Alejandra Rojas-Molina

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• Doctor of Pharmacy
• professor at Autonomous University of Queretaro

Affinin (spilanthol) is the main bioactive alkylamide present in Heliopsis longipes roots, exerting antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects that involve the activation of TRP channels. Previous studies indicated that affinin reduces the LPS-induced increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine production in murine macrophages. However, no studies hav...

Effects of thermal stress caused by the 2015-2016 El Niño on the biochemical composition, exoskeleton structure, and symbiont density of the fire coral Millepora alcicornis Efecto del estrés térmico causado por el evento El Niño 2015-2016 sobre la composición bioquímica, la estructura del exoesqueleto y la densidad de simbiontes del coral de fuego...

In previous studies we demonstrated that the ethanolic extract of Heliopsis longipes roots (EEH) and its main alkamide, affinin, elicit a vasorelaxant effect through a mechanism involving activation of the gasotransmitters pathways and stimulation of CB1 receptors and TRPA1 and TRPV1 channels. However, it has not yet been demonstrated whether EEH a...

Heliopsis longipes is an endemic species from Sierra Gorda, México. Its collects imply the whole plant destruction due to people only use the root, which contains affinin, a pharmacologically important compound. Thus, H. longipes has been considered as a species in danger of extinction, due to unsustainable exploitation to obtain their roots for af...

Self-microemulsifying or self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS/SNEDDS) are well known to improve the dissolution and increase the oral bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs, including herbal extracts. Organic extracts of Heliopsis longipes root and affinin, its main component, induce a vasodilator effect; however, they are poorly water...

Millepora alcicornis is a reef-forming cnidarian widely distributed in the Mexican Caribbean. Millepora species or "fire corals" inflict a painful stinging reaction in humans when touched. Even though hundreds of organic and polypeptide toxins have been characterized from sea anemones and jellyfish, there are few reports regarding the diversity of...

To assess the feasibility of high-temperature aminolysis of deoxyribooligonucleotides containing rare bases as a method to determine their base sequence, the 2'-β-D-deoxyribosides of 5-bromouracil, 2-aminopurine, uracil, adenine, cytosine, 5-methylcytosine, hypoxanthine, N6-methyladenine, N4-ethylcytosine, and guanine were compared as to their rate...

The 2015-2016 El Niño-southern oscillation or “ENSO” caused many M. complanata colonies that live in the Mexican Caribbean to experience extensive bleaching. The purpose of this work was to analyze the effect of bleaching on the cellular response of M. complanata , employing a transcriptomic approach with RNA-seq. As expected, bleached specimens co...

To date, few studies have been carried out aimed at characterizing the toxins synthesized by hydrocorals of the genus Millepora. The purpose of this study was to explore the toxin diversity and antibacterial activity of the “fire coral” M. complanata using a transcriptomic data mining approach. In addition, the cytolytic and antibacterial activitie...

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) has been used for the treatment of several heart diseases and hypertension. The studies carried out on several hawthorn species have led to the development of standardized extracts useful in the cure of mild chronic cardiac diseases. In Mexico, the most common Crataegus species are C. mexicana and C. gracilior. Decoctions...

The development of sustainable extraction methods to obtain natural products constitutes a challenge for the food industry. The aim of this work was to compare yield, separation efficiency, chemical composition, and physicochemical properties of the mucilage extracted from fresh cladodes (FNM) and mucilage extracted from dehydrated cladodes (DNM) o...

Affinin is mainly recognized by its antinociceptive effect. Recently, our research group demonstrated that this compound produces vasodilation via activation of the gasotransmitters signaling pathways. However, the molecular targets of affinin were not identified. Considering the structural similarity of this alkamide with anandamide, we hypothesiz...

The application of ¹H NMR spectroscopy and chemometrics for the analysis of extracts of Lantana camara is described. This approach allowed to predict the leishmanicidal activity of samples obtained at different harvest times from their ¹H NMR spectra. The anti–leishmanial activity of dichloromethane extracts obtained from the aerial parts of L. cam...

Millepora complanata is a conspicuous hydrocoral from Mesoamerican reef and is part of the second most important reef-builders group. M. complanta, as other hydrocorals, lives in mutualistic symbiosis with several clades of the Symbiodiniaceae family. Together, produced a habitat for many coral reef-depended communities becoming a vital factor in t...

