Abstract In the present study, the antimutagenic activity of methanolic (MP) and hexanic (HP) phase from hexane-soluble extract of Paraoctopus vulgaris was evaluated. The HP showed significant concentration-dependent antimutagenic activity (p < 0.05) in the Ames assay against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) using Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 tester strains. Seven fractions (F1-F7) were obtained from HP by silica gel-column chromatography and the antimutagenic activity of F6 and F7 caused significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the number of AFB1-induced revertants in both strains. However, high antimutagenic activity was exhibited in TA98 strain (85-97% reversion inhibition) and remained at a fraction-concentration of 3 μg/mL. F6 and F7 composition was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography/photodiode array, both fractions shared one peak at 9.42 min suggesting presence of the same compound. 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR analysis results indicate that the bioactive compound is bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Based on of these results bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate exhibit antimutagenic activity, which allows to consider it for further investigation as a potential chemopreventive compound.

Abstract Drought tolerant tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) is a microbiologically unexplored culture in arid regions of Mexico where it is consumed as a source of dietary protein. However, soil salinity hinders the productivity of this crop. The isolation of specific halotolerant nitrogen-fixing bacteria (BFN) could be a novel practice to improve salt tolerance and improve crop productivity. In the present study, 24 BFN were isolated from seeds of three tepary ecotypes exposed to high salinities (0, 0.25 and 0.5 M NaCl) in vitro. Nitrogen-fixing halotolerant strains were characterized. Among the halotolerant isolates, only one showed high nitrogenous activity of 6.97 ±1.1 nmol of culture h-1. From the 16S analysis of rRNA, the halotolerant microorganism exhibited 99% sequence homology with the known bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The results show that the inoculation with the identified halotolerant isolate had stimulating effects on growth parameters, seed germination, seed emergence, shoot length, root length, biomass, foliar chlorophyll and protein content, ash and crude fibers.

Resumen El frijol tepary tolerante a la sequía (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) es un cultivo microbiológicamente inexplorado en regiones áridas de México donde se consume como fuente de proteína dietética. Sin embargo, la salinidad del suelo dificulta la productividad de este cultivo. El aislamiento de bacterias fijadoras de nitrógeno halotolerantes específicas (BFN) podría ser una práctica novedosa para mejorar la tolerancia a la sal y mejorar la productividad de los cultivos. En el presente estudio, se aislaron 24 BFN de semillas de tres ecotipos de tepary expuestos a altas salinidades (0, 0.25 y 0.5 M de NaCl) in vitro. Se caracterizaron cepas halotolerantes fijadoras de Nitrógeno. Entre los aislados halotolerantes, sólo uno mostró alta actividad nitrogenada de 6.97 ±1.1 nmol de cultivo h-1. A partir del análisis 16S de rRNA, el microorganismo halotolerante exhibió una homología de secuencia de 99% con la bacteria conocida Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Los resultados muestran que la inoculación con el aislado halotolerante identificado, tuvo efectos estimulantes sobre los parámetros de crecimiento, germinación de semillas, emergencia de semillas, longitud de brotes, longitud de raíz, biomasa, clorofila foliar y contenido de proteínas, cenizas y fibras brutas.

Abstract The potential of cantabrian anchovy (Engraulis encrarischolus) viscera as a source of bioactive compounds is of interest for both, pharmaceutical and food industries. Cantabrian anchovy guts and heads were freeze-dried, extracted with methanol and subjected to fractionation by solvent partitioning using hexane, ethyl acetate, and butanol. Fractions were tested for antimutagenic, antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial activity using the Ames test; DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays; the radial grown inhibition assay; and the microbroth dilution method, respectively. Five fractions were obtained from the anchovy gut methanolic extract, in addition to the hexane- (HF), ethyl acetate- (EAF), and butanol-soluble (BF) fractions, an aqueous-soluble fraction (ALF) and precipitated crystals (ACF) in this were also obtained. HF and EAF resulted to be antimutagenic, HF and ALF showed antifungal activity, BF and ACF showed the highest antioxidant potential, and HF and BF were antibacterial against several strains. Anchovy gut, which to the present study had not been reported for any bioactivity, has antimutagenic, antifungal, antioxidant, and antibacterial compounds, which need to be isolated for full characterization and study.

