Papaverine: A Miraculous Alkaloid from Opium and Its Multimedicinal Application.

The pharmacological actions of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids are quite substantial, and have recently attracted much attention. One of the principle benzylisoquinoline alkaloids has been found in the unripe seed capsules of Papaver somniferum L. Although it lacks analgesic effects and is unrelated to the compounds in the morphine class, it is a peripheral vasodilator and has a direct effect on vessels. It is reported to inhibit the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) phosphodiesterase in smooth muscles, and it has been observed to increase intracellular levels of cAMP and cGMP. It induces coronary, cerebral, and pulmonary artery dilatation and helps to lower cerebral vascular resistance and enhance cerebral blood flow. Current pharmacological research has revealed that papaverine demonstrates a variety of biological activities, including activity against erectile dysfunction, postoperative vasospasms, and pulmonary vasoconstriction, as well as antiviral, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, and gestational actions. It was recently demonstrated that papaverine has the potential to control SARS-CoV-2 by preventing its cytopathic effect. These experiments were carried out both in vitro and in vivo and require an extensive understanding of the mechanisms of action. With its multiple mechanisms, papaverine can be considered as a natural compound that is used to develop therapeutic drugs. To validate its applications, additional research is required into its precise therapeutic mechanisms as well as its acute and chronic toxicities. Therefore, the goal of this review is to discuss the major studies and reported clinical studies looking into the pharmacological effects of papaverine and the mechanisms of action underneath these effects. Additionally, it is recommended to conduct further research via significant pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic studies.

GC-MS analysis and pharmacological evaluations of Phoenix sylvestris (Roxb.) seeds provide new insights into the management of oxidative stress and hyperglycemia.

Phoenix sylvestris Roxb. (Arecaceae) seeds are used in the treatment of diabetes in the traditional system of medicine. The present study evaluated antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activities as well as the total phenolic and flavonoid content of the methanol extract of P. sylvestris seeds (MEPS). The constituents of the extract were identified by GC-MS analysis. MEPS demonstrated strong antioxidant activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (IC50 = 162.70 ± 14.99 µg) and nitric oxide (NO) (IC50 = 101.56 ± 9.46 µg/ml) free radicals. It also possesses a substantial amount of phenolics and flavonoids. It significantly (p < .05) reduced blood glucose levels in glucose-loaded and alloxan-induced diabetic mice at the doses of 150 and 300 mg/kg b.w., respectively. A total of 46 compounds were detected and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis, among which 8-methylisoquinoline N-oxide (32.82%) was predominant. The phytochemical study by GC-MS revealed that the MEPS possesses compounds which could be related to its antidiabetic and antioxidant activities. To recapitulate, P. sylvestris seeds can be a very good option for antidiabetic and antioxidant activity though further studies are still recommended to figure out the responsible phytochemicals and establish their exact mechanism of action.

Antidiabetic Potential of Commonly Available Fruit Plants in Bangladesh: Updates on Prospective Phytochemicals and Their Reported MoAs.

Diabetes mellitus is a life-threatening disorder affecting people of all ages and adversely disrupts their daily functions. Despite the availability of numerous synthetic-antidiabetic medications and insulin, the demand for the development of novel antidiabetic medications is increasing due to the adverse effects and growth of resistance to commercial drugs in the long-term usage. Hence, antidiabetic phytochemicals isolated from fruit plants can be a very nifty option to develop life-saving novel antidiabetic therapeutics, employing several pathways and MoAs (mechanism of actions). This review focuses on the antidiabetic potential of commonly available Bangladeshi fruits and other plant parts, such as seeds, fruit peals, leaves, and roots, along with isolated phytochemicals from these phytosources based on lab findings and mechanism of actions. Several fruits, such as orange, lemon, amla, tamarind, and others, can produce remarkable antidiabetic actions and can be dietary alternatives to antidiabetic therapies. Besides, isolated phytochemicals from these plants, such as swertisin, quercetin, rutin, naringenin, and other prospective phytochemicals, also demonstrated their candidacy for further exploration to be established as antidiabetic leads. Thus, it can be considered that fruits are one of the most valuable gifts of plants packed with a wide spectrum of bioactive phytochemicals and are widely consumed as dietary items and medicinal therapies in different civilizations and cultures. This review will provide a better understanding of diabetes management by consuming fruits and other plant parts as well as deliver innovative hints for the researchers to develop novel drugs from these plant parts and/or their phytochemicals.

