The Phytochemistry of Ganoderma Species and their Medicinal Potentials.

The Ganoderma genus is known for its diverse use as a functional food and therapeutic agent. This fungus has over 428 species, with Ganoderma lucidum being the most studied. The Ganoderma species produce several secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds like polysaccharides, phenols, and triterpenes, which are largely responsible for their therapeutic properties. Throughout this review, several extracts obtained from Ganoderma species have been studied to delve into their therapeutic characteristics and mechanisms. Such properties like immunomodulation, antiaging, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities have been demonstrated by several Ganoderma species and are supported by a large body of evidence. Although its phytochemicals play a vital role in its therapeutic properties, identifying the therapeutic potentials of fungal-secreted metabolites for human health-promoting benefits is a challenging task. Identification of novel compounds with distinct chemical scaffolds and their mechanism of action could help suppress the spread of rising pathogens. Thus, this review provides an updated and comprehensive overview of the bioactive components in different Ganoderma species and the underlying physiological mechanisms.

Curcuma longa L. Prevents the Loss of ß-Tubulin in the Brain and Maintains Healthy Aging in Drosophila melanogaster.

Loss of tubulin is associated with neurodegeneration and brain aging. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) has frequently been employed as a spice in curry and traditional medications in the Indian subcontinent to attain longevity and better cognitive performance. We aimed to evaluate the unelucidated mechanism of how turmeric protects the brain to be an anti-aging agent. D. melanogaster was cultured on a regular diet and turmeric-supplemented diet. ß-tubulin level and physiological traits including survivability, locomotor activity, fertility, tolerance to oxidative stress, and eye health were analyzed. Turmeric showed a hormetic effect, and 0.5% turmeric was the optimal dose in preventing aging. ß-tubulin protein level was decreased in the brain of D. melanogaster upon aging, while a 0.5% turmeric-supplemented diet predominantly prevented this aging-induced loss of ß-tubulin and degeneration of physiological traits as well as improved ß-tubulin synthesis in the brain of D. melanogaster early to mid-age. The higher concentration (≥ 1%) of turmeric-supplemented diet decreased the ß-tubulin level and degenerated many of the physiological traits of D. melanogaster. The turmeric concentration-dependent increase and decrease of ß-tubulin level were consistent with the increment and decrement data obtained from the evaluated physiological traits. This correlation demonstrated that turmeric targets ß-tubulin and has both beneficial and detrimental effects that depend on the concentration of turmeric. The findings of this study concluded that an optimal dosage of turmeric could maintain a healthy neuron and thus healthy aging, by preventing the loss and increasing the level of ß-tubulin in the brain.

Radioprotective Effects of Plants from the Lamiaceae Family.

BACKGROUND: Edible and medicinal plants are still an interesting source of promising biologically active substances for drug discovery and development. At a time of increasing cancer incidence in the world, alleviating the bothersome side effects of radiotherapy in debilitated cancer patients is becoming an important challenge. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to overview the literature data concerning the radioprotective activity of extracts, essential oils, and some chemical compounds obtained from 12 species belonging to the Lamiaceae family, gathering of numerous spice and medicinal plants rich in valuable phytochemicals. RESULTS: The analysis of available publications showed radioprotective effectiveness of essential oils and complex extracts containing phenolic acids and flavonoids in various in vitro and in vivo models. Relatively welldocumented preventive properties exhibited the following species: Mentha × piperita, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Origanum vulgare, and Rosmarinus officinalis. However, few plants such as Lavandula angustifolia, Mentha arvensis, M. spicata, Plectranthus amboinicus, Salvia miltiorrhiza, S. officinalis, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Zataria multiflora should be more investigated in the future. Among the mechanisms of radioprotective effects of well-studied extracts and phytochemicals, it can be mentioned mainly the protection against chromosomal damage, scavenging free radicals, decreasing of lipid peroxidation and elevating of glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and alkaline phosphatase enzyme levels as well as the reduction of the cell death. The plant substances protected the gastrointestinal tract, bone marrow and lung fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: The studied species of Lamiaceae family and their active chemical compounds are potent in alleviating the side effects of radiotherapy and should be considered as a complementary therapy.

Development and Evaluation of Thermosensitive Hydrogels with Binary Mixture of Scutellariae baicalensis radix Extract and Chitosan for Periodontal Diseases Treatment.

