Antiviral foods in the battle against viral infections: Understanding the molecular mechanism.

Viruses produce a variety of illnesses, which may also cause acute respiratory syndrome. All viral infections, including COVID-19, are associated with the strength of the immune system. Till now, traditional medicine or vaccines for most viral diseases have not been effective. Antiviral and immune-boosting diets may provide defense against viral diseases by lowering the risk of infection and assisting rapid recovery. The purpose of this review was to gather, analyze, and present data based on scientific evidence in order to provide an overview of the mechanistic insights of antiviral bioactive metabolites. We have covered a wide range of food with antiviral properties in this review, along with their potential mechanism of action against viral infections. Additionally, the opportunities and challenges of using antiviral food have been critically reviewed. Bioactive plant compounds, not only help in maintaining the body's normal physiological mechanism and good health but are also essential for improving the body's immunity and therefore can be effective against viral diseases. These agents fight viral diseases either by incorporating the body's defense mechanism or by enhancing the cell's immune system. Regular intake of antiviral foods may prevent future pandemic and consumption of these antiviral agents with traditional medicine may reduce the severity of viral diseases. Therefore, the synergistic effect of antiviral foods and medication needs to be investigated.

Inhibition of Insulin Degrading Enzyme to Control Diabetes Mellitus and its Applications on some Other Chronic Disease: a Critical Review.

PURPOSE: This review aims to provide a precise perceptive of the insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) and its relationship to type 2 diabetes (T2D), Alzheimer's disease (AD), obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the current study was to provide clear idea of treating prevalent diseases such as T2D, and AD by molecular pharmacological therapeutics rather than conventional medicinal therapy. METHODS: To achieve the aims, molecular docking was performed using several softwares such as LIGPLOT+, Python, and Protein-Ligand Interaction Profiler with corresponding tools. RESULTS: The IDE is a large zinc-metalloprotease that breakdown numerous pathophysiologically important extracellular substrates, comprising amyloid ß-protein (Aß) and insulin. Recent studies demonstrated that dysregulation of IDE leads to develop AD and T2D. Specifically, IDE regulates circulating insulin in a variety of organs via a degradation-dependent clearance mechanism. IDE is unique because it was subjected to allosteric activation and mediated via an oligomer structure. CONCLUSION: In this review, we summarised the factors that modulate insulin reformation by IDE and interaction of IDE and some recent reports on IDE inhibitors against AD and T2D. We also highlighted the latest signs of progress of the function of IDE and challenges in advancing IDE- targetted therapies against T2D and AD.

Critical Assessment of Mycotoxins in Beverages and Their Control Measures.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of filamentous fungi that contaminate food products such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, beverages, and other agricultural commodities. Their occurrence in the food chain, especially in beverages, can pose a serious risk to human health, due to their toxicity, even at low concentrations. Mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), patulin (PAT), fumonisins (FBs), trichothecenes (TCs), zearalenone (ZEN), and the alternaria toxins including alternariol, altenuene, and alternariol methyl ether have largely been identified in fruits and their derived products, such as beverages and drinks. The presence of mycotoxins in beverages is of high concern in some cases due to their levels being higher than the limits set by regulations. This review aims to summarize the toxicity of the major mycotoxins that occur in beverages, the methods available for their detection and quantification, and the strategies for their control. In addition, some novel techniques for controlling mycotoxins in the postharvest stage are highlighted.

Degrading Ochratoxin A and Zearalenone Mycotoxins Using a Multifunctional Recombinant Enzyme.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is an estrogenic and ochratoxin A (OTA) is a hepatotoxic Fusarium mycotoxin commonly seen in cereals and fruits products. No previous investigation has studied on a single platform for the multi degradation mycotoxin. The current study aimed to investigate the bifunctional activity of a novel fusion recombinant. We have generated a recombinant fusion enzyme (ZHDCP) by combining two single genes named zearalenone hydrolase (ZHD) and carboxypeptidase (CP) in frame deletion by crossover polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We identified enzymatic properties and cell cytotoxicity assay of ZHDCP enzyme. Our findings have demonstrated that ZEA was completely degraded to the non-toxic product in 2 h by ZHDCP enzyme at an optimum pH of 7 and a temperature of 35 °C. For the first time, it was found out that ZEA 60% was degraded by CP degrades in 48 h. Fusion ZHDCP and CP enzyme were able to degrade 100% OTA in 30 min at pH 7 and temperature 30 °C. ZEA- and OTA-induced cell death and increased cell apoptosis rate and regulated mRNA expression of Sirt1, Bax, Bcl2, Caspase3, TNFα, and IL6 genes. Our novel findings demonstrated that the fusion enzyme ZHDCP possess bifunctional activity (degrade OTA and ZEA), and it could be used to degrade more mycotoxins.

Fasting and Feeding Signals Control the Oscillatory Expression of Angptl8 to Modulate Lipid Metabolism.

Emerging evidence implies a key role of angiopoietin-like protein 8 (Angptl8) in the metabolic transition between fasting and feeding, whereas much less is known about the mechanism of its own expression. Here we show that hepatic Angptl8 is rhythmically expressed, which involving the liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) modulation during feeding and fasting periods, respectively. In addition, Angptl8 mRNA is very unstable, which contributes to the nature of its daily rhythmicity by rapidly responding to fasting/feeding transition. To explore its pathological function in dexamethasone (DEX)-induced fatty liver, we reversed its suppression by glucocorticoids through adenoviral delivery of Angptl8 gene in mouse liver. Surprisingly, hepatic overexpression of Angptl8 dramatically elevated plasma triglyceride (TG) and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels in DEX-treated mice, suggesting a metabolic interaction between Angptl8 and glucocorticoid signaling. Moreover, intracellular hepatic Angptl8 is implicated in the regulation of lipid homeostasis by the experiments with ectopic expression of a nonsecreted Angptl8 mutant (Δ25-Angptl8). Altogether, our data demonstrate the molecular mechanism of the diurnal rhythm of Angptl8 expression regulated by glucocorticoid signaling and LXRα pathway, and provide new evidence to understand the role of Angptl8 in maintaining plasma TG homeostasis.