Papaverine: A Miraculous Alkaloid from Opium and Its Multimedicinal Application.

The pharmacological actions of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids are quite substantial, and have recently attracted much attention. One of the principle benzylisoquinoline alkaloids has been found in the unripe seed capsules of Papaver somniferum L. Although it lacks analgesic effects and is unrelated to the compounds in the morphine class, it is a peripheral vasodilator and has a direct effect on vessels. It is reported to inhibit the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) phosphodiesterase in smooth muscles, and it has been observed to increase intracellular levels of cAMP and cGMP. It induces coronary, cerebral, and pulmonary artery dilatation and helps to lower cerebral vascular resistance and enhance cerebral blood flow. Current pharmacological research has revealed that papaverine demonstrates a variety of biological activities, including activity against erectile dysfunction, postoperative vasospasms, and pulmonary vasoconstriction, as well as antiviral, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, and gestational actions. It was recently demonstrated that papaverine has the potential to control SARS-CoV-2 by preventing its cytopathic effect. These experiments were carried out both in vitro and in vivo and require an extensive understanding of the mechanisms of action. With its multiple mechanisms, papaverine can be considered as a natural compound that is used to develop therapeutic drugs. To validate its applications, additional research is required into its precise therapeutic mechanisms as well as its acute and chronic toxicities. Therefore, the goal of this review is to discuss the major studies and reported clinical studies looking into the pharmacological effects of papaverine and the mechanisms of action underneath these effects. Additionally, it is recommended to conduct further research via significant pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic studies.

Isolation, Characterization and Pharmacological Investigations of a New Phenolic Compound along with Four Others Firstly Reported Phytochemicals from Glycosmis cyanocarpa (Blume) Spreng.

Plants are serving the mankind with important bioactive phytochemicals from the very ancient ages to develop novel therapeutics against different disease states. Glycosmis cyanocarpa (Blume) Spreng is a plant from the Rutaceae family and a very less explored species from the Glycosmis genus. Thus, this present study was intended to present the chemical and biological investigation of Glycosmis cyanocarpa (Blume) Spreng. The chemical investigation resulted in the isolation of one new phenolic compound to the best of our knowledge which is (4-(3-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl)-2-methoxyphenol) (1) along with four known compounds that are isolated for the first time from this species- 3-methyl-1H-indole (2), Tri-transpoly-cis prenol-12 (3), Stigmasterol (4) and ß-sitosterol (5). Their chemical structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR, and comparison with the available literature data. Isolated phytochemicals were further investigated to unveil their antioxidant properties with IC50 values (ranged from 9.97-75.48 µg/mL), cytotoxicity with LC50 values (ranged from 1.02-1.92 µg/mL), and antibacterial properties against some selected Gram (+) ve and Gram (-) ve bacteria. Among the compounds, 3-methyl-1H-indole (2) was found to be the most active against Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, the phenolic compound (1) and the alkaloid (2) revealed the highest antioxidant (9.97 µg/mL) and cytotoxic activities (1.02 µg/mL), respectively. Thus, the isolation of these bioactive phytochemicals from the plant revealed a new perception in the study arena of drug discovery and the findings may ease the development and discovery of novel therapeutics. Further investigations are still recommended to understand their exact molecular mechanism and toxicological impact.

Chemico-Pharmacological Screening of the Methanol Extract of Gynura nepalensis D.C. Deciphered Promising Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Potentials: Evidenced from in vitro, in vivo, and Computer-Aided Studies.

Gynura nepalensis D.C. (family: Asteraceae) has abundant uses in the alternative medicinal practice, and this species is commonly used in the treatment of diabetes, rheumatism, cuts or wounds, asthma, kidney stones, cough, urinary tract bleeding, gall bladder stones, hepatitis, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, constipation, vomiting, fertility problems, blood poisoning, septicemia, skin allergy, indigestion, high cholesterol levels, and so on. This study aims to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant potential of the methanol extract of the Gynura nepalensis D.C. (GNME) along with chemical profiling with phytochemical screening. Moreover, prospective phytocompounds have been screened virtually to present the binding affinity of the bioactive components to the hepatic and oxidative receptors. In the hepatoprotective study, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), and lipid peroxidation (LP) and total bilirubin (TB) have been assessed, and in the antioxidant study, the DPPH free radical scavenging, total antioxidant flavonoid, and phenolic contents were determined. Moreover, the molecular binding affinity of the bioactive component of the plant has been analyzed using PyRx AutoDock Vina, Chimera, and Discovery Studio software. The plant extract showed dose-dependent hepatoprotective potential (p < 0.05, 0.01, 0.001) as well as strong antioxidant properties. Moreover, hepatoprotective and antioxidant molecular docking studies revealed a result varying from −2.90 kcal/mol to −10.1 kcal/mol. 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid revealed the highest binding affinity among the selected molecules. However, the plant showed portent antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties in the in vitro, in vivo, and in silico models, and it is presumed that the hepatoprotective properties of the plant extract have occurred due to the presence of the vast bioactive chemical compounds as well as their antioxidant properties. Therefore, advanced studies are recommended to elucidate the pharmacological properties of the plant extracts.

