Potentials of ketogenic diet against chronic kidney diseases: pharmacological insights and therapeutic prospects.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health concern. Nutritional interventions become a primary concern in managing various diseases, including CKD. Ketogenic diets (KD) are a popular diet and an increasingly used diet for weight loss. MAIN BODY: With the increasing cases of CKD, KD has been proposed as a treatment by many scientists. Several studies have shown that KD can slow down the progression rate of renal abnormalities. Also, this diet is regarded as a safe route for managing CKD. CKD is generally associated with increased inflammation, oxidative stress, fibrosis, autophagy dysfunction, and mitochondrial dysfunction, while all of these can be attenuated by KD. The protective effect of KD is mainly mediated through inhibition of ROS, NF-κB, and p62 signaling. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that KD could be considered a new strategy for managing and treating CKD more carefully. This review explores the potential of KD on CKD and the mechanism involved in KD-mediated kidney protection.

A Systematic Review on Marine Algae-Derived Fucoxanthin: An Update of Pharmacological Insights.

Fucoxanthin, belonging to the xanthophyll class of carotenoids, is a natural antioxidant pigment of marine algae, including brown macroalgae and diatoms. It represents 10% of the total carotenoids in nature. The plethora of scientific evidence supports the potential benefits of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical uses of fucoxanthin for boosting human health and disease management. Due to its unique chemical structure and action as a single compound with multi-targets of health effects, it has attracted mounting attention from the scientific community, resulting in an escalated number of scientific publications from January 2017 to February 2022. Fucoxanthin has remained the most popular option for anti-cancer and anti-tumor activity, followed by protection against inflammatory, oxidative stress-related, nervous system, obesity, hepatic, diabetic, kidney, cardiac, skin, respiratory and microbial diseases, in a variety of model systems. Despite much pharmacological evidence from in vitro and in vivo findings, fucoxanthin in clinical research is still not satisfactory, because only one clinical study on obesity management was reported in the last five years. Additionally, pharmacokinetics, safety, toxicity, functional stability, and clinical perspective of fucoxanthin are substantially addressed. Nevertheless, fucoxanthin and its derivatives are shown to be safe, non-toxic, and readily available upon administration. This review will provide pharmacological insights into fucoxanthin, underlying the diverse molecular mechanisms of health benefits. However, it requires more activity-oriented translational research in humans before it can be used as a multi-target drug.

Kidney protective potential of lactoferrin: pharmacological insights and therapeutic advances.

Kidney disease is becoming a global public health issue. Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have serious adverse health outcomes. However, there is no effective therapy to treat these diseases. Lactoferrin (LF), a multi-functional glycoprotein, is protective against various pathophysiological conditions in various disease models. LF shows protective effects against AKI and CKD. LF reduces markers related to inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and kidney fibrosis, and induces autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis in the kidney. Although there are no clinical trials of LF to treat kidney disease, several clinical trials and studies on LF-based drug development are ongoing. In this review, we discussed the possible kidney protective mechanisms of LF, as well as the pharmacological and therapeutic advances. The evidence suggests that LF may become a potent pharmacological agent to treat kidney diseases.

Protective Effects of Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) and Its Bioactive Constituent, Thymoquinone against Kidney Injury: An Aspect on Pharmacological Insights.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide, and a close association between acute kidney injury (AKI) and CKD has recently been identified. Black cumin (Nigella sativa) has been shown to be effective in treating various kidney diseases. Accumulating evidence shows that black cumin and its vital compound, thymoquinone (TQ), can protect against kidney injury caused by various xenobiotics, namely chemotherapeutic agents, heavy metals, pesticides, and other environmental chemicals. Black cumin can also protect the kidneys from ischemic shock. The mechanisms underlying the kidney protective potential of black cumin and TQ include antioxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and antifibrosis which are manifested in their regulatory role in the antioxidant defense system, NF-κB signaling, caspase pathways, and TGF-ß signaling. In clinical trials, black seed oil was shown to normalize blood and urine parameters and improve disease outcomes in advanced CKD patients. While black cumin and its products have shown promising kidney protective effects, information on nanoparticle-guided targeted delivery into kidney is still lacking. Moreover, the clinical evidence on this natural product is not sufficient to recommend it to CKD patients. This review provides insightful information on the pharmacological benefits of black cumin and TQ against kidney damage.

Structural, electronic, optical and thermodynamic properties of AlAuO2 and AlAu094Fe006O2 compounds scrutinized by density functional theory (DFT).

In this study, density functional theory (DFT) simulations have been used to study the structural, electrical and optical properties of AlAuO2 and AlAu094Fe006O2. Initially, the estimated bandgap of AlAuO2 0.45, 0.486, 0.419 and 2.49 eV in Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE), Revised Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (RPBE), PBE for solids (PBE sol) and Becke three-parameter Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP) method respectively while AlAu094Fe006O2 has a zero-band gap after 6 % Fe doping. Then, density of state (DOS) and partial density of state (PDOS) were studied to determine the characteristics of the various orbitals of AlAuO2. The bonding characteristics and thermal stability of this crystal are determined by the Mulliken population charge and thermos physical parameters. Band edge of AlAuO2 was calculated which revealed that the AlAuO2 has suitable oxidation and reduction potential to degrade the contamination. A remarkable absorption has recorded for both AlAuO2 and AlAu094Fe006O2 in visible and ultraviolet region and capability to utilize photocatalytic dye degradation and hydrogen production through water splitting.

