Mariela González-Renteria

Spodoptera frugiperda is a polyphagous pest of global significance, causing substantial yield losses in maize and other staple crops, which has intensified the search for sustainable alternatives to synthetic insecticides. The Asteraceae family has emerged as a promising source of botanical insecticides, but a comprehensive synthesis of its true potential including biological efficacy, chemical basis and acute oral toxicity in mammalian models remains lacking. This review critically examines the biological activity of Asteraceae extracts against S. frugiperda from the 2021 to 2026 period and their phytochemical profiles and acute oral toxicity in mammals. Our analysis reveals three major findings. First, essential oils exhibit the highest insecticidal potency, but they also present the most concerning mammalian acute oral toxicity profiles. Second, although 57 major constituents—including terpenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and fatty acid derivatives— have been identified, fewer than 13% have been individually evaluated against this pest, introducing substantial uncertainty in attributing activity to specific compounds. Third, most mammalian toxicity studies report only limited LD₅₀ thresholds (e.g., >2000 mg kg⁻¹ BW), preventing accurate GHS classification and regulatory positioning. Therefore, realising the potential of Asteraceae based insecticides requires not only the discovery of bioactive extracts but also rigorous, integrated toxicity and phytochemical characterisation.

The yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor, Linnaeus) is a cosmopolitan pest of stored grains, causing losses up to 15%. Due to the environmental and health risks of synthetic fumigants, botanical alternatives are needed, but their ecotoxicological assessment is also required. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the insecticidal, insectistatic, and ecotoxicological effects of Salvia connivens (Epling) dichloromethane extract and to identify its compounds. Insecticidal and insectistatic activities were assessed through the consumption of an artificial diet containing the extract over 30 days. Ecotoxicological activity was evaluated through acute toxicity assays on Danio rerio (Hamilton) adults and embryos. The extract showed insecticidal activity against T. molitor achieving 50% mortality at 10,000 ppm (LC₅₀ = 9367.19 ppm). Additionally, at 10,000 ppm larval weight gain was reduced by 53.37% at 30 days compared to the control. Ecotoxicological assays revealed slight toxicity toward D. rerio adults (LC₅₀ = 84.27 ppm) and embryos (LC₅₀ = 32.60 ppm). GC-MS analysis identified hexadecanoic acid (7.08%), 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione (6.30%), cis-9-octadecenoic acid (3.91%), β-sitosterol (3.05%), and eicosane (3.00%) as the major constituents according to the chromatographic method used. These findings suggest that S. connivens dichloromethane extract is a potential botanical product for T. molitor management.

Pseudomonas fluorescens is a bacterium that has been identified as a significant pathogen in fish from the aquaculture industry. However, the clinical signs and changes caused by the disease have not been studied well yet. This study aimed to determine the survival, morphological, and histopathological changes in zebrafish (Danio rerio) in an experiment involving 180 fish (0.250 ± 0.05 g). The organisms were inoculated intraperitoneally at four bacterial concentrations 1.5 × 10⁶, 1.5 × 10⁷, 1.5 × 10⁸, and 1.5 × 10⁹ CFU mL⁻¹ with respective control groups. Results showed that cumulative mortality at 96 h post infection (hpi) was 0% (1.5 × 10⁶ CFU mL⁻¹), 0% (1.5 × 10⁷ CFU mL⁻¹), 6.66% (1.5 × 10⁸ CFU mL⁻¹), and 33.33% (1.5 × 10⁹ CFU mL⁻¹). The survival curves were not statistically different (p = 1.000). Corresponding to differences between clinical signs and concentrations for 24 hpi (p = 0.7576) there were no significant differences, for 48 hpi statistical differences were obtained (p = 0.0008), while for 72 hpi (p = 0.8922) and 96 hpi (p = 0.333) they were not observed. The predominant clinical signs were anorexia, lethargy, erratic swimming, and peritoneal haemorrhage. The acute septicemic clinical form was determined. Histological analyses showed that the gills, liver, and spleen were infected and had severe pathological alterations. These findings indicate that the zebrafish is susceptible to P. fluorescens infection.