Isolation, Characterization and Pharmacological Investigations of a New Phenolic Compound along with Four Others Firstly Reported Phytochemicals from Glycosmis cyanocarpa (Blume) Spreng.

Plants are serving the mankind with important bioactive phytochemicals from the very ancient ages to develop novel therapeutics against different disease states. Glycosmis cyanocarpa (Blume) Spreng is a plant from the Rutaceae family and a very less explored species from the Glycosmis genus. Thus, this present study was intended to present the chemical and biological investigation of Glycosmis cyanocarpa (Blume) Spreng. The chemical investigation resulted in the isolation of one new phenolic compound to the best of our knowledge which is (4-(3-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl)-2-methoxyphenol) (1) along with four known compounds that are isolated for the first time from this species- 3-methyl-1H-indole (2), Tri-transpoly-cis prenol-12 (3), Stigmasterol (4) and ß-sitosterol (5). Their chemical structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR, and comparison with the available literature data. Isolated phytochemicals were further investigated to unveil their antioxidant properties with IC50 values (ranged from 9.97-75.48 µg/mL), cytotoxicity with LC50 values (ranged from 1.02-1.92 µg/mL), and antibacterial properties against some selected Gram (+) ve and Gram (-) ve bacteria. Among the compounds, 3-methyl-1H-indole (2) was found to be the most active against Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, the phenolic compound (1) and the alkaloid (2) revealed the highest antioxidant (9.97 µg/mL) and cytotoxic activities (1.02 µg/mL), respectively. Thus, the isolation of these bioactive phytochemicals from the plant revealed a new perception in the study arena of drug discovery and the findings may ease the development and discovery of novel therapeutics. Further investigations are still recommended to understand their exact molecular mechanism and toxicological impact.

Chemico-Biological Profiling of Blumea lacera (Burm.f.) DC. (Family: Asteraceae) Provides New Insights as a Potential Source of Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, Antimicrobial, and Antidiarrheal Agents.

Blumea lacera (Burm.f.) DC., popular for its traditional use in different diseases, was employed in phytochemical and biological investigations. The chemical studies led to the isolation of acyclic diterpene-phytol (1) along with two fatty acids-linolenic acid (2) and oleic acid (3). All the structures were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopic analysis and first time reported from this plant. Different fractions of crude methanol extract were subjected to antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, and antidiarrheal assays. The molecular docking studies have been implemented using PyRx, UCSF Chimera, Discovery Studio, and online tools. In addition, The ADME/T analysis and PASS prediction were implemented by using PASS online tools. In the molecular docking study of antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, and antidiarrheal activity, the compounds showed strong binding affinity ranging from -4.5 to -6.2 kcal/mol. Again, all three isolated compounds met the preconditions of Lipinski's five rules for drug discovery. In DPPH free radical scavenging assay, the pet-ether and chloroform soluble fraction showed noteworthy antioxidant activity sowing promising IC50 values (10.76 µg/ml and 11.77 µg/ml, respectively), compared to the standard (6.05 µg/ml) with a total phenolic content range of 7.33-40.33 mg of GAE/gm. The pet-ether soluble fraction revealed substantial cytotoxicity showing an LC50 value of 1.03 µg/ml, compared to the standard (0.93 µg/ml). Besides, ethyl acetate soluble fraction showed moderate activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, while both ethyl acetate and pet-ether soluble fraction showed excellent dose-dependent antidiarrheal activity.

Ethnobotanical Uses, Phytochemistry, Toxicology, and Pharmacological Properties of Euphorbia neriifolia Linn. against Infectious Diseases: A Comprehensive Review.

