The hypocotyls of Lepidium meyenii (Red Maca) were collected in September 2018 in the district of Carhuamayo, Province of Junin at 4000 m above sea level, in the Valle Mantaro, Peru. Once collected, the specimen was identified from the "Herbarium Truxillense de la Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas de ABSTRACT Introduction: Lepidium meyenii, known with the vernacular name of "Maca" , is a Brassicaceae family that has been widely used by Peruvian traditional medicine in cases of sexual dysfunction, memory loss, and several other diseases and pathologies. Objetive: The aim of the study was to test the potential effects of aqueous extract of Red Maca (AQ-RM) on antidepressant-like behavioral in male rats and spatial memory in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Methods: Forced swimming test was used to examine the potential antidepressant AQ-RM activity in male rats. Fluoxetine and amitryptiline were included as reference drugs. Morris Water Maze test was employed to examine the effect of AQ-RM on spatial memory in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Such effects were compared to exogenous estradiol administration. The potential role of oxidative stress on spatial memory loss was assessed by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in rats brain homogenates. Results: AQ-RM enhances swimming and climbing activities while reducing the time of immobility in male rats. Meanwhile, it prevents the decrease in the time spent in the target quadrant and displays higher values in the number of crossings in OVX-rats as compared to OVX-control rats. MDA levels in brain homogenates were decreased in OVX-rats receiving AQ-RM. Conclusion: Oral administration of AQ-RM has anti-depressive application in male rats; and increases the ability of learning and memory in OVX rats.

Clinopodium sericeum is widely used in Peruvian folk medicine in the form of infusion to treat stomach distress, indigestion and antiflu. In this study, the essential oil from C. sericeum was obtained by hydrodistillation, analyzed by GC and GC/MS, and 73 compounds were identified. Major components of the oil were b-germacrene-D (15%), b-caryophyllene (13.8%), and sabinene (11.2%). Furthermore, we assessed the in vitro biological activities displayed by the oil obtained from the aerial parts of C. sericeum, namely the antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities. The antioxidant activities of the essential oil were evaluated by FRAP, CUPRAC, ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activity. The essential oil displays antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains (MIC 50-200 µg/mL) in a dose-range close to standard antibiotics. Such activity may be related to the presence of terpene compounds. The antiproliferative activity of the essential oil was measured in vitro using the MTT colorimetric assay in healthy non-tumorigenic cells (HEK-293) and in three human cancer cell lines (T24, DU-145, and MCF-7). The calculated IC50 values were around 0.2 mg/mL. Since the essential oil was almost devoid of antioxidant activity, its anti-proliferative action is unlikely related to oxidative stress and relies on other unknown mechanisms.

The Solar-Chemical Photo-Friedel-Crafts Heteroacylation of 1,4-Quinones. -A simple procedure using sunlight irradiation (30 h within 6 days) is presented for the acylation of 1,4-quinones with heteroaromatic aldehydes. -(BENITES, J.; RIOS, D.; DIAZ, P.; VALDERRAMA*, J. A.; Tetrahedron Lett. 52 (2011) 5, 609-611, http://dx.

The phytochemical characterization of the hydroalcoholic extract of Mangifera indica leaves L. cv. Kent (MS2) was determined by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. Eight metabolites were identified, these include: benzophenone derivatives and xanthones. Using ovariectomized rats (OVX), our findings suggest that EM2 exhibited an estrogenic effect by increasing the number of cornified cells in vaginal tissue. Furthermore, EM2 demonstrated a high antioxidant effect by reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in OVX rat bone. We conclude that the polyphenolic compounds present in EM2 could increase the number of cornified cells and act as exogenous antioxidant agents against oxidative damage in OVX rats.

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