Dr. Francisco Cruz-Sosa is Professor of "Organic Chemistry" at the Metropolitan Autonomous University "Iztapalapa" of Mexico City since 1989. Her research focus on projects which normally involves a concerted multidisciplinary approach in the discovery of bioactive agents from plant derived natural products. Certain novel strategies have been carried out based on the expertise and funds available at their disposal. His group has been working with plants which produce natural products that exhibit anticancer, anti VHI, antimicrobial, hypoglycemic and others activities. These molecules play a key role in human medicine. However, plants typically produce these compounds in low quantities, and harvesting plant natural products is frequently expensive, time-consuming and environmentally damaging. Plant cell culture provides a renewable, easily scalable source of plant material. Production: since 1990, about 50 papers have been published in international peer-reviewed journals (indexed in Scopus or Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition). Supervisors: Dra. Edith Ponce Director of Biological and Health Sciences Division
In vitro induction of haustoria from Castilleja tenuiflora Benth. was achieved by applying 25 µM ... more In vitro induction of haustoria from Castilleja tenuiflora Benth. was achieved by applying 25 µM catechin, 25 µM vanillin, or 25 µM H 2 O 2. Of the treatments tested, 25 µM vanillin was the strongest inducer of haustoria in C. tenuiflora roots in vitro (up to 3 haustoria per root). Haustorium development occurred laterally and was observable 14 d after inducer application. It was characterized by elongation of the epidermal cells and division of the inner cortical cells which also possessed abundant nuclei. Histochemical analysis using 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and diphenylboric acid 2-aminoethyl ester (DBPA) indicated that the formation of haustoria was associated with the accumulation of H 2 O 2 and flavonoids.
Sphaeralcea angustifolia is used in Mexican traditional medicine to treat inflammatory processes.... more Sphaeralcea angustifolia is used in Mexican traditional medicine to treat inflammatory processes. SCopoletin (SC), TOmentin (TO), and sphaeralcic acid (SA) were reported as the main anti-inflammatory compounds in this species. The aim of this study was to establish in vitro conditions for the development of calli and cell suspension cultures that are the producers of these active compounds. Callus cultures of plant leaf explants were set up using different auxin levels of a-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in combination with a constant concentration (0.1 mg L-1) of Kinetin (Kn) in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Optimal combinations for callus induction were 1.0 and 2.0 mg L-1 of NAA. SC, TO, and SA were not detected in callus tissues. Employing a 4 % inoculum in fresh biomass, cell suspension was established from friable callus with 1.0 mg L-1 of NAA in combination with 0.1 mg L-1 of Kn in MS liquid medium (27.4 mM nitrate). The cellular suspension synthesized SC and SA, SC was excreted into the culture medium, while SA was excreted into the culture medium and accumulated in biomass. To improve SC and SA production, total nitrate content was reduced in MS medium. On diminishing nitrate content to 2.74 mM, cellular suspension growth was not modified. SC concentration (0.04 %) was 60-fold higher than that detected in the wild plant (0.00067 %), TO was produced (0.096 %), and SA content (0.0036 %) was not improved. SA production in MS medium with 0.274 mM nitrate (0.004 %) was enriched 12-fold (0.0003 %) in relation to that of the wild plant. The anti-inflammatory effects at 5 h of intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration (100 mg per kg BW) of dichloromethane extracts from the medium (42 ± 3 %) and biomass (39 ± 9.3 %) of S. angustifolia cell suspensions cultivated in MS with 2.74 mM nitrate were similar. The effect of the biomass dichloromethane extract was dose dependent with a median Effective Dose (ED 50) of 137.63 mg per kg BW.
