Role of the renin-angiotensin system in the pathophysiology of coronary heart disease and heart failure: Diagnostic biomarkers and therapy with drugs and natural products.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a pivotal role in blood pressure regulation. In some cases, this steering mechanism is affected by various deleterious factors (mainly via the overactivation of the RAS) causing cardiovascular damage, including coronary heart disease (CHD) that can ultimately lead to chronic heart failure (CHF). This not only causes cardiovascular disability and absenteeism from work but also imposes significant healthcare costs globally. The incidence of cardiovascular diseases has escalated exponentially over the years with the major outcome in the form of CHD, stroke, and CHF. The involvement of the RAS in various diseases has been extensively researched with significant limelight on CHD. The RAS may trigger a cascade of events that lead to atherosclerotic mayhem, which causes CHD and related aggravation by damaging the endothelial lining of blood vessels via various inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways. Although there are various diagnostic tests and treatments available in the market, there is a constant need for the development of procedures and therapeutic strategies that increase patient compliance and reduce the associated side effects. This review highlights the advances in the diagnostic and treatment domains for CHD, which would help in subjugating the side effects caused by conventional therapy.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.)-Derived Phytochemicals Target Multiple Signaling Pathways to Confer Oncopreventive and Oncotherapeutic Effects.

Cancer is a highly lethal disease, and its incidence has rapidly increased worldwide over the past few decades. Although chemotherapeutics and surgery are widely used in clinical settings, they are often insufficient to provide the cure for cancer patients. Hence, more effective treatment options are highly needed. Although licorice has been used as a medicinal herb since ancient times, the knowledge about molecular mechanisms behind its diverse bioactivities is still rather new. In this review article, different anticancer properties (antiproliferative, antiangiogenic, antimetastatic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects) of various bioactive constituents of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) are thoroughly described. Multiple licorice constituents have been shown to bind to and inhibit the activities of various cellular targets, including B-cell lymphoma 2, cyclin-dependent kinase 2, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinases, mammalian target of rapamycin, nuclear factor-κB, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, vascular endothelial growth factor, and matrix metalloproteinase-3, resulting in reduced carcinogenesis in several in vitro and in vivo models with no evident toxicity. Emerging evidence is bringing forth licorice as an anticancer agent as well as bottlenecks in its potential clinical application. It is expected that overcoming toxicity-related obstacles by using novel nanotechnological methods might importantly facilitate the use of anticancer properties of licorice-derived phytochemicals in the future. Therefore, anticancer studies with licorice components must be continued. Overall, licorice could be a natural alternative to the present medication for eradicating new emergent illnesses while having just minor side effects.