Background: Heliopsis longipes root is the widely used organ from the plant due to its culinary and medicinal importance. Nevertheless, during its collection the foliage is discarded. Therefore, it is required to perform studies about the phytochemical content with biological activity present in the different plant organs of the foliage, for a bett...

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from leaves and flowers of chilcuague (Heliopsis longipes, Asteraceae) Compuestos fenólicos y actividad antioxidante de extractos metanólicos de hojas y flores de chilcuague (Heliopsis longipes, Asteraceae)

Osteoporosis is a disease of the skeletal system characterized by low bone mass and bone weakening, which increase the risk of fracture. This disease is associated with menopause because hypoestrogenism induces the maturation and activation of osteoclasts. In addition, a low dietary intake of calcium leads to low bone mineral density and postmenopa...

Heliopsis longipes (H. longipes) is an endemic plant of the Sierra Gorda, Mexico, whose root crude extract is used as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcerative. Affinin is the main substance that provides these properties. Affinin concentrations have been seen to vary depending on the time of the year in which it is collected. Controlled...

Coral bleaching caused by global warming has resulted in massive damage to coral reefs worldwide. Studies addressing the consequences of elevated temperature have focused on organisms of the class Anthozoa, and up to now, there is little information regarding the mechanisms by which reef forming Hydrozoans face thermal stress. In this study, we car...

Degradation of 2′-deoxyribonucleosides in 0.5 M aqueous pyrrolidine at 110 °C proceeds at different rates, ordered as deoxyuridine > deoxyadenosine > deoxycytidine > deoxyguanosine ≫ deoxythymidine. Deoxyadenosine degradation produces the free base, adenine, while deoxycytidine by deamination produces deoxyuridine, and then uracil. The solvolysis o...

Reef-forming cnidarians are extremely susceptible to the “bleaching” phenomenon caused by global warming. The effect of elevated seawater temperature has been extensively studied on Anthozoans; however, to date the impact of thermal stress on the expression of genes and proteins in Hydrozoan species has not been investigated. The present study aime...

Recently, our research group demonstrated that uvaol and ursolic acid increase NO and H2S production in aortic tissue. Molecular docking studies showed that both compounds bind with high affinity to endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE). The aim of this study was to identify hits with high binding affinity for the trite...

Lantana camara (L.) is employed by several ethnical groups to treat numerous diseases. Although there are no ethnomedical reports on its use against leishmaniasis, organic extracts prepared from L. camara were shown to display leishmanicidal activity. In the present study, we carried out a bioassay-guided fractionation of the dichloromethane extrac...

Arterial hypertension is one of the main risk factors in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is important to look for new drugs to treat hypertension. In this study, we carried out the screening of 19 compounds (triterpenes, diterpenes, sesquiterpenes, lignans, and flavonoids) isolated from 10 plants used in Mexican traditiona...

Aim of the study To evaluate the anti-leishmanial activity and cytotoxicity of aqueous and organic extracts of ten plants used in Mexican traditional medicine as anti-parasitics. Materials and methods For the organic extracts, plant material was macerated in dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) and dichloromethane/methanol (CH2Cl2/MeOH) (1:1) during two weeks...

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) has been extensively used as animal feed, due to its fiber, protein, minerals, and vitamins, being also a useful source of phenolic compounds with potential therapeutic benefits. Nevertheless, its potential use as human ingredient is scarce. The aim of this work was to assess the nutritional composition, amino acid profile...

Theraphosid spider venoms are extremely complex mixtures, composed mainly by low molecular compounds, peptides, and enzymes. The large size of these spiders and their ability to breed in captivity permits access to rather large amounts of venom and an easier venom extraction. In the present study, conducted a comparative investigation about the con...

Mechanical, microstructural properties, mineral content and bone mineral density (BMD) of the femur were evaluated in growing rats fed with Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill. (Cactaceae) cladodes at different maturity stages as calcium source. Male weanling rats were fed with cladodes at early maturity stage (25 and 60 days of age, belonging to groups...

