Contamination and ecological risk assessment of Cr, As, Cd and Pb in water and sediment of the southeastern Bay of Bengal coast in a developing country.

Safe levels of heavy metals in the surface water and sediment of the eastern Bay of Bengal coast have not been universally established. Current study characterized heavy metals such as arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in surface water and sediments of the most important fishing resource at the eastern Bay of Bengal coast, Bangladesh. Both water and sediment samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Considering both of the seasons, the mean concentrations of Cr, As, Cd, and Pb in water samples were 33.25, 8.14, 0.48, and 21.14 µg/L, respectively and in sediment were 30.47, 4.48, 0.20, and 19.98 mg/kg, respectively. Heavy metals concentration in water samples surpassed the acceptable limits of usable water quality, indicating that water from this water resource is not safe for drinking, cooking, bathing, and any other uses. Enrichment factors also directed minor enrichment of heavy metals in sediment of the coast. Other indexes for ecological risk assessment such as pollution load index (PLI), contamination factor (CF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), modified contamination degree (mCd), and potential ecological risk index (PERI) also indicated that sediment of the coastal watershed was low contamination. In-depth inventorying of heavy metals in both water and sediment of the study area are required to determine ecosystem health for holistic risk assessment and management.

A comprehensive perspective of traditional Arabic or Islamic medicinal plants as an adjuvant therapy against COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a pulmonary disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. More than 200 million individuals are infected by this globally. Pyrexia, coughing, shortness of breath, headaches, diarrhoea, sore throats, and body aches are among the typical symptoms of COVID-19. The virus enters into the host body by interacting with the ACE2 receptor. Despite many SARS-CoV-2 vaccines manufactured by distinct strategies but any evidence-based particular medication to combat COVID-19 is not available yet. However, further research is required to determine the safety and effectiveness profile of the present therapeutic approaches. In this study, we provide a summary of Traditional Arabic or Islamic medicinal (TAIM) plants' historical use and their present role as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19. Herein, six medicinal plants Aloe barbadensis Miller, Olea europaea, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Nigella sativa, Cassia angustifolia, and Ficus carica have been studied based upon their pharmacological activities against viral infections. These plants include phytochemicals that have antiviral, immunomodulatory, antiasthmatic, antipyretic, and antitussive properties. These bioactive substances could be employed to control symptoms and enhance the development of a possible COVID-19 medicinal synthesis. To determine whether or if these TAIMs may be used as adjuvant therapy and are appropriate, a detailed evaluation is advised.

Multifunctional roles and pharmacological potential of ß-sitosterol: Emerging evidence toward clinical applications.

Currently, available therapeutic medications are both costly as well as not entirely promising in terms of potency. So, new candidates from natural resources are of research interest to find new alternative therapeutics. A well-known combination is a ß-sitosterol, a plant-derived nutrient with anticancer properties against breast, prostate, colon, lung, stomach, and leukemia. Studies have shown that ß-sitosterol interferes with multiple cell signaling pathways, including cell cycle, apoptosis, proliferation, survival, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, cardioprotective, and antidiabetic effects have been discovered during pharmacological screening without significant toxicity. The pharmacokinetic profile of ß-sitosterol has also been extensively investigated. However, a comprehensive review of the pharmacology, phytochemistry and analytical methods of ß-sitosterol is desired. Because ß-sitosterol is a significant component of most plant materials, humans use it for various reasons, and numerous ß-sitosterol-containing products have been commercialized. To offset the low efficacy of ß-sitosterol, designing ß-sitosterol delivery for "cancer cell-specific" therapy holds great potential. Delivery of ß-sitosterol via liposomes is a demonstration that has shown great promise. But further research has not progressed on the drug delivery of ß-sitosterol or how it can enhance ß-sitosterol mediated anti-inflammatory activity, thus making ß-sitosterol an orphan nutraceutical. Therefore, extensive research on ß-sitosterol as an anticancer nutraceutical is recommended.

Pharmacological Potential of Avicennia alba Leaf Extract: An Experimental Analysis Focusing on Antidiabetic, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, and Antidiarrheal Activity.

Avicennia alba is a mangrove plant that is extensively used to treat severe health issues. This focus of this study was to investigate the antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antidiarrheal activities of methanolic extract of A. alba leaves in Swiss albino mouse model. The antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antidiarrheal activities of the leaf extract were performed using alloxan-monohydrate, carrageenan-induced paw edema, acetic acid-induced writhing test and the hot plate method, and castor oil-induced method, respectively. The extract was used at doses ranging from 200 to 500 mg/kg to conduct the investigation. Leaf extract at 400 and 500 mg/kg showed potent antidiabetic activity in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Advanced research is needed to control blood glucose levels and carrageenan paw edema-based anti-inflammatory effects. Both tests showed statistically significant result in a dose-dependent manner. The maximum dose (500 mg/kg) demonstrated potent analgesic activity in both writhing test and hot plate method. The plant extract also showed significant antidiarrheal activity at 400 and 500 mg/kg in experimental mice. However, more research is needed to explore the possible mechanisms and isolate the compounds associated with these bioactivities from the leaf extract of A. alba.

The Multifunctional Role of Herbal Products in the Management of Diabetes and Obesity: A Comprehensive Review.

