Ramón Enrique Robles-Zepeda

University of Sonora · Department of Chemical Biological and Agricultural Sciences

Bursera microphylla A. Gray (Burseraceae) es una planta medicinal mexicana con un destacado potencial antiproliferativo y antiinflamatorio in vitro que ha sido asociado a la presencia de compuestos del tipo lignano y triterpenoide, sin embargo, las propiedades farmacocinéticas (absorción, distribución, metabolismo, y excreción - ADME) y los posible...

Asclepias subulata plant extract has previously demonstrated antiproliferative activity and antimutagenicity against heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) commonly found in cooked meat. The objective of this work was to evaluate the in vitro ability of an ethanolic extract from the medicinal plant Asclepias subulata extract (ASE), non-heated and heat...

Background: Several studies have shown that active compounds of Asclepias subulata (cardenolides) have antiproliferative effect on human cancer cells. Cardenolides isolated from A. subulata can be used as active chemical markers to elaborate phytopharmaceutical preparations. The aim of this work was to evaluate the antiproliferative effect of a sta...

Bursera microphylla A. Gray (Burseraceae) is a native plant of the Sonoran Desert, used in traditional medicine against different illnesses. The biological potential of B. microphylla has been associated with some groups of bioactive metabolites; amongst the most interesting for its biological effect are the lignan-type compounds. To date, the biol...

Background: Several studies have shown that active compounds of Asclepias subulata (cardenolides) have antiproliferative effect on human cancer cells. Cardenolides isolated from A. subulata can be used as active chemical markers to elaborate phytopharmaceutical preparations. To evaluate the antiproliferative effect of a standardized extract of the...

Since the beginning, natural products have represented an important source of bioactive molecules for cancer treatment. Among them, cardenolides attract the attention of different research groups due to their cardiotonic and antitumor activity. The observed biological activity is closely related to their Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase inhibition potency. Currently,...

Giardiasis is one of the most common gastrointestinal infections worldwide, mainly in developing countries. The etiological agent is the Giardia lamblia parasite. Giardiasis mainly affects children and immunocompromised people, causing symptoms such as diarrhea, dehydration, abdominal cramps, nausea, and malnutrition. In order to develop an effecti...

Glutathione S-transferases are a family of detoxifying enzymes that catalyze the conjugation of reduced glutathione (GSH) with different xenobiotic compounds using either Ser, Tyr, or Cys as a primary catalytic residue. We identified a novel GST in the genome of the shrimp pathogen V. parahaemolyticus FIM- S1708+, a bacterial strain associated with...

Curcumin (CUR) is a phenolic compound that is safe for human consumption. It exhibits chemopreventive, antiproliferative, antiangiogenic, and antimetastatic effects. However, these benefits can be hampered due to the lipophilic nature, rapid metabolism, low bioavailability, and fast elimination of the molecule. Considering this, the present work re...

Intestinal parasites are a global problem, mainly in developing countries. Obtaining information about plants and compounds that can combat gastrointestinal disorders and gastrointestinal symptoms is a fundamental first step in designing new treatment strategies. In this study, we analyzed the antiamoebic activity of the aerial part of Croton sonor...

Ficus obtusifolia and Haematoxylum brasiletto are traditional Mexican medicine plants used to treat different types of diseases. Both species belong to genera recognized as a potential source of compounds with antioxidant and antiproliferative activity. This study focuses on identifying the organic fractions of hexane (Hx), dichloromethane (DCM), a...

Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide with biocompatibility, biodegradability, nontoxicity, antimicrobial, and hemostatic properties. This biopolymer has been used in different pharmaceutical forms; therefore, it has an attractive potential for dermal applications in veterinary medicine. The aim of this review is to assess the healing potential of c...

Ibervillea sonorae (Cucurbitaceae) is a medicinal plant utilized in Northwest Mexico against Diabetes and cancer. This natural product is taken orally, its presentation is capsules containing the plant’s dried and powdered caudices. There is no regulation or standardized dosage that allows reproducibility of its pharmacological effects. Cucurbitaci...

Vibrio parahaemolyticus ( Vp ), a typical microorganism inhabiting marine ecosystems, uses pathogenic virulence molecules such as hemolysins to cause bacterial infections of both human and marine animals. The thermolabile hemolysin Vp TLH lyses human erythrocytes by a phospholipase B/A2 enzymatic activity in egg-yolk lecithin. However, few studies...

Navicula incerta is a marine microalga distributed in Baja California, México, commonly used in aquaculture nutrition, and has been extended to human food, biomedical, and pharmaceutical industries due to its high biological activity. Therefore, the study aimed to optimize culture conditions to produce antioxidant pigments. A central composite expe...

Las especies reactivas de oxígeno, que inducen estrés oxidativo en el organismo, son uno de los factores de riesgo para padecer de algún tipo de cáncer. En México los tipos de cáncer con mayor mortalidad son el de próstata, mama, cervicouterino, pulmón e hígado. Los productos naturales representan la forma más antigua de remedios medicinales, para...

Aloysia sonorensis, planta perene de la costa sur de Sonora, México, conocida como “Mariola”, ha sido utilizada para el tratamiento de enfermedades como resfriado, fiebre y dolor de estómago. Además, algunas especies del género Aloysia han mostrado actividad antiproliferativa contra líneas celulares cancerosas. Debido a ésto, el objetivo del presen...

Bursera microphylla is an endemic plant from Sonora desert, used in folk medicine, however, there is a few scientific information about compounds profile and antioxidant activity. The objective of the study was to determine the phenolic profile and antioxidant activity of B. mycrophylla leaves (BMLE) and fruits (BMFE) extracts. Phenolic content was...

The antimutagenicity of an extract from the medicinal plant Asclepias subulata (ASE) against heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) commonly found in cooked meat, as well as its stability to heat treatment (HT), was evaluated. HT (180 °C/3 min) had no effect on the content in ASE of the bioactive compound corotoxigenin-3-O-glucopyranoside; conversely,...

Ibervillea sonorae (Cucurbitaceae) is a Mexican plant commonly used by local population for its hypoglycaemic activity. Root extracts showed also other different biological activities, including antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Main components of this plant are cucurbitacins, steroid-like triterpenes that posse...

Aims Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite that causes giardiasis, one of the most common worldwide gastrointestinal diseases. For rational development of a Giardia vaccine, increasing our understanding of the host‐Giardia interaction is crucial. In this study, we analyzed the immunogenicity and antigenicity of two G. lamblia strain variants [GS...

Primulasaponin was isolated from the methanolic extract of the fruit shells of Jacquinia macrocarpa Cav. spp. pungens, and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry techniques. The evaluation of the cytotoxic activity was performed by the MTT cell proliferation assay using the cancer cell lines A549, LS180 and HeLa, an...

Background Cucurbitacin IIb (CIIb) from Ibervillea sonorae has great capacity to suppress the proliferation of cancer cells and induce apoptosis. In this study, the molecular mechanisms related to the antiproliferative and apoptosis induction capacity of CIIb (derivate from Ibervillea sonorae) in HeLa cells was investigated. Materials and Methods...

Chemical studies on Ibervillea sonorae (S. Watson) Greene root led to isolation and chemical characterization of diverse cucurbitacin triterpenoid compounds such as kinoin A, B, C, and their glucosides. In previous studies, we demonstrated that kinoin A inhibits the cell proliferation on diverse cell line and induce apoptosis in HeLa cells. Therefo...

Avocado is an excellent source of phytochemicals with remarkable bioactive properties. This study evaluated the effect of ripeness stage of ‘Hass’ avocado on the profile and content of lipophilic and hydrophilic phytochemicals and their in vitro cytotoxic activity. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the major phytochemicals were conducted in...

The ultimate health benefits of peanuts and tree nuts partially depend on the effective gastrointestinal delivery of their phytochemicals. The chemical composition and in vitro bioaccessibility of tocopherols, tocotrienols and phenolic compounds from peanuts and seven tree nuts were evaluated by analytical and chemometric methods. Total fat and die...

The search for new molecules with greater antitumor activity as well as new forms of administration of chemotherapeutic drugs are the task of this work. [...]

The main chemical composition of Sonoran propolis (SP), as well as its antiproliferative activity on cancer cells through apoptosis induction, has been reported. The chemical constitution of SP remained qualitatively similar throughout the year, whereas the antiproliferative effect on cancer cells exhibited significant differences amongst seasonal...

Background Despite advances for cancer treatment, it still remains a major worldwide public health problem. Compounds derived from natural sources are important alternatives to combat this mortal disease. Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid with a wide variety of pharmacological properties, including antiproliferative activity. Previously, we hav...

The extrusion process (EP) consists of heat and mechanical treatments under different conditions of moisture, shear, and pressure and rapidly causes structural alterations and changes in the functional properties of the extruded material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of extrusion conditions and optimize the wheat bran extrusion...

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, this disease is commonly treated with non‐specific therapies, an alternative is the use of phytopharmaceuticals. Asclepias subulata is a medicinal plant, whose extracts report a high antiproliferative activity and selectivity on human carcinogenic cell lines. For the eventual development of...

Mango "Ataulfo" peel is a rich source of polyphenols (PP), with antioxidant and anti-cancer properties; however, it is unknown whether such antiproliferative activity is related to PP's antioxidant activity. The content (HPLC-DAD), antioxidant (DPPH, FRAP, ORAC), and antiproliferative activities (MTT) of free (FP) and chemically-released PP from ma...

This study shows the seasonal effect on the antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial activities of L. glaucescens Kunth (LG) leaves extracts. Their antioxidant activity was evaluated through the DPPH, FRAP, and ORAC assays. Their phenolic content (PC) was determined by means of the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and the main phenolic compounds we...

Background Ziziphus obtusifolia is a spiny shrub found in Northwest Mexico desert, with traditional medicinal use to treat several diseases including cancer. Objective The aims of the present study were to evaluate the antiproliferative and apoptotic activities of the aerial parts of this plant. Materials and Methods The methanol extract and its...

Two new lignans, namely 7-O-podophyllotoxinyl butyrate (1) and dihydroclusin 9-acetate (2), were isolated from the dichloromethane fraction of a methanol extract of Bursera microphylla (Burseraceae), along with eight known lignans (3–10). Their structures were determined by means of comprehensive spectroscopic analysis. Lignans 2–6 were tested for...

Tocotrienols (T3) are functional molecules present in several plant-based foods that provide protection against different types of cancer. Their anti-proliferative, cytotoxic, and pro-apoptotic effects have been described for breast, lung, prostate, pancreas, bladder, colon-rectum, liver and other tumor cells, being these effects isoform-specific (...

Cancer is the major cause of death in the world, representing a significant public health problem. Plants have been shown as a great source of secondary metabolites with anticancer activity. The aim of this work was evaluated the antiproliferative activity of the methanolic extracts, chemical fractions and the compound spinasterol isolated of medic...

The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of gibberellic acid (GA3) in the seed germination of Asclepias subulata Decne., plant of the wild flora of the Sonoran Desert of interest for reforestation, industry and medicinal use. Since there is no information about their domestication, it is of fundamental importance to carry out germination...

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Tropical fruits are rich in antioxidant and anticancer phytochemicals, but their nutraceutical potential could be enhanced by drying technologies. Mango cv. Ataulfo, papaya cv. Maradol and pineapple cv. Esmeralda ripe pulps were freeze-dried (�42 °C, 0.12 torr, 48 h) and their physicochemical and phytochemical profile, radical scavenging and antipr...

Bursera microphylla (BM), one of the common elephant trees, is widely distributed in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico. The Seri ethnic group in the Sonoran Desert uses BM as an anti-inflammatory and painkiller drug for the treatment of sore throat, herpes labialis, abscessed tooth, and wound healing. Dried stems and leaves of BM are used in a tea to re...

Antioxidant activity is a property of Anemopsis californica essential oil (ACO). However, ACO possesses volatile compounds that provide strong flavors and that are susceptible to degradation, complicating its application. An alternative is its encapsulation in a β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) matrix. Therefore, the characterization of β-CD–ACO inclusion com...

Bursera microphylla (BM), one of the common elephant trees, is widely distributed in the Sonoran desert in Mexico. The Seri ethnic group in the Sonoran desert uses BM as an anti-inflammatory and painkiller drug for the treatment of sore throat, herpes labialis, abscessed tooth, and wound healing. Dried stems and leaves of BM are used in a tea to re...

Magnetite nanoparticles functionalized with alpha-tocopheryl succinate (Nps@α-TOS) increase anticancer activity of this vitamin E analogue. Previously, we reported Nps@α-TOS protect and enhance bioactivity of α-TOS in vitro. Nps@α-TOS selectively affected cervical cancer cells, without toxic effects for normal cells. The nanoparticles were internal...

The fruit of Guamúchil is an excellent source of bioactive compounds for human health although their natural occurrence could be affected by the ripening process. The aim was to evaluate some physicochemical, chemical and antioxidant changes in guamúchil fruit during six ripening stages (I to VI). A defined trend (p ≤ 0.003) was observed for color...

T-cell hybridoma assays have been widely used for the in vitro study of antigen processing and presentation because they represent an unlimited source of cells and they bypass the difficulty of maintaining T-cell clones in culture. One of the most widely used methods to assess hybridoma activation is measurement of CTLL-2 cell proliferation, which...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Asclepias subulata Decne. (Apocynaceae) is a shrub occurring in Sonora-Arizona desert. The ethnic groups of Sonora, Mexico, Seris and Pimas, use this plant for the treatment of sore eyes, gastrointestinal disorders and cancer. Aim of the study: To determine the cell death pathways that the cardenolide glycosides w...

Propolis is a resinous material produced by bees from the selective collection of plant exudates that are subsequently mixed with beeswax and salivary bee secretions. Propolis has been used in folk medicine, and certainly, several studies have validated its biological properties. The chemical composition and pharmacological activities of propolis c...

Context: Tuberculosis is primarily caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Previous studies have shown that the dichloromethanic extract of Ambrosia confertiflora DC (Asteraceae) inhibited Mtb. Objective: To isolate the compounds responsible for the mycobactericidal activity against clinical Mtb strains. Materials and methods: The dichloro...

The naturally occurring eudesmanolide farinosin () is now fully characterized for the first time despite its original isolation almost half a century ago. The early assumed relative stereochemistry and absolute configuration were confirmed by vibrational circular dichroism together with evaluation of the Hooft X-ray parameters. The molecular confor...

Triterpenoids are widely distributed in both edible plants and ethnomedicinal plants; they can also be found in any animals and marine organisms. These compounds are structurally diverse and they are characterized by a backbone of 30 C modified in multiple ways that enables a formation of more than 20,000 members. In plants, triterpenoids are produ...

Propolis is a cereus resin with a complex chemical composition that possesses a wide range of biological activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro anti-Giardia lamblia activity of Sonoran propolis collected from three different areas of Sonoran Desert in northwestern Mexico (Caborca, Pueblo de Alamos, and Ures) and some of its...

Asclepias subulata Decne. (Apocynaceae) is a shrub used in the Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antiproliferative activity of methanol extract of aerial parts of A. subulata and its fractions against different cancer cell lines. Additionally, we analyzed the mechanism of actio...

Background Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Natural products have been regarded as important sources of potential chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, we evaluated the anti-proliferative activity of Argemone gracilenta¿s methanol extract and its fractions. We identified those compounds of the most active fractions that dis...

Human Giardiosis is a public health problem in Mexico, where the national prevalence was estimated to be up to 68%. Misuse of antiprotozoal drugs may result in low effectiveness and undesirable side effects. Research on natural products is a good strategy for discovering more effective antiparasitic compounds. This study evaluated the antigiardial...

Se determino la prevalencia de resistencia a meticilina y las caracteristicas epidemiologicas de aislamientos de Staphylococcus aureus en el Centro Medico Dr. Ignacio Chavez (CMIC) y el Hospital Infantil del Estado de Sonora (HIES) de la ciudad de Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Se estudiaron 288 aislamientos de S. aureus recuperados de muestras clinic...

Fruits and vegetables (F&V) are universally promoted as healthy and prospective cohort studies support the evidence that their consumption is associated with a lower risk of all‐cause mortality and death from cardiovascular disease & cancer. In particular, tropical fruits such as Mango (MA, Mangifera indica cv. Ataulfo), papaya (PM, Carica papaya c...

Sonoran ethnic groups (Yaquis, Mayos, Seris, Guarijios