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Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a potential alternative to antimicrobial agents that have got considerable research interest owing to their significant role in the inhibition of bacterial pathogens. These AMPs can essentially inhibit the growth and multiplication of microbes through multiple mechanisms including disruption of cellular membranes, inhibition of cell wall biosynthesis, or affecting intracellular components and cell division. Moreover, AMPs are biocompatible and biodegradable therefore, they can be a good alternative to antimicrobial agents and chemical preservatives. A few of their features for example thermostability and high selectivity are quite appealing for their potential use in the food industry for food preservation to prevent the spoilage caused by microorganisms and foodborne pathogens. Despite these advantages, very few AMPs are being used at an industrial scale for food preservation as these peptides are quite vulnerable to external environmental factors which deter their practical applications and commercialization. The review aims to provide an outline of the mechanism of action of AMPs and their prospects as an alternative to chemical preservatives in the food industry. Further studies related to the structure-activity relationship of AMPs will help to expand the understanding of their mechanism of action and to determine specific conditions to increase their stability and applicability in food preservation.
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Antiinfecciosos , Péptidos Catiónicos Antimicrobianos , Péptidos Catiónicos Antimicrobianos/farmacología , Péptidos Antimicrobianos , Antiinfecciosos/farmacología , Conservación de Alimentos , Inocuidad de los Alimentos , Conservantes de Alimentos/farmacologíaRESUMEN
Dengue fever is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus and is a growing concern for public health worldwide, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a commercially available NS1 ELISA kit for dengue fever in Pakistan using multiplex qRT-PCR as the gold standard. The study recruited 1236 suspected cases of dengue fever admitted to public sector hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. Of the suspected cases, 610 (49.3%) were confirmed positive for DENV infection through qRT-PCR, with all four serotypes detected. DENV-2 was the most prevalent serotype, detected in 95.7% of cases. The NS1 ELISA kit detected 71.1% of the positive cases. However, the diagnostic accuracy of the NS1 ELISA kit was found to be only 64.89%. Of the 610 confirmed cases, 68% were male and 32% were female, with a median age of 30 years. Dengue fever was diagnosed in 91.8% of cases, while 8.2% were diagnosed with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). DHF patients had a higher prevalence of abdominal pain, hemorrhagic manifestations, and thrombocytopenia. The cocirculation of all four DENV serotypes in Lahore is concerning and could lead to more severe forms of the disease, such as DHF or dengue shock syndrome, in the future. The study highlights the low diagnostic accuracy of commercially available NS1 ELISA kits and emphasizes the importance of using molecular methods to confirm acute dengue infections. Given the increasing prevalence of dengue fever in developing countries like Pakistan, more accurate and reliable diagnostic tools are needed for effective disease management and control.
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Naturally occurring plant-based gums and their engineered bio-nanostructures have gained an immense essence of excellence in several industrial, biotechnological, and biomedical sectors of the modern world. Gums derived from bio-renewable resources that follow green chemistry principles are considered green macromolecules with unique structural and functional attributes. For instance, gum mostly obtained as exudates are bio-renewable, bio-degradable, bio-compatible, sustainable, overall cost-effective, and nontoxic. Gum exudates also offer tunable attributes that play a crucial role in engineering bio-nanostructures of interest for several bio- and non-bio applications, e.g., food-related items, therapeutic molecules, sustained and controlled delivery cues, bio-sensing constructs, and so on. With particular reference to plant gum exudates, this review focuses on applied perspectives of various gums, i.e., gum Arabic, gum albizzia, gum karaya, gum tragacanth, and gum kondagogu. After a brief introduction with problem statement and opportunities, structural and physicochemical attributes of plant-based natural gums are presented. Following that, considerable stress is given to green synthesis and stabilization of gum-based bio-nanostructures. The final part of the review focuses on the bio- and non-bio related applications of various types of gums polysaccharides-oriented bio-nanostructures.
