Genomics approaches to synthesize plant-based biomolecules for therapeutic applications to combat SARS-CoV-2

Venkateswara S, Pawar S. Biflavonoids from Rhus succedanea as probable natural inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2: a molecular docking and molecular dynamics approach

The recent outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has quickly become a worldwide pandemic and generated panic threats for both the human population and the global economy. The unavailability of effective vaccines or drugs has enforced researchers to hunt for a potential drug to combat this virus. Plant-derived phytocompounds are of applicable interest in the search for novel drugs. Bioflavonoids from Rhus succedanea are already reported to exert antiviral activity against RNA viruses. SARS-CoV-2 Mpro protease plays a vital role in viral replication and therefore can be considered as a promising target for drug development. A computational approach has been employed to search for promising potent bioflavonoids from Rhus succedanea against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro protease. Binding affinities and binding modes between the biflavonoids and Mpro enzyme suggest that all six biflavonoids exhibit possible interaction with the Mpro catalytic site (-19.47 to -27.04 kcal/mol). However, Amentoflavone (-27.04 kcal/mol) and Agathisflavone (-25.87 kcal/mol) interact strongly with the catalytic residues. Molecular dynamic simulations (100 ns) further revealed that these two biflavonoids complexes with the Mpro enzyme are highly stable and are of less conformational fluctuations. Also, the hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface mapping on the Mpro structure as well as biflavonoids were utilized for the further lead optimization process. Altogether, our findings showed that these natural biflavonoids can be utilized as promising SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors and thus, the computational approach provides an initial footstep towards experimental studies in in vitro and in vivo, which is necessary for the therapeutic development of novel and safe drugs to control SARS-CoV-2. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. SarmaResearch highlightsRhus succedanea biflavonoids have antiviral activity.The molecular interactions and molecular dynamics displayed that all six biflavonoids bound with a good affinity to the same catalytic site of Mpro.The compound Amentoflavone has a strong binding affinity (-27.0441 kcal/mol) towards Mpro.The binding site properties of SARS-CoV-2-Mpro can be utilized in a novel discovery and lead optimization of the SARS-CoV-2-Mpro inhibitor.

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants of bejaia localities from algeria to prevent and treat coronavirus (COVID-19) infection shortened title: phytomedicine to manage COVID-19 pandemic

The propagation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria has pushed the population searching alternative therapies as preventives and treatment selections. The use of medicinal plants is a promising alternative solution to strengthen immunity and chase COVID-19. The aim of this study was to carry out an ethnobotanical survey in the Bejaia department (Algeria) to identify the plants used during the current pandemic. The study was conducted from February to May 2021. The interviews were conducted with 400 informants in order to assemble socio-demographic and floristic features of the respondents and used plants. The data analysis was performed by means of Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Family Importance Value (FIV), and Plant Part Value (PPV). 23 medicinal plants belonging to 12 families were adopted by the population of the Bejaia localities to prevent and treat COVID-19 infection. Aloysia citriodora Palau (RFC = 0.248), Mentha spicata L. (RFC = 0.145), Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck (RFC = 0.135), Thymus vulgaris L. (RFC = 0.118), Zingiber officinalis  Roscoe (RFC = 0.09), Artemisia herba-alba Asso (RFC = 0.065), and Eucalyptus globules labill (RFC = 0.063) were the most cited species. The leaves of these plants which are used (65%) in the form of infusion (43.6%) are administered orally (95.03%) to treat and relieve certain symptoms of COVID-19. The current survey is the only one in the Bejaia department regarding the exploitation of medicinal herbs in the COVID-19 pandemic. These plants can be used as a platform to manage COVID-19.

Mycotoxins along the tea supply chain: A dark side of an ancient and high valued aromatic beverage

ABSTRACTSTea (Camellia sinensis L.) is a high valued beverage worldwide since ancient times; more than three billion cups of tea are consumed each day. Leaf extracts of the plant are used for food preservation, cosmetics, and medicinal purposes. Nevertheless, tea contaminated with mycotoxins poses a serious health threat to humans. Mycotoxin production by tea fungi is induced by a variety of factors, including poor processing methods and environmental factors such as high temperature and humidity. This review summarizes the studies published to date on mycotoxin prevalence, toxicity, the effects of climate change on mycotoxin production, and the methods used to detect and decontaminate tea mycotoxins. While many investigations in this domain have been carried out on the prevalence of aflatoxins and ochratoxins in black, green, pu-erh, and herbal teas, much less information is available on zearalenone, fumonisins, and Alternaria toxins. Mycotoxins in teas were detected using several methods; the most commonly used being the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection, followed by HPLC with tandem mass spectrometry, gas chromatography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Further, mycotoxins decontamination methods for teas included physical, chemical, and biological methods, with physical methods being most prevalent. Finally, research gaps and future directions have also been discussed.

Is it possible to ensure COVID19 vaccine supply by using plants?

Any disease that spreads quickly and crossed the geographical barrier is termed as pandemic. After the initial occurrence of Covid-19 from China, World Health Organization had declared novel corona viral outbreak as pandemic on March, 2020. Since then, COVID-19 continued to devastate people all around the world. Human civilization has witnessed one of its greatest crises by facing 180 million of confirmed cases with 38.9 lakh deaths across the world till end of June 2021. India alone contributes 30 million of positive cases and has lost 3.92 lakh valuable lives (data as on 24^th of June 2021 from CSSEGIS and Data (http://github.com/CSSEGISandData/COVID-19); (the number increases in each day). Bio-medical experts from all around the world are working tirelessly to limit the disease and find potential cures for this viral infection. Vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent the spread of any viral disease. Virologists have developed some effective vaccines, but production or supply lags far behind the present demand across the globe. Plant-derived vaccines (PDVs) based on modified virus like particles (VLPs) can be a feasible alternative in this case. A summarized account about the efficacy of the first plant-derived Covid 19 vaccine, CoVLP is discussed. PDVs and VLPs are also reviewed briefly, along with their benefits and drawbacks.

