Hesperidin and SARS-CoV-2: New Light on the Healthy Function of Citrus Fruits

Comparison of DASH diet score and total antioxidant capacity of diet on serum levels of TMPRSS-2, inflammatory biomarkers, and disease severity in COVID-19 patients: A case-control study

There is evidence that healthy diets improve the immune system and lessen the severity of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. We have investigated whether the dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH) score could be associated with the occurrence and clinical outcomes of COVID-19. This case-control study included 120 adults who were admitted to the hospital. Dietary TAC and DASH diet scores were determined by a 138-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Inflammation-related markers including C-reactive protein (CRP) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS-2) differential were measured. Also, using chest radiology criteria, the severity of the disease was evaluated. The mean CRP values in the lowest and highest tertiles of either dietary TAC or DASH diet scores were 9.44 ± 11.26 and 3.52 ± 4.83 mg/dL (p = .003) or 9.04 ± 11.23 and 4.40 ± 6.23 mg/dL (p = .013), respectively. Individuals with higher dietary TAC were at a lower risk of COVID-19 (OR: 0.06, p < ·0001). Individuals with greater DASH diet scores were also at decreased odds of COVID-19 (OR: 0.12, p < ·0001). No significant associations were found between dietary TAC and DASH diet scores with severity of COVID-19 disease, CRP, or TMPRSS-2 (p > 0.05). The study found that adherence to a diet with higher dietary TAC and DASH diet scores may be protective against COVID-19 and improve outcomes of the disease. More research is needed to corroborate these findings.

Review of COVID-19 Therapeutics by Mechanism: From Discovery to Approval

The global research and pharmaceutical community rapidly mobilized to develop treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Existing treatments have been repurposed and new drugs have emerged. Here we summarize mechanisms and clinical trials of COVID-19 therapeutics approved or in development. Two reviewers, working independently, reviewed published data for approved COVID-19 vaccines and drugs, as well as developmental pipelines, using databases from the following organizations: United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Japanese Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), and ClinicalTrials.gov. In all, 387 drugs were found for initial review. After removing unrelated trials and drugs, 66 drugs were selected, including 17 approved drugs and 49 drugs under development. These drugs were classified into six categories: 1) drugs targeting the viral life cycle 2) Anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Monoclonal Antibodies, 3) immunomodulators, 4) anti-coagulants, 5) COVID-19-induced neuropathy drugs, and 6) other therapeutics. Among the 49 drugs under development are the following: 6 drugs targeting the viral life cycle, 12 immunosuppression drugs, 2 immunostimulants, 2 HIF-PHD targeting drugs, 3 GM-CSF targeting drugs, 5 anti-coagulants, 2 COVID-19-induced neuropathy drugs, and 17 others. This review provides insight into mechanisms of action, properties, and indications for COVID-19 medications.

Effect of polyphenols against complications of COVID-19: current evidence and potential efficacy

The COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2019 and resulted in significant morbidity and mortality continues to be a significant global health challenge, characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune system dysfunction.. Developing therapies for preventing or treating COVID-19 remains an important goal for pharmacology and drug development research. Polyphenols are effective against various viral infections and can be extracted and isolated from plants without losing their therapeutic potential. Researchers have developed methods for separating and isolating polyphenols from complex matrices. Polyphenols are effective in treating common viral infections, including COVID-19, and can also boost immunity. Polyphenolic-based antiviral medications can mitigate SARS-CoV-2 enzymes vital to virus replication and infection. Individual polyphenolic triterpenoids, flavonoids, anthraquinonoids, and tannins may also inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 protease. Polyphenol pharmacophore structures identified to date can explain their action and lead to the design of novel anti-COVID-19 compounds. Polyphenol-containing mixtures offer the advantages of a well-recognized safety profile with few known severe side effects. However, studies to date are limited, and further animal studies and randomized controlled trials are needed in future studies. The purpose of this study was to review and present the latest findings on the therapeutic impact of plant-derived polyphenols on COVID-19 infection and its complications. Exploring alternative approaches to traditional therapies could aid in developing novel drugs and remedies against coronavirus infection.

Recent understanding of the mechanisms of the biological activities of hesperidin and hesperetin and their therapeutic effects on diseases

Flavonoids are natural phytochemicals that have therapeutic effects and act in the prevention of several pathologies. These phytochemicals can be found in lemon, sweet orange, bitter orange, clementine. Hesperidin and hesperetin are citrus flavonoids from the flavanones subclass that have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor and antibacterial potential. Preclinical studies and clinical trials demonstrated therapeutical effects of hesperidin and its aglycone hesperetin in various diseases, such as bone diseases, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, respiratory diseases, digestive diseases, urinary tract diseases. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the biological activities of hesperidin and hesperetin, their therapeutic potential in various diseases and their associated molecular mechanisms. This article also discusses future considerations for the clinical applications of hesperidin and hesperetin.

Assessment of adenosine triphosphate content in sausages stuffed in different modified casing treatments added with orange extracts, utilising hyperspectral imaging combined with multivariate analysis

Introduction

An investigation was conducted using a hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system to non-invasively estimate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in vacuum packaged sausages in different modified casing treatments added with orange extracts after a year of storage at 4°C.