Heliopsis longipes roots have been widely used in Mexican traditional medicine to relieve pain, mainly, toothaches. Previous studies have shown that affinin, the major alkamide of these roots, induces potent antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the effect of H. longipes root extracts and affinin on the cardiovascular system ha...

Background Scleractinian corals (stony corals) are the most abundant reef-forming cnidarians found in coral reefs throughout the world. Despite their abundance and ecological importance, information about the diversity of their toxins and their biological activities is very scarce. In this study, the chemical composition and the biological activiti...

The aim of this study was to correlate the apparent diffusion coefficients with the morphological changes that take place in pericarp through the evaluation of cooking stage of corn grains, in order to set the process conditions, where the diffusion rate is faster to reduce time in nixtamalization process. In order to set the process conditions whe...

The present research aimed to isolate the non-polar secondary metabolites that produce the vasodilator effects induced by the dichloromethane extract of Prunus serotina (P. serotina) fruits and to determine whether the NO/cGMP and the H2S/KATP channel pathways are involved in their mechanism of action. A bioactivity-directed fractionation of the di...

Millepora alcicornis is a branching hydrocoral common throughout the Caribbean Sea. Like other members of this genus, this species is capable of inducing skin eruptions and blisters with severe pain after contact. In the present study, we investigated the toxicity of the M. alcicornis aqueous extract on several animal models. Considering that some...

Background: Crataegus mexicana, Hyptis albida, Larrea tridentata, Ocimum baislicum, Prunus serotina, and Smilax spp. are used in Mexican traditional medicine to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases such as flu, cough, diarrhea, dysentery, and other parasitic or microbial infections. Therefore this study was aimed at the pharmacological p...

Background: Crataegus mexicana, Hyptis albida, Larrea tridentata, Ocimum baislicum, Prunus serotina, and Smilax spp. are used in Mexican traditional medicine to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases such as flu, cough, diarrhea, dysentery, and other parasitic or microbial infections. Therefore this study was aimed at the pharmacological p...

Prunus serotina (black cherry), commonly known in Mexico as capulín, is used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal diseases. Particularly, P. serotina seeds, consumed in Mexico as snacks, are used for treating cough. In the present study, nutritional and volatile analyses of black che...

Millepora complanata is a cnidarian widely distributed in the coral reefs of the Mexican Caribbean. This species is popularly known as “fire coral”, since contact with it causes severe pain, skin eruptions and blisters. Intravenous administration of of M. complanata aqueous extract induces violent convulsions and death in mice within 1 min (LD50 =...

Analyses of calcium compounds in cladodes, soluble dietary fiber (SDF), and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) of Opuntia ficus indica are reported. The characterization of calcium compounds was performed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy an...

This study focused on the assessment of the vasorelaxant activity of the organic and aqueous extracts obtained from leaves and fruits of a Mexican hawthorn (Crataegus gracilior) on isolated rat aorta, and on the purification and identification of some of their secondary metabolites by the use of chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The res...

Millepora complanata is a plate-like fire coral common throughout the Caribbean. Contact with this species usually provokes burning pain, erythema and urticariform lesions. Our previous study suggested that the aqueous extract of M. complanata contains non-protein hemolysins that are soluble in water and ethanol. In general, the local damage induce...

Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in the western world. Altered endothelial signal transduction, which involves reduced bioavailability of NO, CO, and H2S, is associated with several of this kind of diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the vasorelaxant effect of six naturally occurring triterpenes and to explore the...

In Mexico black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) fruits are consumed fresh, dried or prepared in jam. Considering the evidence that has linked intake of fruits and vegetables rich in polyphenols to cardiovascular risk reduction, the aim of this study was to characterize the phenolic profile of black cherry fruits and to determine their antioxidant, v...

Cardiovascular diseases are increasing throughout the world and account for 34% of annual deaths that occur in low and middle-income countries. The vascular endothelium synthesizes and releases a broad spectrum of vasoactive substances that play a fundamental role in the regulation and maintenance of cardiovascular homeostasis. Altered endothelial...

The present paper reviews vasodilator compounds isolated from plants that were reported in the past 22 years (1990 to 2012) and the different mechanisms of action involved in their vasodilator effects. The search for reports was conducted in a comprehensive manner, intending to encompass those metabolites with a vasodilator effect whose mechanism o...

