Carotenoids from Marine Sources as a New Approach in Neuroplasticity Enhancement.

An increasing number of people experience disorders related to the central nervous system (CNS). Thus, new forms of therapy, which may be helpful in repairing processes' enhancement and restoring declined brain functions, are constantly being sought. One of the most relevant physiological processes occurring in the brain for its entire life is neuroplasticity. It has tremendous significance concerning CNS disorders since neurological recovery mainly depends on restoring its structural and functional organization. The main factors contributing to nerve tissue damage are oxidative stress and inflammation. Hence, marine carotenoids, abundantly occurring in the aquatic environment, being potent antioxidant compounds, may play a pivotal role in nerve cell protection. Furthermore, recent results revealed another valuable characteristic of these compounds in CNS therapy. By inhibiting oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, carotenoids promote synaptogenesis and neurogenesis, consequently presenting neuroprotective activity. Therefore, this paper focuses on the carotenoids obtained from marine sources and their impact on neuroplasticity enhancement.

Unusual Bioactive Compounds with Antioxidant Properties in Adjuvant Therapy Supporting Cognition Impairment in Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Cognitive function decline is strictly related to age, resulting in the loss of the ability to perform daily behaviors and is a fundamental clinical neurodegeneration symptom. It has been proven that an adequate diet, comprehensive nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle may significantly inhibit neurodegenerative processes, improving cognitive functions. Therefore, intensive research has been conducted on cognitive-enhancing treatment for many years, especially with substances of natural origin. There are several intervention programs aimed at improving cognitive functions in elderly adults. Cognitive functions depend on body weight, food consumed daily, the quality of the intestinal microflora, and the supplements used. The effectiveness in the prevention of dementia is particularly high before the onset of the first symptoms. The impact of diet and nutrition on age-associated cognitive decline is becoming a growing field as a vital factor that may be easily modified, and the effects may be observed on an ongoing basis. The paper presents a review of the latest preclinical and clinical studies on the influence of natural antioxidants on cognitive functions, with particular emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases. Nevertheless, despite the promising research results in animal models, the clinical application of natural compounds will only be possible after solving a few challenges.

The Role of Supplementation with Natural Compounds in Post-Stroke Patients.

Malnutrition is a serious problem in post-stroke patients. Importantly, it intensifies with hospitalization, and is related to both somatic and psychological reasons, as well as is associated with the insufficient knowledge of people who accompany the patient. Malnutrition is a negative prognostic factor, leading to a reduction in the quality of life. Moreover, this condition significantly extends hospitalization time, increases the frequency of treatment in intensive care units, and negatively affects the effectiveness of rehabilitation. Obtaining growing data on the therapeutic effectiveness of new compounds of natural origin is possible through the use of pharmacodynamic and analytical methods to assess their therapeutic properties. The proper supply of nutrients, as well as compounds of natural origin, is an important element of post-stroke therapy, due to their strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and neuroplasticity enhancing properties. Taking the above into account, in this review we present the current state of knowledge on the benefits of using selected substances of natural origin in patients after cerebral stroke.

The Existing Methods and Novel Approaches in Mycotoxins' Detection.

Mycotoxins represent a wide range of secondary, naturally occurring and practically unavoidable fungal metabolites. They contaminate various agricultural commodities like cereals, maize, peanuts, fruits, and feed at any stage in pre- or post-harvest conditions. Consumption of mycotoxin-contaminated food and feed can cause acute or chronic toxicity in human and animals. The risk that is posed to public health have prompted the need to develop methods of analysis and detection of mycotoxins in food products. Mycotoxins wide range of structural diversity, high chemical stability, and low concentrations in tested samples require robust, effective, and comprehensible detection methods. This review summarizes current methods, such as chromatographic and immunochemical techniques, as well as novel, alternative approaches like biosensors, electronic noses, or molecularly imprinted polymers that have been successfully applied in detection and identification of various mycotoxins in food commodities. In order to highlight the significance of sampling and sample treatment in the analytical process, these steps have been comprehensively described.

Methyl Jasmonate Effect on Betulinic Acid Content and Biological Properties of Extract from Senna obtusifolia Transgenic Hairy Roots.

It is known that Senna obtusifolia has been used in medicine since ancient times due to the content of many valuable compounds with a pro-health effect. One of them is betulinic acid, which is a pentacyclic triterpene with antimalarial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. In this work, a continuation of our previous research, an attempt was made to increase the level of betulinic acid accumulation by the cultivation of transgenic hairy roots that overexpress the squalene synthase gene in a 10 L sprinkle bioreactor with methyl jasmonate elicitation. We present that the applied strategy allowed us to increase the content of betulinic acid in hairy root cultures to the level of 48 mg/g dry weight. The obtained plant extracts showed a stronger cytotoxic effect on the U87MG glioblastoma cell line than the roots grown without elicitors. Additionally, the induction of apoptosis, reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential, chromosomal DNA fragmentation and activation of caspase cascades are demonstrated. Moreover, the tested extract showed inhibition of topoisomerase I activity.

