Revisiting the ethnomedicinal, ethnopharmacological, phytoconstituents and phytoremediation of the plant Solanum viarum Dunal.

Solanum viarum, a perennial shrub, belongs to the family Solanaceae known for its therapeutic value worldwide. As a beneficial remedial plant, it is used for treating several disorders like dysentery, diabetes, inflammation, and respiratory disorders. Phytochemistry studies of this plant have shown the presence of steroidal glycoside alkaloids, including solasonine, solasodine, and solamargine. It also has flavonoids, saponins, minerals, and other substances. S. viarum extracts and compounds possess a variety of pharmacological effects, including antipyretic, antioxidant, antibacterial, insecticidal, analgesic, and anticancer activity. Most of the heavy metals accumulate in the aerial sections of the plant which is considered a potential phytoremediation, a highly effective method for the treatment of metal-polluted soils. We emphasize the forgoing outline of S. viarum, as well as its ethnomedicinal and ethnopharmacological applications, the chemistry of its secondary metabolites, and heavy metal toxicity. In addition to describing the antitumor activity of compounds and their mechanisms of action isolated from S. viarum, liabilities are also explained and illustrated, including any significant chemical or metabolic stability and toxicity risks. A comprehensive list of information was compiled from Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science using different key phrases (traditional use, ethnomedicinal plants, western Himalaya, Himachal Pradesh, S viarum, and biological activity). According to the findings of this study, we hope that this review will inspire further studies along the drug discovery pathway of the chemicals extracted from the plant of S. viarum. Further, this review shows that ethnopharmacological information from ethnomedicinal plants can be a promising approach to drug discovery for cancer and diabetes.

α-Viniferin, a dietary phytochemical, inhibits Monoamine oxidase and alleviates Parkinson's disease associated behavioral deficits in a mice model.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Behavioral complexities worsen over time due to progressive dopaminergic (DArgic) neuronal loss at substantia nigra region of brain. Available treatments typically aim to increase dopamine (DA) levels at striatum. DA is degraded by Monoamine oxidase (MAO), thus dietary phytochemicals with MAO inhibitory properties can contribute to elevate DA levels and reduce the ailment. Characterization of naturally occurring dietary MAO inhibitors is inadequate. Based on available knowledge, we selected different classes of molecules and conducted a screening process to assess their potential as MAO inhibitors. The compounds mostly derived from food sources, broadly belonging to triterpenoids (ursane, oleanane and hopane), alkaloid, polyphenolics, monoterpenoids, alkylbenzene, phenylpropanoid and aromatic alcohol classes. Among all the molecules, highest level of MAO inhibition is offered by α-viniferin, a resveratrol trimer. Cell viability, mitochondrial morphology and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation remained unaltered by 50 µM α-viniferin treatment in-vitro. Toxicity studies in Drosophila showed unchanged gross neuronal morphology, ROS level, motor activity or long-term survival. α-Viniferin inhibited MAO in mice brain and elevated striatal DA levels. PD-related akinesia and cataleptic behavior were attenuated by α-viniferin due to increase in striatal DA. Our study implies that α-viniferin can be used as an adjunct phytotherapeutic agent for mitigating PD-related behavioral deterioration.

Hypo-osmotic Stress Increases Permeability of Individual Barriers in Escherichia coli Cell Envelope, Enabling Rapid Drug Transport.

Survival of foodborne Gram-negative bacteria during osmotic stress often leads to multidrug resistance development. However, despite the concern, how osmoadaptation alters drug penetration across the Gram-negative bacterial cell envelope has remained inconclusive for years. Here, we have investigated drug permeation and accumulation inside hypo-osmotically shocked Escherichia coli. Three different quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are used as cationic amine-containing drug representatives; they also serve as envelope permeability indicators in different assays. Propidium iodide fluorescence reveals cytoplasmic accumulation and overall envelope permeability, while crystal violet sorption and second harmonic generation (SHG) spectroscopy reveal periplasmic accumulation and outer membrane permeability. Malachite green sorption and SHG results reveal transport across both the outer and inner membranes and accumulation in the periplasm as well as cytoplasm. The findings are found to be complementary to one another, collectively revealing enhanced permeabilities of both membranes and the periplasmic space in response to hypo-osmotic stress in E. coli. Enhanced permeability leads to faster QACs transport and higher accumulation in subcellular compartments, whereas transport and accumulation both are negligible under isosmotic conditions. The QACs' transport rates are found to be highly influenced by the osmolytes used, where phosphate ion emerges as a key facilitator of transport across the periplasm into the cytoplasm. E. coli is found viable, with morphology unchanged under extreme hypo-osmotic stress; i.e., it adapts to the situation. The outcome shows that the hypo-osmotic shock to E. coli, specifically using phosphate as an osmolyte, can be beneficial for drug delivery.