Antidiabetic Potential of Commonly Available Fruit Plants in Bangladesh: Updates on Prospective Phytochemicals and Their Reported MoAs.

Diabetes mellitus is a life-threatening disorder affecting people of all ages and adversely disrupts their daily functions. Despite the availability of numerous synthetic-antidiabetic medications and insulin, the demand for the development of novel antidiabetic medications is increasing due to the adverse effects and growth of resistance to commercial drugs in the long-term usage. Hence, antidiabetic phytochemicals isolated from fruit plants can be a very nifty option to develop life-saving novel antidiabetic therapeutics, employing several pathways and MoAs (mechanism of actions). This review focuses on the antidiabetic potential of commonly available Bangladeshi fruits and other plant parts, such as seeds, fruit peals, leaves, and roots, along with isolated phytochemicals from these phytosources based on lab findings and mechanism of actions. Several fruits, such as orange, lemon, amla, tamarind, and others, can produce remarkable antidiabetic actions and can be dietary alternatives to antidiabetic therapies. Besides, isolated phytochemicals from these plants, such as swertisin, quercetin, rutin, naringenin, and other prospective phytochemicals, also demonstrated their candidacy for further exploration to be established as antidiabetic leads. Thus, it can be considered that fruits are one of the most valuable gifts of plants packed with a wide spectrum of bioactive phytochemicals and are widely consumed as dietary items and medicinal therapies in different civilizations and cultures. This review will provide a better understanding of diabetes management by consuming fruits and other plant parts as well as deliver innovative hints for the researchers to develop novel drugs from these plant parts and/or their phytochemicals.

Opportunities and challenges in stem cell therapy in cardiovascular diseases: Position standing in 2022.

This study intends to evaluate the development, importance, pre-clinical and clinical study evaluation of stem cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of fatality in the whole world. Though there are great progressions in the pharmacological and other interventional treatment options, heart diseases remain a common disorder that causes long-term warnings. Recent accession promotes the symptoms and slows down the adverse effects regarding cardiac remodelling. But they cannot locate the problems of immutable loss of cardiac tissues. In this case, stem cell treatment holds a promising challenge. Stem cells are the cells that are capable of differentiating into many cells according to their needs. So, it is assumed that these cells can distinguish into many cells and if these cells can be individualized into cardiac cells then they can be used to replace the damaged tissues of the heart. There is some abridgment in this therapy, none the less stem cell therapy remains a hopeful destination in the treatment of heart disease.

Evaluation of Various Solvent Extracts of Tetrastigma leucostaphylum (Dennst.) Alston Leaves, a Bangladeshi Traditional Medicine Used for the Treatment of Diarrhea.

Tetrastigma leucostaphylum (TL) is an important ethnic medicine of Bangladesh used to treat diarrhea and dysentery. Hence, current study has been designed to characterize the antidiarrheal (in vivo) and cytotoxic (in vitro) effects of T. leucostaphylum. A crude extract was prepared with methanol (MTL) and further partitioned into n-hexane (NTL), dichloromethane (DTL), and n-butanol (BTL) fractions. Antidiarrheal activity was investigated using castor oil induced diarrhea, enteropooling, and gastrointestinal transit models, while cytotoxicity was evaluated using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. In antidiarrheal experiments, all doses (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) of the DTL extract significantly reduced diarrheal stool frequency, volume and weight of intestinal contents, and gastrointestinal motility in mice. Similarly, in the cytotoxicity assay, all extracts exhibited activity, with the DTL extract the most potent (LC50 67.23 µg/mL). GC-MS analysis of the DTL extract identified 10 compounds, which showed good binding affinity toward M3 muscarinic acetylcholine, 5-HT3, Gut inhibitory phosphodiesterase, DNA polymerase III subunit alpha, and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-1 carboxyvinyltransferase enzyme targets upon molecular docking analysis. Although ADME/T analyses predicted the drug-likeness and likely safety upon consumption of these bioactive compounds, significant toxicity concerns are evident due to the presence of the known phytotoxin, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol. In summary, T. leucostaphylum showed promising activity, helping to rationalize the ethnomedicinal use and importance of this plant, its safety profile following both acute and chronic exposure warrants further investigation.