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Nanoestructuras , Tragacanto , Goma Arábiga/química , Gomas de Plantas , Polisacáridos , Tragacanto/químicaRESUMEN
Plants are subjected to biotic and abiotic stresses regularly, which irreparably harm agricultural production. Eco-friendly and sustainable technology to deal with this challenge is to breed abiotic stress tolerant cultivars. To generate crop plants conferring resistance against stresses, conventional breeding was used in the past, but because of the complex heredity of abiotic stress tolerance traits, such techniques remain insufficient in making greater enhancement. Genome-engineering based on CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR associated protein9) has shown enormous potential in developing climate-resilient cultivars. Likewise, the development of chickpea transgenic lines by knockout of 4CL and REV7 genes exhibits drought tolerance which establishes a foundation for future studies in chickpea. In addition, the CRISPR-Cas9 system can boost yield potential under abiotic stress situations by producing non-transgenic plants having the required characteristics. This review article discusses the validation of gene function based on the CRISPR-Cas9 for the development of abiotic stress-tolerant crop plants, emphasizing the chickpea to open the new ventures of generating abiotic stress-tolerant chickpea varieties.
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Cicer , Sistemas CRISPR-Cas/genética , Cicer/genética , Fitomejoramiento , Plantas , Estrés Fisiológico/genéticaRESUMEN
The wide diversity of cyanobacterial species and their role in a variety of biological activities have been reported in the previous few years. Cyanobacteria, especially from marine sources, constitutes a major source of biologically active metabolites that have gained great attention especially due to their anticancer potential. Numerous chemically diverse metabolites from various cyanobacterial species have been recognized to inhibit the growth and progression of tumor cells through the induction of apoptosis in many different types of cancers. These metabolites activate the apoptosis in the cancer cells by different molecular mechanisms, however, the dysregulation of the mitochondrial pathway, death receptors signaling pathways, and the activation of several caspases are the crucial mechanisms that got considerable interest. The array of metabolites and the range of mechanisms involved may also help to overcome the resistance acquired by the different tumor types against the ongoing therapeutic agents. Therefore, the primary or secondary metabolites from the cyanobacteria as well as their synthetic derivates could be used to develop novel anticancer drugs alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, we have discussed the role of cyanobacterial metabolites in the induction of cytotoxicity and the potential to inhibit the growth of cancer cells through the induction of apoptosis, cell signaling alteration, oxidative damage, and mitochondrial dysfunctions. Moreover, the various metabolites produced by cyanobacteria have been summarized with their anticancer mechanisms. Furthermore, the ongoing trials and future developments for the therapeutic implications of these compounds in cancer therapy have been discussed.
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Antineoplásicos , Cianobacterias , Neoplasias , Antineoplásicos/química , Antineoplásicos/farmacología , Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Apoptosis , Cianobacterias/metabolismo , Neoplasias/tratamiento farmacológicoRESUMEN
The worldwide increase of multi-drug resistance has directed the researchers to focus on ecofriendly ways of nanoparticles synthesis with effective antivirulence properties. Here, we report the antibiofilm and quorum quenching (QQ) potential of zirconium oxide nanoparticles (ZrO2 NPs) synthesized from aqueous ginger extract against multi-drug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii. The results indicated that ZrO2 NPs were of tetragonal shape with average diameter of 16 nm. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values for A. baumannii were 15.6 and 62.5 µg/ml, respectively, as revealed by broth microdilution assay. Exposure of bacterial cells to ZrO2 NPs resulted in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation which in turn led to cellular membrane disruption as observed by an increase in leakage of cellular contents, such as proteins, sugars, and DNA. The antibiofilm activity was evaluated by microtiter plate assay and the results revealed that the percentage inhibition of biofilm was found to be 14.3-80.6%. ZrO2 NPs also obstructed the chemical composition of biofilms matrix by reducing the proteins and carbohydrate contents. Molecular docking studies of ZrO2 NPs with four proteins (2NAZ, 4HKG, 5D6H, and 5HM6) involved in biofilm formation of A. baumannii revealed the interaction of zirconium with target proteins. These findings suggested the in vitro efficacy of phytosynthesized ZrO2 NPs as antibiofilm and QQ agents that can be exploited in the development of alternative therapeutic options against MDR A. baumannii.
