Broccoli: A Multi-Faceted Vegetable for Health: An In-Depth Review of Its Nutritional Attributes, Antimicrobial Abilities, and Anti-inflammatory Properties.

Broccoli, Brassica oleracea var. italica, has recently gained considerable attention due to its remarkable nutritional composition and numerous health benefits. In this review, the nutritional aspects of broccoli are examined, highlighting its rich nutrient content and essential bioactive compounds. The cruciferous vegetable broccoli is a rich source of several important nutrients, including fiber, vitamins (A, C, and K), minerals (calcium, potassium, and iron), and antioxidants. It has also been shown to contain bioactive compounds such as glucosinolates, sulforaphane, and indole-3-carbinol, all of which have been shown to have significant health-promoting effects. These chemicals are known to have potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. This review article aims to comprehensively examine the diverse spectrum of nutrients contained in broccoli and explore its medicinal potential to promote human health.

Antifungal Activity of Plant Secondary Metabolites on Candida albicans: An Updated Review.

Fungal infections have been increasing continuously worldwide, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Fungi, regarded as eukaryotic pathogens, have many similarities to the host cells, which inhibit anti-fungal drug development progress. Various fungal model systems have been studied, and it was concluded that Candida spp. is the most common disease-causing fungus. Candida species are well known to cause infections not only in our mouth, skin, and vagina, but they are also a frequent cause of life-threatening hospital bloodstream infections. The morphological and developmental pathways of Candida have been studied extensively, providing insight into the fungus development. Candida albicans is known to be the most pathogenic species responsible for a variety of infections in humans. Conventional anti-fungal drugs, mainly azoles drugs available in the market, have been used for years developing resistance in C. albicans. Hence, the production of new anti-fungal drugs, which require detailed molecular knowledge of fungal pathogenesis, needs to be encouraged. Therefore, this review targets the new approach of "Green Medicines" or the phytochemicals and their secondary metabolites as a source of novel anti-fungal agents to overcome the drug resistance of C. albicans, their mechanism of action, and their combined effects with the available anti-fungal drugs.

Monoclonal Antibodies and their Target Specificity Against SARS-CoV-2 Infections: Perspectives and Challenges.

The world continues to be in the midst of a distressing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel virus with multiple antigenic systems. The virus enters via nasopharynx, oral and infects cells by the expression of the spike protein, and enters the lungs using the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 receptor. The spectrum of specific immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 virus infection is increasingly challenging as frequent mutations have been reported and their antigen specificity varies accordingly. The development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) will have a more significant advantage in suppressing SARS-CoV-2 virus infectivity. Recently, mAbs have been developed to target included specific neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 infection. The use of the therapeutic index of mAbs that can elicit neutralization by binding to the viral spike protein and suppress the cytokine network is a classic therapeutic approach for a potential cure. The development of mAbs against B-cell function as well as inhibition of the cytokine network has also been a focus in recent research. Recent studies have demonstrated the efficacy of mAbs as antibody cocktail preparations against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Target specific therapeutic accomplishment with mAbs, a milestone in the modern therapeutic age, can be used to achieve a specific therapeutic strategy to suppress SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. This review focuses on the molecular aspects of the cytokine network and antibody formation to better understand the development of mAbs against SARS- CoV-2 infection along with recent patents.

Solvent extraction, spectral analysis and antibacterial activity of the bioactive crystals of Sargassum aquifolium (Turner) C.Agardh from Red Sea.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and anti-bacterial properties of the bioactive principles of Sargassum aquifolium (Turner) C.Agardh, a brown seaweed in Red sea of Jazan province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Crystals were obtained from the petroleum ether extract of Sargassum aquifolium and subjected to chemical tests, FTIR spectroscopic analysis and NMR analysis to identify their chemical composition, and to study their antibacterial properties against selected human pathogenic bacteria. In addition, GC-MS analysis was performed to identify the bioactive compounds in the crude petroleum ether extract. Results of the antibacterial effect of the crystal analyte showed a wide spectrum of activity against the screened human pathogenic bacteria.

The combination of canagliflozin and omega-3 fatty acid ameliorates insulin resistance and cardiac biomarkers via modulation of inflammatory cytokines in type 2 diabetic rats.