Post COVID sequelae among COVID-19 survivors: insights from the Indian National Clinical Registry for COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: The effects of COVID-19 infection persist beyond the active phase. Comprehensive description and analysis of the post COVID sequelae in various population groups are critical to minimise the long-term morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. This analysis was conducted with an objective to estimate the frequency of post COVID sequelae and subsequently, design a framework for holistic management of post COVID morbidities. METHODS: Follow-up data collected as part of a registry-based observational study in 31 hospitals across India since September 2020-October 2022 were used for analysis. All consenting hospitalised patients with COVID-19 are telephonically followed up for up to 1 year post-discharge, using a prestructured form focused on symptom reporting. RESULTS: Dyspnoea, fatigue and mental health issues were reported among 18.6%, 10.5% and 9.3% of the 8042 participants at first follow-up of 30-60 days post-discharge, respectively, which reduced to 11.9%, 6.6% and 9%, respectively, at 1-year follow-up in 2192 participants. Patients who died within 90 days post-discharge were significantly older (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.03), with at least one comorbidity (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.31, 2.35), and a higher proportion had required intensive care unit admission during the initial hospitalisation due to COVID-19 (aOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.06) and were discharged at WHO ordinal scale 6-7 (aOR: 49.13 95% CI: 25.43, 94.92). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (at least one dose) was protective against such post-discharge mortality (aOR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.03). CONCLUSION: Hospitalised patients with COVID-19 experience a variety of long-term sequelae after discharge from hospitals which persists although in reduced proportions until 12 months post-discharge. Developing a holistic management framework with engagement of care outreach workers as well as teleconsultation is a way forward in effective management of post COVID morbidities as well as reducing mortality.

Multi-scale feature fusion-based lightweight dual stream transformer for detection of paddy leaf disease.

Traditionally, rice leaf disease identification relies on a visual examination of abnormalities or an analytical result obtained by growing bacteria in the research lab. This method of visual evaluation is qualitative and error-prone. On the other hand, an artificial neural network system is fast and more accurate. Several pieces of research using traditional machine learning and deep convolution neural networks (CNN) have been utilized to overcome the issues. Still, these methods need more semantic contextual global and local feature extraction. Due to this, efficiency is less. Hence, in the present study, a multi-scale feature fusion-based RDTNet has been designed. The RDTNet contains two modules, and the first module extracts feature via three scales from the local binary pattern (LBP), gray, and a histogram of orient gradient (HOG) image. The second module extracts semantic global and local features through the transformer and convolution block. Furthermore, the computing cost is reduced by dividing the query into two parts and feeding them to convolution and the transformer block. The results indicate that the proposed method has a very high average precision, f1-score, and accuracy of 99.55%, 99.54%, and 99.53%, respectively. It is suggestive of improved classification accuracy using multi-scale features and the transformer. The model has also been validated on other datasets confirming that the present model can be used for real-time rice disease diagnosis. In the future, such models can be used for monitoring other crops, including wheat, tomato, and potato.

Opium alkaloids, biosynthesis, pharmacology and association with cancer occurrence.

Papaver somniferum L. (Family: Papaveraceae) is a species well known for its diverse alkaloids (100 different benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs)). L-tyrosine serves as a precursor of several specific metabolites like BIAs. It has been used as an antitussive and potent analgesic to alleviate mild to extreme pain since ancient times. The extraction of pharmaceutically important alkaloids like morphine and codeine from poppy plant reflects the need for the most suitable and standard methods. Several analytical and extraction techniques have been reported in open literature for morphine, codeine and other important alkaloids which play a vital function in drug development and drug discovery. Many studies suggest that opioids are also responsible for adverse effects or secondary complications like dependence and withdrawal. In recent years, opium consumption and addiction are the most important risk factors. Many evidence-based reviews suggest that opium consumption is directly linked or acts as a risk factor for different cancers. In this review, we highlight significant efforts related to research which have been done over the past 5 decades and the complete information on Papaver somniferum including its phytochemistry, pharmacological actions, biosynthetic pathways and analytical techniques of opium alkaloid extraction and the link between opium consumption and cancer-related updates.