Medicinal plants have considerable potential as antimicrobial agents due to the presence of secondary metabolites. This comprehensive overview aims to summarize the classification, morphology, and ethnobotanical uses of Euphorbia neriifolia L. and its derived phytochemicals with the recent updates on the pharmacological properties against emerging infectious diseases, mainly focusing on bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections. The data were collected from electronic databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink by utilizing several keywords like 'Euphorbia neriifolia', 'phytoconstituents', 'traditional uses', 'ethnopharmacological uses', 'infectious diseases', 'molecular mechanisms', 'COVID-19', 'bacterial infection', 'viral infection', etc. The results related to the antimicrobial actions of these plant extracts and their derived phytochemicals were carefully reviewed and summarized. Euphol, monohydroxy triterpene, nerifoliol, taraxerol, ß-amyrin, glut-5-(10)-en-1-one, neriifolione, and cycloartenol are the leading secondary metabolites reported in phytochemical investigations. These chemicals have been shown to possess a wide spectrum of biological functions. Different extracts of E. neriifolia exerted antimicrobial activities against various pathogens to different extents. Moreover, major phytoconstituents present in this plant, such as quercetin, rutin, friedelin, taraxerol, epitaraxerol, taraxeryl acetate, 3ß-friedelanol, 3ß-acetoxy friedelane, 3ß-simiarenol, afzelin, 24-methylene cycloarenol, ingenol triacetate, and ß-amyrin, showed significant antimicrobial activities against various pathogens that are responsible for emerging infectious diseases. This plant and the phytoconstituents, such as flavonoids, monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, and alkaloids, have been found to have significant antimicrobial properties. The current evidence suggests that they might be used as leads in the development of more effective drugs to treat emerging infectious diseases, including the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Biological Functions of Dillenia pentagyna Roxb. Against Pain, Inflammation, Fever, Diarrhea, and Thrombosis: Evidenced From in vitro, in vivo, and Molecular Docking Study.

Dillenia pentagyna Roxb. is traditionally used to treat cancer, wound healing, diabetes, and diarrhea in local tribes. This study was designed to evaluate the pharmacological potentiality of this plant. In vivo analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic studies of the methanol extracts of D. pentagyna (MEDP) leaves were performed by using acetic acid-induced nociception, formalin-induced paw licking, and yeast-induced pyrexia assay methods, respectively. In vivo antidiarrheal activity was carried out in mice by following castor oil-induced diarrhea and gastrointestinal transit manner. In vitro thrombolytic experiment was performed employing the clot lysis activity. Besides, a molecular docking study was performed by executing the software (PyRx, Discovery Studio, and UCSF Chimera). In the acetic acid-induced writhing study, MEDP possesses significant writhing inhibition in a dose-dependent manner. It showed 50.86% of maximum inhibition of pain in the case of MEDP at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight. In the anti-inflammatory study, maximum inhibition rate was observed at a value of 59.98 and 41.29% in early and late phases, respectively, at the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight. In the case of yeast-induced hyperpyrexia, MEDP reduced hyperpyrexia in a dose-dependent manner. In the antidiarrheal assay, MEDP moderately inhibited the occurrence of diarrhea in all the experiments. In the thrombolytic study, a moderate (17.76%) clot lysis potency has been yielded by MEDP. Again, the molecular docking simulation revealed strong binding affinities with almost all the targeted proteins. The present study suggests that the MEDP possesses remarkable pharmacological activity and this finding validated the ethnobotanical significance of D. pentagyna as the source of pain, fever, and diarrhea management agent.

Chemico-Pharmacological Screening of the Methanol Extract of Gynura nepalensis D.C. Deciphered Promising Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Potentials: Evidenced from in vitro, in vivo, and Computer-Aided Studies.

Gynura nepalensis D.C. (family: Asteraceae) has abundant uses in the alternative medicinal practice, and this species is commonly used in the treatment of diabetes, rheumatism, cuts or wounds, asthma, kidney stones, cough, urinary tract bleeding, gall bladder stones, hepatitis, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, constipation, vomiting, fertility problems, blood poisoning, septicemia, skin allergy, indigestion, high cholesterol levels, and so on. This study aims to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant potential of the methanol extract of the Gynura nepalensis D.C. (GNME) along with chemical profiling with phytochemical screening. Moreover, prospective phytocompounds have been screened virtually to present the binding affinity of the bioactive components to the hepatic and oxidative receptors. In the hepatoprotective study, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), and lipid peroxidation (LP) and total bilirubin (TB) have been assessed, and in the antioxidant study, the DPPH free radical scavenging, total antioxidant flavonoid, and phenolic contents were determined. Moreover, the molecular binding affinity of the bioactive component of the plant has been analyzed using PyRx AutoDock Vina, Chimera, and Discovery Studio software. The plant extract showed dose-dependent hepatoprotective potential (p < 0.05, 0.01, 0.001) as well as strong antioxidant properties. Moreover, hepatoprotective and antioxidant molecular docking studies revealed a result varying from −2.90 kcal/mol to −10.1 kcal/mol. 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid revealed the highest binding affinity among the selected molecules. However, the plant showed portent antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties in the in vitro, in vivo, and in silico models, and it is presumed that the hepatoprotective properties of the plant extract have occurred due to the presence of the vast bioactive chemical compounds as well as their antioxidant properties. Therefore, advanced studies are recommended to elucidate the pharmacological properties of the plant extracts.