Scutellaria baicalensis root displays anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties due to the presence of flavonoids, particularly baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin. Our work aimed at developing thermosensitive hydrogels containing a binary mixture of S. baicalensis radix lyophilized extract and chitosan as a novel approach for periodontal diseases treatment. Two types of chitosan were employed in preliminary studies on binary mixtures with S. baicalensis radix lyophilized extract standardized for baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin. Thermosensitive hydrogels were prepared of poloxamer 407, alginate sodium, and cellulose derivatives and evaluated in terms of rheological and mucoadhesive behavior. The presence of chitosan altered the release profile of active compounds but did not affect their in vitro permeation behavior in PAMPA assay. The synergistic effects of S. baicalensis radix lyophilized extract and chitosan toward ferrous ion-chelating activity, inhibition of hyaluronidase, and pathogen growth were observed. The thermosensitive gelling system showed shear-thinning properties, gelation temperature between 25 and 27 °C, and favorable mucoadhesiveness in contact with porcine buccal mucosa, which was enhanced in the presence of binary mixture of S. baicalensis radix extract and chitosan. The release tests showed that baicalin and baicalein were liberated in a prolonged manner with a fast onset from hydrogel formulations.

Spike protein recognizer receptor ACE2 targeted identification of potential natural antiviral drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), also known as peptidyl-dipeptidase A, belongs to the dipeptidyl carboxydipeptidases family has emerged as a potential antiviral drug target against SARS-CoV-2. Most of the ACE2 inhibitors discovered till now are chemical synthesis; suffer from many limitations related to stability and adverse side effects. However, natural, and selective ACE2 inhibitors that possess strong stability and low side effects can be replaced instead of those chemicals' inhibitors. To envisage structurally diverse natural entities as an ACE2 inhibitor with better efficacy, a 3D structure-based-pharmacophore model (SBPM) has been developed and validated by 20 known selective inhibitors with their correspondence 1166 decoy compounds. The validated SBPM has excellent goodness of hit score and good predictive ability, which has been appointed as a query model for further screening of 11,295 natural compounds. The resultant 23 hits compounds with pharmacophore fit score 75.31 to 78.81 were optimized using in-silico ADMET and molecular docking analysis. Four potential natural inhibitory molecules namely D-DOPA (Amb17613565), L-Saccharopine (Amb6600091), D-Phenylalanine (Amb3940754), and L-Mimosine (Amb21855906) have been selected based on their binding affinity (-7.5, -7.1, -7.1, and -7.0 kcal/mol), respectively. Moreover, 250 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirmed the structural stability of the ligands within the protein. Additionally, MM/GBSA approach also used to support the stability of molecules to the binding site of the protein that also confirm the stability of the selected four natural compounds. The virtual screening strategy used in this study demonstrated four natural compounds that can be utilized for designing a future class of potential natural ACE2 inhibitor that will block the spike (S) protein dependent entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cell.

Plant Preparations and Compounds with Activities against Biofilms Formed by Candida spp.

Fungi from the genus Candida are very important human and animal pathogens. Many strains can produce biofilms, which inhibit the activity of antifungal drugs and increase the tolerance or resistance to them as well. Clinically, this process leads to persistent infections and increased mortality. Today, many Candida species are resistant to drugs, including C. auris, which is a multiresistant pathogen. Natural compounds may potentially be used to combat multiresistant and biofilm-forming strains. The aim of this review was to present plant-derived preparations and compounds that inhibit Candida biofilm formation by at least 50%. A total of 29 essential oils and 16 plant extracts demonstrate activity against Candida biofilms, with the following families predominating: Lamiaceae, Myrtaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Apiacae. Lavandula dentata (0.045-0.07 mg/L), Satureja macrosiphon (0.06-8 mg/L), and Ziziphora tenuior (2.5 mg/L) have the best antifungal activity. High efficacy has also been observed with Artemisia judaica, Lawsonia inermis, and Thymus vulgaris. Moreover, 69 plant compounds demonstrate activity against Candida biofilms. Activity in concentrations below 16 mg/L was observed with phenolic compounds (thymol, pterostilbene, and eugenol), sesquiterpene derivatives (warburganal, polygodial, and ivalin), chalconoid (lichochalcone A), steroidal saponin (dioscin), flavonoid (baicalein), alkaloids (waltheriones), macrocyclic bisbibenzyl (riccardin D), and cannabinoid (cannabidiol). The above compounds act on biofilm formation and/or mature biofilms. In summary, plant preparations and compounds exhibit anti-biofilm activity against Candida. Given this, they may be a promising alternative to antifungal drugs.

Cannabidiol in Neurological and Neoplastic Diseases: Latest Developments on the Molecular Mechanism of Action.

As the major nonpsychotropic constituent of Cannabis sativa, cannabidiol (CBD) is regarded as one of the most promising therapeutic agents due to its proven effectiveness in clinical trials for many human diseases. Due to the urgent need for more efficient pharmacological treatments for several chronic diseases, in this review, we discuss the potential beneficial effects of CBD for Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and neurological cancers. Due to its wide range of pharmacological activities (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties), CBD is considered a multimodal drug for the treatment of a range of neurodegenerative disorders, and various cancer types, including neoplasms of the neural system. The different mechanisms of action of CBD are here disclosed, together with recent progress in the use of this cannabis-derived constituent as a new therapeutic approach.

