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Thevetia peruviana is an ornamental shrub grown-up in many tropical region of the world. This plant produces secondary metabolites with biological properties of interest for the pharmaceutical industry. The objective was to determine the secondary metabolites profile of callus and cell suspension cultures of T. peruviana and compare them with those from explant (fruit pulp). Extracts in 50% aqueous ethanol and ethyl acetate were prepared. The phytochemical analysis was performed using standard chemical tests and thin layer chromatography. In addition, total phenolic and flavonoids compounds (TPC and TFC), total cardiac glycosides (TCG) and total antioxidant activity (TAA) was determined during the cell suspension growth. Phenolic chemical profile was also analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Common metabolites (alkaloids, amino acids, antioxidants, cardiac glycosides, leucoanthocyanidins, flavonoids, phenols, sugars and triterpenes) were detected in all samples. The maximum production of extracellular TCG, TPC, TFC and TAA in cells suspensions were at 6-12 days; in contrast, intracellular content was relatively constant during the exponential grown phase (0 to 12-days). HPLC analysis detected one compound with retention time at 11.6 min; this compound was tentatively identified as dihydroquercetin, a flavonoid with anti-cancer properties. These results provide evidence on the utility of the in vitro cell cultures of T. peruviana for valuable pharmaceutical compounds production. HIGHLIGHTS Callus and cell suspensions of T. peruviana have similar phytochemical profile to in vivo plant. Cell culture of T. peruviana is a reliable platform for high-value metabolites production. Cardiac glycosides and phenolic are the most valuable metabolites detected in plant cell cultures  Dihydroquercetin production in a free and conjugated form in cell cultures is highlighted 2 Mendoza, D.; et al.

En esta investigación se sintetizó biodiesel mediante transesterificación enzimática del aceite extraído de residuos del corozo, provenientes de una industria de jugos del departamento del Atlántico, usando como catalizador la lipasa de Candida antarctica. Se obtuvo un porcentaje optimizado de extracción del aceite del 40% usando el Método Soxhlet. La caracterización fisicoquímica del aceite, basada en las normas técnicas colombianas, produjo los siguientes resultados: índice de refracción 1,40; acidez 0,09% expresado en %ácido laurico; índice de yodo 29,80±0,44 g I2/100 g aceite; índice de saponificación 127,66±0,77 mg KOH/g aceite; densidad 0,9143 g/mL y humedad 0,27±0,03%. El perfil de ácidos, determinado por cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas, mostró un contenido mayoritario de ácido láurico (C12:0), con un porcentaje de 65% en peso. La transformación del aceite en esteres de metilo se confirmó cualitativamente por cromatografía en capa fina y cuantitativamente por cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas, obteniéndose un porcentaje de conversión óptimo del 62%. Este estudio presenta una alternativa de aprovechamiento para los desechos provenientes de la industria del corozo de la región, generando productos de alto valor agregado y reduciendo el nivel de impacto negativo de los residuos sobre el medio ambiente.

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Introduction: The use of specific antibodies capable of detecting allergens of the group 1 of house dust mites represents a potential strategy to reduce exposure and clinical symptomatology associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis. Objective: To produce and purify chicken antibodies specific for the dust mites Dermatophagoides sp. and B. tropicalis using the IgY technology. Materials and methods: We designed and synthesized oligopeptides showing immunogenic epitopes of Der p1, Der f1, and Blo t1. These were used to produce IgY antibodies in Hy Line Brown chickens. IgY were extracted from egg yolk using thiophilic chromatography. The immunogenicity and specificity were assayed by indirect ELISA and Dot Blot. Results: We obtained high reactivity of IgY antibodies against epitopes of allergens present in whole body mites extracts of D. farinae, D. pteronyssinus, and B. tropicalis. The highest IgY levels were registered between days 32 and 40 after immunization. The antibodies showed high immunoreactivity and specificity towards D. farinae proteins with detection limits above 0.03 μg of mite proteins under the experimental conditions used. Purified IgY did not show significant reactivity when binding to Periplaneta americana extract. Conclusion: The IgY technology allowed the production of specific antibodies against house dust mites group 1 allergens using non-glycosylated synthetic peptides. To our knowledge, this is the first time that this immunochemicals are used in the detection of mites of medical relevance.

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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a group I carcinogen and is one of the most efficient human pathogens with over half of the world's population colonized by this gram-negative spiral bacterium. H. pylori can cause a chronic infection in the stomach during early childhood that persists throughout life due to diverse mechanisms of immune response evasion. H. pylori has several factors strongly associated with increased risk of disease such as toxins, adhesins, and chemoattractants, some of which are highly polymorphic, phase variable, and have different functions. Conventional treatments involve the use of antibiotics. However, treatment frequently fails due to the resistance H. pylori has progressively developed to antibiotics. This creates the need for different treatments made possible by identifying new therapeutic targets in the pathogen’s genome.The purpose of this study was an in silico prediction of T- and B- epitopes in H. pylori proteins. Twenty-two external membrane proteins from H. pylori Strain 26695 (accession number NC_000915) were identified using the web tool Vaxign (http://www.violinet.org/vaxign/). A total of one-hundred epitopes (60 class I epitopes and 40 class II epitopes) that could be used to develop novel non-antibiotics drugs for an H. pylori infection were predicted.