Abstract: Some medicinal plants have been studied on phytopathogenic fungi for their antifungal activity. For this reason the goal of this study was to evaluate methanolic extract of Jacquinia macrocarpa and Krameria erecta on radial growth, spore germination, biomass production of Fusarium verticillioides. Methanolic extract of J. macrocarpa which caused the best results was sequentially partitioned with hexane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. Only the butanolic fraction was active. It delayed the spore germination and the colony growth changed from radial to apical, which is a way to express it is under pressure due to chemicals present in the fraction. Fumonisin production was not affected by the extract. We conclude that J. macrocarpa methanolic extract and its butanolic fraction are capable to delay the radial growth of F. verticillioides and the kinetic of spore germination and do not affect fumonisin production.

Resumen: Algunas plantas medicinales han sido estudiadas sobre hongos fitopatógenos para conocer si tienen propiedades antifúngicas, por ello en este estudio se evaluaron los extractos metanólicos de hojas de Jacquinia macrocarpa y Krameria erecta sobre el crecimiento radial, germinación de esporas y producción de biomasa por Fusarium moniliforme en medio agar papa dextrosa. El extracto de J. macrocarpa que presentó mejores resultados fue particionado con hexano, acetato de etilo y n-butanol. Solo la fracción butanólica presentó actividad, ya que retardó la germinación de esporas y el crecimiento de las colonias cambió de radial a apical, que indica que el hongo está estresado. La producción de fumonisina no fue afectada por el extracto. Se concluye que el extracto metanólico de J. macrocarpa y su fracción butanólica son capaces de retardar el crecimiento de F. verticillioides in vitro y no afectan la producción de fumonisinas.

Abstract The search for chemopreventive/chemoprotective compounds in marine organism has been extensively reported; however, the presence of these compounds in octopus has been incipiently explored. In this research, the antimutagenic, antiproliferative, and antioxidant potential of three crude extracts (methanolic, acetonic, and hexanic) from Paroctopus limaculatus was investigated. Antimutagenic activity against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was evaluated through the Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA98 and 100. Antiproliferative activity was assessed using the standard MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide) assay on M12.C3.F6 murine cell line. Antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) methods. Hexanic extract showed the highest antimutagenic and antiproliverative activities inhibiting 80 and 43% of mutagenicity induced by AFB1 for TA98 and TA100, respectively, and showing a high antiproliferative activity at 200 and 100 µg/mL. However, when the antioxidant activity was evaluated at a concentration of 50 mg/mL, the methanolic fraction exerted inhibition of 98 and 96 % ABTS and DPPH radicals, respectively. RP-HPLC and 1H-RMN analyses suggested the presence of double bonds with extended conjugation and oxygenated compounds such as alcohols, esters, ethers or ketones. These results suggested that hexanic and methanolic extract form octopus contained compounds with chemoprotective and antioxidant properties.

Abstract Essential oils (EO) of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus L.), thymus (Thymus capitatus L.) pirul (Schinus molle L.) were evaluated for their efficacy to control Aspergillus parasiticus and Fusarium moniliforme growth and their ability to produce mycotoxins. Data from kinetics radial growth was used to obtain the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). The IC50 was used to evaluate spore germination kinetic and mycotoxin production. Also, spore viability was evaluated by the MTT assay. All EO had an effect on the radial growth of both species. After 96 h of incubation, thymus EO at concentrations of 1000 and 2500 µL L–1 totally inhibited the growth of F. moniliforme and A. parasiticus, respectively. Eucalyptus and thymus EO significantly reduced spore germination of A. parasiticus. Inhibition of spore germination of F. moniliforme was 84.6, 34.0, and 30.6% when exposed to eucalyptus, pirul, and thymus EO, respectively. Thymus and eucalyptus EO reduced aflatoxin (4%) and fumonisin (31%) production, respectively. Spore viability was affected when oils concentration increased, being the thymus EO the one that reduced proliferation of both fungi. Our findings suggest that EO affect F. moniliforme and A. parasiticus development and mycotoxin production.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fractions obtained from the plant Jacquinia macrocarpa against phytopathogenic fungi Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and Fusarium verticillioides. The powder of the dried plant materials was extracted with methanol (70 % v/v) and partitioned with hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. The most active fraction against the radial growth of the fungi was further fractionated by silica gel chromatography. The fraction from J. macrocarpa partitioned in n-butanol (BF) showed the highest antifungal activity against the three fungi. Sub-fraction F5.4 completely inhibited the growth of F. verticillioides, whereas the radial growth of A. flavus and A. parasiticus was inhibited 70 % and 64 %, respectively. Spores germination of A. parasiticus and F. verticillioides was inhibited 7.8 % and 11.8%, respectively. The lengths and diameters of hyphae of the three fungi were smaller than those of controls. Spore diameters of the Aspergillus species were reduced, while spores of F. verticillioides were not affected. The spore viability of A. flavus, A. parasiticus and F. verticillioides was reduced 40.7 %, 44.8 % and 46.3 %, respectively. Fraction F5.4 significantly inhibited the development of the three fungi, mainly F. verticillioides.