Nowadays, in Mexico and Latin America, calcium content in the diet is a very important issue. This fact is critical since research studies have shown a relationship between consumption of dietary calcium and chronic degenerative diseases. Deficiencies of calcium in Mexican population involve the search for alternative foods that lead to an increase...

This work presents the design and development of a low–cost power manager with controller for a 3–phase AC induction motor, with a wide range of industrial applications. The prototype drive design and development was made using the generic standard on printed board design IPC2221. Power manager consists of two stages. First is control stage, which...

The purpose of this work is to establish the operating conditions of an intermittent filtration cell running at constant pressure, designed to treat nejayote – the liquor left after the separating cooked kernels by reducing the solid content as an alternative to reusing this liquid waste directly. The X-ray results and scanning electron microscope...

Structural characteristics of discharged and undischarged nematocysts from the hydrozoans Millepora alcicornis and Millepora complanata, two fire corals collected in the Mexican Caribbean, were examined using transmission electron, scanning and light microscopy. In this study, we report for the first time images of the nematocysts found in these Me...

Oils from Prunus serotina raw and toasted seeds extracted with hexane and supercritical CO2 were evaluated for their physicochemical characteristics. Supercritical CO2 extracted the least oil (21.3%), with high absorbing carotenoid pigments. P. serotina oil had characteristically high refractive index and density with three typical absorbance peaks...

Hydrocorals of the genus Millepora are abundant skeleton-forming inhabitants of coral reefs around the world. These species are popularly known as “fire corals” since contact with them causes severe pain, skin eruptions and blisters as a result of the release of unidentified toxins. Millepora species associate with photosynthetic dinoflagellates of...

This study demonstrated that the aqueous extracts of plants employed in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases are able to modify the tone of arterial smooth muscle. Agastache mexicana (Kunth) Lint & Epling (Labiatae), Chenopodium murale L. (Chenopodiaceae), Chirantodendron pentadactylon Larreat (Sterculiaceae), D...

In the present work the results of the mechanism of calcium uptake in nixtamalized corn kernel were studied. The results showed that at a critical time, the calcium uptake in the pericarp suffers a drastic change; this fact cannot be associated only to the diffusive mechanism. The SEM analysis of processed corn kernels, taken at 1 h of steeping tim...

The microstructural changes in the maize pericarp during the critical lime-cooking step of a traditional nixtamalization process are reported. Scanning Electron Microscopy at low vacuum (SEM-LV) images and Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS) were used to study the evolution of the pericarp transformation during lime-cooking and the CaCO3 formation...

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

This report shows the effect of temperature (72, 82, and 92 degrees C) during the cooking stage and steeping time (0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 hr) on calcium and phosphorus contents in nixtamalized corn flours obtained by the traditional nixtamalization process (NCF). In addition, calcium and phosphorus contents in industrial nixtamalized corn...

Phytochemical study of the vasorelaxant ethyl acetate fraction obtained from the methanolic extract of the leaves of Prunus serotina resulted in the isolation of three known natural products, hyperoside (1), prunin (2), and ursolic acid (3). Compounds 1 (EC50 = 91.3 ± 14.1 μg/ml), 2 (EC50 = 66.0 ± 19.4 μg/ml) and 3 (EC50 = 154.4 ± 7.5 μg/ml) displa...

As a part of a project directed toward the discovery of oral antimicrobial compounds from plants, eight known compounds, β-amyrin (1), betulin (2), betulinic acid (3), oleanolic acid (4), quercetin (5), (-)-epicatechin (6), gallic acid (7) and β-sytosterol were isolated from a dichloromethane soluble partition of a methanol extract of Byrsonima cra...

In this study we report the effect of Tricolorin A, a resin glycoside isolated from the plant Ipomoea tricolor Cav. (Convolvulaceae), on intestinal and arterial smooth muscle contractility. This compound elicited a concentration-dependent stimulation of spontaneous contractions of the guinea pig ileum (EC50=6.99±1.08µg/ml) and a concentration-depen...

