The immunomodulatory effect of green tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves extract on immunocompromised Wistar rats infected by Candida albicans

Immunomodulatory Role of Plants and Their Constituents on the Management of Metabolic Disorders: An Evidence-Based Review

The relationship between the immune system and metabolic diseases is complex and increasingly recognized as critical to understanding conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Modulation of the immune system in patients with metabolic disorders can offer several potential benefits. While the salutary impact of plant-derived bioactive compounds on metabolic and immune functions is acknowledged, there is a paucity of comprehensive reviews on the multifaceted and synergistic mechanisms through which these effects are mediated. This review elucidates the therapeutic potential of phytochemical formulations in ameliorating metabolic disorders and delineates their mechanistic implications on relevant biomarkers and immune modulation. Our analysis reveals a predominance of plant species, including Boswellia serrata, Cinnamomum cassia, Citrus bergamia, Coffea arabica, Ficus racemosa, Momordica charantia, Morus Alba, and Trigonella foenum-graecum, that have undergone clinical evaluation and have been substantiated to confer both metabolic and immunological benefits. The phytoconstituents contained in these plants exert their effects through a range of mechanisms, such as improving glucose regulation, reducing inflammatory responses, and modulating immune system. As such, these findings hold considerable promise for clinical and therapeutic translation and necessitate further empirical validation through randomized controlled trials and mechanistic elucidations to affirm the safety and efficacy of herbal formulations.

Antiproliferative Cancer Cell and Fungicidal Effects of Yellow and Red Araçá (Psidium cattleianum Sabine) Fruit Extract

Araçá is a native Brazil fruit, and has two morphological types, yellow and red; however, it is still little consumed by the population. Although there are few studies on the araçá fruit, some phytochemical propriety benefits have been described for this plant, such as antioxidant effects. To explore the benefits of araçá fruit, the physicochemical characteristics and in vitro toxicological effects of red and yellow araçá fruit were evaluated. In this work, the toxicity of araçá extracts in NIH/3T3 cell lines, the antiproliferative effects in cancer cell lines (C6, HT-29, and DU149), and the overall antifungal effects were evaluated. The irritant potential of araçá extracts was assessed by the HET-CAM test. The results demonstrated that the fruits are rich in fiber content and showed high phenols content. In addition, the araçá extracts had no present toxicity effects in cell lines; however, the red araçá extracts showed antiproliferative effects in HT-29 cancer cells at 50 mg/mL. The antifungal effects of araçá extract were promising in 23 isolates of Candida spp., and both araçá extracts showed no irritant effects. Therefore, this study demonstrated that red and yellow araçá fruit extract has promising biological and pharmacological effects that should be further explored.

Triterpenoid saponins from Camellia sinensis roots with cytotoxic and immunomodulatory effects

Camellia sinensis L. (Theaceae) leaves have been used as a beverage in both Eastern and Western cultures for a long time, while its root has not been intensively studied. In this study, seven undescribed triterpenoid saponins (1-7) and twelve known saponins (8-19) with different combinations of substituents, such as oxygenated isoprenyl substituents and sugar moieties, and lengths of sugar chains, were isolated from the C. sinensis roots. Their structures were unequivocally determined using one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance data and acid hydrolysis analysis. Investigation of the biological activities of isolated compounds revealed that only those without functional acetyl groups exhibited cytotoxic activities against mouse and human cancer cells (B16F10) and human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) at 50 μM. Compounds with an aldehyde group at C-23 of aglycone showed immunomodulatory activity against Th1 and Th17 cells at 10 μM. Ten compounds with biological activities from C. sinensis roots extracts, including three previously undescribed ones (3, 6, and 7), were identified.

Effectiveness of Kemangi (Ocimum basilicum) Leaf Methanol Extract against Candida albicans Colonies

