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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Calea zacatechichi is a plant with an extensive popular and ritual use in Mexico. In healthy volunteers, it induces well-being and tranquility senses, and facilitates superficial stages of sleep. However, anxiolytic, and antidepressant-like effects and changes on the sleep-waking stages have not been explored., Aim: To determine anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects of an aqueous extract of C. zacatechichi (CZ) in rodents and to analyze their effects on hippocampal activity in the rat sleep-waking cycle., Material and Methods: CZ anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects were evaluated in several mice and rat behavioral paradigms. CZ effects on temporal distribution of sleep were described, and hippocampus EEG frequency patterns were analyzed during the sleep-waking cycle; absolute and relative powers were analyzed during Rapid Eye Movements (REM) and non-REM sleep stages. CZ chemical analysis was performed by UPLC-ESI-MS., Results: CZ produced specific and robust anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in mice and rats, similar to those of prototypical drugs, at doses ranging from 0.5 to 50 mg/kg. CZ at 100 mg/kg produced visible mild sedative effects in rats, associated with a significant increase in Slow Wave Sleep episodes during a 6 h recording, and enhanced fast frequencies of hippocampus (gamma-band:31-50 Hz) during REM sleep., Conclusion: Results could support the well-being and tranquility senses reported by healthy consumers, and to explain the oneiric content during dreams and some improvements in cognitive processes described by consumers. Anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of this species, reported for first time in this study could improve some aspects of mental health., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Jatropha curcas is an oil seed plant that belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. Nontoxic genotypes have been reported in Mexico. The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the effect of a Mexican variety of J. curcas protein concentrate (JCP) on weight gain, biochemical parameters, and the expression of genes and proteins involved in insulin signaling, lipogenesis, cholesterol and protein synthesis in rats. The results demonstrated that short-term consumption of JCP increased serum glucose, insulin, triglycerides and cholesterol levels as well as the expression of transcription factors involved in lipogenesis and cholesterol synthesis (SREBP-1 and LXRα). Moreover, there was an increase in insulin signaling mediated by Akt phosphorylation and mTOR. JCP also increased PKCα protein abundance and the activation of downstream signaling pathway targets such as the AP1 and NF-κB transcription factors typically activated by phorbol esters. These results suggested that phorbol esters are present in JCP, and that they could be involved in the activation of PKC which may be responsible for the high insulin secretion and consequently the activation of insulin-dependent pathways. Our data suggest that this Mexican Jatropha variety contains toxic compounds that produce negative metabolic effects which require caution when using in the applications of Jatropha-based products in medicine and nutrition.