purple or red (Agastache mexicana Linton & Epling subspecies. mexicana) and white (Agastache mexicana subspecies xolocotziana Bye, E.L. Linares & Ramamoorthy). Plants from these subspecies differ in the size and form of inflorescence and leaves. They also possess differences in their chemical compositions, including volatile compounds. Traditional Mexican medicine employs both subspecies. A. mexicana exhibits a broad range of pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and antioxidant. A systematic vision of these plant’s properties is discussed in this review, exposing its significant potential as a source of valuable bioactive compounds. Furthermore, this review provides an understanding of the elements that make up the species’ holistic system to benefit from lemon balm sustainably.

The pro-health action of germinated lentils could be useful to be added with wheat flour in the production of box bread. In this work, we spectroscopically evaluate the germinated and non-germinated lentils, and use them at the concentrations of 5 and 10% for the production of box bread. The chemical and physical tests of the bread and its determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids (by HPLC) were also performed. As well as the evaluation of the quality of flour and dough used to produce the bread and the acceptance of the germinated lentil bread with a population of 20 people with diabetes or with diabetic relatives It is shown that: (1) The amplitude of photoacoustic signal obtained by photoacoustic spectroscopy is modified as a function of the percentage of germinated lentil (GL) flour (0, 5 or 10%) add to the bread; being higher the photoacoustic amplitude to higher concentration of GL in the absorption band of 300–425 nm, which is related to higher content of phenols and flavonoids. (2) The contents of phenolic acids (Sinapinic, β- resorcylic, Chlorogenic and Ferulic) and flavonoids (Quercetin and Isorhamnetin) tended to increase in the germinated lentil bread with 10% concentration of germinated lentil flour with respect to the control bread (0% GL). (3) The addition of germinated lentils flour to 5 and 10% into wheat flour to produce bread with higher hardness and less cohesiveness than bread based on wheat flour only. The Falling number indicate that there is no significant difference between the control sample and the 5% GL flour, while in the 10% GL flour there was a reduction of 21 s, with respect to the control. The effect of the germinated lentil flour percentage on the pasting properties of the flours was significant between the control and 10% GL flour. In general, the quality of the dough and flour are modified due to the addition of germinates lentils, and this affectation increases with the increase in the concentration of GL. (4) The bread added with germinated lentil has sensory acceptance with a group of people with diabetes and/or diabetic relatives in their attributes in general. The obtained results thus support the production of wheat bread with mixed germinated lentils flour, as a nutraceutical option for human consumption.

Background: Inhibition of quorum sensing systems (QSS-I) is a novel strategy in the treatment of bacterial infections. To date, plants are the major source of metabolites with this inhibitory activity. Thus, species of Mexican flora can be important resources for obtaining metabolites with QSS-I activity.Hypothesis: We hypothesized that extracts from species of the genus Ceiba have metabolites with inhibitory activity against bacterial quorum sensing systems.Species studied: Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. and Ceiba aesculifolia (Kunth) Britten & Baker f. (Malvaceae).Study site and years of study: We collected Ceiba bark in the municipalities of Tierra Blanca, Veracruz, and Acatlan, Oaxaca, in August 2013.Methods: We determined the effect of extracts from C. aesculifolia and C. pentandra against QSS-regulated phenotypes of Chromobacterium violaceum and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Extracts were fractionated and the main metabolites were identified. As support in the identification of the species, we carried out an anatomical study of the bark.Results: Hexane and dichloromethane extracts of both species of Ceiba exhibited QSS-I activity. We identified four fractions rich in terpene and sterol compounds with the ability to attenuate virulence factors in P. aerugiosa. The histological analysis appears to support the presence of some differences in the barks that can facilitate identification of the two species.Conclusions: The extracts and fractions of the two species of Ceiba are sources of phytochemicals with the ability to regulate bacterial quorum sensing systems positively or negatively.

Aromatic and Medicinal Plants in Mexico | InTechOpen, Published on: 2017-03-15. Authors: Mariana Palma-Tenango, Ruben San Miguel-Chávez and Ramón Marcos Soto-Hernández