Candida species, for women are the foremost common cause of parasitic contaminations. Candida species affect contamination in 75% of women and at slightest 6-9% of women involvement repetitive vulvovaginal candidiasis. Candida albicans (CA) accounts for 85-95% of yeast strains separated from the vagina. The treatment which has been administered for candida infections is antifungal drugs such as clotrimazole and fluconazole. When applied topically, synthetic antifungal drugs cause allergic reactions, resistance, and a burning sensation. It is necessary to conduct research on plant-based herbal medicine as an alternative treatment. Kemangi, also recognized as Ocimum Basilicum (OB), is a plant native to Indonesia which has medicinal properties. The objective of this study is to examine how effective OB methanol extract is against CA colonies. The study was performed at Brawijaya University's Microbiology Laboratory in Malang. The experimental laboratories with Posttest Only Control Group Design were employed in this study, with four repetitions of OB concentrations of 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35% against CA colonies. One-way ANOVA was utilized as the hypothesis test, with a significance level of 0.05. The results demonstrated that OB extract with a concentration of 15% was able to inhibit the growth of CA colonies. In the OB extract with a concentration of 35%, no CA colony growth was revealed. One-way ANOVA test obtained p 0.000 <0.05. Conclusion OB owns adequacy in restraining the development of CA organism with negligible murdering rate at a concentration of 35%.  Research required to be performed to identify the antifungal potential of OB extract in vivo.

An exhaustive comprehension of the role of herbal medicines in Pre- and Post-COVID manifestations

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has relentlessly spread all over the world even after the advent of vaccines. It demands management, treatment, and prevention as well with utmost safety and effectiveness. It is well researched that herbal medicines or natural products have shown promising outcomes to strengthen immunity with antiviral potential against SARS-COV-2.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

Our objective is to provide a comprehensive insight into the preventive and therapeutic effects of herbal medicines and products (Ayurvedic) for pre-and post-COVID manifestations.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The database used in the text is collected and compiled from Scopus, PubMed, Nature, Elsevier, Web of Science, bioRxiv, medRxiv, American Chemical Society, and clinicaltrials.gov up to January 2022. Articles from non-academic sources such as websites and news were also retrieved. Exploration of the studies was executed to recognize supplementary publications of research studies and systematic reviews. The keywords, such as "SARS-COV-2, coronavirus, COVID-19, herbal drugs, immunity, herbal immunomodulators, infection, herbal antiviral drugs, and WHO recommendation" were thoroughly searched. Chemical structures were drawn using the software Chemdraw Professional 15.0.0.160 (PerkinElmer Informatics, Inc.).

RESULT

A plethora of literature supports that the use of herbal regimens not only strengthen immunity but can also treat SARS-COV-2 infection with minimal side effects. This review summarizes the mechanistic insights into herbal therapy engaging interferons and antibodies to boost the response against SARS-COV-2 infection, several clinical trials, and in silico studies (computational approaches) on selected natural products including, Ashwagandha, Guduchi, Yashtimadhu, Tulsi, etc. as preventive and therapeutic measures against COVID. We have also emphasized the exploitation of herbal medicine-based pharmaceutical products along with perspectives for unseen upcoming alike diseases.

CONCLUSION

According to the current state of art and cutting-edge research on herbal medicines have showed a significant promise as modern COVID tools. Since vaccination cannot be purported as a long-term cure for viral infections, herbal/natural medicines can only be considered a viable alternative to current remedies, as conceived from our collected data to unroot recurring viral infections.

Communication in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and role of immunomodulatory nutraceuticals in their management

Conveyance of pathogens between organisms causes communicable diseases. On the other hand, a non-communicable disease (NCD) was always thought to have no causative transmissible infective agents. Today, this clear distinction is increasingly getting blurred and NCDs are found to be associated with some transmissible components. The human microbiota carries a congregation of microbes, the majority and the most widely studied being bacteria in the gut. The adult human gut harbors ginormous inhabitant microbes, and the microbiome accommodates 150-fold more genes than the host genome. Microbial communities share a mutually beneficial relationship with the host, especially with respect to host physiology including digestion, immune responses, and metabolism. This review delineates the connection between environmental factors such as infections leading to gut dysbiosis and NCDs and explores the evidence regarding possible causal link between them. We also discuss the evidence regarding the value of appropriate therapeutic immunomodulatory nutritional interventions to reduce the development of such diseases. We behold such immunomodulatory effects have the potential to influence in various NCDs and restore homeostasis. We believe that the beginning of the era of microbiota-oriented personalized treatment modalities is not far away.

Role of medicinal plants in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 and in the management of post-COVID-19 complications

BACKGROUND

The worldwide corona virus disease outbreak, generally known as COVID-19 pandemic outbreak resulted in a major health crisis globally. The morbidity and transmission modality of COVID-19 appear more severe and uncontrollable. The respiratory failure and following cardiovascular complications are the main pathophysiology of this deadly disease. Several therapeutic strategies are put forward for the development of safe and effective treatment against SARS-CoV-2 virus from the pharmacological view point but till date there are no specific treatment regimen developed for this viral infection.

