Zanthoxylum limoncello is a native plant from southern Mexico which is used as a timber source, condiment and as a traditional medicine. Herein, we report on the volatile content of the leaf essential oil and its biological activities. The annual essential oils (2015-2018) contained volatile organic compounds which exhibited a moderate growth inhibitory activity against H. pylori ATCC 53504 (MIC 121.4-139.7 μg mL À 1 ), 26695 (MIC 85.5 -94.9 μg mL À 1 ) and J99 (MIC 94.7 -110.4 μg mL À 1 ). These hydrodistillates contained 2-undecanone (31.6-36.8 %; MIC 185.3 -199.2 μg mL À 1 ) and 2-undecenal (25.1-35.7 %; MIC 144.8 -111.3 μg mL À 1 ) as the most abundant compounds which were partially involved in the anti-H. pylori activity. The human ornithine decarboxylase enzyme (ODC1), which shows increased activity in several cancer types, was non-competitively inhibited (V max 2.7 > 0.8 K cat s À 1 ) by the essential oil of Z. limoncello as well as by 2-undecanone and 2-undecenal in accordance to in vitro kinetic studies. In silico calculations strongly suggest that the carbonyl group of these oxygenated hydrocarbons interacts with both Asn319 and Ala39 at the subunit A of ODC1. Considering that Ala39 is located close to Asn44, a crucial amino acid of the ODC's allosteric site, the non-competitive inhibition of the enzyme by 2-undecanone and 2-undecenal is endorsed. Finally, the essential oil of Z. limoncello and its main volatiles showed a significant (p < 0.01) and prolonged repellent effect against Aedes aegypti.[a] RI 1 , RI 2 , Retention index obtained with HP-5 ms and Factor Four VF5-ms, respectively. Abundances are presented as the average of five different samples (n = 5). [b] Indicates corroboration by co-injection with authentic standards.

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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 ).

The edible leaves of Peperomia maculosa were chemically investigated. Lutein (9.05–16.82 mg 100 g–1 FW), rutin (1.63–3.72 mg 100 g–1 DW), quercetin (2.04–5.75 mg 100 g–1 DW), and ascorbic acid (18.33–37.09 mg 100 g–1 DW) were quantified by HPLC. GC‐MS analyses of the leaf essential oil showed decanal (26.8%–47.9%) and lauric acid (22.6%–37.1%) as the most abundant compounds. The essential oil and decanal produced a mixed inhibition on pancreatic lipase (IC50, 28.4–39.6 µg mL–1; Km, 0.863–>0.995 mM; Vmax, 0.0921–>0.0581 mM min–1). The oral administration of the essential oil and decanal in ICR male mice corroborated a significant reduction (p < 0.01) of plasma triglyceride content after 1.5 and 3 h. Peperomia oil and its main constituents inhibited the growth of four foodborne pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus (MIC, 19.7‐66.4 µg mL–1) and Enterococcus faecalis (MIC, 24.8‐76.7 µg mL–1). The nutraceutical potential of this condiment is reported for the first time. Practical applications Traditional plant foods are a practical alternative for the prevention of obesity. Because of its similar taste to coriander, Peperomia maculosa is an edible plant widely consumed in southern Mexico. Considering the high amounts of carotenoids, flavonoids, organic acids, volatiles as well as the in vitro and in vivo anti‐hypertriglyceridemic activity of this plant, the creation of new food products based on P. maculosa and its bioactive compounds should be envisioned.