Prospective Asian plants with corroborated antiviral potentials: Position standing in recent years.

Viral diseases are extremely widespread infections caused by viruses. Amongst numerous other illnesses, viral infections have challenged human existence severely. Over the history of mankind, new viruses have emerged and presented us with new tests. The range of viral infections varies from familiar infectious diseases such as the common cold, flu, and warts to severe ailments such as AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19. The world has been racing to find an effective cure for the newly evolving viruses. Toxic effects, non-selectivity, drug resistance, and high price are the most common complications of conventional treatment procedures. Nature is a marvelous source of phytoconstituents with incredible varieties of biological activities. By tradition, medicinal plants have been utilized for the treatment of countless infectious diseases worldwide, some of which contain a broad spectrum of activities. Modern drug discovery and development techniques offer highly efficient separation techniques, inauguration of vector-based schemes where the original infectious virus is cloned to the non-infectious one for antiviral screening targets. The objective of the review was to gather available data on 20 both cultivated and native plants of Asia giving antiviral activities and provide comprehensive information on the phytochemical analysis of the plants and potential antiviral compounds isolated from these plants.

Antidiabetic Phytochemicals From Medicinal Plants: Prospective Candidates for New Drug Discovery and Development.

Diabetes, a chronic physiological dysfunction affecting people of different age groups and severely impairs the harmony of peoples' normal life worldwide. Despite the availability of insulin preparations and several synthetic oral antidiabetic drugs, there is a crucial need for the discovery and development of novel antidiabetic drugs because of the development of resistance and side effects of those drugs in long-term use. On the contrary, plants or herbal sources are getting popular day by day to the scientists, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies all over the world to search for potential bioactive compound(s) for the discovery and development of targeted novel antidiabetic drugs that may control diabetes with the least unwanted effects of conventional antidiabetic drugs. In this review, we have presented the prospective candidates comprised of either isolated phytochemical(s) and/or extract(s) containing bioactive phytoconstituents which have been reported in several in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies possessing noteworthy antidiabetic potential. The mode of actions, attributed to antidiabetic activities of the reported phytochemicals and/or plant extracts have also been described to focus on the prospective phytochemicals and phytosources for further studies in the discovery and development of novel antidiabetic therapeutics.

Chemical, Pharmacological and Computerized Molecular Analysis of Stem's Extracts of Bauhinia scandens L. Provide Insights into the Management of Diarrheal and Microbial Infections.

Bauhinia scandens L. (Family: Fabaceae) is commonly used to treat cholera, diarrhea, asthma, and diabetes disorder in integrative medicine. This study aimed to screen the presence of phytochemicals (preliminary and UPLC-QTOF-M.S. analysis) and to examine the pharmacological activities of Bauhinia scandens L. stems (MEBS) stem extracts. Besides, in silico study was also implemented to elucidate the binding affinity and drug capability of the selected phytochemicals. In vivo anti diarrheal activity was investigated in mice models. In vitro, antibacterial and antifungal properties of MEBS against several pathogenic strains were evaluated using the disc diffusion method. In addition, in silico study has been employed using Discovery studio 2020, UCFS Chimera, PyRx autodock vina, and online tools. In the anti-diarrheal investigation, MEBS showed a significant dose-dependent inhibition rate in all three methods. The antibacterial and antifungal screening showed a remarkable zone of inhibition, of the diameter 14-26 mm and 12-28 mm, by MEBS. The present study revealed that MEBS has remarkable anti-diarrheal potential and is highly effective in wide-spectrum bacterial and fungal strains. Moreover, the in silico study validated the results of biological screenings. To conclude, MEBS is presumed to be a good source in treating diarrhea, bacterial and fungal infections.

Theoretical effectiveness of steam inhalation against SARS-CoV-2 infection: updates on clinical trials, mechanism of actions, and traditional approaches.

