Mosquitoes are one of the main vectors of many important diseases and their degree of resistance to chemical insecticides has increased. Nowadays, it has become crucial to identify novel plant larvicides with an eco-friendly impact. The components of essential oils from Jacq.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJacq. is an aromatic shrub that has been utilized in traditional medicine in the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Cuba. Recent studies have revealed the antiprotozoal potential of its leaves.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOxidative stress is an important component of many diseases including cancer, along with inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes. Natural antioxidants have emerged as promising substances to protect the human body against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. The present study evaluates the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe increase in antibiotic resistance demands innovative strategies to combat microorganisms. The current study evaluated the antibacterial and antivirulence effects of ethanol extracts from Persea americana seeds obtained by the Soxhlet (SE) and maceration (MaE) methods. The UHPLC-DAD-QTOF analysis showed mainly the presence of polyphenols and neolignan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCroton linearis is a shrub that grows in Caribbean regions, which is rich in metabolites such as alkaloids. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the antiplasmodial effect of alkaloids from this species. Three isoquinoline alkaloids, i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGriseb. is a tree endemic to Cuba, occasionally used in herbal medicine. Previously, the antitrypanosomal activity of a -hexane-2-butanone extract of leaves and of its constituent skimmianine were published.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate the main chemical components and the anti-inflammatory activity of extracts of Adelia ricinella L. aerial parts.
Methods: Three extracts obtained by soxhlet extraction and ethanol/water mixtures were evaluated in their chemical composition by UPLC-DAD-MS/MS.
Plants are phytochemical hubs containing antioxidants, essential for normal plant functioning and adaptation to environmental cues and delivering beneficial properties for human health. Therefore, knowledge on the antioxidant potential of different plant species and their nutraceutical and pharmaceutical properties is of utmost importance. Exploring this scientific research field provides fundamental clues on (1) plant stress responses and their adaptive evolution to harsh environmental conditions and (2) (new) natural antioxidants with a functional versatility to prevent and treat human pathologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, the essential oil (EO) from leaves of Croton linearis Jacq was extracted and characterized by GC/MS. The EO hydrophilic-lipophilic balance required (rHLB) for nanoemulsion (NE) development was determined by the Griffin' method. For evaluating the larvicidal effect against Aedes aegypti, the preparation process of NE was optimized, using a central composite design.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sw. () is a plant conventionally used throughout the Caribbean in the treatment of infectious diseases.
Objective: To evaluate, using bioassay-guided fractionation, the cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity of leaves.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med
May 2016
Hepatotoxic chemicals damage liver cells primarily by producing reactive oxygen species. The decoction of the leaves of Tamarindus indica L. is used for liver disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScientificWorldJournal
July 2016
The common use of Pouteria mammosa (L.) Cronquist, "Mamey or Zapote," in food and ethnobotanic medicine shows its low or absent toxicity as fruit extracts prepared from seeds. However, it is essential to conduct security trials to scientifically support their use in drug therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Bras Parasitol Vet
April 2017
Essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus collected from Brazil and Cuba was tested to a chemical characterization and then was tested on the post-embryonic development of Musca domestica. The chemical composition analysis by GC-MS of the oils from Brazil/Cuba allowed the identification of 13 and 12 major constituents respectively; nine of them common to both. In the both oils, the main components were the isomers geranial and neral, which together form the compound citral.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTamarindus indica L. leaves are reported worldwide as antibacterial and antifungal agents; however, this observation is not completely accurate in the case of Cuba. In this article, decoctions from fresh and sun dried leaves, as well as fluid extracts prepared with 30 and 70% ethanol-water and the pure essential oil from tamarind leaves were microbiologically tested against Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomona aeruginosa and Candida albicans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Kováts retention index is one of the most popular descriptors of the performance of organic compounds in gas chromatography (GC). The mathematical modeling of this index is an interesting and open problem in analytical chemistry. In this paper, two models for the prediction of the Kováts retention index are presented.
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