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de fracciones obtenidas de la planta Jacquinia macrocarpa contra los hongos fitopatógenos Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus y Fusarium verticillioides. Polvos de la planta deshidratada fueron extraídos con metanol (70 % v/v) y particionados con hexano, acetato de etilo y n-butanol. La fracción con mayor actividad contra el crecimiento radial de los hongos fue adicionalmente fraccionada por cromatografía en sílica gel. La fracción particionada en n-butanol (BF) mostro la mayor actividad antifúngica contra los tres hongos. La sub-fracción F5.4 inhibió el crecimiento radial de F. verticillioides completamente, mientras que el de A. flavus y A. parasiticus fue inhibido en 70 % y 64 %, respectivamente. La germinación de esporas de A. parasiticus y F. verticillioides fue inhibida en 7.8 % y 11.8 %, respectivamente. La longitud y el diámetro de las hifas de los tres hongos fueron menores que los de los controles. El diámetro de las esporas de las especies de Aspergillus fueron reducidas, mientras que las esporas de F. verticillioides no fueron afectadas. La viabilidad de A. flavus, A. parasiticus y F. verticillioides fue reducida en 40.7 %, 44.8 % y 46.3 %, respectivamente. La fracción F5.4 inhibió el desarrollo de los tres hongos significativamente, principalmente a F. verticillioides.

The aim of this work was to determine the inhibitory effect of methanolic extracts of Ambrosia confertiflora, Azadirachta indica, Baccharis glutinosa, and Larrea tridentata on spore germination and mycelial growth of Fusarium verticillioides. The spore germination percentage, radial growth extension, and biomass production were evaluated on potato-dextrose-agar (PDA) amended with 5.6, 11.0, 14.0, and 16.7% (v/v) of the extracts at 25°C. PDA medium with or without methanol was used as a control. Results showed that extracts of B. glutinosa and L. tridentata had the highest inhibitory effect (P < 0.05) on spore germination (> 92%), radial growth extension (> 90%), and biomass production (> 95%) at 100, 336, and 336 h after inoculation, respectively. On the other hand, extracts from A. confertiflora and A. indica were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from the control. These results indicate that the extracts of B. glutinosa and L. tridentata might be natural and effective alternatives for control of F. verticillioides during its different growth phases, spores germination, and mycelial growth.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar el efecto inhibitorio de extractos metanólicos de Ambrosia confertiflora, Azadirachta indica, Baccharis glutinosa y Larrea tridentata en la germinación de esporas y en el crecimiento micelial de Fusarium verticillioides. El porcentaje de germinación de esporas, el crecimiento radial y la producción de biomasa se evaluaron usando papa-dextrosa-agar (PDA) con 5.6, 11.0, 14.0 y 16.7% (v/v) de los extractos a 25°C. Se utilizó medio PDA con y sin metanol como testigo. Los resultados indicaron que los extractos de B. glutinosa y L. tridentata presentaron el mayor efecto inhibitorio (P < 0.05) en la germinación de las esporas (> 92%), en el crecimiento radial (> 90%) y en la producción de biomasa (> 95%) a las 100, 336 y 336 h después de la inoculación, respectivamente. Por otro lado, los extractos de A. confertiflora y A. indica no fueron significativamente diferentes (P > 0.05) al testigo. Estos resultados indican que los extractos de B. glutinosa y L. tridentata pueden ser una fuente de productos naturales alternativos y efectivos para el control de F. verticillioides en sus diferentes fases de crecimiento, en la germinación de esporas, así como en el crecimiento micelial.