SARS-CoV-2: Outline, Prevention, and Decontamination.

The new coronavirus began to spread around the world in late 2019. Initially, it was found only in China, but in the following days there were reported cases of infections in other countries. Subsequently, based on taxonomy, phylogeny, and accepted practice, the virus was officially designated as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As a result of the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 in different countries around the world, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a status change in the disease caused by this coronavirus-from an epidemic to a pandemic disease. Although the world is taking unprecedented efforts to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the number of confirmed cases is rising. Therefore, effective preventive measures are needed in order to limit the spread of illness. The prevention measures are mainly based on information on the virus transmission routes, its environmental stability, and persistence on commonly touched surfaces. Social distancing, mask usage, and good hygiene practice are the most important recommendations for general public. Healthcare professionals who are directly involved in SARS-CoV-2 patients care are more exposed to virus infection and additional protection measures are necessary, including protective suits, aprons, face shields, goggles, and gloves. Due to the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on different surfaces, such as glass, paper, or wood, proper disinfection is crucial. Several studies have shown that despite the virus's stability, it is sensitive to various disinfectants, such as ethanol, isopropanol, sodium hypochlorite, or hydrogen peroxide. These findings underline the importance of having comprehensive knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 and multidirectional strategies in order to limit the spread of the virus. This review is a summary of the most important information about SARS-CoV-2, such as its stability on different surfaces, protection strategies, and decontamination options.

Novel Advances to Post-Stroke Aphasia Pharmacology and Rehabilitation.

Aphasia is one of the most common clinical features of functional impairment after a stroke. Approximately 21-40% of stroke patients sustain permanent aphasia, which progressively worsens one's quality of life and rehabilitation outcomes. Post-stroke aphasia treatment strategies include speech language therapies, cognitive neurorehabilitation, telerehabilitation, computer-based management, experimental pharmacotherapy, and physical medicine. This review focuses on current evidence of the effectiveness of impairment-based aphasia therapies and communication-based therapies (as well as the timing and optimal treatment intensities for these interventions). Moreover, we present specific interventions, such as constraint-induced aphasia therapy (CIAT) and melodic intonation therapy (MIT). Accumulated data suggest that using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is safe and can be used to modulate cortical excitability. Therefore, we review clinical studies that present TMS and tDCS as (possible) promising therapies in speech and language recovery, stimulating neuroplasticity. Several drugs have been used in aphasia pharmacotherapy, but evidence from clinical studies suggest that only nootropic agents, donepezil and memantine, may improve the prognosis of aphasia. This article is an overview on the current state of knowledge related to post-stroke aphasia pharmacology, rehabilitation, and future trends.

Flavonoids as a Natural Enhancer of Neuroplasticity-An Overview of the Mechanism of Neurorestorative Action.

Neuroplasticity is a complex physiological process occurring in the brain for its entire life. However, it is of particular importance in the case of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Neurological recovery largely depends on the ability to reestablish the structural and functional organization of neurovascular networks, which must be pharmacologically supported. For this reason, new forms of therapy are constantly being sought. Including adjuvant therapies in standard treatment may support the enhancement of repair processes and restore impaired brain functions. The common hallmark of nerve tissue damage is increased by oxidative stress and inflammation. Thus, the studies on flavonoids with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as a potential application in neuro intervention have been carried out for a long time. However, recent results have revealed another important property of these compounds in CNS therapy. Flavonoids possess neuroprotective activity, and promote synaptogenesis and neurogenesis, by, among other means, inhibiting oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. This paper presents an overview of the latest knowledge on the impact of flavonoids on the plasticity processes of the brain, taking into account the molecular basis of their activity.

Melittin-A Natural Peptide from Bee Venom Which Induces Apoptosis in Human Leukaemia Cells.

Bee venom is a very complex mixture produced and secreted by the honeybee (Apis mellifera). Melittin is a major component of bee venom that accounts for about 52% of its dry mass. A vast number of studies have been dedicated to the effects of melittin's regulation of apoptosis and to the factors that induce apoptosis in various types of cancer such as breast, ovarian, prostate, lung. The latest evidence indicates its potential as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of leukaemia. The aim of our present study is to evaluate melittin's ability to induce apoptosis in leukaemia cell lines of different origin acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (CCRF-CEM) and chronic myelogenous leukaemia (K-562). We demonstrated that melittin strongly reduced cell viability in both leukaemia cell lines but not in physiological peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PMBCs). Subsequent estimated parameters (mitochondrial membrane potential, Annexin V binding and Caspases 3/7 activity) clearly demonstrated that melittin induced apoptosis in leukaemia cells. This is a very important step for research into the development of new potential anti-leukaemia as well as anticancer therapies. Further analyses on the molecular level have been also planned (analysis of proapoptotic genes expression and DNA damages) for our next research project, which will also focus on melittin.