Multi-Omics Approach in the Identification of Potential Therapeutic Biomolecule for COVID-19

COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has a disastrous effect on mankind due to the contagious and rapid nature of its spread. Although vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have been successfully developed, the proven, effective, and specific therapeutic molecules are yet to be identified for the treatment. The repurposing of existing drugs and recognition of new medicines are continuously in progress. Efforts are being made to single out plant-based novel therapeutic compounds. As a result, some of these biomolecules are in their testing phase. During these efforts, the whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 has given the direction to explore the omics systems and approaches to overcome this unprecedented health challenge globally. Genome, proteome, and metagenome sequence analyses have helped identify virus nature, thereby assisting in understanding the molecular mechanism, structural understanding, and disease propagation. The multi-omics approaches offer various tools and strategies for identifying potential therapeutic biomolecules for COVID-19 and exploring the plants producing biomolecules that can be used as biopharmaceutical products. This review explores the available multi-omics approaches and their scope to investigate the therapeutic promises of plant-based biomolecules in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Harnessing the natural pool of polyketide and non-ribosomal peptide family: A route map towards novel drug development

Emergence of communicable and non-communicable diseases possess health challenge to millions of people worldwide and is a major threat to the economic and social development in the coming century. The occurrence of recent pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 caused by lethal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is one such example. Rapid research and development of drugs for the treatment and management of these diseases has been an incredibly challenging task for the pharmaceutical industry. Although, substantial focus has been made in the discovery of therapeutic compounds from natural sources having significant medicinal potential, their synthesis has shown a slow progress. Hence, the discovery of new targets by the application of the latest biotechnological and synthetic biology approaches is very much the need of the hour. Polyketides (PKs) and non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs) found in bacteria, fungi and plants are a large diverse family of natural products synthesized by two classes of enzymes: polyketide synthases (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS). These enzymes possess immense biomedical potential due to their simple architecture, catalytic capacity, as well as diversity. With the advent of latest in-silico and in-vitro strategies, these enzymes and their related metabolic pathways, if targeted, can contribute highly towards the biosynthesis of an array of potentially natural drug leads that have antagonist effects on biopolymers associated with various human diseases. In the face of the rising threat from the multidrug-resistant pathogens, this will further open new avenues for the discovery of novel and improved drugs by combining the natural and the synthetic approaches. This review discusses the relevance of polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides and the improvement strategies for the development of their derivatives and scaffolds, and how they will be beneficial to the future bioprospecting and drug discovery.

Multi-Omics Approach in the Identification of Potential Therapeutic Biomolecule for COVID-19

COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has a disastrous effect on mankind due to the contagious and rapid nature of its spread. Although vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have been successfully developed, the proven, effective, and specific therapeutic molecules are yet to be identified for the treatment. The repurposing of existing drugs and recognition of new medicines are continuously in progress. Efforts are being made to single out plant-based novel therapeutic compounds. As a result, some of these biomolecules are in their testing phase. During these efforts, the whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 has given the direction to explore the omics systems and approaches to overcome this unprecedented health challenge globally. Genome, proteome, and metagenome sequence analyses have helped identify virus nature, thereby assisting in understanding the molecular mechanism, structural understanding, and disease propagation. The multi-omics approaches offer various tools and strategies for identifying potential therapeutic biomolecules for COVID-19 and exploring the plants producing biomolecules that can be used as biopharmaceutical products. This review explores the available multi-omics approaches and their scope to investigate the therapeutic promises of plant-based biomolecules in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection.

COVID-19 Vaccine Development in a Quadruple Helix Innovation System: Uncovering the Preferences of the Fourth Helix in the UAE

Successful development and uptake of vaccine technology in a Quadruple Helix Innovative health or economic system requires a clear understanding of society’s preferences as the fourth helix. With significant financial commitments to find a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine still ongoing, this study introduces a random utility theoretic behavioral health model to analyze individuals’ prospective demand for the vaccine in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). To this end, we use a cross-sectional sample of stated vaccine preferences data collected online using the snowball method, between 4 July and 4 August 2020, gathering 1109 responses across all seven Emirates of the UAE. We found that in addition to socio-economic and demographic influences, the factors affecting individuals’ preferences for the prospective COVID-19 vaccine in the UAE include those put forth by the WHO’s SAGE group on immunization. Though the estimated indirect cost, in the form of expected marginal utility of time spent to get the vaccine is not statistically significant, the expected marginal utility of every dirham spent to get the vaccine is −1.76 AED and significant, suggesting a significant expected dis-utility from COVID-19 vaccine seeking/payment by the average person. Our findings also highlight significant perceived financial, temporal and spatial barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the UAE. Therefore, a set of measures are suggested to help mitigate the adverse effects of these three constraints. Our study thus contributes methodologically to the literature on vaccine demand, hesitancy and development. It also contributes to the nascent empirical evidence on the novel coronavirus disease, by providing significant insights for evidence based policy making that should increase the effectiveness of any prospective COVID-19 vaccination program in the UAE.