Obesity and diabetes are the most demanding health problems today, and their prevalence, as well as comorbidities, is on the rise all over the world. As time goes on, both are becoming big issues that have a big impact on people's lives. Diabetes is a metabolic and endocrine illness set apart by hyperglycemia and glucose narrow-mindedness because of insulin opposition. Heftiness is a typical, complex, and developing overall wellbeing worry that has for quite some time been connected to significant medical issues in individuals, all things considered. Because of the wide variety and low adverse effects, herbal products are an important hotspot for drug development. Synthetic compounds are not structurally diverse and lack drug-likeness properties. Thus, it is basic to keep on exploring herbal products as possible wellsprings of novel drugs. We conducted this review of the literature by searching Scopus, Science Direct, Elsevier, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. From 1990 until October 2021, research reports, review articles, and original research articles in English are presented. It provides top to bottom data and an examination of plant-inferred compounds that might be utilized against heftiness or potentially hostile to diabetes treatments. Our expanded comprehension of the systems of activity of phytogenic compounds, as an extra examination, could prompt the advancement of remedial methodologies for metabolic diseases. In clinical trials, a huge number of these food kinds or restorative plants, as well as their bioactive compounds, have been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of obesity.

Natural Bioactive Molecules: An Alternative Approach to the Treatment and Control of COVID-19.

Several coronaviruses (CoVs) have been associated with serious health hazards in recent decades, resulting in the deaths of thousands around the globe. The recent coronavirus pandemic has emphasized the importance of discovering novel and effective antiviral medicines as quickly as possible to prevent more loss of human lives. Positive-sense RNA viruses with group spikes protruding from their surfaces and an abnormally large RNA genome enclose CoVs. CoVs have already been related to a range of respiratory infectious diseases possibly fatal to humans, such as MERS, SARS, and the current COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, effective prevention, treatment, and medications against human coronavirus (HCoV) is urgently needed. In recent years, many natural substances have been discovered with a variety of biological significance, including antiviral properties. Throughout this work, we reviewed a wide range of natural substances that interrupt the life cycles for MERS and SARS, as well as their potential application in the treatment of COVID-19.

Cr and Mn total, accessible species, and protein-fraction contents in plants used for traditional anti-diabetes treatment.

BACKGROUND: Our survey has found eleven plants that have being consumed for traditional treatment of diabetes mellitus, particularly in Saudi Arabia and generally in many countries across the world. The literature reported about trace elements such as Cr and Mn positively affecting diabetes mellitus. The aim of this work is to determine the total, accessible element species, and protein-fraction contents of Cr and Mn in the edible parts of those plants. METHODS: The total contents of Mn were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), while the total contents of Cr was determined by ICP-sector field (sf)-mass spectrometry (MS) due to lower concentration. The protein-fraction contents were determined in accessible element species by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC)-ICP-MS. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The separation was successfully carried out to quantify Cr and Mn bound up to 11 protein fractions. The examined plants recorded wide ranges of total contents (Cr 44.7-1880.0 µg/kg and Mn 3.7-59.0 mg/kg) and accessible element species contents (Cr 0.93-29.40 µg/kg and Mn 0.82-35.85 mg/kg). Also wide ranges of percentages of accessible element species contents to total contents of Cr (0.65-4.21%) and Mn (5.43-68.42%) were obtained. The hazardous indices of both trace elements Cr and Mn for all examined plants consumed by both children and adults were all < 1, indicating no probability of health risk to occur. Moreover, Cr as carcinogen element reported no probability of cancer risk to occur from the consumption of all examined plants. Irrespective of plant species, Cr was quantified in all SEC fractions (mainly protein fractions), with the exception of 1.9-3.7 kDa, while Mn was quantified in all SEC fractions with the exception of 100-120 and 1.3-3.7 kDa. Nevertheless, the majority of accessible Cr species contents bound to the 10-14 and 0.05-0.40 kDa fractions, while that of Mn bound to 0.05-0.40 kDa fraction. To gather, the benefits of specific plant species in terms of accessible Cr and Mn species contents, in addition to accessible Zn species contents reported in our previous study, Haloxylon Salicornicum, Olea Europaea Momordica and Charantia are recommended to be consumed for traditionally controlling T2DM.

Investigation of total zinc contents and zinc-protein profile in medicinal plants traditionally used for diabetes treatment.

This study aims at the assessment of total zinc contents, water zinc extract contents and zinc-protein profile in medicinal plants traditionally used for diabetes treatment. While zinc-protein profile was screened in plant samples using the online coupling of size exclusion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS), total zinc contents and zinc water extract contents were determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The analysis of two certified reference materials with similar matrix for total zinc content revealed recovery values of 97.1% and 100.5% while the average of recovery of the summed Zn concentrations from protein fractions compared to total Zn was 103.0 ± 4.8%. Based on the FAO/WHO classification, Sesamum indicum, Nigella sativa, Trigonella Foenum-graecum and Pennisetum glaucum are classified as highest Zn-content. For protein profile, zinc was quantified in 330-430 and 50-60 kDa fractions of all examined plants while no contents were quantified in the inorganic fraction 0.05-0.4 kDa of all plant species. Also, only three plant species recorded Zn contents in the phytate fraction (0.9-1.5 kDa fraction). The fruits of the Momordica Charantia and the Citrullus colocynthis were with the highest extractable zinc concentration; 13.55 ± 0.45 and 10.08 ± 0.63 mg/kg, respectively. The highest Zinc capturing capacity was reported for the 50-60 and 70-87 KDa protein fractions.