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Acinetobacter baumannii , Nanopartículas del Metal , Nanopartículas , Percepción de Quorum , Circonio/farmacología , Simulación del Acoplamiento Molecular , Antibacterianos/farmacología , Antibacterianos/química , Pruebas de Sensibilidad Microbiana , Biopelículas , Nanopartículas del Metal/químicaRESUMEN
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease caused by improper insulin secretion leading to hyperglycemia. Syzygium cumini has excellent therapeutic properties due to its high levels of phytochemicals. The current research aimed to evaluate the anti-diabetic potential of S. cumini plant's seeds and the top two phytochemicals (kaempferol and gallic acid) were selected for further analysis. These phytochemicals were selected via computational tools and evaluated for α-Glucosidase inhibitory activity via enzymatic assay. Gallic acid (IC50 0.37 µM) and kaempferol (IC50 0.87 µM) have shown a stronger α-glucosidase inhibitory capacity than acarbose (5.26 µM). In addition, these phytochemicals demonstrated the highest binding energy, hydrogen bonding, protein-ligand interaction and the best MD simulation results at 100 ns compared to acarbose. Furthermore, the ADMET properties of gallic acid and kaempferol also fulfilled the safety criteria. Thus, it was concluded that S. cumini could potentially be used to treat DM. The potential bioactive molecules identified in this study (kaempferol and gallic acid) may be used as lead drugs against diabetes.
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Syzygium , Acarbosa , Ácido Gálico/farmacología , Quempferoles/farmacología , Fitoquímicos/farmacología , Extractos Vegetales/química , Syzygium/química , alfa-GlucosidasasRESUMEN
Honey is the principal premier product of beekeeping familiar to Homo for centuries. In every geological era and culture, evidence can be traced to the potential usefulness of honey in several ailments. With the advent of recent scientific approaches, honey has been proclaimed as a potent complementary and alternative medicine for the management and treatment of several maladies including various neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis, etc. In the literature archive, oxidative stress and the deprivation of antioxidants are believed to be the paramount cause of many of these neuropathies. Since different types of honey are abundant with certain antioxidants, primarily in the form of diverse polyphenols, honey is undoubtedly a strong pharmaceutic candidate against multiple neurological diseases. In this review, we have indexed and comprehended the involved mechanisms of various constituent polyphenols including different phenolic acids, flavonoids, and other phytochemicals that manifest multiple antioxidant effects in various neurological disorders. All these mechanistic interpretations of the nutritious components of honey explain and justify the potential recommendation of sweet nectar in ameliorating the burden of neurological disorders that have significantly increased across the world in the last few decades.
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Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Miel , Antioxidantes/farmacología , Antioxidantes/uso terapéutico , Flavonoides , Miel/análisis , Humanos , Polifenoles/farmacología , Polifenoles/uso terapéuticoRESUMEN
Sphingomonas sp. Shah is a bacterium that was first isolated from mammalian cell cultures. According to ribotyping data it is very much homologous to the clinically important pathogen Sphingomonas paucimobilis, which has generated pseudo-outbreaks. Using a tissue culture system, Sphingomonas sp. Shah was discovered to induce apoptosis in human lung epithelial carcinoma. Apoptosis of infected cells was determined by numerous criteria including (1) visual alterations in cellular morphology, (2) initiation of nuclear marginalization and chromatin compaction condensation, (3) the attendance of a high percentage of cells with subG1 DNA content, and (4) caspase-3 activation. In the current study we demonstrate the induction of apoptosis in mammalian lung epithelial cells upon infection with Sphingomonas sp. Shah and provide insight into the molecular processes triggering apoptosis.
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Apoptosis/fisiología , Medios de Cultivo , Pulmón/citología , Sphingomonas/aislamiento & purificación , Células A549 , Apoptosis/genética , Células Epiteliales/citología , Genes Bacterianos , Humanos , Filogenia , ARN Mensajero/genética , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , Sphingomonas/clasificación , Sphingomonas/genética , Sphingomonas/fisiologíaRESUMEN
During the past few years, there are growing interests in the potential use of exopolysaccharide (EPS) in the food industry as an efficient biopolymer because of its exceptional biological features. Therefore, the aim of the present study is EPS production by Lactobacillus Plantarum S123 (S123 EPS), its partial structural and biopotential characterization. The results from this study suggested that the major portion of S123 EPS has an amorphous sponge-like structure with partial crystalline nature. The FTIR and NMR results suggested that the S123 EPS consists of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups, respectively. Furthermore, the results of technological as well as biotechnological characterization suggested that the S123 EPS was exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive (7.2 mm) and Gram-negative bacteria (11.5 mm), DPPH radical scavenging activity (> 65%), water holding capacity (326.6 ± 0.5%), oil holding capacity (995.3 ± 0.2%), flocculation (89.5 ± 0.6%), and emulsifying (80.1 ± 1.1%) activities. Overall, the present results suggested that due to the highly porous structure and efficient biotechnological potential, S123 EPS from Lactobacillus plantarum S123 (L. plantarum S123) can be used in the functional food product.
