Chemical profile and toxicogenetic safety assessment of (yacon) organic extracts.

The interest in (yacon) has strongly resurfaced due to its multiple beneficial effects on human health. This study aimed at determining the toxicity and the chemical profile of an ethanol extract (EE) and a crude lactone mixture (CLM) of yacon leaves. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity tests were performed by the MTT assay and the alkaline version of the comet assay respectively The phytochemical analysis, performed by chromatographic and spectroscopy techniques, revealed the presence of nine sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) and two acyclic diterpene acids.

Toxicogenetic evaluation of Smallanthus sonchifolius (yacon) as a herbal medicine.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp. & Endl.) H.

Adulterants in selected dietary supplements and their detection methods.

At present, there is a growing trend toward the intentional adulteration of dietary supplements (DS) with synthetic pharmaceuticals, which represents an alarming emerging risk to consumers and a serious problem for regulatory agencies. An amazing array of synthetic drugs and their analogues have been reported as adulterants in DS. Mainly, the presence of analogues represents a serious health risk as their efficacy and toxic effects have not been clinically assessed yet and may result in unpredictable adverse effects.

Germacranolide-type sesquiterpene lactones from Smallanthus sonchifolius with promising activity against Leishmania mexicana and Trypanosoma cruzi.

Background: Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are life-threatening illnesses caused by the protozoan parasites Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi, respectively. They are known as "neglected diseases" due to the lack of effective drug treatments and the scarcity of research work devoted to them.

Natural Sesquiterpene Lactones as Potential Trypanocidal Therapeutic Agents: A Review.

Chagas' disease and Human African Trypanosomiasis are parasitic diseases that remain major health problems, mainly among the poorest and the most marginalized communities from Latin America and Africa. The scarcity of effective chemotherapy, due to the low investment in the research and development (R&D) of new drugs, together with a high incidence of side effects, and the emergence of drug resistance phenomena emphasize the urgent need for new prophylactic and therapeutic agents. Over the ages, humans have employed natural products to treat a wide spectrum of diseases.

The sesquiterpene lactone polymatin B from Smallanthus sonchifolius induces different cell death mechanisms in three cancer cell lines.

A 8β-angeloyloxy-9α-hydroxy-14-oxo-acanthospermolide and five known melampolide sesquiterpene lactones (uvedalin, enhydrin, polymatin B, sonchifolin, and fluctuanin) were isolated from the leaves of Smallanthus sonchifolius. The compounds were identified by 1D-, 2D-NMR, HRMS, IR and UV analyses. In vitro cytotoxicity assays (MTT) showed that these sesquiterpene lactones display poor cytotoxic effects on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy human subjects, whereas a strong cytotoxicity was observed in leukemia and pancreas cancer cells.

Detection of a tadalafil analogue as an adulterant in a dietary supplement for erectile dysfunction.

Introduction: Several cases of adulteration of dietary supplements with tadalafil, sildenafil, and vardenafil, or their unapproved analogues have been reported worldwide. Mainly, the presence of the latter represents a serious health risk to consumers as their efficacy and toxic effects have not been assessed and may result in unpredictable adverse effects.

Aim: To investigate the suspected adulteration with synthetic phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors in a dietary supplement marketed in Argentina for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED).