Saponins are potential wide-spectrum antitumor drugs, and copper(I) catalyzed azide–alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is a suitable approach to synthesizing saponin-like compounds by regioselective glycosylation of the C2/C3 hydroxyl and C28 carboxylic groups of triterpene aglycones maslinic acid (MA) and oleanolic acid (OA). Biological studies on the T-84 human colon carcinoma cell line support the role of the hydroxyl groups at C2/C3, the influence of the aglycone, and the bulky nature of the substituents in C28. OA bearing a α-d-mannose moiety at C28 (compound 18) focused our interest because the estimated inhibitory concentration 50 was similar to that reported for ginsenoside Rh2 against colon cancer cells and it inhibits the G1–S phase transition affecting the cell viability and apoptosis. Considering that triterpenoids from natural sources have been identified as inhibitors of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cell (NF-κB) signaling, docking studies were conducted to evaluate whether NF-κB may be a potential target. Results are consistent with the biological study and predict a similar binding mode of MA and compound 18 to the p52 subunit from NF-κB but not for OA. The fact that the binding site is shared by the NF-κB inhibitor 6,6-dimethyl-2-(phenylimino)-6,7-dihydrobenzo[d][1,3]oxathiol-4(5H)-one supports the result and points to NF-κB as a potential target of both MA and compound 18.

Persistent organic pollutants are a group of chemical compounds of global concern due to the health damages caused by the exposure to them. Their capacity as endocrine disrupters is one of their main characteristics, being women in reproductive age the most vulnerable population. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of exposure to a mixture of pesticides in the menstrual cycle of a sample of 29 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 years old from El Refugio, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, a community whose predominant activity is agriculture. The participants were trained to record in a diary/ logbook all the events related to their menstrual cycle. Serum levels of sex hormones were measured by chemiluminescence, and plasma concentrations of organochlorine (OC) pesticides and the level of dialkyl phosphates metabolites (DAPs) of organophosphorus agrochemicals presented in urine were measured through gas chromatographymass spectrometry. Around 41.6 % of the participants presented some alteration in their hormonal levels, mainly of follicle-stimulating hormone and progesterone. Of these, OC pesticides in plasma were detected in 62 % (ΣOC = 1651.25 ng/g of lipid), and 66 % had detectable levels of DAPs (ΣDAP = 153.82 mg/g of creatinine). Together, these results suggest damage to the endocrine system that could be generated by exposure to a mixture of OC and organophosphorus pesticides could generate.

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