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Protoplasts are plant cells from which the pectocellulosic cell wall has been removed, thus keeping the plasma membrane intact. For plant secondary metabolites research, this system is a powerful tool to study the metabolites' dynamics inside the cells, such as the subcellular localization of proteins, characterization of gene function, transcription factors involved in metabolite pathways, protein transport machinery, and to perform single-cell omics studies. Due to its lack of a cell wall, better images of the interior of the cell can be obtained compared to the whole tissue. This allows the identification of specific cell types involved in the accumulation of specialized metabolites, such as alkaloids, given their autofluorescence properties. Here is a simplified protocol to obtain protoplasts from leaves and in vitro cell cultures from Argemone mexicana, which produces the pharmacologically important alkaloids berberine and sanguinarine.

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Argemone mexicana L. has been used in traditional Mexican medicine. Among its bioactive constituents, berberine (BER) has garnered attention for its cytotoxic properties against different tumor cell lines. This study investigates the in vitro toxicity against HEP-G2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and murine lymphoma (L5178Y-R) cells using the MTT assay of the methanol extract (AmexM), sub-partitions of A. mexicana, and BER. Selectivity indices (SIs) were determined by comparing their cytotoxic effects on VERO (monkey kidney epithelial) and PBMC (human peripheral blood mononuclear) non-tumoral cells. Additionally, the anti-hemolytic effect of these treatments was assessed using the AAPH method. The treatment with the most promising activity against tumor cells and anti-hemolytic efficacy underwent further evaluation for toxicity in Artemia salina and antioxidant activities using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. BER demonstrated an IC50 = 56.86 µg/mL in HEP-G2 cells and IC50 < 5.0 µg/mL in L5178Y-R cells, with SI values of 15.97 and >5.40 in VERO and PBMC cells, respectively. No significant hemolytic effects were observed, although AmexM and BER exhibited the highest anti-hemolytic activity. BER also demonstrated superior antioxidant efficacy, with lower toxicity in A. salina nauplii compared to the control. Additionally, BER significantly attenuated nitric oxide production. This study highlights the antiproliferative effects of A. mexicana, particularly BER, against HEP-G2 and L5178Y-R tumor cell lines, along with its selectivity towards normal cells. Furthermore, its anti-hemolytic and antioxidant potentials were demonstrated, suggesting that BER is a promising candidate for potent chemotherapeutic agents.

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Historically, the poppy plant has had multiple uses including as a food product and with medical uses in pain relief; today it is most commonly known as the plant from which heroin is derived. The United Nations international drug control regime currently only allows legal poppy production for medical use in 19 countries. Although Mexico is the third largest illegal poppy producer in the world, no Latin American country is currently allowed to legally produce poppies. Meanwhile, the United States and Canada are experiencing an overdose crisis due in large part to the adulteration and substitution of heroin with fentanyl and its analogues, while the price of opium gum has dropped 80% in the last two years in poppy producing areas of Mexico. The prohibition of opium has wide ranging health and development impacts that bring up a moral imperative regarding the safe supply of diverse opium-based products -including opium gum and heroin- that urgently need to be explored and addressed. Opium gum can be used orally or smoked, reducing riskier modes of administration and possible fatal overdoses. This article discusses the political and legal possibilities of safely supplying opium gum and manually extracted heroin from Mexico to Canada as a public health, harm reduction and development policy.

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Abstract In this study, the sugar used in the gluten-free cake was substituted with 75% grape molasses. In addition, the gluten-free flour mixture used in the cake formulation was prepared as a combination of rice flour (75%), chickpea flour (15%)and carrot flour (10%). This mixture was replaced separately with 5% grape seed, pomegranate seed, flaxseed, poppy seed and turmeric to improve the nutritional composition of gluten-free cakes. Supplemented cakes contained higher ash, crude protein, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity values than gluten-free control sample. Cake samples containing pomegranate seed and flaxseed had higher contents of Ca, P and K than control cakes. In addition, flaxseed and poppy seed containing cakes were found richer in terms of Mn and Mg than control. Utilization of grape molasses together with grape seed, pomegranate seed, flaxseed, poppy seed and turmeric in formulation caused a reduction in volume index of cake samples. The hardness values of the gluten-free cakes were generally higher than that of the control. Cakes containing flaxseed and poppy seed scored higher in sensory analysis than other substituted samples. Based on these results, the use of grape molasses with flaxseed and poppy seed can be recommended for the production of gluten-free cakes with acceptable sensory properties and high total phenolic content and antioxidant activity.

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Nature is God's gift to human beings. Natural products are a source of new chemical diversity and are the choice of today's world. Nature itself gives remedy to all our health problems. The sources of natural product are plants, animals and microorganisms. Among them plant and its products are more reliable for its renewability and therefore, considered as fortunate thing for human welfare. Our traditional system of medicine which has been followed by our ancestors has its own impact on human life. Due to the inadequate knowledge many plant derived products (drugs) has not yet been explored to the society. We are having many side effects and long term complications in synthetic drugs. Our aim is to mine the precious data about the plant Argemone mexicana. Now-a-days people prefer a drug which has no side effects. For that, the plant Argemone mexicana is a boon to the human being as it has a number of miraculous compounds to cure a various types of diseases. Single plant has a lot of uncountable benefits in drug discovery and which gives a base for new drug discovery. This plant is a weed, easily available and it does not require any special care which forms the base to develop a drug in socio economic form so that it could be made available to all people. This chapter provides an insight into various interesting pharmacological properties viz., Antidiabetic activity , Anti-Cancer activity, Anti-HIV activity, CNS related activities, Wound recovering action, Anti microbial activity, Antioxidant activity, Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic activity, Hepatoprotective activity, Anti-fertility activity, Antiallergic activity, Nematicidal activity, Allelopathic effect, Antihelmintic activity, Larvicidal activity, Antifeedant action etc., which has been reviewed from different literatures in scientific journals. This present review would kindle many of the young minds to turn towards the nature i.e., plant based novel drug discovery with in-depth and extensive studies in all relevant aspects. Hence the paramount importance of this review about Argemone mexicana will be very much useful to the society.

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JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Devido à finalidade do ambulatório e os fármacos utilizados rotineiramente, o objetivo deste estudo foi rever e atualizar os conhecimentos sobre os receptores opioides e como complemento de estudo após palestra apresentada aos integrantes da equipe. CONTEÚDO: Foram revisados desde os aspectos históricos até os conhecimentos mais recentes sobre receptores opioides, descritos seus subtipos e mecanismos de ação. Para tal, foram consultadas referências indexadas pelo Pubmed. CONCLUSÃO: Com os dados presentes na literatura atual, concluiu-se que ainda existe muito a ser pesquisado sobre o tópico, visando medicações mais seguras e novas técnicas biomoleculares ainda são necessárias.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Due to the objective of the outpatient setting and to routinely used drugs, this study aimed at reviewing and updating the knowledge about opioid receptors and worked as a study complement after a lecture presented to team members. CONTENTS: We have reviewed from historical aspects to most recent developments about opioid receptors, in addition to describing subtypes and action mechanisms. For such, Pubmed-indexed references were queried. CONCLUSION: After reviewing current literature data, we have concluded that there is still a lot to be researched about the topic, aiming at safer drugs, and new biomolecular techniques are still needed.

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