A Systematic Review of Phytochemistry, Nutritional Composition, and Pharmacologic Application of Species of the Genus Viola in Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs).

Viola L. is the largest genus of the Violaceae family with more than 500 species across the globe. The present extensive literature survey revealed Viola species to be a group of important nutritional and medicinal plants used for the ethnomedicinal treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, asthma, lung diseases, and fatigue. Many plant species of this genus have also received scientific validation of their pharmacological activities including neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, anticancer, antihypertensive, antidyslipidemic, analgesic, antipyretic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, and antioxidant. Viola is highly rich in different natural products some of which have been isolated and identified in the past few decades; these include flavonoids terpenoids and phenylpropanoids of different pharmacological activities. The pharmacokinetics and clinical studies on this genus are lacking, and the present review is aimed at summarizing the current understanding of the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, nutritional composition, and pharmacological profile of medicinal plants from the Viola genus to reveal its therapeutic potentials, gaps, and subsequently open a new window for future pharmacological research.

Attenuation of hyperglycemia-associated dyslipidemic, oxidative, cognitive, and inflammatory crises via modulation of neuronal ChEs/NF-κB/COX-2/NOx, and hepatorenal functional deficits by the Tridax procumbens extract.

Tridax procumbens (cotton buttons) is a flowering plant with a medicinal reputation for treating infections, wounds, diabetes, and liver and kidney diseases. The present research was conducted to evaluate the possible protective effects of the T. procumbens methanolic extract (TPME) on an experimentally induced type 2 diabetes rat model. Wistar rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes were randomly allocated into five groups of five animals each, viz., a normal glycemic group (I), diabetic rats receiving distilled water group (II), diabetic rats with 150 (III) and 300 mg/kg of TPME (IV) groups, and diabetic rats with 100 mg/kg metformin group (V). All treatments were administered for 21 consecutive days through oral gavage. Results: Administration of the T. procumbens extract to diabetic rats significantly restored alterations in levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), body weight loss, serum and pancreatic insulin levels, and pancreatic histology. Furthermore, T. procumbens significantly attenuated the dyslipidemia (increased cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in diabetic rats), serum biochemical alterations (alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine phosphatase (ALP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, uric acid, and urea) and full blood count distortion in rats with STZ-induced diabetes. The TPME also improved the antioxidant status as evidenced by increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA); and decreased levels of cholinesterases (acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)), and proinflammatory mediators including nuclear factor (NF)-κB, cyclooxygenase (COX)- 2, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) in the brain of rats with STZ-induced diabetes compared to rats with STZ-induced diabetes that received distilled water. However, TPME treatment failed to attenuate the elevated monoamine oxidases and decreased dopamine levels in the brain of rats with STZ-induced diabetes. Extract characterization by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) identified isorhamnetin (retention time (RT)= 3.69 min, 8.8%), bixin (RT: 25.06 min, 4.72%), and lupeol (RT: 25.25 min, 2.88%) as the three most abundant bioactive compounds that could be responsible for the bioactivity of the plant. In conclusion, the TPME can be considered a promising alternative therapeutic option for managing diabetic complications owing to its antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects in rats with STZ-prompted diabetes.

Identification of DPP4/CTNNB1/MET as a Theranostic Signature of Thyroid Cancer and Evaluation of the Therapeutic Potential of Sitagliptin.

In recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer has been increasing globally, with papillary thyroid cancer (PTCa) being the most prevalent pathological type, accounting for approximately 80% of all cases. Although PTCa has been regarded to be slow growing and has a good prognosis, in some cases, PTCa can be aggressive and progress despite surgery and radioactive iodine treatment. In addition, most cancer treatment drugs have been shown to be cytotoxic and nonspecific to cancer cells, as they also affect normal cells and consequently cause harm to the body. Therefore, searching for new targets and therapies is required. Herein, we explored a bioinformatics analysis to identify important theranostic markers for THCA. Interestingly, we identified that the DPP4/CTNNB1/MET gene signature was overexpressed in PTCa, which, according to our analysis, is associated with immuno-invasive phenotypes, cancer progression, metastasis, resistance, and unfavorable clinical outcomes of thyroid cancer cohorts. Since most cancer drugs were shown to exhibit cytotoxicity and to be nonspecific, herein, we evaluated the anticancer effects of the antidiabetic drug sitagliptin, which was recently shown to possess anticancer activities, and is well tolerated and effective. Interestingly, our in silico molecular docking results exhibited putative binding affinities of sitagliptin with DPP4/CTNNB1/MET signatures, even higher than standard inhibitors of these genes. This suggests that sitagliptin is a potential THCA therapeutic, worthy of further investigation both in vitro and in vivo and in clinical settings.