The goal of this study was to verify whether association of aromatherapy with essential oils of Satureja brevicalyx or Satureja boliviana and mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety levels in humans. A randomized experimental trial was carried out with 108 participants who were divided into 6 groups, comprising a waiting list control group and five experimental groups. Aromatherapy was carried out by inhalation of essential oils while mindfulness intervention program was focused on “flow meditation”. The anxiety index was evaluated by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Measures were taken two times: pretest and posttest. State and Trait anxiety scores showed a decrease in posttest study phase in comparison with pretest in all experimental groups (p < 0.005), especially in those where aromatherapy and mindfulness meditation were used together. All Cohen's d scores were over to 1 that means a large size effect in anxiety variable. Percentages of change showed reductions of anxiety variable ranging between 20% and 47%. All treatments used isolated or associated, may be considered alternative treatment options for anxiety.

El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivos determinar los metabolitos secundarios y cuantificar los  fenoles y flavonoides totales de  los extractos etanólicos de propóleos de tres localidades del Perú. Los propóleos fueron recolectados de Piura, Ayacucho y Pucallpa.  El tamizaje fitoquímico se realizó haciendo uso de reactivos de coloración y precipitación. Los fenoles y flavonoides totales  se cuantificaron con el método de Folin-Ciocalteau y  el de formación de complejos con AlCl3 al 2%, respectivamente. Se encontró una alta diversidad de metabolitos secundarios como catequinas, lactonas, triterpenos y esteroides, antocianidinas, flavonoides,  fenoles y taninos en los extractos etanólicos de propóleos de Piura, Ayacucho y Pucallpa; además de encontrase alcaloides (Piura), saponinas (Pucallpa) y quinonas (Piura y Ayacucho). El contenido de fenoles y flavonoides totales osciló entre los valores de 60.5±0.10 hasta 78.6±0.20 mg de GAE/g de EEP y  28.5±0.10  hasta 42.5±0.10 mg QE/g EEP respectivamente. El extracto etanólico del propóleo proveniente de Ayacucho presentó mayor contenido de fenoles y flavonoides totales.

Since Rhinella sp. toads produce bioactive substances, some species have been used in traditional medicine and magical practices by ancient cultures in Peru. During several decades, the Rhinella horribilis toad was confused with the invasive toad Rhinella marina, a species documented with extensive toxinological studies. In contrast, the chemical composition and biological effects of the parotoid gland secretions (PGS) remain still unknown for R. horribilis. In this work, we determine for the first time 55 compounds from the PGS of R. horribilis, which were identified using HPLC-MS/MS. The crude extract inhibited the proliferation of A549 cancer cells with IC50 values of 0.031 ± 0.007 and 0.015 ± 0.001 µg/mL at 24 and 48 h of exposure, respectively. Moreover, it inhibited the clonogenic capacity, increased ROS levels, and prevented the etoposide-induced apoptosis, suggesting that the effect of R. horribilis poison secretion was by cell cycle blocking before of G2/M-phase checkpoint. Fraction B was the most active and strongly inhibited cancer cell migration. Our results indicate that the PGS of R. horribilis are composed of alkaloids, bufadienolides, and argininyl diacids derivatives, inhibiting the proliferation and migration of A549 cells.

Natural products have always played a significant role in the search for new drugs. One of the most relevant alkaloid-containing plant groups is the Amaryllidaceae family, a source of exclusive structures with a wide variety of pharmacological activities. The aim of this work was to determine the alkaloid composition and biological potential of an extract from the bulbs of an endemic Peruvian Amaryllidaceae species Ismene amancaes (Ker Gawl.) Herb. The alkaloid profiling was carried out by GC-MS, which revealed the presence of 13 compounds, 2 of them unidentified. The plant extract was found to contain high amounts of lycoramine, a galanthamine-type alkaloid. The extract also presented low inhibitory potential against the enzymes AChE and BuChE, with IC50 values of 14.6 ± 0.6 and 37.6 ± 1.4 μg·mL−1, respectively, and good to moderate inhibitory activity against the protozoan Plasmodium falciparum strain FCR-3 (chloroquine-resistant), with IC50 values of 3.78 ± 0.3 μg·mL−1. This is the first report of the alkaloid profile of a plant of the Ismene genus, which could be an interesting source of bioactive compounds.