PURPOSE

The present review emphasizes the role of herbs and herbs-derived secondary metabolites in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 virus and also for the management of post-COVID-19 related complications. This approach will foster and ensure the safeguards of using medicinal plant resources to support the healthcare system. Plant-derived phytochemicals have already been reported to prevent the viral infection and to overcome the post-COVID complications like parkinsonism, kidney and heart failure, liver and lungs injury and mental problems. In this review, we explored mechanistic approaches of herbal medicines and their phytocomponenets as antiviral and post-COVID complications by modulating the immunological and inflammatory states.

STUDY DESIGN

Studies related to diagnosis and treatment guidelines issued for COVID-19 by different traditional system of medicine were included. The information was gathered from pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions approaches. The gathered information sorted based on therapeutic application of herbs and their components against SARSCoV-2 and COVID-19 related complications.

METHODS

A systemic search of published literature was conducted from 2003 to 2021 using different literature database like Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science to emphasize relevant articles on medicinal plants against SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and Post-COVID related complications.

RESULTS

Collected published literature from 2003 onwards yielded with total 625 articles, from more than 18 countries. Among these 625 articles, more than 95 medicinal plants and 25 active phytomolecules belong to 48 plant families. Reports on the therapeutic activity of the medicinal plants belong to the Lamiaceae family (11 reports), which was found to be maximum reported from 4 different countries including India, China, Australia, and Morocco. Other reports on the medicinal plant of Asteraceae (7 reports), Fabaceae (8 reports), Piperaceae (3 reports), Zingiberaceae (3 reports), Ranunculaceae (3 reports), Meliaceae (4 reports) were found, which can be explored for the development of safe and efficacious products targeting COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

Keeping in mind that the natural alternatives are in the priority for the management and prevention of the COVID-19, the present review may help to develop an alternative approach for the management of COVID-19 viral infection and post-COVID complications from a mechanistic point of view.

A Comprehensive Review of the Potential Use of Green Tea Polyphenols in the Management of COVID-19

Green tea is produced from Camellia sinensis (L.) buds and leaves that have not gone through the oxidation and withering processes used to produce black and oolong teas. It was originated in China, but its cultivation and production have expanded to other Eastern Asian countries. Several polyphenolic compounds, including flavandiols, flavonols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, are found in green tea and may constitute greater than 30% of the dry weight. Flavonols, especially catechins, represent the majority of green tea polyphenols. Green tea polyphenolic compounds have been reported to confer several health benefits. This review describes the potential use of green tea polyphenols in the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of green tea polyphenols have also been considered in this review. In addition to describing the bioactivities associated with green tea polyphenols, this review discusses the potential delivery of these biomolecules using a nanoparticle drug delivery system. Moreover, the bioavailability and toxicity of green tea polyphenols are also evaluated.

Proteome Analysis of Camellia nitidissima Chi Revealed Its Role in Colon Cancer Through the Apoptosis and Ferroptosis Pathway

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the world with a high mortality rate. At present, surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy is the primary treatment, but patient prognosis remains poor. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has become a complementary and alternative source of anti-cancer drugs. Camellia nitidissima Chi (CNC) is a TCM used to treat a variety of cancers. However, the role of CNC in cancer remains elusive, and its effect and mechanism on colon cancer have not been reported. Here, we show that CNC exerts an excellent inhibitory effect on colon cancer proliferation and apoptosis induction in vitro and in vivo. We performed label free-based quantitative proteomic analysis to evaluate the HCT116 cells treated with CNC. Our data revealed a total of 363 differentially expressed proteins, of which 157 were up-regulated and 206 down-regulated. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed that these proteins were involved in tumor occurrence and development through multiple biological processes such as cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, and cell death. Interestingly, we also found significant changes in ferroptosis pathways. The role of essential proteins glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1) were verified. CNC decreased the expression of GPX4 and increased the expression of HMOX1 at the mRNA and protein levels in vivo and in vitro. Collectively, these findings reveal that CNC regulates colon cancer progression via the ferroptosis pathway and could be an attractive treatment for colon cancer.