Phytochemistry and biological activity of Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers.

Erigeron annuus L. is a flowering herb of North America, Europe, Asia and Russia. This plant is used as folk medicine in China for the cure of indigestion, enteritis, epidemic hepatitis, haematuria and diabetes. Phytochemical studies showed the presence of 170 bioactive compounds like coumarins, flavonoids, terpenoids, polyacetylenic compounds; γ-pyrone derivatives, sterols and various caffeoylquinic acids derived from the essential oil and organic extracts from its various parts such as aerial parts, roots, leaves, stems and flowers. The pharmacological studies demonstrated various extracts and the compounds of E. annuus to exhibit anti-fungal, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, phytotoxic, cytoprotective, antiobesity and antioxidant activities. This article covers a critical compendious on geographical distribution, botanical description, phytochemistry, ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological activities of E. annuus. However, further in-depth studies are needed to determine the medical uses of E. annuus and its chemical constituents, pharmacological activities and clinical applications.

A review on the green synthesis of nanoparticles, their biological applications, and photocatalytic efficiency against environmental toxins.

Green synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) using plant materials and microorganisms has evolved as a sustainable alternative to conventional techniques that rely on toxic chemicals. Recently, green-synthesized eco-friendly NPs have attracted interest for their potential use in various biological applications. Several studies have demonstrated that green-synthesized NPs are beneficial in multiple medicinal applications, including cancer treatment, targeted drug delivery, and wound healing. Additionally, due to their photodegradation activity, green-synthesized NPs are a promising tool in environmental remediation. Photodegradation is a process that uses light and a photocatalyst to turn a pollutant into a harmless product. Green NPs have been found efficient in degrading pollutants such as dyes, herbicides, and heavy metals. The use of microbes and flora in green synthesis technology for nanoparticle synthesis is biologically safe, cost-effective, and eco-friendly. Plants and microbes can now use and accumulate inorganic metallic ions in the environment. Various NPs have been synthesized via the bio-reduction of biological entities or their extracts. There are several biological and environmental uses for biologically synthesized metallic NPs, such as photocatalysis, adsorption, and water purification. Since the last decade, the green synthesis of NPs has gained significant interest in the scientific community. Therefore, there is a need for a review that serves as a one-stop resource that points to relevant and recent studies on the green synthesis of NPs and their biological and photocatalytic efficiency. This review focuses on the green fabrication of NPs utilizing diverse biological systems and their applications in biological and photodegradation processes.

A delve into the pharmacological targets and biological mechanisms of Paederia foetida Linn.: a rather invaluable traditional medicinal plant.

Drug development from herbal medicines or botanical sources is believed to have a prominent role in the exploration of novel counteractive drugs that has sparked much interest in recent times. Paederia foetida is one such medicinal plant used in both traditional and folkloric medicine. Several parts of the herb are locally utilised as a natural curative agent for several ailments since time immemorial. Paederia foetida indeed possesses anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidaemic, antioxidant, nephro-protective, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antitussive, thrombolytic, anti-diarrhoeal, sedative-anxiolytic, anti-ulcer, hepatoprotective activity, anthelmintic and anti-diarrhoeal activity. Furthermore, growing evidence shows many of its active constituents to be effective in cancer, inflammatory diseases, wound healing and spermatogenesis as well. These investigations shed light on possible pharmacological targets and attempts to establish a mechanism of action for these pharmacological effects. These findings contrast the significance of this medicinal plant for further research and for the exploration of novel counteractive drugs to establish a mechanism of action before being employed to healthcare. Pharmacological activities of Paederia foetida and their mechanism of action.

Synthesis of acrylamide-g-melanin/itaconic acid-g-psyllium based nanocarrier for capecitabine delivery: In vivo and in vitro anticancer activity.

The present research aims to synthesize the capecitabine-loaded core-shell nanoparticles of acrylamide-grafted melanin and itaconic acid-grafted psyllium (Cap@AAM-g-ML/IA-g-Psy-NPs) to deliver the drug to the targeted colonic area, enhancing their anti-cancer activity. The drug release behavior of Cap@AAM-g-ML/IA-g-Psy-NPs was studied at several biological pH in which maximum drug release (95 %) was observed at pH 7.2. The drug release kinetic data was in accordance with the first-order (R2 = 0.9706) kinetic model. The cytotoxicity of Cap@AAM-g-ML/IA-g-Psy-NPs was investigated on HCT-15 cell line and Cap@AAM-g-ML/IA-g-Psy-NPs demonstrated outstanding toxicity towards HCT-15 cell line. In-vivo study on DMH-induced colon cancer rat model also exhibited that Cap@AAM-g-ML/IA-g-Psy-NPs enhanced anticancer activity against cancer cells as compared to capecitabine. Histology studies of heart, liver and kidney cells indicate that inflation due to cancer induction by DMH is significantly reduced when treated with Cap@AAM-g-ML/IA-g-Psy-NPs. Thus, the present study procures a worthwhile and nominal approach toward the synthesis of Cap@AAM-g-ML/IA-g-Psy-NPs for anticancer applications.

