Use of Natural Compounds as a Potential Therapeutic Agent Against COVID-19.

The current 2019-nCoV outbreak is becoming extremely harmful and has affected the whole world. Its control is challenging because there is no effective vaccine or drug available for coronavirus disease. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), previously named as 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), primarily targets the human respiratory system to lung lesions and lethal pneumonia. Natural products have always shown a crucial role in the process of drug development against various diseases. They may serve as leads for further drug development to combat emergent mutants of the coronavirus. In this review, the current status of natural compounds and their derivatives acting against different species of CoV are discussed.

Antibacterial activity of Eurycoma longifolia Jack. A Malaysian medicinal plant.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate methanolic, ethanolic, acetone and aqueous extracts from different parts of Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia) (leave, stem, and root) for antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and to utilize the leaves and stem parts rather than the root, which is already used for male sexual enhancement in Malaysia. METHODS: The study took place in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Biotechnology Engineering Department, Malaysia between January 2005 and June 2006. Methanolic, ethanolic, acetone and aqueous extracts of leaves, stems and roots of E. longifolia were investigated for their antibacterial properties using Agar-well diffusion method. RESULTS: The alcoholic and acetone extracts of the leaves and stem extracts were active on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria except against 2 strains of Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi). The root extracts had no antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested. Aqueous leaves extract showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Serratia marscesens. CONCLUSION: The alcoholic and acetone extracts from leaves and stems of E. longifolia contain potent antibacterial agent(s). This plant can serve as a potential source of antibacterial compounds.

Purification and characterization of a bacterial phytase whose properties make it exceptionally useful as a feed supplement.

A periplasmatic phytase from a bacterium isolated from Malaysian waste water was purified about 173-fold to apparent homogeneity with a recovery of 10% referred to the phytase activity in the crude extract. It behaved as a monomeric protein with a molecular mass of about 42 kDa. The purified enzyme exhibited a single pH optimum at 4.5. Optimum temperature for the degradation of phytate was 65 degrees C. The kinetic parameters for the hydrolysis of sodium phytate were determined to be KM=0.15 mmol/l and kcat=1164 s(-1) at pH 4.5 and 37 degrees C. The purified enzyme was shown to be highly specific. Among the phosphorylated compounds tested, phytate was the only one which was significantly hydrolysed. Some properties such as considerable activity below pH 3.0, thermal stability and resistance to pepsin make the enzyme attractive for an application as a feed supplement.