There are no previous reports on the species under study, so this research constitutes the first report in this regard. In this way, the objective of the research ABSTRACT Introduction: The amaryllidaceae family is characterized by presenting alkaloids with powerful pharmacological activities, including antiprotozoal activity. The aim of the present work was to determine the chemical composition and evaluate the in vitro antiplasmodial activity of the total alkaloids of the bulbs of two amaryllidaceae species from northern Perú. Methods: The total alkaloids were extracted from the bulbs using an acid-base extraction. The chemical composition of the total alkaloids was determined by GC-MS, using galantamine as a reference standard. It was investigated the in vitro antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum FCR-3 strain (chloroquine-resistant). Results: 8 alkaloids were identified in the bulbs of Clinanthus incarnatus: lycorine, galanthamine, galanthine, vittatine/crinine, hippamine, 3-O-acetylpowelline, 11,12-dehydroanhydrolycorine, 1-O-acetyllycorine with values of 19.73; 14.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiangiogenic and immunomodulatory potential of sulfated polysaccharides from the marine algae Macrocystis integrifolia characterized by FTIR. The cytotoxicity of sulfated polysaccharides was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Antiangiogenic activity was evaluated using the chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Immunomodulatory activity was determined on macrophage functionality and allergic response. The results showed that sulfated polysaccharides significantly decreased angiogenesis in chicken chorioallantoic membranes (p < 0.05). Likewise, they inhibited in vivo chemotaxis and in vitro phagocytosis, the transcription process of genes that code the enzymes cyclooxygenase−1 (COX−1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2) and the nuclear factor kappa-light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), showing immunomodulatory properties on the allergic response, as well as an in vivo inhibitory effect in the ovalbumin-induced inflammatory allergy model (OVA) and inhibited lymphocyte proliferation specific to the OVA antigen in immunized mice. Finally, these compounds inhibited the histamine-induced skin reaction in rats, the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in mice, and the passive response to skin anaphylaxis in rats. Therefore, the results of this research showed the potential of these compounds to be a promising source for the development of antiangiogenic and immunomodulatory drugs.

Leishmaniasis is a worldwide infectious parasitic disease caused by different species of protozoa of the genus Leishmania, which are transmitted to animals and humans through the bite of insects of the Psychodidae family. In the present work, the antileishmanial activity of an alkaloid extract of the bulbs of Clinanthus milagroanthus S. Leiva & Meerow (Amaryllidaceae) was evaluated in vitro, in vivo, and in silico against the parasite Leishmania braziliensis, and the chemical profile of the sample was determined by GC-MS analysis. At concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 µg·mL−1, the alkaloid extract presented inhibition percentages of 8.7%, 23.1%, and 98.8%, respectively, against L. braziliensis with a p < 0.05, and IC50 values of 18.5 ± 0.3 µg·mL−1. Furthermore, at a dose of 1.0 mg·kg−1, a greater decrease in lesion size was observed (90%) for in vivo assays, as well as a decrease in infection (96%), finding no significant differences (p > 0.05) in comparison with amphotericin B (92% and 98%, respectively). Eleven alkaloids were identified in C. milagroanthus bulbs: galanthamine, vittatine/crinine, 8-O-demethylmaritidine, anhydrolycorine, 11,12-dehydroanhydrolycorine, hippamine, lycorine, 2-hydroxyanhydrolycorine, 7-hydroxyclivonine, 2α-hydroxyhomolycorine, and 7-hydroxyclivonine isomer. A molecular model of Leishmania braziliensis trypanothione reductase (TRLb) was built using computational experiments to evaluate in silico the potential of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid identified in C. milagroanthus toward this enzyme. The structures galanthamine, 7-hydroxyclivonine isomer, and crinine showed better estimated free energy of binding than the reference compound, amphotericin B. In conclusion, this is the first in vitro, in vivo, and in silico report about the antileishmanial potential and alkaloid profiling of the extract of C. milagroanthus bulbs, which could become an interesting source of bioactive molecules.

Introduction: Essential oils are complex substances used widely extended in the form of aromatherapy or phytotherapy, some of them as agents to relieve anxiety and stress. In this sense this study was conducted to examine the anxiolytic-like effect of Luma chequen essential oil. Methods: The essential oil was extracted by steam distillation and the chemical composition was investigated by Gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection (GC-FID) and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Moreover, a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted, where 48 participants were divided into two groups, comprising a control group (CG) treated with placebo, and an experimental group (EG) treated with aromatherapy based on Luma chequen essential oil. The anxiety index was evaluated by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Measures were taken at two times: pretest and posttest. Results: The chemical analysis showed that α-pinene was the main component (56.5%). State and Trait anxiety scores showed a decrease in posttest study phase in comparison with pretest in experimental group compared to placebo (p<0.005 for state anxiety and p<0.05 for trait anxiety). Cohen`s d score was 0.84 in State anxiety, while it was 0.52 for Trait anxiety. Percentages of change showed reductions of anxiety variable ranging between 14.94% for State anxiety and 13.60% for Trait anxiety. Conclusions: These results suggest that aromatherapy based on essential oil of Luma chequen was moderately effective in improving anxiety.