Plant Phenolics and Extracts in Animal Models of Preeclampsia and Clinical Trials-Review of Perspectives for Novel Therapies.

The current health requirements set the direction in pharmacological research, especially as regards diseases that require improvement of existing therapeutic regimens. Such diseases include preeclampsia, which is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy during which there occurs progressive increasing activation of the immune system through elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and antiangiogenic factors, which is dangerous for the mother and fetus. A promising field of research for new drugs to treat this disease is the study of natural phenolic compounds of plant origin and herbal extracts, which are complex matrices of chemical compounds with broad biological activities. Many plant substances with anti­inflammatory and anti­hypertensive properties are known, but studies in animal models of preeclampsia and clinical trials concerning this disease constitute a new and developing research trend of significant medical importance. The aim of our research review was to identify and analyze the results of already available studies on baicalin, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, punicalagin, quercetin, resveratrol, salvianolic acid A (danshensu), silibinin, and vitexin, as well as plant extracts from Brassica oleracea L., Euterpe oleracea Mart., Moringa oleifera Lam., Punica granatum L., Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertner, Thymus schimperi Ronniger, Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Miq. ex Havil., and Vitis vinifera L., which are potential and promising candidates for further research and for potential new therapies.

Extracts and Flavonoids of Passiflora Species as Promising Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Substances.

There is increasing interest in evaluating anti-inflammatory activities of plant substances such as extracts and flavonoid rich fractions. A promising source of new medicinal drugs may be species from the Passifloraceae family. The most interesting group of principal chemical substances in Passiflora species are polyphenolic compounds, including flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, apigenin, luteolin, chrysin, and C-glycosylflavones i.e., vitexin, isovitexin, orientin, isoorientin), due to their antioxidant activity demonstrated in various studies. However, each extract from Passiflora spp. as multi-component mixtures should be estimated for chemical composition (in the standardization process) and its activity using in vitro and in vivo tests. The current standard for drug discovery and development from plants indicates that only collective assessment allows estimating plant substances by definition of the origin of raw materials and their quality, methods of extractions, and metabolite profiles. Increasingly, due to complex phytochemical procedures to obtain extracts, individual flavonoid compounds are also tested for anti-inflammatory action. However, it should be emphasized that various sources of potential new drugs from plant origin are not mutually exclusive, but are complementary. A review of bibliographic data includes the following information about Passiflora species, such as distribution, classification, phytochemical compounds, the anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts, the anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoids, and antioxidant potential. The review concluded that extracts and flavonoids (mainly quercetin, apigenin, and vitexin) from Passiflora spp. can be a valuable source of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative medications for the prevention and treatment of many diseases, which occur with complex inflammatory processes.

Essential Oils of Lamiaceae Family Plants as Antifungals.

The incidence of fungal infections has been steadily increasing in recent years. Systemic mycoses are characterized by the highest mortality. At the same time, the frequency of infections caused by drug-resistant strains and new pathogens e.g., Candida auris increases. An alternative to medicines may be essential oils, which can have a broad antimicrobial spectrum. Rich in the essential oils are plants from the Lamiaceae family. In this review are presented antifungal activities of essential oils from 72 Lamiaceae plants. More than half of these have good activity (minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) < 1000 µg/mL) against fungi. The best activity (MICs < 100) have essential oils from some species of the genera Clinopodium, Lavandula, Mentha, Thymbra, and Thymus. In some cases were observed significant discrepancies between different studies. In the review are also shown the most important compounds of described essential oils. To the chemical components most commonly found as the main ingredients include ß-caryophyllene (41 plants), linalool (27 plants), limonene (26), ß-pinene (25), 1,8-cineole (22), carvacrol (21), α-pinene (21), p-cymene (20), γ-terpinene (20), and thymol (20).

Antibacterial Activity of Some Flavonoids and Organic Acids Widely Distributed in Plants.

Among natural substances widespread in fruits, vegetables, spices, and medicinal plants, flavonoids and organic acids belong to the promising groups of bioactive compounds with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of 13 common flavonoids (flavones, flavonols, flavanones) and 6 organic acids (aliphatic and aromatic acids). The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of selected plant substances were determined by the micro-dilution method using clinical strains of four species of pathogenic bacteria. All tested compounds showed antimicrobial properties, but their biological activity was moderate or relatively low. Bacterial growth was most strongly inhibited by salicylic acid (MIC = 250-500 µg/mL). These compounds were generally more active against Gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa than Gram-positive ones: Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. An analysis of the antibacterial effect of flavone, chrysin, apigenin, and luteolin showed that the presence of hydroxyl groups in the phenyl rings A and B usually did not influence on the level of their activity. A significant increase in the activity of the hydroxy derivatives of flavone was observed only for S. aureus. Similarly, the presence and position of the sugar group in the flavone glycosides generally had no effect on the MIC values.