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Bacterias , Queso , Lactobacillus plantarum , Polisacáridos Bacterianos , Antiinfecciosos/química , Antiinfecciosos/aislamiento & purificación , Antiinfecciosos/farmacología , Bacterias/efectos de los fármacos , Queso/microbiología , China , Lactobacillus plantarum/química , Polisacáridos Bacterianos/química , Polisacáridos Bacterianos/aislamiento & purificación , Polisacáridos Bacterianos/farmacologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The term "persisters" refers to a small bacterial population that persists during treatment with high antibiotic concentration or dose in the absence of genetic resistance. The present study was designed to investigate the transcriptional response in indigenous Klebsiella pneumoniae under the ciprofloxacin stress. METHODS: Isolation and identification of K. pneumoniae were carried out through standard microbiological protocols. The characterization of quinolone resistance was performed by estimating the quinolone susceptibility testing, MIC estimation, and detecting the QRDR and PMQR. Transcriptional response of the isolates to ciprofloxacin was determined using qPCR. RESULTS: Among 34 isolates, 23 (67%) were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Both QRDR (gyrA and gyrB) and PMQR (qnrA, qnrB, and qnrS) were detected in the isolates, and all were found resistant to ciprofloxacin. The mRNA levels of both mutS and euTu under the influence of ciprofloxacin were significantly increased. On ciprofloxacin exposure, the mRNA levels of the DNA damage response element (mutS) were raised in a time-dependent fashion. K. pneumoniae showed high-level resistance to ciprofloxacin in the presence of mutations in QRDR and PMQR genes. CONCLUSION: The transcriptional response revealed the upregulation of DNA repair and protein folding elements (mutS and euTu) in ciprofloxacin stress and delayed cell division. The ciprofloxacin was found to trigger various stress responses in a time- and concentration-dependent manner.
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Diabetes mellitus is associated with various types of infections notably skin, mucous membrane, soft tissue, urinary tract, respiratory tract and surgical and/or hospital-associated infections. The reason behind this frequent association with infections is an immunocompromised state of diabetic patient because uncontrolled hyperglycemia impairs overall immunity of diabetic patient via involvement of various mechanistic pathways that lead to the diabetic patient as immunocompromised. There are specific microbes that are associated with each type of infection and their presence indicates specific type of infections. For instance, E. coli and Klebsiella are the most common causative pathogens responsible for the development of urinary tract infections. Diabetic-foot infections commonly occur in diabetic patients. In this article, we have mainly focused on the association of diabetes mellitus with various types of bacterial infections and the pattern of resistance against antimicrobial agents that are frequently used for the treatment of diabetes-associated infections. Moreover, we have also summarized the possible treatment strategies against diabetes-associated infections.