Steam inhalation therapy can be a contemporary approach for COVID-19 affected patients of all age groups to manage respiratory conditions, though it presently lacks the scientific backing to establish itself as a befitting practice. The age of COVID-19 has facilitated this traditional home remedy to resurface among the general mass as a helpful approach for the prevention and adjuvant treatment of the disease. In this review, the means of SARS-CoV-2 infection and impact of the parameters, namely steam inhalation and heat on such infection has been delineated via enumerating the effect of the parameters in the human body and against SARS-CoV-2. The literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar, and CNKI Scholar databases. The keywords used in the survey include 'Steam inhalation', 'SARS-CoV-2', 'COVID-19', 'Clinical study', 'Mechanism of action', 'Traditional uses', 'Phytochemistry' and 'Adverse effects'. Clinical studies concerning steam inhalation by COVID-19 patients have been comprehended to demarcate the scientific obscurity of the practice. The safety profile of the procedure has also been outlined emphasizing evading measures against COVID-19 and other related disease states. To recapitulate, application of the steam inhalation with herbal concoctions and phytochemicals having folkloric prevalence as an inhalable remedy against respiratory illnesses has been explored in this review work to focus on a new aspect in the COVID-19 treatment paradigm using steam and progress of further research hither.

Improvement of lipid profile and hepatic oxidative stress in high-fat-diet induced hyperlipidemic Swiss albino rats by Piper betle juice: evidences from in vivo and in silico studies.

Piper betle L. leaves are very popular and traditionally used to chew with betel nut in many Asian countries. In this study, P. betle leaves juice (PBJ) was subjected to evaluation for its antihyperlipidemic activity in the high-fat-diet-induced hyperlipidemic rats model. Swiss albino rats were allowed to high-fat- diet for one month, followed by concurrent administration of PBJ for another month. The rats were then sacrificed and collected blood, tissues and organs. Pharmacokinetic, toxicological studies and molecular docking studies were performed using SwissADME, admetSAR and schrodinger suit-2017. Our investigation showed a promising effect of PBJ on body weight, lipid profile, oxidative and antioxidative enzymes, and the principle enzyme responsible for the synthesis of cholesterol. PBJ at 0.5 - 3.0 mL/rat significantly reduced body weight of hyperlipidemic rats compared to control. PBJ at the doses of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 mL/rat significantly (p<0.05, p<0.01, p<0.001) improved the levels of TC, LDL-c, TG, HDL-c and VLDL-c. Similarly, PBJ doses starting from 1.0 mL/rat to 3.0 mL/rat reduced the oxidative biomarkers AST, ALT, ALP, and creatinine. The level of HMG-CoA was significantly reduced by PBJ doses 1.5, 2, and 3 ml/rat. A number of compounds have been found to have good pharmacokinetic profile and safety and 4-coumaroylquinic acid exerted the best docking score among them. Thus our findings clearly demonstrated the potential lipid-lowering activities of PBJ both in vivo and in silico studies. PBJ can be a good candidate for the development of antihyperlipidemic medication or as an alternative medicine.

Chemical, biological and protein-receptor binding profiling of Bauhinia scandens L. stems provide new insights into the management of pain, inflammation, pyrexia and thrombosis.

Bauhinia scandens L. (Family, Fabaceae) is a medicinal plant used for conventional and societal medication in Ayurveda. The present study has been conducted to screen the chemical, pharmacological and biochemical potentiality of the methanol extracts of B. scandens stems (MEBS) along with its related fractions including carbon tetrachloride (CTBS), di-chloromethane (DMBS) and n-butanol (BTBS). UPLC-QTOF-MS has been implemented to analyze the chemical compounds of the methanol extracts of Bauhinia scandens stems. Additionally, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects were performed by following the acetic acid-induced writhing test and formalin-mediated paw licking test in the mice model. The antipyretic investigation was performed by Brewer Yeast induced pyrexia method. The clot lysis method was implemented to screen the thrombolytic activity in human serum. Besides, the in silico study was performed for the five selected chemical compounds of Bauhinia scandens, found by UPLC-QTOF-MS By using Discover Studio 2020, UCSF Chimera, PyRx autodock vina and online tools. The MEBS and its fractions exhibited remarkable inhibition in dose dependant manner in the antinociceptive and antiinflammatory investigations. The antipyretic results of MEBS and DMBS were close to the standard drug indomethacin. Investigation of the thrombolytic effect of MEBS, CTBS, DMBS, and BTBS revealed notable clot-lytic potentials. Besides, the phenolic compounds of the plant extracts revealed strong binding affinity to the COX-1, COX-2, mPGES-1 and plasminogen activator enzymes. To recapitulate, based on the research work, Bauhinia scandens L. stem and its phytochemicals can be considered as prospective wellsprings for novel drug development and discovery by future researchers.