Buddleja cordata is a medicinal plant distributed in Mexican territory that is characterized for ... more Buddleja cordata is a medicinal plant distributed in Mexican territory that is characterized for producing phenolic compounds possessing antioxidant activity. It was evaluated the type of morphogenetic responses induced by plant growth regulators. Furthermore, the content of verbascoside and total phenols was determined, as well as the antioxidant activity in regenerated plantlets. The greatest shoot proliferation (29.2 shoots per explant) was achieved in the stem-nodes that were grown in a half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 4.44 M N6-benzyladenine. The greatest shoot heights of 4.3 and 4.7 cm (statistically not dierent) were obtained with gibberellic acid at 4.34 and 8.67 M, respectively. The highest percentage of rooting (89.4%) occurred with 2.45-M indole-3-butyric acid with 20.3 roots per shoot and an average root length of 4.4 cm. Of the rooted shoots, 91.7% were able to survive after 30 days of acclimatization. The verbascoside (1.0 mg g1) and total phenols (24.8 mg of gallic acid equivalents g1) content was related to antioxidant activity of the regenerated plantlets. The micropropagation of B. cordata might represent an alternative about massive production and depict the basis of the establishment of commercial crops and genetic studies
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widespread environmental pollutants of natural and ant... more Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widespread environmental pollutants of natural and anthropogenic origins. Despite their poor water solubility, they can be taken up and bioaccumulated by plants. The effect of PAH on selected plant (Festuca arundinacea and Bouteloua curtipendula) at early grown stage was evaluated under in vitro conditions. Plant species were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with three different PAH: phenanthrene (PHE), pyrene (PYR), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). PAH plant accumulation and distribution were evaluated with GC and HPLC. To date, number phytoremediation mechanisms of pollutants removal are known, including: (i) degradation (phyto-and rhizodegradation), (ii) removal (phytoextraction, phytovolatilization) and (iii) immobilization (phytoestabilization). The objective of this study was to identify the phytoremediation mechanisms of selected plants use to control and/or remove PAH from MS medium. To accomplish the task, plant samples, after ...
A partir de explantes de embriones cigóticos y megagametofitos fueron inducidos cultivos organogé... more A partir de explantes de embriones cigóticos y megagametofitos fueron inducidos cultivos organogénicos de Dioon merolae del estado de Chiapas (México), cícada en peligro de extinción. El medio de inducción Litz consistió en los macronutrientes del medio B5, los micronutrientes del medio MS y los compuestos orgánicos glutamina (400mg·l-1) arginina (100mg·l-1), asparagina (100mg·l-1), sacarosa (60g·l-1), gellan-gum (4g), y suplementado con 0; 0,45; 2,26; 4,52 y 9,05μM αcido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético (2,4-D), y 0; 2,32; 4,60; 9,30 y 13,90μM kinetina (K), con un arreglo de 5´5 con un diseño de bloque seleccionado al azar. Los cultivos fueron mantenidos en oscuridad a 25°C y el callo fue subcultivado en medio fresco cada cuatro semanas. La iniciación del callo ocurrió en un amplio rango de combinaciones de reguladores de crecimiento en explantes de megagametofito. El callo en explantes de embriones cigóticos se formó en pocas combinaciones. La formación de brotes adventicios ocurrió solo ...
In this work the importance of soluble dietary fibers in the human diet is discussed. Traditional... more In this work the importance of soluble dietary fibers in the human diet is discussed. Traditional and new sources of soluble dietary fiber are mentioned, and a description of how to apply them in different types of beverages such as energy drinks, sport drinks, carbonated beverages and protein-based beverages in order to achieve enhanced functional properties is given.
In vitro induction of haustoria from Castilleja tenuiflora Benth. was achieved by applying 25 µM ... more In vitro induction of haustoria from Castilleja tenuiflora Benth. was achieved by applying 25 µM catechin, 25 µM vanillin, or 25 µM H 2 O 2. Of the treatments tested, 25 µM vanillin was the strongest inducer of haustoria in C. tenuiflora roots in vitro (up to 3 haustoria per root). Haustorium development occurred laterally and was observable 14 d after inducer application. It was characterized by elongation of the epidermal cells and division of the inner cortical cells which also possessed abundant nuclei. Histochemical analysis using 3,3-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and diphenylboric acid 2-aminoethyl ester (DBPA) indicated that the formation of haustoria was associated with the accumulation of H 2 O 2 and flavonoids.