Two new cycloartane type triterpenes from Dysoxyllum binectariferum.

Dysoxyllum binectariferum is an important medicinal plant known for various biological activities like anti-inflammatory, CNS depressants, contraceptive, analgesic, immunomodulatory, antimalarial, antifeedant, leishmanicidal and antiviral. It is a rich source of rohitukine, a basic skeleton of flavopiridol. Phytochemical investigation of chloroform extracts of Dysoxyllum binectariferum leaves, lead to the isolation of beddomeilactone (1) and two new cycloartane type triterpenoids beddomeilactol (2) and binectarilactone-A (3) with modified A ring. Compounds were assessed for their in-vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Compound 1 was found to be most potent, showing IC50 of 17.99 ± 0.26 µg/ml which is comparable to the positive control acarbose.

In vitro antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activity of Murraya koenigii leaf extract intercedes ZnO nanoparticles.

Nanotechnology is an emerging field with tremendous potential and usage of medicinal plants and green preparation of nanoparticles (NPs) is one of the widely explored areas. These have been shown to be effective against different biological activities such as diabetes mellitus, cancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, etc. The current studies focus on the green synthesis of zinc NPs (ZnO NPs) from aqueous leaf extract of Murraya koenigii (MK). The synthesized Murraya koeingii zinc oxide NPs (MK ZnO NPs) were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive spectrum (EDS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The synthesized MK ZnO NPs were evaluated for their in vitro antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activity. They demonstrated significant antidiabetic and cytotoxic activity, as well as moderate free-radical scavenging and antibacterial activity.

Efficacy of Oral vs. Intravenous Calcium Supplementation for Continuation Therapy in Hypocalcemic Seizures: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate efficacy of oral vs. intravenous calcium supplementation for continuation therapy in hypocalcemic seizures. METHODS: Sixty children between 1 mo and 5 y presenting with hypocalcemic seizures without any other underlying febrile, chronic systemic disease, or acute neurological illness were included. Participants were randomized to receive either intravenous (IV) 10% calcium gluconate (n = 30) or oral elemental calcium (n = 30) for 48 h following initial seizure control with intravenous calcium. RESULTS: Seizures recurred in 3 (10%) children in IV group as compared to 4 (13.3%) in oral calcium group (p = 0.278) within 48 h. Serum calcium levels achieved in the two treatment groups at 24 h [7.96 (1.32) vs. 8.23 (1.58) mg/dL; p = 0.476] and 48 h [8.5 (1.01) vs. 8.63 (1.39) mg/dL; p = 0.681] were comparable. CONCLUSION: Oral calcium may be as efficacious as intravenous calcium during continuation phase of treating hypocalcemic seizures; however, further studies are needed for definite recommendations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial Registration number: CTRI/2017/12/011042.

Revisiting the therapeutic potential of gingerols against different pharmacological activities.

The rhizomes of ginger have been in use in many forms of traditional and alternative medicines. Besides being employed as condiment and flavoring agent, it is used in the treatment of nausea, osteoarthritis, muscle pain, menstrual pain, chronic indigestion, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. Ginger rhizome contains volatile oils, phenolic compounds and resins, and characterization studies showed that [6]-gingerol, [6]-shogaol, and [6]-paradol are reported to be the pharmacologically active components. Gingerol is a major chemical constituent found as volatile oil in the rhizomes of ginger. It has several medicinal benefits and used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, nausea, cancer, and diabetes. Many studies have been carried out in various parts of the world to isolate and standardize gingerol for their use as a complementary medicine. The present review summarizes wide range of research studies on gingerol and its pharmacological roles in various metabolic diseases.

Therapeutic Potentials of Immunometabolomic Modulations Induced by Tuberculosis Vaccination.