Pharmacological and computer-aided studies provide new insights into Millettia peguensis Ali (Fabaceae).

Millettia peguensis, popular for its ethnopharmacological uses, was employed to evaluate its different pharmacological properties in this study. The analgesic studies of the plant have been performed by acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced licking tests respectively, whereas the antidiarrheal experiment was done by castor oil-induced diarrheal test. Besides, antioxidant, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, thrombolytic evaluations were performed by DPPH scavenging with phenol content determination, brine shrimp lethality, disc diffusion and clot lysis methods respectively. Moreover, in silico study of the phytoconstituents was carried out by molecular docking and ADME/T analysis. The methanol extract of Millettia peguensis (MEMP) revealed significant biological activity in the analgesic and antidiarrheal test (p < 0.001) compared to the standards. Antioxidant assay displayed promising IC50 values (15.96 µg/mL) with the total phenol content (65.27 ± 1.24 mg GAE/g). In the cytotoxicity study, the LC50 value was found to be 1.094 µg/mL. Besides, MEMP was highly sensitive to the bacteria but less liable to clot lysis. Furthermore, phytoconstituents exposed potential binding affinity towards the selected receptors, whereas the ADME/T properties indicated the drug likeliness of the plant. The outcomes of these findings suggest the therapeutic potential of this plant against pain, diarrhea, inflammation, and tissue toxicity.

Isolation of bioactive phytochemicals from Crinum asiaticum L. along with their cytotoxic and TRAIL-resistance abrogating prospect assessment.

Crinum asiaticum L. (Amaryllidaceae) is a perennial bulbous herb, locally utilized for possessing multifaceted pharmacological properties including anticancer, immune-stimulating, analgesic, antiviral, antimalarial, antibacterial and antifungal, in addition to its popularity as an aesthetic plant. Separation of MeOH extract of C. asiaticum leaves yielded three known compounds as cycloneolitsol (1), hippeastrine (2) and ß-sitosterol (3). Among these, compounds 1 and 2 were subjected to the cytotoxic assay and found that they induced mild effect against HCT116, Huh7 and DU145 cell lines with the IC50 values from 73.76 to 132.53 µM. When tested for TRAIL-resistance abrogating activity, 1 (100 µM) along with TRAIL (100 ng/mL) showed moderate activity in AGS cells producing 25 % more inhibition than the agent alone. Whereas 2 (20 and 30 µM) in combination with TRAIL (100 ng/mL) exhibited strong activity in abrogating TRAIL-resistance and caused 34 % and 36 % more inhibition in AGS cells, respectively. The in-silico studies of compound 2 revealed high docking hits with the TRAIL-associated anti-apoptotic proteins which give a justification for the regulatory interactions to induce such abrogating activity. It is still recommended to conduct further investigations to understand their exact molecular mechanism.

Flavonoids: A treasure house of prospective pharmacological potentials.

Flavonoids are organic compounds characterized by a range of phenolic structures, which are abundantly present in various natural sources such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, bark, roots, stems, flowers, tea, and wine. The health advantages of these natural substances are renowned, and initiatives are being taken to extract the flavonoids. Apigenin, galangin, hesperetin, kaempferol, myricetin, naringenin, and quercetin are the seven most common compounds belonging to this class. A thorough analysis of bibliographic records from reliable sources including Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, MEDLINE, and others was done to learn more about the biological activities of these flavonoids. These flavonoids appear to have promising anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral, cytotoxic, and lipid-lowering activities, according to evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and clinical research. The review contains recent trends, therapeutical interventions, and futuristic aspects of flavonoids to treat several diseases like diabetes, inflammation, bacterial and viral infections, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases. However, this manuscript should be handy in future drug discovery. Despite these encouraging findings, a notable gap exists in clinical research, hindering a comprehensive understanding of the effects of flavonoids at both high and low concentrations on human health. Future investigations should prioritize exploring bioavailability, given the potential for high inter-individual variation. As a starting point for further study on these flavonoids, this review paper may promote identifying and creating innovative therapeutic uses.