The present study was carried out with the hypothesis that combination of canagliflozin and omega-3 fatty acid may have potential effect on insulin level, insulin resistance, cardiac biomarkers, inflammatory cytokines and histological studies in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Type 2 DM was induced by injecting nicotinamide (120 mg/kg, i.p.) 15 min before STZ (60 mg/kg) injection. Canagliflozin (5 and 10 mg/kg) and omega-3 fatty acid (300 mg/kg) were given for 28 days after confirmation of diabetes. Biochemical estimations revealed elevated levels of glucose, insulin, HOMA-R and inflammatory cytokines in diabetic group. Daily dosing of alone canagliflozin and omega-3 fatty acid slightly reduced elevated levels of glucose, insulin, HOMA-R and inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-2, and TNFα), whereas canagliflozin and omega-3 fatty acid combination has reduced these biochemical parameters significantly when compared with diabetic group. Similarly in diabetic group the levels of cardiac biomarkers such as lipid profile, LDH, CKMB and troponin were significantly increased. Elevated levels of cardiac biomarkers were significantly reduced after daily dosing of alone canagliflozin and omega-3 fatty acid. Canagliflozin and omega-3 fatty acid combination has offered better improvement in cardiac biomarkers compared to alone canagliflozin and omega-3 fatty acid. Histopathological analysis also supported the above hypothesis that combination therapy (canagliflozin and omega-3 fatty acid) offered better protection against degenerative changes in ß-cells of pancreas as compared to alone treatment with these drugs. Thus the present study revealed that canagliflozin and omega-3 fatty acid can be used as potential combination therapy in type 2 DM along with cardiac complication.

Therapeutic potential of Vanillylacetone against CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity by suppressing the serum marker, oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis in Swiss albino mice.

The aim of this research was to investigate the therapeutic potential of Vanillylacetone against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatotoxicity in mice through understanding the serum marker, oxidative stress mechanism and cytokine networks. Carbon tetrachloride is highly hepatotoxic used as research based on animal model. The mice were classified into five groups and each had eight mice. Group-I was controlled and the vehicle was given orally. Group-II was toxic and carbon tetrachloride (1.5 ml/kg) twice a week for 15 days was administered by intra-peritoneal injections. Group- III and IV were pre-treated with Vanillylacetone 50 & 100 mg kg-1 body weight given every day p.o. while, Group-V received only Vanillylacetone (100 mg kg-1 body weight) for 15 days orally. The finding indicates that the administration of CCl4 causes significant elevation of enzyme markers, oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokine and apoptotic markers in Group-II as compared to Group-I. The administration of Vanillylacetone (50 and100 mg kg-1) significantly suppresses the elevated serum enzymes, oxidative stress (TBARS), an inflammatory cytokine (IL2 and TNFα) and apoptotic markers (Caspase-3 and 9) in Group-III and IV as compared to Group-II. It was also noticed that the higher dose of Vanillylacetone (100 mg) is more effective than lower dose of Vanillylacetone (50 mg). There were no significant changes observed with higher dose of Vanillylacetone (100 mg kg-1) in Group-V as compared to Group-I. Histopathological analysis also supported the above findings. Overall, this results shows that Vanillylacetone has a good antioxidant and therapeutic properties which can help in preventing the chemically (CCl4) induced hepatotoxicity.

Potency of nano-antibacterial formulation from Sargassum binderi against selected human pathogenic bacteria

Seaweeds constitutes an abundant marine reserve that can be harnessed as source of new pharmaceutical agents. Sargassum binderi Sonder ex J. Agardh is a brown seaweed that is predominantly available from December to March in the Red Sea, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In this study, three extracts were isolated using three different techniques, and were subjected to antibacterial assay. The petroleum ether extract of Sargassum binderi was more effective against selected human pathogenic bacteria than the other extracts. Therefore, further studies were focused on developing oleic acid vesicles entrapped with the petroleum ether extract of Sargassum binderi, with the aim of enhancing its penetration property. Oleic acid vesicles were prepared by entrapping petroleum ether extract of Sargassum binderi using film hydration technique. The formulated vesicles were in nanoscale, and so were termed phyto-nanovesicles (PNVs). The spectrum of antibacterial activity of PNVs showed that it is a promising formulation against S. aureus, S. pyogenes, B. subtilis, E. coli, K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa. The microbial sensitivities to the PNVs was in the order E.coli > B. subtilis > S. aureus > S. pyogenes > K. pneumoniae > P. aeruginosa. Thus, the PNV formulation possesses promising and effective antimicrobial potential against human pathogenic bacteria

In Vitro Antibacterial Spectrum of Sodium Selenite against Selected Human Pathogenic Bacterial Strains.

The objective of this investigation was to predict the antibacterial properties of sodium selenite against selected human pathogens. A group of six human bacterial pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella planticola were utilized for screening. The spectrum of activity was qualified based on zone of inhibition. Our study demonstrated that sodium selenite exhibits a strong spectrum of activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella planticola. The spectrum of activity was compared with standard ciprofloxacin disc (5 µg/disc) and observed to have satisfactory effect.