Antipyretic activity of Caesalpinia digyna (Rottl.) leaves extract along with phytoconstituent's binding affinity to COX-1, COX-2, and mPGES-1 receptors: In vivo and in silico approaches.

Caesalpinia digyna (Rottl.) (Family: Fabaceae) is well known for its numerous medicinal values against several human disorders including fever, senile pruritis, diarrhea, tuberculosis, tonic disorder, diabetes, etc. The current study is intended to investigate the in vivo antipyretic activity of the methanol extract of C. digyna leaves (MECD) and its carbon-tetrachloride (CTCD) and butanol fraction (BTCD). Besides, in silico molecular docking and ADME/T profiling of the selective identified bioactive compounds of C. digyna has been also studied to validate the experimental outcomes and establish a better insight into the possible receptor-ligand interaction affinity. In vivo antipyretic activity of MECD, CTCD and BTCD were evaluated by employing yeast induced pyrexia technique in mice model and in silico analysis of the identified compounds of C. digyna has been implemented using PyRx autodock vina, Discovery Studio 2020, UCSF Chimera software and ADME/T online tools. MECD and BTCD unveiled significant antipyretic activity in dose dependent manner whereas, CTCD failed to exhibit significant antipyretic activity. Comparing to other test sample, MECD (400 mg/kg; b.w) (p < 0.001) displayed maximum inhibition of pyrexia. In molecular docking approach, docking score between -6.60 to -10.20 kcal/mol have been revealed. Besides, in ADME/T analysis, no compound violated the lipiniski's 5 rules and displayed any toxicity. Biological and computational approaches ascertain the ethno-botanical use of C. digyna as a good agent against pyrexia and the compounds of C. digyna are primarily proved as safe. Hereafter, further analysis is suggested to validate this research.

Traditional Herbal Medicines, Bioactive Metabolites, and Plant Products Against COVID-19: Update on Clinical Trials and Mechanism of Actions.

SARS-CoV-2 is the latest worldwide pandemic declared by the World Health Organization and there is no established anti-COVID-19 drug to combat this notorious situation except some recently approved vaccines. By affecting the global public health sector, this viral infection has created a disastrous situation associated with high morbidity and mortality rates along with remarkable cases of hospitalization because of its tendency to be high infective. These challenges forced researchers and leading pharmaceutical companies to find and develop cures for this novel strain of coronavirus. Besides, plants have a proven history of being notable wellsprings of potential drugs, including antiviral, antibacterial, and anticancer therapies. As a continuation of this approach, plant-based preparations and bioactive metabolites along with a notable number of traditional medicines, bioactive phytochemicals, traditional Chinese medicines, nutraceuticals, Ayurvedic preparations, and other plant-based products are being explored as possible therapeutics against COVID-19. Moreover, the unavailability of effective medicines against COVID-19 has driven researchers and members of the pharmaceutical, herbal, and related industries to conduct extensive investigations of plant-based products, especially those that have already shown antiviral properties. Even the recent invention of several vaccines has not eliminated doubts about safety and efficacy. As a consequence, many limited, unregulated clinical trials involving conventional mono- and poly-herbal therapies are being conducted in various areas of the world. Of the many clinical trials to establish such agents as credentialed sources of anti-COVID-19 medications, only a few have reached the landmark of completion. In this review, we have highlighted and focused on plant-based anti-COVID-19 clinical trials found in several scientific and authenticated databases. The aim is to allow researchers and innovators to identify promising and prospective anti-COVID-19 agents in clinical trials (either completed or recruiting) to establish them as novel therapies to address this unwanted pandemic.

Assessment of pharmacological activities of Lygodium microphyllum Cav. leaves in the management of pain, inflammation, pyrexia, diarrhea, and helminths: In vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches.