Therapeutic potentials of Adenostemma lavenia (L.) O.Kuntze evidenced into an array of pharmacological effects and ligand-receptor interactions.

This study constructed the phytochemical profiles of Adenostemma lavenia (L) methanol extract (MEAL) and investigated its anti-nociceptive, anti-diarrheal, antipyretic, thrombolytic and anthelmintic effects. The GC-MS characterized MEAL had undergone an in vivo antipyretic effect assayed on Swiss albino mice adopting the yeast-induced pyrexia model, antinociceptive activity tested following acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced licking paw models, anti-diarrheal effect in castor oil-induced diarrhea, castor oil-induced enteropooling, and charcoal-induced intestinal transit tests, in vitro thrombolytic effect using clot-lysis model and anthelmintic effects assayed on Tubifex tubifex nematode. The MEAL biometabolites and associated proteins of target diseases were interacted with computational analysis. The MEAL showed a significant dose-dependent percentage of inhibition in acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced paw licking displaying inhibition of 80.40% in acetic acid-induced writhing and 36.23% and 58.21% in the second phase of the formalin-induced model. The MEAL inhibition of 34.37%, 35.29%, and 42.95% in castor oil-induced diarrhea, castor oil-induced enteropooling, and charcoal-induced gastrointestinal motility, respectively. The MEAL significantly reduced yeast-induced pyrexia. Its biometabolites showed remarkable (-4.1 kcal/mol to 7.4 kcal/mol) binding affinity with the protein receptors. Caryophyllene and Cyclobarbital yielded the best binding scores in this research. Results suggest that pure compounds-based pharmacological investigations are necessary to affirm the therapeutic effects.

Chemico-Biological Profiling of Blumea lacera (Burm.f.) DC. (Family: Asteraceae) Provides New Insights as a Potential Source of Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, Antimicrobial, and Antidiarrheal Agents.

Blumea lacera (Burm.f.) DC., popular for its traditional use in different diseases, was employed in phytochemical and biological investigations. The chemical studies led to the isolation of acyclic diterpene-phytol (1) along with two fatty acids-linolenic acid (2) and oleic acid (3). All the structures were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopic analysis and first time reported from this plant. Different fractions of crude methanol extract were subjected to antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, and antidiarrheal assays. The molecular docking studies have been implemented using PyRx, UCSF Chimera, Discovery Studio, and online tools. In addition, The ADME/T analysis and PASS prediction were implemented by using PASS online tools. In the molecular docking study of antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, and antidiarrheal activity, the compounds showed strong binding affinity ranging from -4.5 to -6.2 kcal/mol. Again, all three isolated compounds met the preconditions of Lipinski's five rules for drug discovery. In DPPH free radical scavenging assay, the pet-ether and chloroform soluble fraction showed noteworthy antioxidant activity sowing promising IC50 values (10.76 µg/ml and 11.77 µg/ml, respectively), compared to the standard (6.05 µg/ml) with a total phenolic content range of 7.33-40.33 mg of GAE/gm. The pet-ether soluble fraction revealed substantial cytotoxicity showing an LC50 value of 1.03 µg/ml, compared to the standard (0.93 µg/ml). Besides, ethyl acetate soluble fraction showed moderate activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, while both ethyl acetate and pet-ether soluble fraction showed excellent dose-dependent antidiarrheal activity.

