Evaluation of selected natural sesquiterpenes as sensitizing agents of β-lactam-resistant bacterial strains.

Aims: To evaluate the capacity of fourteen sesquiterpenes to enhance the action of known antibiotics against two β-lactam resistant strains, and to determine a possible mechanism of antibiotic sensitization by assessing their ability to inhibit a β-lactamase enzyme.

Methods And Results: The broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of β-lactams cefuroxime (CEFM) and cefepime (CPM) against Staphylococcus aureus 23MR and Escherichia coli 82MR strains in the absence and presence of subinhibitory concentrations of fourteen natural sesquiterpenes. (1R,4R)-4H-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-hydroxycadalen-15-oic acid (5), xerantolide (8), estafiatin (11), and ambrosin (12) exhibited the best sensitizing effects in both strains.

3β-Palmitoyloxy-olean-12-ene analogs from Sapium lateriflorum (Euphorbiaceae): Their cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory properties and docking studies.

Ten compounds, including a new anti-inflammatory acyl triterpene, 3β-palmitoyloxy-1β,11α-dihydroxy-olean-12-ene, were isolated from the bioactive organic extract prepared from the leaves of Sapium lateriflorum (syn: S. nitidum). The isolated compounds were screened for their cytotoxic activity against selected human cancer cell lines and did not display significant activity.

Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Some Components of the Essential Oils of Plants Used in the Traditional Medicine of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Puebla, México.

In Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley (Mexico), studies have been carried out on the essential oils of medicinal plants with antimicrobial activity and it was found that they present compounds in common such as: α-pinene, β-pinene, carvacrol, eugenol, limonene, myrcene, ocimene, cineole, methyl salicylate, farnesene, and thymol. The goal of this study was to assess the antimicrobial activity of essential oils' compounds. The qualitative evaluation was carried out by the Kirby Baüer agar diffusion technique in Gram-positive bacteria (11 strains), Gram-negative bacteria (18 strains), and yeasts (8 strains).

Photoprotection of Buddleja cordata extract against UVB-induced skin damage in SKH-1 hairless mice.

Background: In recent years, there has been considerable interest in using botanical agents to prevent skin damage resulting from solar UV-irradiation. Buddleja cordata is a plant that is known as "tepozan". Some people in Mexico use the leaves of this plant to treat tumours, abscesses, sores and burns.