Sphaeralcea angustifolia is used in Mexican traditional medicine to treat inflammatory processes.... more Sphaeralcea angustifolia is used in Mexican traditional medicine to treat inflammatory processes. SCopoletin (SC), TOmentin (TO), and sphaeralcic acid (SA) were reported as the main anti-inflammatory compounds in this species. The aim of this study was to establish in vitro conditions for the development of calli and cell suspension cultures that are the producers of these active compounds. Callus cultures of plant leaf explants were set up using different auxin levels of a-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in combination with a constant concentration (0.1 mg L-1) of Kinetin (Kn) in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Optimal combinations for callus induction were 1.0 and 2.0 mg L-1 of NAA. SC, TO, and SA were not detected in callus tissues. Employing a 4 % inoculum in fresh biomass, cell suspension was established from friable callus with 1.0 mg L-1 of NAA in combination with 0.1 mg L-1 of Kn in MS liquid medium (27.4 mM nitrate). The cellular suspension synthesized SC and SA, SC was excreted into the culture medium, while SA was excreted into the culture medium and accumulated in biomass. To improve SC and SA production, total nitrate content was reduced in MS medium. On diminishing nitrate content to 2.74 mM, cellular suspension growth was not modified. SC concentration (0.04 %) was 60-fold higher than that detected in the wild plant (0.00067 %), TO was produced (0.096 %), and SA content (0.0036 %) was not improved. SA production in MS medium with 0.274 mM nitrate (0.004 %) was enriched 12-fold (0.0003 %) in relation to that of the wild plant. The anti-inflammatory effects at 5 h of intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration (100 mg per kg BW) of dichloromethane extracts from the medium (42 ± 3 %) and biomass (39 ± 9.3 %) of S. angustifolia cell suspensions cultivated in MS with 2.74 mM nitrate were similar. The effect of the biomass dichloromethane extract was dose dependent with a median Effective Dose (ED 50) of 137.63 mg per kg BW.
Buddleja cordata is a medicinal plant distributed in Mexican territory that is characterized for ... more Buddleja cordata is a medicinal plant distributed in Mexican territory that is characterized for producing phenolic compounds possessing antioxidant activity. It was evaluated the type of morphogenetic responses induced by plant growth regulators. Furthermore, the content of verbascoside and total phenols was determined, as well as the antioxidant activity in regenerated plantlets. The greatest shoot proliferation (29.2 shoots per explant) was achieved in the stem-nodes that were grown in a half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 4.44 M N6-benzyladenine. The greatest shoot heights of 4.3 and 4.7 cm (statistically not dierent) were obtained with gibberellic acid at 4.34 and 8.67 M, respectively. The highest percentage of rooting (89.4%) occurred with 2.45-M indole-3-butyric acid with 20.3 roots per shoot and an average root length of 4.4 cm. Of the rooted shoots, 91.7% were able to survive after 30 days of acclimatization. The verbascoside (1.0 mg g1) and total phenols (24.8 mg of gallic acid equivalents g1) content was related to antioxidant activity of the regenerated plantlets. The micropropagation of B. cordata might represent an alternative about massive production and depict the basis of the establishment of commercial crops and genetic studies
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widespread environmental pollutants of natural and ant... more Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widespread environmental pollutants of natural and anthropogenic origins. Despite their poor water solubility, they can be taken up and bioaccumulated by plants. The effect of PAH on selected plant (Festuca arundinacea and Bouteloua curtipendula) at early grown stage was evaluated under in vitro conditions. Plant species were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with three different PAH: phenanthrene (PHE), pyrene (PYR), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). PAH plant accumulation and distribution were evaluated with GC and HPLC. To date, number phytoremediation mechanisms of pollutants removal are known, including: (i) degradation (phyto-and rhizodegradation), (ii) removal (phytoextraction, phytovolatilization) and (iii) immobilization (phytoestabilization). The objective of this study was to identify the phytoremediation mechanisms of selected plants use to control and/or remove PAH from MS medium. To accomplish the task, plant samples, after ...