Metabolomics is emerging as a promising tool to understand the effect of immunometabolism for the development of novel host-directed alternative therapies. Immunometabolism can modulate both innate and adaptive immunity in response to pathogens and vaccinations. For instance, infections can affect lipid and amino acid metabolism while vaccines can trigger bile acid and carbohydrate pathways. Metabolomics as a vaccinomics tool, can provide a broader picture of vaccine-induced biochemical changes and pave a path to potentiate the vaccine efficacy. Its integration with other systems biology tools or treatment modes can enhance the cure, response rate, and control over the emergence of drug-resistant strains. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection can remodel the host metabolism for its survival, while there are many biochemical pathways that the host adjusts to combat the infection. Similarly, the anti-TB vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), was also found to affect the host metabolic pathways thus modulating immune responses. In this review, we highlight the metabolomic schema of the anti-TB vaccine and its therapeutic applications. Rewiring of immune metabolism upon BCG vaccination induces different signaling pathways which lead to epigenetic modifications underlying trained immunity. Metabolic pathways such as glycolysis, central carbon metabolism, and cholesterol synthesis play an important role in these aspects of immunity. Trained immunity and its applications are increasing day by day and it can be used to develop the next generation of vaccines to treat various other infections and orphan diseases. Our goal is to provide fresh insight into this direction and connect various dots to develop a conceptual framework.

Bio-Inspired Smart Nanoparticles in Enhanced Cancer Theranostics and Targeted Drug Delivery.

Globally, a significant portion of deaths are caused by cancer.Compared with traditional treatment, nanotechnology offers new therapeutic options for cancer due to its ability to selectively target and control drug release. Among the various routes of nanoparticle synthesis, plants have gained significant recognition. The tremendous potential of medicinal plants in anticancer treatments calls for a comprehensive review of existing studies on plant-based nanoparticles. The study examined various metallic nanoparticles obtained by green synthesis using medicinal plants. Plants contain biomolecules, secondary metabolites, and coenzymes that facilitate the reduction of metal ions into nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are believed to be potential antioxidants and cancer-fighting agents. This review aims at the futuristic intuitions of biosynthesis and applications of plant-based nanoparticles in cancer theranostics.

Assessment of phytochemicals, antioxidants and in-silico molecular dynamic simulation of plant derived potential inhibitory activity of Thalictrum foliolosum DC. and Cordia dichotoma G. Forst. against jaundice.

Medicinal plants have been exploited for therapeutic purposes since the dawn of civilization and have long been acknowledged essential to human health. The purpose of this research is to examine the scientific evidence for using the therapeutic herbal plants Thalictrum foliolosum DC. and Cordia dichotoma G. Forst. to treat hepatitis illness. The fundamental explanation for the therapeutic relevance of these plants is phytochemicals, which were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively in three separate extracts with different solvent properties (methanol-polar, chloroform-non-polar, and aqueous-polar as one of the bases of traditional use). Flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, and alkaloids were all evaluated for their presence in plant extracts, and it was observed that methanolic extract had the highest content of phytochemicals among different extracts whereas, the aqueous extract showed least amount of phytochemicals. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of these plants was also evaluated and methanolic extract was revealed with potential antioxidant activity, as also evidenced by the lowest half inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in the DPPH, ABTS, and high %inhibition in µM Fe equivalent of FRAP assays. Following that, the dominant phytochemicals were investigated using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography from the selected plants. Furthermore, default docking algorithms were used to appraise the dominant phytoconstituents for their in-silico investigation, in which rutin was found with the highest binding affinity (8.2 kcal/mol) and interaction with receptor which is further involved in causing jaundice. The receptor is infact an enzyme that is sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase Leptospira interrogans (PDB: 5EBB) which is holded back in its position by rutin and do not interact with Leptospira inferrogans spp which causes jaundice. Overall, the study suggested that these herbs have significant therapeutic properties, and their in-silico analysis strongly recommends further clinical investigations to get insight into the mechanisms of action in curing variety of diseases.

Onion waste based-biorefinery for sustainable generation of value-added products.

Waste derived from the onion processing sector can be harnessed for the production of organic acids, polyphenols, polysachharides, biofuels and pigments. To sustainably utilize onion processing residues, different biorefinery strategies such as enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation and hydrothermal carbonization have been widely investigated. This review discusses the recent advances in the biorefinery approaches used for valorization of onion processing waste followed by the production of different value-added products from diverse classes of onion waste. The review also highlights the current challenges faced by the bioprocessing sector for the utilization of onion processing waste and perspectives to tackle them.