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Bacterias/efectos de los fármacos , Infecciones Bacterianas/tratamiento farmacológico , Complicaciones de la Diabetes/microbiología , Diabetes Mellitus/inmunología , Huésped Inmunocomprometido/inmunología , Antibacterianos/farmacología , Bacterias/clasificación , Bacterias/aislamiento & purificación , Infecciones Bacterianas/microbiología , Complicaciones de la Diabetes/tratamiento farmacológico , Diabetes Mellitus/patología , Farmacorresistencia Bacteriana/efectos de los fármacos , Femenino , Humanos , Hiperglucemia/patología , Masculino , Pruebas de Sensibilidad Microbiana , Infecciones del Sistema Respiratorio/tratamiento farmacológico , Infecciones del Sistema Respiratorio/microbiología , Infecciones Urinarias/tratamiento farmacológico , Infecciones Urinarias/microbiologíaRESUMEN
In Pakistan, 55% of textile exports are contributed by textile-units of Faisalabad. The effluents of these textile units, being discharged without any treatment, contain the contamination of a huge amount of synthetic azo dyes. The objective of the current research was to evaluate the contribution of an azoreductase-encoding gene (azrS) from a pre-characterized azo dye decolorizing bacterial strain Bacillus sp. MR-1/2 in a high copy number host system (pUC19-T7-Top-T) of Escherichia coli strain DH5α followed by in-silico prediction of azoreductase enzyme (AzrS) function. The recombinant cells that contained azrS had a significantly higher rate of color removal in congo red and reactive black-5 dyes when compared to wild-type MR-1/2 and E. coli DH5α after 72 h of incubation. Moreover, we were able to show that the recombinant strain significantly reduced the values of all tested parameters (pH, EC, turbidity, TSS, and COD) in actual wastewater. In support of our results, it was also predicted through bioinformatics analysis that the deduced azoreductase protein of strain MR-1/2 is linked with the dye decolorization ability of the strain through NAD(P)H-ubiquinone: oxidoreductase activity. Furthermore, we also found that the deduced protein resembled closely related proteins of protein databank in many features, yet some unique features were predicted in the enzyme activity of strain MR-1/2. It was concluded that the recombinant strain could be examined in pilot-scale experiments for textile wastewater treatment.
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Compuestos Azo/metabolismo , Bacillus/enzimología , Bacillus/genética , NADH NADPH Oxidorreductasas/genética , NADH NADPH Oxidorreductasas/metabolismo , Aguas Residuales/microbiología , Purificación del Agua , Compuestos Azo/química , Biodegradación Ambiental , Escherichia coli/genética , Regulación Bacteriana de la Expresión Génica/genética , Nitrorreductasas , PakistánRESUMEN
Acinetobacter baumannii is a biofilm forming multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogen responsible for respiratory tract infections. In this study, aluminium oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3 NPs) were synthesized and characterized by TEM and EDX and shown to be spherical shaped nanoparticles with a diameter < 10 nm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for the Al2O3 NPs ranged between 125 and 1,000 µg ml-1. Exposure to NPs caused cellular membrane disruption, indicated by an increase in cellular leakage of the contents. Biofilm inhibition was 11.64 to 70.2%, whereas attachment of bacteria to polystyrene surfaces was reduced to 48.8 to 51.9% in the presence of NPs. Nanoparticles also reduced extracellular polymeric substance production and the biomass of established biofilms. The data revealed the non-toxic nature of Al2O3 NPs up to a concentrations of 120 µg ml-1 in HeLa cell lines. These results demonstrate an effective and safer use of Al2O3 NPs against the MDR A. baumannii by targeting biofilm formation, adhesion and EPS production.
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Acinetobacter baumannii , Óxido de Aluminio/toxicidad , Biopelículas/efectos de los fármacos , Matriz Extracelular de Sustancias Poliméricas/metabolismo , Nanopartículas/toxicidad , Antibacterianos , Biopelículas/crecimiento & desarrollo , Células HeLa , Humanos , Pruebas de Sensibilidad MicrobianaRESUMEN
Recent past years have witnessed the development of several artificial enzymes, using different materials to mimic natural enzymes with respect to their structure and functions. The nanozymes are nanomaterials possessing similar characteristics to the natural enzymes and have emerged recently as an innovative class of artificial enzymes. The nanozymes have got remarkable attention from the researchers and notable developments have been achieved owing to their unique properties compared with natural enzymes and classic artificial enzymes. In this regard, several nanomaterials have been scrutinized so far to mimic different natural enzymes for wider applications ranging from imaging, sensing, water treatment, pollutant removal, and therapeutics. The applications of nanozymes in biomedicine research are fast-growing and various nanozymes have been implicated in diagnostic medicine, targeted cancer therapy. Such abilities make them an appropriate alternative for the development of affordable, sustainable and safe diagnostic as well as therapeutic agents.