Validation of RNA Aptamer Probes to Image Candida albicans in Paraffin-Embedded Sections of Wistar Rat Tongue

Objective  This study aimed to validate the use of Ca-apt-1, an RNA aptamer, that we generated previously as a probe for immunostaining of Candida albicans in rat tongue paraffin-fixed tissue sections

Material and Methods  The performance of Ca-apt-1 as a detector molecule was compared with that of anti- C. albicans polyclonal antibody (PcAb), which was used as a positive control. Immunostaining images were visualized by light microscopy and were analyzed by using ImageJ software.

Results  Microscopic results demonstrated that Ca-apt-1 specifically recognized and immunostained C. albicans cells of rat tongue candidiasis, with a specificity comparable to that of PcAb. ImageJ analysis showed that the area (pixels) detected by Ca-apt-1 was wider than that detected by the antibody. This indicates that the binding affinity of Ca-apt-1 toward C. albicans was better than that of PcAb on paraffin-embedded tissues.

Conclusion  This study demonstrates that Ca-apt-1 can be used as a probe for immunostaining of fixed tissue sections for oral candidiasis diagnosis.

Identifying Active Compounds and Mechanism of Camellia nitidissima Chi on Anti-Colon Cancer by Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation

Camellia nitidissima Chi (CNC) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with anticancer property. However, its underlying mechanisms of anti-colon cancer (CC) remain unknown. Therefore, a systematic approach is proposed in the present study to elucidate the anticancer mechanisms of CNC based on network pharmacology and experimental validation. Initially, the potential active ingredients of CNC were verified via the TCMSP database based on the oral bioavailability (OB) and drug-likeness (DL) terms. Hub targets of CNC were acquired from SwissTarget prediction and TCMSP databases, and target genes related to CC were gathered from GeneCards and OMIM databases. Cytoscape was used to establish the compound-target networks. Next, the hub target genes collected from the CNC and CC were parsed via GO and KEGG analysis. Results of GO and KEGG analysis reveal that quercetin and luteolin in CNC, VEGFA and AKT1 targets, and PI3K-Akt pathway were associated with the suppression of CC. Besides, the result of molecular docking unveils that VEGFA demonstrates the most powerful binding affinity among the binding outcomes. This finding was successfully validated using in vitro HCT116 cell model experiment. In conclusion, this study proved the usefulness of integrating network pharmacology with in vitro experiments in the elucidation of underlying molecular mechanisms of TCM.

Immunity boosting nutraceuticals: Current trends and challenges

The immune function of the human body is highly influenced by the dietary intake of certain nutrients and bioactive compounds present in foods. The preventive effects of these bioactive ingredients against various diseases have been well investigated. Functional foods are consumed across various diverse cultures, in some form or the other, which provide benefits greater than the basic nutritional needs. Novel functional foods are being developed using novel bioactive ingredients such as probiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and various phytoconstituents, which have a range of immunomodulatory properties. Apart from immunomodulation, these ingredients also affect immunity by their antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. The global pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 has forced the scientific community to race against time to find a proper and effective drug or a vaccine. In this review, various non-pharmacological interventions using nutraceuticals and functional foods have been discussed. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Despite a plethora of research being undertaken to understand the immunity boosting properties of the various bioactive present in food, the findings are not translating to nutraceutical products in the market. Immunity has proved to be one of the most important factors for the health and well-being of an individual, especially when the world has been under the grip of the novel coronavirus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2. The anti-inflammatory properties of various nutraceuticals can come out as potential inhibitors of the various inflammatory processes such as cytokine storms, usually being observed in COVID 19. This review gives an insight into how various nutraceuticals can help in the prevention of various diseases through different mechanisms. The lack of awareness and proper clinical trials pose a challenge to the nutraceutical industry. This review will help and encourage researchers to further design and develop various functional foods, which might help in building immunity.

