An Overview on Flavor Extraction, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Significance, and Production of Herbal Wines.

Wine has been utilized as a source for medicinal preparations, combined with various herbs, to treat particular ailments and disorders. By utilizing herb extracts, regular but limited consumption of these herbal wines helps to decrease the need for prescription medications to treat a variety of ailments. The diversity and the composition of the yeast micropopulation significantly contribute to the sensory characteristics of wine. A particular metabolic activity characterizes the growth of each wine yeast species, which determines the concentrations of flavor compounds in the final wine. Numerous herbs, such as tulsi, ginger, aloe vera, tea, amla, lemongrass, and peppermint, are used in the preparation of herbal wines, where either the herb or herbal blends are primarily used as the substrate. The variants provided improved accuracy, increased acceptability, and broader uses for the novel product. Herbal wines pave the way to provide nutraceuticals to consumers and protection against pathogenic microorganisms and inflammation through their richness in antioxidants. The existing herbal wines and their health advantages are discussed in this Review, along with some new directions for the herbal wine business.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress in chronic liver diseases and its mitigation by medicinal plants.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in cell survival regulation, and its low levels may act as indicators to encourage cellular proliferation. In contrast, elevated levels of ROS may lead to apoptosis. Stability between generating and eliminating ROS allows the retention of effective functioning of redox-sensitive signaling proteins under physiologic conditions. Cells typically maintain redox homeostasis to guarantee appropriate responses to internal and external stimuli. However, oxidative stress occurs when the oxidation product level exceeds the number of standard antioxidant systems. ROS can cause harm to all types of hepatic cells, including endothelial cells, hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, and stellate cells. High levels of ROS may lead to tissue edema, ischemia, fibrosis, cell death, or malignant transformation and may eventually lead to complete tissue damage. Antioxidants in our body exist in a homeostatic balance with other enzymes involved in the repair of cellular functions in addition to the non-enzymatic molecules such as urate, bilirubin, several vitamins, and reduced glutathione to maintain the levels of ROS in the interest of cellular homeostasis. This balance may, however, get disturbed in case of acute or chronic liver injury due to the accumulation of ROS. In the current manuscript, we aim to review the relevance of oxidative stress and its indicator of liver injury in chronic liver diseases such as alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases and hepatitis. Since reactive oxidation species may also lead to lipid peroxidation and promote ferroptosis, we have also evaluated their impact on epigenetic modifications, such as oxidative damage to histone proteins and DNA methylation, and the differential expression of genes related to cellular injury. We also want to highlight the potential of traditional herbal medicines as redox regulators for managing chronic liver diseases.

The Pharmacological Implications of Flavopiridol: An Updated Overview.

Flavopiridol is a flavone synthesized from the natural product rohitukine, which is derived from an Indian medicinal plant, namely Dysoxylum binectariferum Hiern. A deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms by which such molecules act may allow scientists to develop effective therapeutic strategies against a variety of life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, viruses, fungal infections, parasites, and neurodegenerative diseases. Mechanistic insight of flavopiridol reveals its potential for kinase inhibitory activity of CDKs (cyclin-dependent kinases) and other kinases, leading to the inhibition of various processes, including cell cycle progression, apoptosis, tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, tumor metastasis, and the inflammation process. The synthetic derivatives of flavopiridol have overcome a few demerits of its parent compound. Moreover, these derivatives have much improved CDK-inhibitory activity and therapeutic abilities for treating severe human diseases. It appears that flavopiridol has potential as a candidate for the formulation of an integrated strategy to combat and alleviate human diseases. This review article aims to unravel the potential therapeutic effectiveness of flavopiridol and its possible mechanism of action.

Compositional profiling and sensory analysis of cauliflower by-products-enriched muffins.

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) by-products (leaves, stems, stalks) (CBP) were successfully utilized in muffins as a model system and their feasibility of incorporation was investigated. CBP powder-based muffin formulations were made by the progressive replacement of wheat flour (WF) with 10%, 20%, and 30% of CBP. The physicochemical, pasting properties, antioxidant potential, textural characteristics, and sensorial attributes were analyzed. Substitution of CBP significantly (p < .05) resulted in an upsurge in crude protein, crude fiber, minerals, total phenolics, and total flavonoid contents, as well as total antioxidant activity values of muffins. The pasting properties were influenced by monitoring an increase in peak, breakdown, final, and setback viscosities. Although the addition of an increasing amount of CBP improved the nutritional characteristics, however, the increased level of replacement (>10%) had significant adverse effects on baking and physical characteristics. The specific loaf volume of the developed muffins decreased the crumb color which became darker, and enriched muffins were hardened in texture. Furthermore, sensory evaluation confirmed the positive effects of CBP incorporation only up to 10%. Overall, present results highlighted that supplementation of wheat muffins with 10% CBP is a beneficial approach to enrich them with nutrients and intensify their antioxidant potential.

Genistein: a promising modulator of apoptosis and survival signaling in cancer.