Profiling of phytochemical and antioxidant activity of wild mushrooms: Evidence from the in vitro study and phytoconstituent's binding affinity to the human erythrocyte catalase and human glutathione reductase.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the appearance of phytochemicals and antioxidant activity of seven wild mushrooms of the University of Chittagong campus. Phytochemical screening was performed using standard methods, whereas DPPH radical scavenging assay was used to elucidate the antioxidant effect. Besides, in silico studies were implemented using the targets of human erythrocyte catalase 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, human glutathione reductase, and selected compounds. Again, the absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and toxicity (ADME/T) analysis has been determined by using online tools. Both Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) Karst. and Ganoderma applanatum (Pers.) Pat. showed a significant (p < .001) increase in the percentage of scavenging activity at 400 µg/ml concentration when compared with ascorbic acid. The methanol extract of G. lucidum, G. applanatum, and Rhodofomes cajanderi (P. Karst.) B. K. Cui, M. L. Han & Y. C. Dai showed strong antioxidant activity with an IC50 value. In addition, molecular docking studies of the previously isolated compounds from three selective mushrooms revealed that the targeted compounds along with positive controls were able to interact strongly (range: -3.498 to -8.655) with the enzymes. The study concludes that the G . lucidum, G. applanatum, and R. cajanderi mushrooms can be a strong source in the management of oxidative stress-induced diseases.

Chemical, Pharmacological and Computerized Molecular Analysis of Stem's Extracts of Bauhinia scandens L. Provide Insights into the Management of Diarrheal and Microbial Infections.

Bauhinia scandens L. (Family: Fabaceae) is commonly used to treat cholera, diarrhea, asthma, and diabetes disorder in integrative medicine. This study aimed to screen the presence of phytochemicals (preliminary and UPLC-QTOF-M.S. analysis) and to examine the pharmacological activities of Bauhinia scandens L. stems (MEBS) stem extracts. Besides, in silico study was also implemented to elucidate the binding affinity and drug capability of the selected phytochemicals. In vivo anti diarrheal activity was investigated in mice models. In vitro, antibacterial and antifungal properties of MEBS against several pathogenic strains were evaluated using the disc diffusion method. In addition, in silico study has been employed using Discovery studio 2020, UCFS Chimera, PyRx autodock vina, and online tools. In the anti-diarrheal investigation, MEBS showed a significant dose-dependent inhibition rate in all three methods. The antibacterial and antifungal screening showed a remarkable zone of inhibition, of the diameter 14-26 mm and 12-28 mm, by MEBS. The present study revealed that MEBS has remarkable anti-diarrheal potential and is highly effective in wide-spectrum bacterial and fungal strains. Moreover, the in silico study validated the results of biological screenings. To conclude, MEBS is presumed to be a good source in treating diarrhea, bacterial and fungal infections.

Role of Gut Microbiome in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Therapeutic Regulation.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects normal brain development. The recent finding of the microbiota-gut-brain axis indicates the bidirectional connection between our gut and brain, demonstrating that gut microbiota can influence many neurological disorders such as autism. Most autistic patients suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Many studies have shown that early colonization, mode of delivery, and antibiotic usage significantly affect the gut microbiome and the onset of autism. Microbial fermentation of plant-based fiber can produce different types of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that may have a beneficial or detrimental effect on the gut and neurological development of autistic patients. Several comprehensive studies of the gut microbiome and microbiota-gut-brain axis help to understand the mechanism that leads to the onset of neurological disorders and find possible treatments for autism. This review integrates the findings of recent years on the gut microbiota and ASD association, mainly focusing on the characterization of specific microbiota that leads to ASD and addressing potential therapeutic interventions to restore a healthy balance of gut microbiome composition that can treat autism-associated symptoms.

Biological Functions of Dillenia pentagyna Roxb. Against Pain, Inflammation, Fever, Diarrhea, and Thrombosis: Evidenced From in vitro, in vivo, and Molecular Docking Study.

Dillenia pentagyna Roxb. is traditionally used to treat cancer, wound healing, diabetes, and diarrhea in local tribes. This study was designed to evaluate the pharmacological potentiality of this plant. In vivo analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic studies of the methanol extracts of D. pentagyna (MEDP) leaves were performed by using acetic acid-induced nociception, formalin-induced paw licking, and yeast-induced pyrexia assay methods, respectively. In vivo antidiarrheal activity was carried out in mice by following castor oil-induced diarrhea and gastrointestinal transit manner. In vitro thrombolytic experiment was performed employing the clot lysis activity. Besides, a molecular docking study was performed by executing the software (PyRx, Discovery Studio, and UCSF Chimera). In the acetic acid-induced writhing study, MEDP possesses significant writhing inhibition in a dose-dependent manner. It showed 50.86% of maximum inhibition of pain in the case of MEDP at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight. In the anti-inflammatory study, maximum inhibition rate was observed at a value of 59.98 and 41.29% in early and late phases, respectively, at the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight. In the case of yeast-induced hyperpyrexia, MEDP reduced hyperpyrexia in a dose-dependent manner. In the antidiarrheal assay, MEDP moderately inhibited the occurrence of diarrhea in all the experiments. In the thrombolytic study, a moderate (17.76%) clot lysis potency has been yielded by MEDP. Again, the molecular docking simulation revealed strong binding affinities with almost all the targeted proteins. The present study suggests that the MEDP possesses remarkable pharmacological activity and this finding validated the ethnobotanical significance of D. pentagyna as the source of pain, fever, and diarrhea management agent.