Medicinal Plants and Isolated Molecules Demonstrating Immunomodulation Activity as Potential Alternative Therapies for Viral Diseases Including COVID-19

Plants have been extensively studied since ancient times and numerous important chemical constituents with tremendous therapeutic potential are identified. Attacks of microorganisms including viruses and bacteria can be counteracted with an efficient immune system and therefore, stimulation of body's defense mechanism against infections has been proven to be an effective approach. Polysaccharides, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, and lactones are the important phytochemicals, reported to be primarily responsible for immunomodulation activity of the plants. These phytochemicals may act as lead molecules for the development of safe and effective immunomodulators as potential remedies for the prevention and cure of viral diseases. Natural products are known to primarily modulate the immune system in nonspecific ways. A number of plant-based principles have been identified and isolated with potential immunomodulation activity which justify their use in traditional folklore medicine and can form the basis of further specified research. The aim of the current review is to describe and highlight the immunomodulation potential of certain plants along with their bioactive chemical constituents. Relevant literatures of recent years were searched from commonly employed scientific databases on the basis of their ethnopharmacological use. Most of the plants displaying considerable immunomodulation activity are summarized along with their possible mechanisms. These discussions shall hopefully elicit the attention of researchers and encourage further studies on these plant-based immunomodulation products as potential therapy for the management of infectious diseases, including viral ones such as COVID-19.

Therapeutic opportunities of edible antiviral plants for COVID-19

The pandemic of Serious Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that produces corona virus disease (COVID-19) has challenged the entire mankind by rapidly spreading globally in 210 countries affecting over 25 million people and about 1 million deaths worldwide. It continues to spread, afflicting the health system globally. So far there is no remedy for the ailment and the available antiviral regimens have been unsatisfactory for the clinical outcomes and the mode of treatment has been mainly supportive for the prevention of COVID-19-induced morbidity and mortality. From the time immortal the traditional plant-based ethno-medicines have provided the leads for the treatment of infectious diseases. Phytopharmaceuticals have provided potential and less toxic antiviral drugs as compared to conventional modern therapeutics which are associated with severe toxicities. The ethnopharmacological knowledge about plants has provided food supplements and nutraceuticals as a promise for prevention and treatment of the current pandemic. In this review article, we have attempted to comprehend the information about the edible medicinal plant materials with potential antiviral activity specifically against RNA virus which additionally possess property to improve immunity along with external and internal respiration and exhibit anti-inflammatory properties for the prevention and treatment of the disease. This will open an arena for the development of novel nutraceutical herbal formulations as an alternative therapy that can be used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

The Effects of Nutraceuticals and Herbal Medicine on Candida albicans in Oral Candidiasis: A Comprehensive Review

Candida albicans is part of the healthy flora in the oral cavity. It can also cause opportunistic infection, which can be deleterious. The most typical type of chronic oral candidiasis is denture stomatitis, and C. albicans is identified as the most crucial organism in this situation. Due to the development of the resistant form of candida, using conventional drugs can sometimes be ineffective. Herbs and naturally imitative bioactive compounds could become a new source for antimycotic therapy. Several review studies suggest that herbal medicine and natural bioactive compounds have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects. Thus, it is hypothesized that these natural products might have beneficial effects on pathogenic oral fungal flora such as C. albicans. Although the effects of herbs have been investigated as antifungal agents in several studies, to the best of our knowledge, the effects of these natural products on C. albicans have not yet been reviewed. Thus, the aim of this study was to review the anti-candida activity (especially C. albicans in oral candidiasis) of herbal medicines and natural bioactive compounds. It is concluded that, in general, medicinal plants and nutraceuticals such as garlic, green tea, propolis, curcumin, licorice root, cinnamon, resveratrol, ginger, and berberine are useful in the treatment of C. albicans in oral candidiasis and could be considered as a safe, accessible, and inexpensive management option in an attempt to prevent and treat oral diseases. However, most of the evidence is based on the in vitro and animal studies, so more clinical trials are needed.

Potential of Plant Bioactive Compounds as SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (Mpro) and Spike (S) Glycoprotein Inhibitors: A Molecular Docking Study