Sulfur fertilization plays a crucial role in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production, influencing both protein concentration and grain yield. Wheat, being one of the most important food crops globally, requires efficient management of essential nutrients, including sulfur and nitrogen, to achieve optimal production. This study aimed to quantify the effect of sulfur fertilization on wheat protein concentration and grain yield and the relationship with nitrogen through two complementary methods: a comprehensive meta-analysis and a controlled greenhouse experiment. The meta-analysis, encompassing 55 studies from 20 countries with 545 comparisons, quantified the overall response of wheat to sulfur fertilization in diverse field environments, examining the effects based on soil texture and organic matter content. The greenhouse study investigated the effects of varying sulfur application rates and sources on protein concentration and grain yield and analyzed the relationship between sulfur and nitrogen concentrations in the grain. The meta-analysis showed overall positive effects of sulfur application on both protein concentration (2.1%) and grain yield (4.2%), with the magnitude of these effects varying based on soil texture and organic matter content. Sandy soils and soils with low organic matter content exhibited the most pronounced responses to sulfur fertilization. The greenhouse experiment revealed responses of both protein concentration and grain yield to increasing sulfur application rates, indicating an optimal rate beyond which additional sulfur may not provide further benefits. A strong positive correlation between sulfur and nitrogen concentrations in the grain highlighted their interdependence in wheat nutrition. These findings emphasize the importance of considering soil properties and the sulfur–nitrogen interaction when developing site-specific sulfur fertilization strategies for wheat. The results provide valuable insights for optimizing grain yield and protein concentration, contributing to more sustainable and efficient wheat production systems.

La creciente producción y consumo de productos farmacéuticos es un problema mundial, debido entre otros factores a la automedicación, malas medidas de eliminación en centros hospitalarios, aguas residuales de farmacéuticas, y la excreción animal y humana. Los antiinflamatorios no esteroideos (AINE) son considerados los fármacos más consumidos a nivel mundial y de libre venta. La falta de normas jurídicas que limiten los rangos de emisión en cuerpos de agua ha sido uno de los principales factores en el aumento de estos contaminantes emergentes (CE) en los ecosistemas acuáticos. Los estudios basados en el monitoreo de estos compuestos farmacéuticos nos permiten comprender todos los aspectos relacionados con el destino, concentración, distribución, efectos y alteraciones fisiológicas que causan en la biota acuática; por tal motivo, es necesario resaltar la importancia de los bivalvos como organismos modelo y bioindicadores. Esta revisión presenta una visión general de los estudios ecotoxicológicos que monitorean AINE, y evalúan las respuestas de algunas especies de bivalvos en programas de biomonitoreo y pruebas de toxicidad. Se ha reportado que los AINE en ambientes acuáticos pueden tener efectos negativos en bivalvos silvestres, además de provocar biomagnificación de los contaminantes. Con este estudio se espera propiciar el interés por la investigación científica en esta área poco explorada y necesaria para la farmacovigilancia y el monitoreo de los ecosistemas acuáticos The growing production and consumption of pharmaceutical products is a global problem, due to self-medication, poor disposal measures in hospitals, pharmaceutical wastewater, animal, and human excretion, among others. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are considered the most widely used drugs worldwide and over the counter. The lack of legal norms that limit emission ranges in water bodies has been one of the main factors in the increase of these emerging pollutants (EC) in aquatic ecosystems. Studies based on the monitoring of these pharmaceutical compounds allow us to understand all aspects related to fate, concentration, distribution, effects, and physiological alterations that they cause in aquatic biota, for this reason, it is necessary to highlight the importance of bivalves as organisms, model and bioindicators. This review presents an overview of ecotoxicological studies that monitor NSAIDs and evaluates the responses of some species of bivalves in biomonitoring programs and toxicity tests. Negative effects of NSAIDs have been reported in aquatic environments to wild bivalves, in addition to causing biomagnification. With this study, it is expected to promote interest in scientific research in this little-explored area necessary for pharmacovigilance and biomonitoring of aquatic ecosystems.