Potentials of curcumin against polycystic ovary syndrome: Pharmacological insights and therapeutic promises.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder among women (4%-20%) when the ovaries create abnormally high levels of androgens, the male sex hormones that are typically present in women in trace amounts. The primary characteristics of PCOS include oxidative stress, inflammation, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, hyperandrogenism, and insulin resistance. Generally, metformin, spironolactone, eflornithine and oral contraceptives are used to treat PCOS, despite their several side effects. Therefore, finding a potential candidate for treating PCOS is necessary. Curcumin is a major active natural polyphenolic compound derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa). A substantial number of studies have shown that curcumin has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative stress, antibacterial, and anti-apoptotic activities. In addition, curcumin reduces hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, hyperandrogenism, and insulin resistance in various conditions, including PCOS. The review highlighted the therapeutic aspects of curcumin against the pathophysiology of PCOS. We also offer a hypothesis to improve the development of medicines based on curcumin against PCOS.

Protective effects of fucoidan against kidney diseases: Pharmacological insights and future perspectives.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health concern that costs millions of lives worldwide. Natural products are consistently being explored for the development of novel therapeutics in the management of CKD. Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide predominantly extracted from brown seaweed, which has multiple pharmacological benefits against various kidney problems, including chronic renal failure and diabetic nephropathy. This review aimed at exploring literature to update the renoprotective effects of fucoidan, to get an understanding of pharmacological mechanisms, and to highlight the recent progress of fucoidan-based therapeutic development. Evidence shows that fucoidan is effective against inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis in kidney. Fucoidan targets multiple signaling systems, including Nrf2/HO-1, NF-κB, ERK and p38 MAPK, TGF-ß1, SIRT1, and GLP-1R signaling that are known to be associated with CKD pathobiology. Despite these pharmacological prospects, the application of fucoidan is limited by its larger molecular size. Notably, low molecular weight fucoidan has shown therapeutic promise in some recent studies. However, future research is warranted to translate the outcome of preclinical studies into clinical use in kidney patients.

Reproductive health care utilization among young mothers in Bangladesh: does autonomy matter?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the linkage between the possible influences of the extent of autonomy on young mothers use of reproductive health care services. METHODS: This paper used data from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. The analyses were based on responses of 1,778 currently married women aged 15 to 24 years, living with at least one 0- to 35-month-old child. Utilization of antenatal health services (ANC) services by amount and type of provider, and utilization of delivery assistance according to provider type were used as proxy outcome variables of reproductive health care utilization. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression methods were employed in the analysis. RESULTS: Approximately one third (31%) of the currently married young women in Bangladesh had a higher level of overall decision-making autonomy. Only 24.0% of the sampled women received sufficient ANC; 54% and 18% received ANC and assisted deliveries from a medically trained provider. respectively. In adjusted models, young women who had a higher level of overall autonomy were more likely to receive sufficient ANC (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-2.23) and receiving ANC from medically trained provider (AOR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.42-2.45). Women who had medium overall autonomy were 1.40 times more likely (95% CI, 1.03-1.98) to have deliveries assisted by a medically trained provider than women who had low autonomy. CONCLUSION: Association between young mother's autonomy and reproductive health care utilization suggest that maternal autonomy needs to be considered as an important sociocultural determinant for the higher utilization of reproductive health care services for young mothers in Bangladesh.

Factors affecting the utilisation of postpartum care among young mothers in Bangladesh.

This article addresses the hypothesis that predisposing, enabling and need factors of households influence utilisation of postpartum care among the young mothers according to the timing and type of providers. To reach our goal Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey of 2007 data (n = 2376) were used. Findings revealed that only one-third of the young mothers received postpartum care. Postpartum care by medically trained personnel and within the most critical period (within 48 h after delivery) was found to be very low (25.5 and 16.6%). Regarding postpartum morbidities, only one-fifth to one-half of the women reporting a complication consulted medically trained providers. Indeed, between one third and two thirds did not seek any postpartum care. The highest percentages contacting healthcare providers were for convulsions and the lowest was when the baby's hands or feet came first. The stronger influence of the mother's education and antenatal care on the utilisation of postpartum care is consistent with findings from other studies. Concern of the husband or family about pregnancy complications showed a significant and positive impact on the utilisation of postpartum care. Multivariate analysis showed that mother's age at delivery, residence, education, antenatal care, place of delivery, wealth, husband's occupation, husband's concern about pregnancy complications and mother's permission to go to a health centre alone were likely to affect utilisation of postpartum care services. The results indicate urgent needs in Bangladesh for an awareness-raising program highlighting the importance and availability of postpartum care; for strategies to improve the availability and accessibility of antenatal care services and skilled birth attendance, including focused financial support; for women's education to be given high priority; and to enable women to exercise their rights to control their freedom of movement, own health care and access to economic resources.