Figure 1.

Developmental defects and the mechanisms of teratogenicity of the main compounds identified in Mexican plants. (a) In the upper part, this fragment of the Florentino codex shows the importance of the role that plants played in the pre-Hispanic Mexican culture (a reflection of the current one). Hallucinogenic plants, from top: tlapatl, nanacatl, peyotl, and tolo (bottom) used by the ancient indigenous people to stimulate the nervous system, for ritual or medicinal purposes as in love sickness [129]. (b) Four of the following teratogenic plants most used by the Mexican population as medicine or food are depicted: Astragalus mollissimus [130]; Artemisia annua [131]; Silybum marianum [132], and Manihot esculenta [133]. At the bottom of the fragment, we find the responsible compound, the part of the plant in which the compound predominates, the proposed mechanisms of teratogenicity, and the observed teratogenic effects. (c) A 12.5 GD mouse embryo is shown inside its amniotic sac to represent the teratogenic mechanisms identified in Mexican plants that can affect its development. Although the exact mechanisms have not been fully clarified, the authors suspect that the main mechanisms in the observed teratogenic effect are as follows: oxidative stress; ischemia; enzymatic inhibition; alteration in levels of estrogens; cytotoxicity; apoptosis; interference with cellular mitosis; restricted fetal movements, among others. It is noteworthy that such alterations can be produced not only by a single mechanism, but also by the interaction of several of these.