Biochemical and Pharmacological aspects of Ganoderma lucidum: Exponent from the in vivo and computational investigations.

Ganoderma lucidum is known as lingzhi mushroom, which is said to have medicinal properties by the local residents. This research was focused to assess the antidepressant, anxiolytic, and sedative activities of the mentioned mushroom extracts by means of in vivo and in silico approaches. The antidepressant, anxiolytic, and sedative properties of the methanol extracts of G. lucidum (MEGL) were assessed using the forced swim test hole board, open field test, elevated plus maze, hole cross test, and thiopental sodium-induced sleeping time. The extracts revealed significant antidepressant, anxiolytic, and sedative activities in a dose-dependent manner. Rutin and quercetin were found to be the most effective enzyme inhibitors in the molecular docking study. According to the findings of in vivo and molecular docking study, it could be forecast that, the extract could have substantial antidepressant, anxiolytic, and sedative characteristics and deep molecular strategies on this extracts might create a target for the development of novel therapeutics. Further investigations are needed to appraise the molecular mechanisms implicated and isolate the bioactive components.

Theoretical effectiveness of steam inhalation against SARS-CoV-2 infection: updates on clinical trials, mechanism of actions, and traditional approaches.

Steam inhalation therapy can be a contemporary approach for COVID-19 affected patients of all age groups to manage respiratory conditions, though it presently lacks the scientific backing to establish itself as a befitting practice. The age of COVID-19 has facilitated this traditional home remedy to resurface among the general mass as a helpful approach for the prevention and adjuvant treatment of the disease. In this review, the means of SARS-CoV-2 infection and impact of the parameters, namely steam inhalation and heat on such infection has been delineated via enumerating the effect of the parameters in the human body and against SARS-CoV-2. The literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar, and CNKI Scholar databases. The keywords used in the survey include 'Steam inhalation', 'SARS-CoV-2', 'COVID-19', 'Clinical study', 'Mechanism of action', 'Traditional uses', 'Phytochemistry' and 'Adverse effects'. Clinical studies concerning steam inhalation by COVID-19 patients have been comprehended to demarcate the scientific obscurity of the practice. The safety profile of the procedure has also been outlined emphasizing evading measures against COVID-19 and other related disease states. To recapitulate, application of the steam inhalation with herbal concoctions and phytochemicals having folkloric prevalence as an inhalable remedy against respiratory illnesses has been explored in this review work to focus on a new aspect in the COVID-19 treatment paradigm using steam and progress of further research hither.

Biological and computational studies provide insights into Caesalphinia digyna Rottler stems.

Caesalpinia digyna (Rottl.) (Family: Fabaceae) is an essential medicinal plant for it's conventional uses against a kind of human disorders. This research aims to investigate the antidiarrheal, antibacterial and antifungal properties of the methanol extract of the stems extracts of the C. digyna (MECD). The in vivo antidiarrheal activity of the stem extracts were evaluated by using castor oil-induced diarrhea, castor oil-induced enteropooling and charcoal induced intestinal transit in mice model. Besides, in vitro antimicrobial potentiality of MECD was investigated by the disc diffusion method. In silico activity of the isolated compounds were performed by Schrödinger-Maestro (Version 11.1) software. In addition, The ADME/T analysis and PASS prediction were implemented by using pass online tools. In the antidiarrheal investigation, the MECD exhibited a notable inhibition rate in all test approaches which were statistically significant (p < 0.05, p < 0.1, p < 0.01). MECD 400 mg/kg showed the maximum antidiarrheal potency in all the test methods. In vitro antimicrobial analysis unveiled that, MECD revealed higher potentiality against almost all pathogens and indicates dose-dependent activity against almost all the bacteria and fungi. In the case of in silico evaluation of anti-diarrheal, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity, all three isolated compounds met the pre-conditions of Lipinski's five rules for drug discovery. Pass predicted study also employed for all compounds. However, The chemical constituents of the C. digyna can be a potent source of anti-diarrheal, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal medicine and further modification and simulation studies are required to establish the effectiveness of bioactive compounds.

