The present article describes the chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils of B. glabrifolia leaves obtained in four consecutive years (2015-2018). The essential oils contained α-terpineol (17.9-29.7 %), α-terpinene (12.6-17.4 %), limonene (14.9-26.8 %) and β-pinene (2.1-16.7 %) as the most abundant volatiles. The essential oils and these volatiles showed a significant adulticide activity (p<0.01; LC <100 μg mL ) on the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) with a 100 % mortality rate within a period of 5 h. Also, the essential oils showed a strong antibacterial activity on Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 (MIC, 132.7-173.6 μg mL ) and Helicobacter pylori ATCC 43504 (MIC, 74.8-199.2 μg mL ). The assessment of the main volatiles revealed α-terpineol as the principal antibacterial agent (MIC, 78.6-149.7 μg mL ). Similarly, the essential oils exhibited a substantial in vitro antiproliferative activity on the human prostate cancer cell lines PC-3 (LC , 15.2-19.4 μg mL ), the human ovarian carcinoma cell lines OVCAR-3 (LC , 27.3-53.7 μg mL ) and the myelogenous leukemia cell lines K-562 (LC , 32.4-75.9 μg mL ). α-Terpineol (LC , 32.4-75.9 μg mL ) exhibited the strongest antiproliferative effect on these cancer cell lines (LC , 22.4-48.1 μg mL ).

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Purpose: To determine the nutraceutical effect of mixtures containing Lactobacillus nagelii/betanin on the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism of mice.Methods: Lactobacillus nagelii and betanin were isolated from the raw materials. These components were subsequently assessed for their anti-hyperglycemic and hypolipidemic activities, and administered individually or combined in normoglycemic and diabetic mice. These animals were subjected to a standard OGTT and given an atherogenic diet.Results: The combination of L. nagelii (2.0 × 109 CFU/mL) and betanin (30 mg/kg body weight) exerted a significant (p < 0.01) and prolonged reduction of postprandial blood glucose (30 - 120 min). Interestingly, a mixture of L. nagelii (1 ×107 CFU/mouse/day) with betanin (10 mg/kg body weight) administered for 30 days, produced favourable effects (p < 0.01) in the lipid profile of mice previously treated with an atherogenic diet. These mixtures significantly ameliorated (p < 0.01) hypoinsulinemia, hyperleptinemia and increased the levels of adiponectin.Conclusion: The simultaneous administration of L. nagelii and betanin in mice produced a beneficial change in blood glucose and lipids in mice, indicating a synergistic nutraceutical effect. However, there is a need to develop this therapy further for potential application in humans Keywords: Lactobacillus nagelii, Betanin, Anti-hyperglycemic, Hypolipidemic

Resveratrol is a nutraceutical with relevant benefits to human health. This investigation reports on the generation and evaluation of six recombinant yeast lines that produce resveratrol from p-coumaric acid. The yeast lines contained a single p-coumaric acid-Co-A ligase from Plagiochasma appendiculatum combined with the stilbene synthases from Parthenocissus henryana, Polygonum cuspidatum, Morus alba var. atropurpurea, Rheum tataricum, Vitis vinifera and Arachis hypogaea. Codon optimized versions of these sequences were inserted in an expression vector flanked by the constitutive PGK and GPD promoters before expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Batch fermentation (60 h) revealed that yeast lines had different capacities (p < 0.01) to produce resveratrol. Slightly acidic pH (6) and concentrations <100 mg L−1 p-coumaric acid improved resveratrol yields. Among the six lines, those containing the stilbene synthases (STS) from P. cuspidatum and M. alba produced up to 39 mg L−1 using 70 mg L−1 p-coumaric acid. On the other hand, lines expressing STS from V. vinifera, A. hypogaea and R. tataricum generated resveratrol faster than other lines but accumulated lower amounts at the end of the batch period (27–30 mg L−1). The simultaneous consumption of ethanol and p-coumaric acid corroborates the role of ethanol as a carbon source involved in the conversion of p-coumaric acid into resveratrol.

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