Lygodium microphyllum Cav. (Family: Lygodiaceae) is a perennial, snake fern and an invasive weed in Florida and also known as old world climbing fern. This study is intended to evaluate the antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal and anthelmintic activity of methanol extract of Lygodium microphyllum Cav. leaves (MELM) by in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches. In addition, Biovia, PyRx autoDock Vina, UCSF Chimera have been applied to investigate the docking study in order to evaluate the binding interaction and an online tool was used to explore the ADME/T properties of selected bioactive compounds. In acetic acid induced writhing study, MELM inhibited 44.28% and 56.61% of writhes at 200 and 400 (mg/kg) respectively compared to standard drug Diclofenac-Na (10 mg/kg) (74.42% inhibition). In anti-inflammatory experiment by formalin triggered licking method, MELM caused significant (p < 0.05) inhibition of licking in both early phase (42.97%, 63.30%) and late phase (43.35%, 63.03%) at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively, whereas reference drug Ibuprofen inhibited paw licking 77.18% in early phase and 76.86% in late phase. MELM also showed promising antipyretic potential where the maximum reduction of fever was produced by MELM 400 mg/kg whose fever lowering capacity is close to the prescribe drug Indomethacin 4 mg/kg, i.p. In Castor oil triggered diarrhea method, MELM delayed the onset time of diarrhea, continuous persistence of wet feces, and decreased the weight of wet feces remarkably. Defection inhibition was achieved 27.56% and 51.72%, for MELM 200 and at 400 (mg/kg) respectively while loperamide 2 (mg/kg) yields 55.17% inhibition of the diarrheal defecation. In anthelmintic bioassay, MELM took 5.83 ± 0.83 and 41.67 ± 1.78 min respectively for paralyzing and death compared to standard drug albendazole; (paralysis time 4.00 ± 0.73 min and death time 31,00 ± 1.71 min). Isoeleutherol, isoquercetin and quercetin were found prominent in molecular docking study and ADME/T analysis verified their drug likeliness. The research validates the moderate analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and remarkable antipyretic, antidiarrheal, anthelmintic activities of the plant extract which can be used an alternative source of novel therapeutics.

Antidiarrheal, antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of methanol extract of Colocasia gigantea Hook. f. leaves: evidenced from in vivo and in vitro studies along with computer-aided approaches.

BACKGROUND: Colocasia gigantea, locally named as kochu is well-known due to its various healing power. This research is to investigate the antidiarrheal, antimicrobial and antioxidant possibilities of the methanol soluble extract of Colocasia gigantea. METHODS: The antidiarrheal investigation was performed by using in vivo castor oil-induced diarrheal method whereas in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant investigation have been implemented by disc diffusion and DPPH scavenging method respectively. Moreover, in silico studies were followed by molecular docking analysis of several secondary metabolites that were appraised with Schrödinger-Maestro v11.1 and Biovia Discovery Studio. RESULTS: The induction of plant extract (200 and 400 mg/kg, b.w, p.o) has minimized the castor oil mediated diarrhea by 16.96% (p < 0.01) and 38.89% (p < 0.001) respectively compared to control group. The methanol extract of C. gigantea showed mild sensitivity against almost all the tested strains but it shows high consistency of phenolic content and yielded 67.68 µg/mL of IC50 value in the DPPH test. In the PASS prediction, selected isolated compounds have demonstrated significant antidiarrheal and antimicrobial activity following the Lipinski drug rules which have ascertained efficacy with the compounds in molecular docking study. CONCLUSION: The results of this scientific research reflects that the methanol soluble extract of C. gigantea is safe and may provide possibilities of alleviation of diarrhea along with being a potential wellspring of antioxidant and antimicrobial agents which can be considered as an alternate source for exploration of new medicinal products in near future.

Pharmacological and computer-aided studies provide new insights into Millettia peguensis Ali (Fabaceae).

Millettia peguensis, popular for its ethnopharmacological uses, was employed to evaluate its different pharmacological properties in this study. The analgesic studies of the plant have been performed by acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced licking tests respectively, whereas the antidiarrheal experiment was done by castor oil-induced diarrheal test. Besides, antioxidant, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, thrombolytic evaluations were performed by DPPH scavenging with phenol content determination, brine shrimp lethality, disc diffusion and clot lysis methods respectively. Moreover, in silico study of the phytoconstituents was carried out by molecular docking and ADME/T analysis. The methanol extract of Millettia peguensis (MEMP) revealed significant biological activity in the analgesic and antidiarrheal test (p < 0.001) compared to the standards. Antioxidant assay displayed promising IC50 values (15.96 µg/mL) with the total phenol content (65.27 ± 1.24 mg GAE/g). In the cytotoxicity study, the LC50 value was found to be 1.094 µg/mL. Besides, MEMP was highly sensitive to the bacteria but less liable to clot lysis. Furthermore, phytoconstituents exposed potential binding affinity towards the selected receptors, whereas the ADME/T properties indicated the drug likeliness of the plant. The outcomes of these findings suggest the therapeutic potential of this plant against pain, diarrhea, inflammation, and tissue toxicity.