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Materiales Biomiméticos/química , Técnicas Biosensibles , Enzimas/química , Nanoestructuras/químicaRESUMEN
Hepatitis is the most common liver diseases in the Pakistan caused by blood-borne infection of HCV. Viral transmission is frequent through blood contact. Vertical transmission is transfer of disease from mother to infant. The women who are infected with hepatitis C virus RNA are at high risk of infecting their babies. Actual transmission occurs during labor and at time of delivery when blood of both mother and neonate is in contact with each other. Vertical transmission rate is lowered when mother is HCV RN A negative. The project was designed to determine the percentage of transmission and prevalence of Hepatitis C virus from mother to neonates. Assessment of the quantitative analysis of RNA levels in mother blood and viraemic status from the early postpartum period onwards of children born to HCV infected mothers. For the diagnosis of hepatitis C in mothers, blood samples of fifty HCV pregnant women between 23-41 years old were taken. The blood samples were centrifuged at 8,000 rpm and serum was separated and stored at 40C. The values of the Alanine Aminotransferase was determined at 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy. After extraction HCVRN Awere transcribed and amplified by PCR. The samples were further authenticated through the Agarose Gel Electrophoresis system and bands were obtained. Nested reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) was conducted for the quantitative analysis of HCV-RNA. The results showed that in 66% cases, the mothers had high level of ALT at 2nd trimester of pregnancy. Their ALT level was decreased in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. PCR results showed that 40% pregnant women had quantity of HCV-RNA in the range of 1000-10,000 IU/mL and in 18% women were above 100000 The results of spectrophotometer showed that 80% infants had the antibodies against HCV-RNA while only 20% of the neonates did not have antibody right after birth. The 29% babies got HCV-RNA in their serum and became positive for HCV-RNA.
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Hepacivirus/patogenicidad , Hepatitis C/diagnóstico , Hepatitis C/transmisión , Transmisión Vertical de Enfermedad Infecciosa , Complicaciones Infecciosas del Embarazo/diagnóstico , Adulto , Biomarcadores/sangre , Femenino , Hepacivirus/genética , Hepacivirus/inmunología , Hepatitis C/epidemiología , Hepatitis C/virología , Anticuerpos contra la Hepatitis C/sangre , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Pakistán/epidemiología , Embarazo , Complicaciones Infecciosas del Embarazo/epidemiología , Complicaciones Infecciosas del Embarazo/virología , Prevalencia , ARN Viral/sangre , ARN Viral/genética , Factores de Riesgo , Carga Viral , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Tuberculosis is a global health problem, and its early diagnosis is the ultimate strategy for prevention and control. The current study was undertaken to evaluate conventional and molecular diagnostic assays for the detection of mycobacteria in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan. A total of 259 clinically suspected patients of TB were processed for Zeihl Neelsen (ZN) microscopy, BACTEC MGIT liquid culture and GeneXpert assay. Among 259 samples, 28 (10.81%) were positive for acid fast bacilli (AFB) on ZN microscopy. In liquid culture, the growth of mycobacterium species was obtained in 36 (13.89%) samples while the GeneXpert assay detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in 49 (18.91%) samples. Detection rate of MTB was significantly high (n = 49, p < 0.0095) on GeneXpert as compared to microscopy (n = 28); however no significant difference (p = 0.1230) was observed on GeneXpert (n = 49) and culture (n = 36) based detection of MTB. The strength of agreement between GeneXpert and microscopy was also poor (Kappa value < 0.114, 95% CI: -0.72 - 0.301) which support our results. MTB detection rate among female was high as compared to male TB patients while in age wise, the age group 55-64 years has almost high detection rate on microscopy, culture and GeneXpert assay. Findings of the present study highlighted that GeneXpert is more efficient tool for timely diagnosis and proper TB control in high TB endemic area.
