235 research outputs found
Intriguing diverse chemistry and unique molecular mechanisms: new medicines with diverse pharmacological activities from cephalopods ink
No full textThe ink that cephalopods secrete to hide and frighten the enemies contains a treasury rich in bioactive diverse compounds like DOPA, melanin, melanin synthase, tyrosinase, angiotensin converting enzyme, catecholamines, oligopeptides, polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, polysaccharides, fatty acids and minerals. These
groups of the aforementioned compounds have promising unique in-vitro and in-vivo biological activities like antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory, vasopressin, anti-Parkinson, anti-cancer, anticoagulant, antimicrobial, anti-retroviral, anti-ulcerogenic and immune boosting activities. Cephalopods ink can be offered in its
raw state or after separation and purification of its chemical constituents for use as natural medicine to treat many diverse diseases
Suppression of breast cancer: modulation of estrogen receptor and downregulation of gene expression using natural products
No full textThe main cause of cancer death among women is breast cancer. The most common type of breast cancer is the estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Discovery of estrogen receptor provided a highly effective target for treatment of hormone-dependent breast cancer. Selective estrogen receptor inhibitors are useful for halting the growth of breast cancer cells and inducing apoptosis. Tamoxifen, a popular selective estrogen receptor modulator, can treat breast cancer but also has unfavourable side effects due to its estrogenic activity in other tissues. Many herbal remedies and bioactive natural compounds, such as genistein, resveratrol, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, prenylated isoflavonoids, zearalenol, coumestrol, pelargonidin, delphinidin, and biochanin A, have the ability to specifically modulate the estrogen receptor alpha. Moreover, several of these compounds speed up cell death by supressing estrogen receptor gene expression. This opens wide avenue to introduce number of natural medicines with a revolutionary therapeutic impact and few side effects
Herbal medicine: the magic way crouching microbial resistance
No full textBacterial resistance to antibiotics poses a high level of danger worldwide. Bacterial resistance mechanisms are spreading globally, impeding our ability to treat common infectious diseases. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics accelerate microbial resistance
to antibiotics. Despite the exerted efforts, none of the newly developed antibiotics are expected to be effective against the dangerous forms of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Since many plants have been shown to contain powerful antimicrobial compounds
that can act synergistically or alternatively to antibiotics, the demand for herbal medicines has recently increased to cotreat microbes that are resistant to antibiotics. Maximum benefit can be achieved when the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
of natural products match the antibiotic. This review article refers to nine highly effective and key herbs to use alongside antibiotics to overcome crises of antibiotic resistance. Their unique molecular mechanisms of action have been highlighted
Unveiling the chemical profiling and remarkable modulation of carbohydrate metabolism by costus root, Dolomiaea costus (Falc.) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats
No full textEthnopharmacological relevance: Dolomiaea costus (Falc.), formerly Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch., an ayurvedic medicinal plant, has long been recognized and utilized in diverse indigenous systems of medicine for its multifaceted therapeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory, carminative, expectorant, antiarthritic, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, anodyne, and antidiabetic effects. Aim of the study: The potential and underlying mechanisms of D. costus root as an antidiabetic agent were investigated in this study. Additionally, the quantification of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, which dominate the extracts, was of particular interest in order to elucidate their contribution to the observed effects. Materials and methods: High-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was employed to analyze the chemical constituents in D. costus root aqueous extract (DCA) and D. costus root ethanolic extract (DCE). Furthermore, the inhibitory potentials of DCE and its respective fractions as well as DCA against α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and lipase enzymes were assessed. Subsequently, the efficacy of DCA and DCE extracts was evaluated using an established streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic animal model; this involved administering the extracts at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg bwt. and comparing them
with a positive control (glibenclamide (Glib.) at 0.6 mg/kg bwt.). After induction of diabetes (except for negative control), all animals received the treatments orally for 21 days consecutively, followed by the collection of rat serum to assess various parameters including, glycemic and lipid profiles, liver and kidney functions, antioxidant activity, glycolysis, and gluconeogenesis pathways. Results: The results of HPLC-ESI-MS/MS revealed that isochlorogenic acid A (8393.64 μg/g) and chlorogenic acid (6532.65 μg/g) were the predominant compounds in DCE and DCA, respectively. Both extracts exhibited notable antidiabetic properties, as evidenced by their ability to regulate blood glycemic and lipid profiles (glucose, insulin, HBA1C; HDL, TC, TGs), liver enzymes (ALT, ALP, AST), kidney function (urea, creatinine, uric acid), oxidative stress biomarkers (MDA), antioxidant enzymes (CAT, GSH, SOD), as well as glycolysis (glucokinase) and gluconeogenesis (G-6-P, FBP1) pathways.