A partir de explantes de embriones cigóticos y megagametofitos fueron inducidos cultivos organogé... more A partir de explantes de embriones cigóticos y megagametofitos fueron inducidos cultivos organogénicos de Dioon merolae del estado de Chiapas (México), cícada en peligro de extinción. El medio de inducción Litz consistió en los macronutrientes del medio B5, los micronutrientes del medio MS y los compuestos orgánicos glutamina (400mg·l-1) arginina (100mg·l-1), asparagina (100mg·l-1), sacarosa (60g·l-1), gellan-gum (4g), y suplementado con 0; 0,45; 2,26; 4,52 y 9,05μM αcido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético (2,4-D), y 0; 2,32; 4,60; 9,30 y 13,90μM kinetina (K), con un arreglo de 5´5 con un diseño de bloque seleccionado al azar. Los cultivos fueron mantenidos en oscuridad a 25°C y el callo fue subcultivado en medio fresco cada cuatro semanas. La iniciación del callo ocurrió en un amplio rango de combinaciones de reguladores de crecimiento en explantes de megagametofito. El callo en explantes de embriones cigóticos se formó en pocas combinaciones. La formación de brotes adventicios ocurrió solo ...
In this work the importance of soluble dietary fibers in the human diet is discussed. Traditional... more In this work the importance of soluble dietary fibers in the human diet is discussed. Traditional and new sources of soluble dietary fiber are mentioned, and a description of how to apply them in different types of beverages such as energy drinks, sport drinks, carbonated beverages and protein-based beverages in order to achieve enhanced functional properties is given.
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compounds possessing antioxidant activity. It was evaluated the type of morphogenetic responses induced by plant growth
regulators. Furthermore, the content of verbascoside and total phenols was determined, as well as the antioxidant activity
in regenerated plantlets. The greatest shoot proliferation (29.2 shoots per explant) was achieved in the stem-nodes that
were grown in a half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 4.44 M N6-benzyladenine. The greatest shoot
heights of 4.3 and 4.7 cm (statistically not dierent) were obtained with gibberellic acid at 4.34 and 8.67 M, respectively.
The highest percentage of rooting (89.4%) occurred with 2.45-M indole-3-butyric acid with 20.3 roots per shoot and an
average root length of 4.4 cm. Of the rooted shoots, 91.7% were able to survive after 30 days of acclimatization. The
verbascoside (1.0 mg g1) and total phenols (24.8 mg of gallic acid equivalents g1) content was related to antioxidant
activity of the regenerated plantlets. The micropropagation of B. cordata might represent an alternative about massive
production and depict the basis of the establishment of commercial crops and genetic studies
compounds possessing antioxidant activity. It was evaluated the type of morphogenetic responses induced by plant growth
regulators. Furthermore, the content of verbascoside and total phenols was determined, as well as the antioxidant activity
in regenerated plantlets. The greatest shoot proliferation (29.2 shoots per explant) was achieved in the stem-nodes that
were grown in a half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 4.44 M N6-benzyladenine. The greatest shoot
heights of 4.3 and 4.7 cm (statistically not dierent) were obtained with gibberellic acid at 4.34 and 8.67 M, respectively.
The highest percentage of rooting (89.4%) occurred with 2.45-M indole-3-butyric acid with 20.3 roots per shoot and an
average root length of 4.4 cm. Of the rooted shoots, 91.7% were able to survive after 30 days of acclimatization. The
verbascoside (1.0 mg g1) and total phenols (24.8 mg of gallic acid equivalents g1) content was related to antioxidant
activity of the regenerated plantlets. The micropropagation of B. cordata might represent an alternative about massive
production and depict the basis of the establishment of commercial crops and genetic studies