Genistein, a commonly occurring isoflavone, has recently gained popularity owing to its ever-expanding spectrum of pharmacological benefits. In addition to health benefits such as improved bone health and reduced postmenopausal complications owing to its phytoestrogen properties, it has been widely evaluated for its anti-cancer potential. Several studies have established the potential for its usage in the management of breast, lung, and prostate cancers, and its usage has significantly evolved from early applications in traditional systems of medicine. This review offers an insight into its current status of usage, the chemistry, and pharmacokinetics of the molecule, an exploration of its apoptotic mechanisms in cancer management, and opportunities for synergism to improve therapeutic outcomes. In addition to this, the authors have presented an overview of recent clinical trials, to offer an understanding of contemporary studies and explore prospects for a greater number of focused trials, moving forward. Advancements in the application of nanotechnology as a strategy to improve safety and efficacy have also been highlighted, with a brief discussion of results from safety and toxicology studies.

Wogonin, as a potent anticancer compound: From chemistry to cellular interactions.

Chinese native medicine Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, also referred to as Chinese skullcap or Huang-Qin, is frequently used to treat cancer, viral infections, and seizures. This plant's abundance of flavones (wogonoside) and their related aglycones (wogonin) is responsible for many of its pharmacologic effects. A significant ingredient in S. baicalensis that has been the subject of the most research is wogonin. Numerous preclinical investigations revealed that wogonin suppresses tumor growth by cell cycle arrest, stimulating cell death and preventing metastasis. This review focuses on a complete overview of published reports that suggest chemopreventive action of wogonin and the mechanistic insights behind these neoplastic activities. It also emphasizes the synergistic improvements made by wogonin in chemoprevention. The factual data in this mini-review stimulate additional research on chemistry and toxicological profile of wogonin to confirm its safety issues. This review will encourage researchers to generalize the merits of wogonin to be used as potential compound for cancer treatment.

Pectinases as promising green biocatalysts having broad-spectrum applications: Recent trends, scope, and relevance.

Pectinases are a collection of multiple enzymes that have a common substrate, that is, pectin. They can act on different parts of pectin due to the structural heterogeneity of pectin. Therefore, they have been placed in different groups, such as protopectinases, polygalacturonases, polymethylesterases, pectin lyases, and pectate lyases. They are naturally present both in multicellular organisms such as higher plants and in unicellular organisms such as microbes. In past decade, it has been witnessed that chemical and mechanical methods employed in industrial processes have led to environmental hazards and serious health disorders, thus increasing the search for eco-friendly approaches with minimal health risks. Hence, microbial enzymes have been extensively used as safer alternative for these environmentally unsafe methods. Among these microbial enzymes, pectinases hold great significance and is one of the principal enzymes that have been used commercially. It is predominantly used as a green biocatalyst for fruit, fiber, oil, textile, beverage, pulp, and paper industry. Thus, this review focuses on the structure of pectin, microbial sources of pectin, and principle industrial applications of pectinases.

Resveratrol and Its Role in the Management of B-Cell Malignancies-A Recent Update.

The growing incidence of B cell malignancies globally has prompted research on the pharmacological properties of phytoconstituents in cancer management. Resveratrol, a polyphenolic stilbenoid widely found in nature, has been explored for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and promising results from different pre-clinical studies have indicated its potential for management of B cell malignancies. However, these claims must be substantiated by a greater number of clinical trials in diverse populations, in order to establish its safety and efficacy profile. In addition to this, there is a need to explore nanodelivery of this agent, owing to its poor solubility, which in turn may impact its bioavailability. This review aims to offer an overview of the occurrence and pathogenesis of B cell malignancies with a special focus on the inflammatory pathways involved, the mechanism of actions of resveratrol and its pharmacokinetic profile, results from pre-clinical and clinical studies, as well as an overview of the marketed formulations. The authors have also presented their opinion on the various challenges associated with the clinical development of resveratrol and future perspectives regarding therapeutic applications of this agent.

Impact of darker, intermediate and lighter phenotypes of body melanization on desiccation resistance in Drosophila melanogaster.

A possible link between melanization and desiccation resistance can be inferred if within population differences in melanization find significant correlations with desiccation resistance and its mechanistic basis i.e. rate of water loss/hr. Accordingly, darker, intermediate and lighter phenotypes of body melanization were analyzed in wild and laboratory reared Drosophila melanogaster L. (Diptera: Clyclorrapha) populations from highland and lowland sites located in close proximity at five different latitudinal locations (11.15 degrees N to 31.06 degrees N) within the Indian subcontinent. In large population samples, occurrence of significant within population variability made it possible to assort non-overlapping phenotypes of body coloration (i.e. lighter (< 25%), intermediate (30 to 40%) and darker (> 45%)) for all the populations which were further investigated for desiccation resistance and rate of water loss/hr. Significantly, higher desiccation resistance but much reduced rate of water loss/hr were observed in darker and intermediate phenotypes in all the populations. By contrast, lighter phenotypes exhibited lower desiccation tolerance but higher rate of water loss/hr. A regression analysis between traits provided similar slope values for wild and laboratory populations. For all three physiological traits, predicted trait values from multiple regression analysis as a simultaneous function of annual average temperature and relative humidity, matched the observed values. We infer that parallel changes in melanization and desiccation resistance may result from decreasing annual average temperature and relative humidity along increasing latitude as well as altitude on the Indian subcontinent.