Juglans regia and Ribes nigrum as potential nutraceuticals: Source of thermostable superoxide dismutase enzyme

Phyllanthi Fructus: A modal medicinal and food homologous item in quality evaluation

Phyllanthi Fructus is a highly unique medicine and food homologous item, which exhibits distinctive flavor, notable nutritional value, and abundant pharmacological activity. It has enormous potential in the creation of health products and pharmaceuticals. However, due to the unique laws of quality formation and transfer of Phyllanthi Fructus, its appearance, shape, chemical compositions, nutrients, and sensory flavors are frequently greatly influenced by botanical resources, the processing and storage conditions. As a result, the current quality evaluation model is difficult to meet the needs of Phyllanthi Fructus as a medicine and food homologous item in the development of diversified products. This paper constructs the hierarchical utilization mode of Phyllanthi Fructus based on its unique quality formation and transmission laws, explores the quality evaluation model for food-oriented use and medicinal-oriented use, respectively, and systematically describes the quality evaluation idea under diversified application scenarios. This paper aims to serve as a reference for the construction of a quality evaluation model suitable for the medicine and food homologous item of Phyllanthi Fructus.

Superoxide dismutase as multipotent therapeutic antioxidant enzyme: Role in human diseases

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is consistently recognized as a threat to living organisms, especially for human beings. For proper working of cellular signaling, functioning, and survival, a strict and balanced level of ROS is necessary. Superoxide dismutase (SOD); a group of metalloenzymes provides an important antioxidant defense mechanism, required to preserve the level of ROS in the body. The enzyme reveals the therapeutic potential against various diseases due to a deficiency in the ROS level. The review illustrates the numerous clinical aspects of SOD in various physiological and pathological conditions such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative diseases, etc., with the mechanism of action. Despite limitations, the SOD enzyme has proved as a powerful tool against diseases, and various forms of conjugates and mimetics have been developed and reported to make it more efficient. Extensive studies need in this direction for use of natural SOD-based therapeutics for the prevention and cure of diseases.

Neuroprotective potential of hydroethanolic hull extract of Juglans regia L. on isoprenaline induced oxidative damage in brain of Wistar rats

The study was aimed at assessing isoprenaline (ISO) induced oxidative damage in brain of Wistar rats and its protection by hydroethanolic hull extract of Juglans regia. Administration of ISO significantly increases catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), malondialdehyde (MDA) and advanced oxidation protein product (AOPP) levels and significantly reduced activities of antioxidant status (TAS), total thiols (TTH), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), arylesterase (AE), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in rat brain. Histopathologically, neuronal degeneration, spongiosis and gliosis were seen in cerebral cortex after ISO administration. Pretreatment with hull extract restored TAS, TTH, AChE, CAT and SOD values. Additionally, significant reductions were noted in levels of MDA, AOPP, and severity of histomorphological changes in cerebral cortex following hull extract treatment. Altered antioxidant biomarkers along with histopathological changes indicate oxidative injury in rat brain following ISO administration. Repeated administration of J. regia hull extract demonstrating presence of neuroprotective properties against ISO induced oxidative damage in rat brain.