- Colon cancer is the fourth most common in the Americas region.
- Each year there are more than 240,000 new cases and approximately 112,000 deaths.
- The cempasuchil flower has phenolic and carotenoid compounds that can be synthesized into gold nanoparticles that are useful in treatments against this tumor.
One of the elements that give the Day of the Dead more distinction is the cempasuchil flower. Its color and aroma give personality to this special date for all Mexicans. Although beyond the celebration, for centuries it has been mentioned that this plant contains medicinal properties against certain types of diseases such as colon cancer.
A plant with an ancient history
To begin with, this flower was considered sacred by the Mexica. While currently an annual production of 19 thousand 442 tons. The figure represents a value greater than 93.4 million pesos, so it is of great support for the national economy.
Also known as the “20-petal flower”, it is one of the most representative elements of the Day of the Dead offerings. During this time of the year is when it can be seen most in all corners of the country.
Now, to learn more about the properties of cempasúchil, a research group from the Cinvestav Queretaroheaded by Alejandro Manzano Ramírez, carried out an investigation.
According to Karen Magaly Soto Martínez, postdoctoral fellow at Cinvestav and part of the working group, each year there is a great waste of cempasúchil after harvesting. Day of the Dead season. So they proposed to analyze the compounds of this flower to devise some way to take advantage of them.
Medicinal properties of cempasuchil
This is how they decided to use some of their phenolic compounds and carotenoids to synthesize gold nanoparticles useful in treatments against colon cancer.
By adding the cempasuchil substances, it was sought to provide the gold nanoparticles with better cytotoxic effects against cancer cells. At the same time, the compounds in the flower helped stabilize the particles by providing them with electrons.
In Mexico, the presence of 35 species of cempasúchil of the 58 referred to for America is estimated, and it is in the states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Michoacán and the State of Mexico where its production is concentrated, since they have the best soil and climate conditions, due to because it only blooms after the rainy season.
Although the main use of this flower is ornamental in the offering of Day of the Dead, science offers new alternatives with the intention of providing added value to this crop and can be more profitable for producers.
Current landscape of colon cancer
One of the biggest problems with tumors is that they can develop anywhere in the body. With respect to colon cancerits severity is so great that it is already the fourth most frequent in the region of the Americas. Each year there are more than 240,000 new cases and approximately 112,000 deaths due to this disease.
As with other neoplasms, the sooner the disease is identified, the more likely it is to be cured. In this case, the drawback is that the first symptoms of colon cancer are confused with other minor illnesses. Therefore, people know about their condition until it is at an advanced stage.
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