Chapter 8: The chemical constituents and biological activities of Cnidoscolus chayamansa McVaugh, a Mexican medicinal species, and plant cell cultures for the production of bioactive secondary metabolites.

Cnidoscolus chayamansa, commonly known as Chaya, belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, and the Cnidoscolus genus is composed of approximately 50–75 species, of which 20 are endemic to Mexico. C. chayamansa is used as a food supplement in southeastern Mexico and has been used medicinally to treat diabetes, rheumatism, and gastrointestinal, diuretic, and antihypertensive disorders. Leaves of this plant contain important essential metabolites, such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids, and various secondary metabolite types have been identified in this species, such as phenolic compounds, terpenoids, alkaloids and traces of cyanogenic glycosides. These compounds have been associated with the biological activities of this medicinal plant, including antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and hypocholesterolemic activities, among others, with antioxidant, hypoglycemic and toxicological evaluation being the most studied for C. chayamansa. Recently, a cell suspension culture from C. chayamansa was established for the production of LUAC, a major secondary metabolite with anti-inflammatory activity but with a low final yield, at a higher rate than in the wild plant.