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) pandemic, researchers have been trying to investigate several active compounds found in plants that have the potential to inhibit the proliferation of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). The present study aimed to evaluate bioactive compounds found in plants using a molecular docking approach to inhibit the main protease (Mpro) and spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. The evaluation was performed on the docking scores calculated using AutoDock Vina (AV) as a docking engine. A rule of five (Ro5) was calculated to determine whether a compound meets the criteria as an active drug orally in humans. The determination of the docking score was performed by selecting the best conformation of the protein-ligand complex that had the highest affinity (most negative Gibbs' free energy of binding/ΔG). As a comparison, nelfinavir (an antiretroviral drug), chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine sulfate (antimalarial drugs recommended by the FDA as emergency drugs) were used. The results showed that hesperidin, nabiximols, pectolinarin, epigallocatechin gallate, and rhoifolin had better poses than nelfinavir, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine sulfate as spike glycoprotein inhibitors. Hesperidin, rhoifolin, pectolinarin, and nabiximols had about the same pose as nelfinavir but were better than chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine sulfate as Mpro inhibitors. This finding implied that several natural compounds of plants evaluated in this study showed better binding free energy compared to nelfinavir, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine sulfate, which so far are recommended in the treatment of COVID-19. From quantum chemical DFT calculations, the ascending order of chemical reactivity of selected compounds was pectolinarin > hesperidin > rhoifolin > morin > epigallocatechin gallate. All isolated compounds' C=O regions are preferable for an electrophilic attack, and O-H regions are suitable for a nucleophilic attack. Furthermore, Homo-Lumo and global descriptor values indicated a satisfactory remarkable profile for the selected compounds. As judged by the RO5 and previous study by others, the compounds kaempferol, herbacetin, eugenol, and 6-shogaol have good oral bioavailability, so they are also seen as promising candidates for the development of drugs to treat infections caused by SARS-CoV-2. The present study identified plant-based compounds that can be further investigated in vitro and in vivo as lead compounds against SARS-CoV-2.

Plant-Derived Nutraceuticals and Immune System Modulation: An Evidence-Based Overview

Immunomodulators are agents able to affect the immune system, by boosting the immune defences to improve the body reaction against infectious or exogenous injuries, or suppressing the abnormal immune response occurring in immune disorders. Moreover, immunoadjuvants can support immune system acting on nonimmune targets, thus improving the immune response. The modulation of inflammatory pathways and microbiome can also contribute to control the immune function. Some plant-based nutraceuticals have been studied as possible immunomodulating agents due to their multiple and pleiotropic effects. Being usually more tolerable than pharmacological treatments, their adjuvant contribution is approached as a desirable nutraceutical strategy. In the present review, the up to date knowledge about the immunomodulating properties of polysaccharides, fatty acids and labdane diterpenes have been analyzed, in order to give scientific basic and clinical evidence to support their practical use. Since promising evidence in preclinical studies, limited and sometimes confusing results have been highlighted in clinical trials, likely due to low methodological quality and lacking standardization. More investigations of high quality and specificity are required to describe in depth the usefulness of these plant-derived nutraceuticals in the immune system modulation, for health promoting and disease preventing purposes.

Mechanistic Paradigms of Natural Plant Metabolites as Remedial Candidates for Systemic Lupus Erythromatosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disorder involving a dysregulated immune response which ultimately leads to multiple organ failure. Several immunological and cellular checkpoints are available as drug targets. However, the available chemosynthetic drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids provide limited therapy with extreme toxicities. Moreover, the disease heterogeneity in SLE is very difficult to manage by a single drug component. Hence, it is imperative to utilize the holistic capabilities of natural plant products as immunomodulators and intracellular signaling regulators, thereby providing an auxiliary option of treatment. Additionally, the herbal drugs also serve as symptomatic relief providers, thereby serving as a prophylactic remedy in case of cerebrovascular, hepatic, nephropathological, hematological, cardiopulmonary, mucocutaneous and musculoskeletal manifestations of SLE. The present review attempts to showcase the current state of knowledge regarding the utility of plant-derived phyto-metabolites with their probable mechanistic roles in treating SLE, by means of targeting the signaling cascade, proinflammatory cytokine production and B–T cell co-stimulation. It is hoped that further preclinical and clinical studies will be embarked upon in order to understand the underlying therapeutic and mechanistic aspects of these medicinal herbs.

Potential of Plant Bioactive Compounds as SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (Mpro) and Spike (S) Glycoprotein Inhibitors: A Molecular Docking Study

