Extract from Opuntia ficus-indica cladode delays the Aedes aegypti larval development by inducing an axenic midgut environment.

This study evaluated the effects of acute exposure of Aedes aegypti third instar (L ) larvae to the saline extract of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes on the biological cycle and fertility of the emerging adults. For this, larvae were treated for 24 h with the extract at ¼ LC (lethal concentration to kill 50% of larvae), ½ LC or LC ; the development and reproduction of the emerged adults were evaluated after a recovery period of 9 days. The resistance of proteins in the extract to hydrolysis by L digestive enzymes and histomorphological alterations in the larval midgut were also investigated.

A Trypsin Inhibitor from Flowers Modulates the Immune Response In Vitro of -Infected Human Cells.

causes the lethal Chagas disease, which is endemic in Latin America. Flowers of (Moringaceae) express a trypsin inhibitor (MoFTI) whose toxicity to trypomastigotes was previously reported. Here, we studied the effects of MoFTI on the viability of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as well as on the production of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) by -infected PBMCs.