Antidiarrheal, antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of methanol extract of Colocasia gigantea Hook. f. leaves: evidenced from in vivo and in vitro studies along with computer-aided approaches.

BACKGROUND: Colocasia gigantea, locally named as kochu is well-known due to its various healing power. This research is to investigate the antidiarrheal, antimicrobial and antioxidant possibilities of the methanol soluble extract of Colocasia gigantea. METHODS: The antidiarrheal investigation was performed by using in vivo castor oil-induced diarrheal method whereas in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant investigation have been implemented by disc diffusion and DPPH scavenging method respectively. Moreover, in silico studies were followed by molecular docking analysis of several secondary metabolites that were appraised with Schrödinger-Maestro v11.1 and Biovia Discovery Studio. RESULTS: The induction of plant extract (200 and 400 mg/kg, b.w, p.o) has minimized the castor oil mediated diarrhea by 16.96% (p < 0.01) and 38.89% (p < 0.001) respectively compared to control group. The methanol extract of C. gigantea showed mild sensitivity against almost all the tested strains but it shows high consistency of phenolic content and yielded 67.68 µg/mL of IC50 value in the DPPH test. In the PASS prediction, selected isolated compounds have demonstrated significant antidiarrheal and antimicrobial activity following the Lipinski drug rules which have ascertained efficacy with the compounds in molecular docking study. CONCLUSION: The results of this scientific research reflects that the methanol soluble extract of C. gigantea is safe and may provide possibilities of alleviation of diarrhea along with being a potential wellspring of antioxidant and antimicrobial agents which can be considered as an alternate source for exploration of new medicinal products in near future.

Assessment of pharmacological activities of Lygodium microphyllum Cav. leaves in the management of pain, inflammation, pyrexia, diarrhea, and helminths: In vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches.

Lygodium microphyllum Cav. (Family: Lygodiaceae) is a perennial, snake fern and an invasive weed in Florida and also known as old world climbing fern. This study is intended to evaluate the antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal and anthelmintic activity of methanol extract of Lygodium microphyllum Cav. leaves (MELM) by in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches. In addition, Biovia, PyRx autoDock Vina, UCSF Chimera have been applied to investigate the docking study in order to evaluate the binding interaction and an online tool was used to explore the ADME/T properties of selected bioactive compounds. In acetic acid induced writhing study, MELM inhibited 44.28% and 56.61% of writhes at 200 and 400 (mg/kg) respectively compared to standard drug Diclofenac-Na (10 mg/kg) (74.42% inhibition). In anti-inflammatory experiment by formalin triggered licking method, MELM caused significant (p < 0.05) inhibition of licking in both early phase (42.97%, 63.30%) and late phase (43.35%, 63.03%) at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively, whereas reference drug Ibuprofen inhibited paw licking 77.18% in early phase and 76.86% in late phase. MELM also showed promising antipyretic potential where the maximum reduction of fever was produced by MELM 400 mg/kg whose fever lowering capacity is close to the prescribe drug Indomethacin 4 mg/kg, i.p. In Castor oil triggered diarrhea method, MELM delayed the onset time of diarrhea, continuous persistence of wet feces, and decreased the weight of wet feces remarkably. Defection inhibition was achieved 27.56% and 51.72%, for MELM 200 and at 400 (mg/kg) respectively while loperamide 2 (mg/kg) yields 55.17% inhibition of the diarrheal defecation. In anthelmintic bioassay, MELM took 5.83 ± 0.83 and 41.67 ± 1.78 min respectively for paralyzing and death compared to standard drug albendazole; (paralysis time 4.00 ± 0.73 min and death time 31,00 ± 1.71 min). Isoeleutherol, isoquercetin and quercetin were found prominent in molecular docking study and ADME/T analysis verified their drug likeliness. The research validates the moderate analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and remarkable antipyretic, antidiarrheal, anthelmintic activities of the plant extract which can be used an alternative source of novel therapeutics.