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) pandemic, researchers have been trying to investigate several active compounds found in plants that have the potential to inhibit the proliferation of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). The present study aimed to evaluate bioactive compounds found in plants using a molecular docking approach to inhibit the main protease (M^pro) and spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. The evaluation was performed on the docking scores calculated using AutoDock Vina (AV) as a docking engine. A rule of five (Ro5) was calculated to determine whether a compound meets the criteria as an active drug orally in humans. The determination of the docking score was performed by selecting the best conformation of the protein-ligand complex that had the highest affinity (most negative Gibbs' free energy of binding/ΔG). As a comparison, nelfinavir (an antiretroviral drug), chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine sulfate (antimalarial drugs recommended by the FDA as emergency drugs) were used. The results showed that hesperidin, nabiximols, pectolinarin, epigallocatechin gallate, and rhoifolin had better poses than nelfinavir, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine sulfate as spike glycoprotein inhibitors. Hesperidin, rhoifolin, pectolinarin, and nabiximols had about the same pose as nelfinavir but were better than chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine sulfate as M^pro inhibitors. This finding implied that several natural compounds of plants evaluated in this study showed better binding free energy compared to nelfinavir, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine sulfate, which so far are recommended in the treatment of COVID-19. From quantum chemical DFT calculations, the ascending order of chemical reactivity of selected compounds was pectolinarin > hesperidin > rhoifolin > morin > epigallocatechin gallate. All isolated compounds' C=O regions are preferable for an electrophilic attack, and O-H regions are suitable for a nucleophilic attack. Furthermore, Homo-Lumo and global descriptor values indicated a satisfactory remarkable profile for the selected compounds. As judged by the RO5 and previous study by others, the compounds kaempferol, herbacetin, eugenol, and 6-shogaol have good oral bioavailability, so they are also seen as promising candidates for the development of drugs to treat infections caused by SARS-CoV-2. The present study identified plant-based compounds that can be further investigated in vitro and in vivo as lead compounds against SARS-CoV-2.

Camellia nitidissima Chi Extract Potentiates the Sensitivity of Gastric Cancer Cells to Paclitaxel via the Induction of Autophagy and Apoptosis

Background

Camellia nitidissima Chi (CNC) has been applied as a traditional folk medicine for the effective treatment of various diseases. However, there is little research regarding the mechanism of CNC on pharmaceutical function including anticancer effect.

Materials and methods

JHC-4 is a n-butanol extract from CNC. The anti-proliferation effect was evaluated by MTT assays. Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining, Western blotting and autophagy inhibitors (CQ and BafA1) were applied to determine whether JHC-4 induced autophagy. The synergistic anticancer effect was evaluated by MTT assays, flow cytometry, Western blotting and autophagy inhibitors. Western blotting was used to explore the influence of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway induced by drug treatment.

Results

JHC-4 caused significant growth inhibition and induced autophagy in human gastric cancer cells. Moreover, JHC-4 as an autophagy agonist synergistically potentiated the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to paclitaxel. Meanwhile, JHC-4 could significantly enhance the growth inhibition effect of paclitaxel by the induction of autophagy and apoptosis. Finally, we demonstrated that the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway was involved in the synergistic anti-proliferation effect of JHC-4 and paclitaxel.

Conclusion

All these data indicated that JHC-4 was a novel autophagy inducer when combination with paclitaxel for gastric cancer, which provided the scientific evidence for the use of this Chinese traditional medicine against cancer.

Potential of Distilled Liquid Smoke Derived from Coconut (Cocos nucifera L) Shell for Traumatic Ulcer Healing in Diabetic Rats

Objective Distilled liquid smoke (DLS) is a result of coconut processing by-product that not only serves as a natural food preservative but also has a promising therapeutic effect. The healing potential of DLS derived from coconut ( Cocos nucifera L) shell was investigated on a traumatic ulcer with the diabetic rat.

Materials and Methods DLS was analyzed the component by gas chromatograph mass spectrometry. Diabetic condition was induced by alloxan in 55 male Wistar rats. Ten mm of traumatic ulcer was made along the labial fornix incisive inferior after the diabetic condition was confirmed. Then DLS coconut shell, benzydamine hydrochloride, and sterile distilled water were applied topically for 3, 5, and 7 days. The potential healing was evaluated based on the expression of nuclear factor kappa beta (NFκB) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) on macrophages using immunohistochemical staining and the amount of collagen using Masson Trichome staining. The difference between each group was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. The least significant difference test is used to determine the significant difference ( p < 0.05).

Results The major compounds found were phenol (36.6%), 2-methoxyphenol (guaiacol) (25.2%), furfural (17.8%), and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (3.5%) with 28 other minor constituents. The lowest NFκB and TNF-α expression on macrophage was observed by topical application of DLS derived from coconut shell for 3, 5, and 7 days of treatment. The amount of collagen was increased and indicated by the highest result of DLS compared to others.

Conclusion The DLS derived from coconut ( Cocos nucifera L) shell was able to improve traumatic ulcer healing in a person with diabetes.