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Técnicas de Diagnóstico Molecular/métodos , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/aislamiento & purificación , Esputo/microbiología , Tuberculosis Pulmonar/diagnóstico , Diagnóstico Precoz , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Técnicas Microbiológicas/métodos , Microscopía/métodos , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genética , Pakistán , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Urolithiasis is a prevalent condition with significant morbidity and economic implications. The economic burden associated with urolithiasis primarily stems from medical expenses. Previous literature suggests that herbal plants, including Cucurbita pepo, have lithotriptic capabilities. C. pepo is an annual, herbaceous, widely grown, and monoecious vegetative plant known for its antioxidants, fibers, and fatty acids. Recent studies on C. pepo seeds have shown therapeutic potential in reducing bladder stones and urodynamic illnesses, like kidney stones. However, the precise molecular and pharmacological mechanisms are unclear. OBJECTIVE: In this research, we employed network pharmacology and molecular docking to examine the active compounds and biological mechanisms of Cucurbita pepo against kidney stones. METHODS: Active constituents were obtained from previous studies and the IMPPAT database, with their targets predicted using Swiss target prediction. Kidney stone-associated genes were collected from DisGeNET and GeneCards. The active constituent-target-pathway network was constructed using Cytoscape, and the target protein-protein interaction network was generated using the STRING database. Gene enrichment analysis of C. pepo core targets was conducted using DAVID. Molecular docking was performed to identify potential kidney stone-fighting agents. RESULTS: The findings revealed that Cucurbita pepo contains 18 active components and has 192 potential gene targets, including AR, EGFR, ESR1, AKT1, MAPK3, SRC, and MTOR. Network analysis demonstrated that C. pepo seeds may prevent kidney stones by influencing disease-related signaling pathways. Molecular docking indicated that key kidney stone targets (mTOR, EGFR, AR, and ESR1) effectively bind with active constituents of C. pepo. CONCLUSION: These findings provide insight into the anti-kidney stone effects of Cucurbita pepo at a molecular level. In conclusion, this study contributes to understanding the potential of Cucurbita pepo in combating kidney stones and lays the foundation for further research.
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Cucurbita , Cálculos Renales , Simulación del Acoplamiento Molecular , Farmacología en Red , Semillas , Cucurbita/química , Cálculos Renales/tratamiento farmacológico , Semillas/química , HumanosRESUMEN
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the genus Alphavirus and is responsible for causing Chikungunya fever, a type of arboviral fever. Despite extensive research, the pathogenic mechanism of CHIKV within host cells remains unclear. In this study, an in-silico approach was used to predict that CHIKV produces micro-RNAs that target host-specific genes associated with host cellular regulatory pathways. Putative micro-RNAs of CHIKV were predicted using the miRNAFold and Vmir RNA structure web servers, and secondary structure prediction was performed using RNAfold. Host-specific target genes were then predicted, and hub genes were identified using CytoHubba and module selection through MCODE. Functional annotations of hub genes revealed their association with various pathways, including osteoclast differentiation, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and mRNA surveillance. We used the freely available dataset GSE49985 to determine the level of expression of host-specific target genes and found that two genes, F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 16 (FBXL16) and retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA), were down-regulated, while four genes, RNA binding protein with serine-rich domain 1 (RNPS1), RNA helicase and ATPase (UPF1), neuropeptide S receptor 1 (NPSR1), and vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 1 (VIPR1), were up-regulated. These findings provide insight into novel miRNAs and hub genes associated with CHIKV infection and suggest potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Further experimental validation of these targets could lead to the development of effective treatments for CHIKV-mediated diseases.
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Virus Chikungunya , Biología Computacional , MicroARNs , Virus Chikungunya/genética , Virus Chikungunya/inmunología , MicroARNs/genética , Biología Computacional/métodos , Humanos , Interacciones Huésped-Patógeno/genética , Interacciones Huésped-Patógeno/inmunología , Fiebre Chikungunya/virología , Fiebre Chikungunya/inmunología , Fiebre Chikungunya/genética , ARN Viral/genética , Redes Reguladoras de GenesRESUMEN
Cancer, the leading global cause of mortality, poses a formidable challenge for treatment. The effectiveness of cancer therapies, ranging from chemotherapy to immunotherapy, relies on the precise delivery of therapeutic agents to tumor tissues. Nanobiohybrids, resulting from the fusion of bacteria with nanomaterials, constitute a promising delivery system. Nanobiohybrids offer several advantages, including the ability to target tumors, genetic engineering capabilities, programmed product creation, and the potential for multimodal treatment. Recent advances in targeted tumor treatments have leveraged bacteria-based nanobiohybrids. Here, we outline the progress in cancer treatment using nanobiohybrids. Our focus is particularly on various therapeutic approaches within the context of nanobiohybrid systems, where bacteria are integrated with nanomaterials to combat cancer. It has been demonstrated that bacteria-based nanobiohybrids present a robust and effective method for tumor theranostics.