Conclusions: Furthermore, the administration of D. costus extracts significantly mitigated STZ-induced diabetic hyperglycemia. These results can be attributed, at least partially, to the presence of several polyphenolic compounds with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities
Dolomiaea costus: an untapped mine of sesquiterpene lactones with wide magnificent biological activities
No full textDolomiaea costus (Falc.) Kasana & A.K. Pandey Family Asteraceae,
formerly known as Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch contains a rich
treasury of diverse bioactive compounds such as monoterpenes,
sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, sterols, cardenolides, flavonoids, coumarins,
lignans, phenylpropanoids and alkaloids. The sesquiterpene
lactones, costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone in D. costus,
possess unique promising in vitro and in vivo biological activities
for the prevention and cure of diverse ailments like Parkinson’s
disease, oxidative stress, hyperpigmentation, ulcerative colitis,
breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, colon cancer, prostate
cancer, ovarian cancer, leukemia, stomach cancer, prostate cancer,
lung cancer, osteosarcoma, neuroblastoma, allergy, type 2 diabetes,
hepatotoxicity, bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, thrombosis
and various microbial infections. Costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone
are potential drug candidates that could lead to the
development of new medications for a variety of difficult-to-treat
diseases
inhibitors: A safeguard against hypertension, respiratory distress syndrome, and chronic kidney diseases
No full textHypertension is a serious concern as it is one of the causes of kideny failure and pulmonary fibrosis. An important therapeutic strategy for treating chronic hypertension is to inhibit the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). ACE inhibition reduces kidney damage, pulmonary artery pressure, and high blood pressure. Due to their high efficacy and low risk of side effects, natural renin-angiotensin system inhibitors have drawn increasing attention over the past decades. Alkaloids, amino acids, anthocyanidins, flavonoids, glucosinolates, isoflavonoids, phenolic acids, polyphenolics, and triterpenoids are among the bioactive metabolites pocessing an impressive ACE inhibitory activity. Many herbs including Rosmarinus officinalis, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Curcuma longa, Rauwolfia serpentina, Emblica officinalis, Cynara scolymus, Punica granatum, Mucuna pruriens, Capsicum annuum, and Moringa olifera were found having ACE inhibitory activities comparable to captopril and enalpril. These enticing natural ACE inhibitors deserve to be a safeguard medicine against hypertension, respiratory distress syndrome, and chronic kidney diseases. More clinical trials are required before new natural compounds and herbs can be used to treat chronic hypertension and its ramifications, such as respiratory distress syndrome and kidney failure
Baseline Assessment for the Development of ICARDA’s Interactive Capacity Development Platform on Agricultural Water Management in Dry Areas
No full textThe report addresses water scarcity in dry regions, emphasizing the critical need for a digital e-learning platform tailored to water management. It highlights ICARDA's role in bridging knowledge gaps and improving agricultural practices amid climate challenges. Existing platforms provide high-quality, multilingual content but often suffer from outdated materials, low interactivity, and insufficient contextualization for arid environments. The authors recommend developing a new platform that integrates practical training, real-world applications, and strong institutional partnerships, ensuring accessibility and relevance for practitioners and policymakers in dryland areas
A new firewall in the fight against breast cancer: in-vitro and in-silico studies correlating chemistry to apoptotic activity of Otostegia fruticosa
No full textBreast cancer is the most devastating disease for women. There is a great demand for new sources to treat this disease. Medicinal plants are an indispensable source of bioactive compounds with wide range of pharmacological activities. In-vitro cytotoxic activity of Otostegia fruticosa methanolic extract against human breast
cancer was studied using MCF-7 cell line. The extract showed mildly potent activity (IC50 1⁄4 51 ± 9.836 mg/mL) in comparison to the standard anticancer doxorubicin (IC50 1⁄4 7.467 ± 1.05 mg/mL). Potential compounds responsible for activity have been identified using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) module on the
major compounds detected by HPLC-MS/MS technique against estrogen alpha receptor (ERaþ: PDB ID 2JF9). 3,5-di-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, hyperoside and rutin showed similar binding and antagonistic interaction with the estrogen alpha receptor as tamoxifen in several poses. The retrieved results confirm that we can
add this plant to a powerful arsenal that combats this insidious disease
A new arsenal of polyphenols to make Parkinson's disease extinct: HPLC-MS/MS profiling, very interesting MAO-B inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity of Otostegia fruticosa
No full textFifteen compounds belong to phenolic acids, derivatives of phenolic acids, iridoids, xanthones and flavonoids were characterized in the methanolic extract of Otostegia fruticosa leaves using HPLC-MS/MS. Extract has been also investigated for its MAO-B inhibitory activity, antioxidant activity, total phenolic and total flavonoid content. The extract exhibited interesting MAO-B inhibitory activity (IC50; 2.24 ± 0.08) compared to the reference compound selegiline (0.55 ± 0.02 mg/mL). It also showed a potent antioxidant activity proven in both DPPH and ORAC assay methods. The extract showed an IC50 of 3.64 ± 1.22 mg/mL in the DPPH test which was significantly lower than that of the standard ascorbic acid which attained an IC50 of 18.3 ± 1.41 mg/mL. Moreover, in the oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay (ORAC) the extract showed a decline in the IC50 to 3.48 ± 1.16 mg/mL as compared to the standard Trolox which exhibited an IC50 of 27.0 ± 13.41
Cardiorenal syndrome
No full textCardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease. Heart failure may lead to acute kidney injury and vice versa. Chronic kidney disease may affect the clinical outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disorders. Renal impairment with any degree of albuminuria has been increasingly recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events and heart failure hospitalizations, while chronic heart failure may cause chronic kidney disease. The bidirectional nature of these disorders contributes to the complexity and the composite definitions of cardiorenal syndromes. However, the most important clinical trials in heart failure tend to exclude patients with significant renal dysfunction. The mechanisms whereby renal insufficiency worsens the outcome in heart failure are not known, and several pathways could contribute to the ‘‘vicious heart/kidney circle.’’ Traditionally, renal impairment has been attributed to the renal hypoperfusion due to reduced cardiac output and decreased systemic pressure. The hypovolemia leads to sympathetic activity, increased renin-angiotensin aldosterone pathway, and arginine-vasopressin release. These mechanisms cause fluid and sodium retention, peripheral vasoconstriction, and volume overload. Therapy to improve renal dysfunction, reduce neurohormonal activation and ameliorate renal blood flow could lead to a reduction in mortality and hospitalization in patients with cardiorenal syndrome
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