Biological capacities of seven Chilean ferns

Sticherus squamulosus, Hymenophyllum dentatum, Blechnum microphyllum, Polypodium Feuillei, Blechnum chilense, Lophosoria quadripinnata, and Lissopimpla excelsa are native fern species found in southern Chile and are often used in traditional medicine. However, their bioactive properties have not been confirmed. In this study, ethanolic extracts of ferns exhibited significant antibacterial capacity against human pathogens. H. dentatum and S. squamulosus were selected for further analysis owing to their antimicrobial and antioxidant capacities. The entire H. dentatum extract exhibited fungistatic and fungicidal capacity on Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium digitatum, with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 1.56 mg/mL and 6.25 mg/mL and minimum fungicidal concentration values of 6.25 mg/mL and 12.5 mg/mL, respectively. The S. squamulosus extract presented the highest rutin content (222.5 µg/g fern). In addition, the ethanolic extract of H. dentatum inhibited 91% of DPPH radicals. Therefore, both types of ferns can be used in the food industry.

Exploration of photoprotective and antibiotic activity of wild Polypodiaceae ferns from Costa Rica

Skin disorders affect millions of people all over the world. There are limited options to treat dermal illnesses such as vitiligo, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis (eczema). Central American ferns are a potential source of bioactive metabolites against those diseases. Currently, Polypodium leucotomos Poir. is the only one being commercially utilized for this purpose. In this work, we evaluated the concentration of the skin bioactive compounds: quinic and chlorogenic acid, in the extract of 20 wild ferns from Costa Rica. We also evaluated the antimicrobial capabilities of the crude extracts of wild ferns and the sun protection factor (SPF) of the extracts. We found 19 out of 20 have either an important concentration of the compounds mentioned above or antimicrobial properties. Also, most samples result in higher SPF than P. aureum's rhizome. We also have studied the fern acclimatization, at different shading conditions, finding a significant influence of the culturing conditions on metabolite production. After acclimatization. So far, we demonstrate that various ferns included in this study are a potential source of treatments for skin conditions.

Dietary supplementation of Salvinia cucullata in white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei to enhance the growth, nonspecific immune responses, and disease resistance to Vibrio parahaemolyticus

The current study investigates the effect of ethanolic extract of Salvinia cucullata (EESC) on growth, non-specific immune parameters, and disease resistance to Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Litopenaeus vannamei. The in-vitro cytotoxicity investigation was performed on shrimp hemolymph hemocytes to assess the toxicity and immunological responses with various concentrations of EESC, and no significant difference in cell viability was seen across dosages, but substantial changes in Phenol Oxidase (PO) and phagocytosis were reported. The in-vivo investigation was conducted on white shrimp for 56 days using varied amounts of 0 (control), 5 (EESC5), 10 (EESC10), and 20 (EESC20) g kg^-1 containing feeds and challenged against Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The shrimp fed the EESC10 diet gained the most weight, had the highest specific growth rate (SGR) and had a better feed conversion ratio (FCR). The highest cumulative survival percentage was noted on the EESC10 diet-fed shrimps followed by EESC20 and EESC5 groups after the bacterial challenge with V. parahaemolyticus. The results of immune parameters such as total protein, total carbohydrate, coagulation time, total hemocytes count (THC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ProPO, and phagocytosis levels were better in the EESC10 group. EESC5 and EESC20 groups were also shown better immunomodulatory effects than the control group. In conclusion, the oral administration of EESC was found to be an effective functional feed additive to improve the growth, immune parameters, and disease resistance against V. parahaemolyticus in L.vannamei.

Green Synthesis of a Novel Silver Nanoparticle Conjugated with Thelypteris glandulosolanosa (Raqui-Raqui): Preliminary Characterization and Anticancer Activity

In the last decade, the green synthesis of nanoparticles has had a prominent role in scientific research for industrial and biomedical applications. In this current study, silver nitrate (AgNO3) was reduced and stabilized with an aqueous extract of Thelypteris glandulosolanosa (Raqui-raqui), forming silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-RR). UV-vis spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) were utilized to analyze the structures of AgNPs-RR. The results from this analysis showed a characteristic peak at 420 nm and a mean hydrodynamic size equal to 39.16 nm, while the STEM revealed a size distribution of 6.64–51.00 nm with an average diameter of 31.45 nm. Cellular cytotoxicity assays using MCF-7 (ATCC® HTB-22™, mammary gland breast), A549 (ATCC® CCL-185, lung epithelial carcinoma), and L929 (ATCC® CCL-1, subcutaneous connective tissue of Mus musculus) demonstrated over 42.70% of MCF-7, 59.24% of A549, and 8.80% of L929 cells had cell death after 48 h showing that this nanoparticle is more selective to disrupt neoplastic than non-cancerous cells and may be further developed into an effective strategy for breast and lung cancer treatment. These results demonstrate that the nanoparticle surfaces developed are complex, have lower contact angles, and have excellent scratch and wear resistance.