This study showed the protein changes in Quality Protein Maize (QPM H-368C) during the traditional nixtamalization process as a function of the steeping time from 0 to 15 hr. Protein content (N x 6.25), pH, protein fractionation, reactive lysine, essential amino acids, and protein digestibility were analyzed to explain the protein quality modificat...

The protein-containing extracts prepared from the venom ducts of Conus austini, Conus spurius and Polystira albida caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of spontaneous contractions in guinea pig ileum. The most potent extract was obtained from P. albida venom ducts (IC50 = 0.11 ± 0.02 µg protein/mL). The three extracts produced a moderate inh...

A dichloromethane-MeOH extract prepared from the aerial parts of Brickellia veronicaefolia inhibited the spontaneous contractions (IC50 = 39.22 microg/mL) of the guinea-pig ileum. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the extract led to the isolation of three new benzoic acid derivatives, 1,2-bis-O-(2-methoxybenzoyl)-beta-d-glucopyranoside (1), 3-(beta-...

The two-electrode voltage-clamp technique was employed to investigate the effects of chloroform-methanol (1:1) extracts derived from five medicinal plants on Xenopus laevis oocytes. When evaluated at concentrations of 1 to 500 microg/ml, the extracts prepared from the aerial parts of Baccharis heterophylla H.B.K (Asteraceae), Chenopodium murale L....

Bioassay directed fractionation of the (1:1) chloroform-methanol extract of Gentiana spathacea H.B.K (Gentianaceae) led to the isolation of gentiopicroside (gentiopricrin) (1), the major spasmolytic component of the plant. Gentiopicroside inhibited, in a concentration-dependent manner, the spontaneous contractions of isolated guinea pig ileum. Cont...

The present study was performed to investigate the effect of chloroform-methanol (1:1) extracts derived from Baccharis heterophylla H. B. K (Asteraceae), Desmodium grahami Gray (Leguminosae), Dyssodia pinnata var. pinnata Rob. (Asteraceae), Gentiana spathacea H. B. K. (Gentianaceae), Loeselia mexicana Brand. (Polemoniaceae), Selaginella pallescens...

Five aromatic compounds, 3,4'-dihydroxy-5,5'-dimethoxybibenzyl (1), batatasin III (2), coelonin (3), 3,7-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethoxyphenanthrene (4), and 3,7-dihydroxy-2,4,8-trimethoxyphenanthrene (5) were isolated from the orchid Scaphyglottis livida (Lindley) Schltr. Compounds 1-5 induced a concentration-dependent inhibition of the spontaneous contra...

Activity-guided fractionation of the smooth muscle relaxing, chloroform-methanol (1:1) extract of Conyza filaginoides (D.C.) Hieron (Asteraceae) led to the isolation of three flavonoids (quercetin 3-glucoside, rutin, and pinostrobin), one sterol (alpha-spinasterol), a sesquiterpenoid (beta-caryophyllene 4,5-alpha-oxide), and two triterpenoids (eryt...

Bioassay-directed fractionation of the chloroform-methanol (1:1) extract of Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq. (Sapindaceae) resulted in the isolation of four active spasmolytic principles: sakuranetin (1), 6-hydroxykaempferyl 3,7-dimethyl ether (2) hautrivaic acid (3), and ent-15, 16-epoxy-9 alpha H-labda-13(16)14-diene-3 beta, 8 alpha-diol (4). All the...

The present investigation describes the effect on the isolated rat ileum of methanolic extracts derived from Conyza filaginoides (D. C.) Hieron (Asteraceae), Croton fragilis HBK. (Euphorbiaceae), Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. (Sapindaceae), Gymnosperma glutinosum (Spreng) Less. (Asteraceae), Parthenium tomentosum DC. var. stramonium (Greene) Rollins (Aste...

Preliminary antimicrobial screening against Candida albicans and selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria of methanol extracts prepared from eight Mexican medicinal plants, noted for their antiseptic properties, was conducted. The significant activity exhibited for extracts of Ratibida latipalearis, Teloxys graveolens, Dodonaea viscosa, Hy...

Ratibinolide II, a new eudesmanolide, and the known flavanone hispidulin have been isolated from Ratibida latipalearis. The structure elucidation of the new compound was unequivocally established by spectral and X-ray crystallographic analyses.