Methods

Various pre-processing combinations were applied to the spectra to enhance the performance of partial least squares regression (PLSR).

Results and discussion

PLSR models, utilising the full absorbance spectrum with pre-treatment of standard normal variate combined with 1st derivative,exhibited prediction coefficients of determination (Rp2) reaching up to 0.6629. A distribution map developed through MATLAB was employed to display the location and concentration of ATP content in these unique sausages for the first time. The integration of HSI and multivariate analysis not only quantifies but also visually represents the changes in ATP content response to the different casing treatments, demonstrating the significant potential for real-time inspection in the processed meat industry.

Fruit Quality Assessment of Novel Hybrid Pummelo × Sweet Orange and Its Molecular Characterization Using Acidity Specific Markers

Research background

There is considerable diversity in newly developed pummelo × sweet orange citrus hybrids. Most hybrids showed lower peel thickness and high juice yield but there is a lack of information on fruit quality parameters and molecular characterization. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to determine the content of antioxidants and properties of the fresh juice of 24 new pummelo × sweet orange citrus hybrids (Citrus maxima [Burm. f.] Osbeck × Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck) and the parental genotypes along with molecular characteristics determined using acidity specific markers.

Experimental approach

The correlation and estimate of inheritance of the fruit juice properties: ascorbic acid, total phenol, total flavonoid, total antioxidant, total soluble solid and sugar contents, pH, titratable acidity, along with sensory evaluation was performed. Molecular characterization of these hybrids was carried out using de novo generated acidity specific simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers.

Results and conclusions

The main constituents of the fruit juice of pummelo × sweet orange hybrids were observed in the range of w(ascorbic acid)=40.00-58.13 mg/100 g, total phenols expressed as gallic acid equivalents w(GAE)=40.67-107.33 mg/100 g, total antioxidants expressed as Trolox equivalents b(Trolox)=2.03-5.49 µmol/g, total flavonoids expressed as quercetin equivalents w(QE)=23.67-59.33 mg/100 g, along with other properties: total soluble solids=7.33-11.33 %, w(total sugar)=2.10-5.76 %, w(reducing sugar)=1.69-2.78 %, w(non-reducing sugar)=0.39-3.17 % and titratable acidity 1.00-2.11 %. The above parameters differed significantly in the fruit juice of the evaluated pummelo × sweet orange hybrids. Considering these parameters, the hybrids SCSH 17-9, SCSH 13-13, SCSH 11-15 and SCSH 3-15 had superior antioxidant properties in terms of these parameters. A higher heritability (≥80 %) was also observed for all juice properties. Molecular characterization of pummelo × sweet orange hybrids showed that >50 % of the hybrids were grouped with medium acidity parents. Both molecular and biochemical parameter-based clustering showed that interspecific hybrids exhibit transgressive segregation with increased antioxidants that help alleviate the health problems.

Novelty and scientific contribution

These newly developed pummelo × sweet orange citrus hybrids are a valuable source of high-quality antioxidants for a healthy diet. The identification of trait markers that enable selection at the seedling stage is of great benefit to citrus breeders, as the characteristic features of a mature tree are not yet visible at the juvenile stage.

Perception, knowledge, and consumption pattern of dietary supplement used during COVID-19 pandemic among black Africans: Perspective of Nigerians

The awareness of the health implication of Covid-19 pandemic marked an increase consumption of various dietary and herbal supplements (DHS) for the deterrence and/or prophylaxis against the novel emerging and infectious disease. However, there is little indication of the usefulness or otherwise of their use in alleviating symptoms of COVID-19.

Objectives

To investigate the pattern and determinants of DHS use among the Nigerian population for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Design

Cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Setting: Older adolescents and adults residing in Nigeria.

Participants

Participants (n = 645) residing in the Nigeria were recruited from different geo-political zones and various ethnic groups.

Primary and secondary outcomes

Prevalence and determinants for the use of different DHS for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in Nigeria, and sources of information for DHS use.

Results

Most participants (425, 65.9%) believed that dietary supplements are necessary during infectious disease outbreak, but a fewer proportion believed that supplements can be used in conjunction with other drugs to treat Covid-19. Vitamin C was the most known (70.0%) and Vitamin A. The least known (0.3%) dietary supplement Approximately half (50.2%) of the study subjects, more than a third (37.8%) and less than a quarter (22.7%) were aware that Folic acid, vitamin D and vitamin E are DS. Herbal dietary supplements mentioned as known by the study participants included Garlic (46.5%), Ginger (44.7%), Tumeric (36.3%), Moringa (40.0%) and Ginseng (26.3%). Citrus fruit as a DS was recognized by fewer (6.5%) study participants and only 1.6% referred to herbal tea as DHS. In all, 571 (88.5%) of the study participants took DHS during the Covid-19 pandemic with males 1.5 times more likely to take DHS than females (χ2 = 3.09, P-value = 0.08, OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 0.95, 2.47) during the pandemic. Participants reported lesser consumption of Selenium (27, 4.2%), Iron (20,3.1%), Zinc (61, 9.5%) and calcium (101, 15.7%) to prevent/treat Covid-19. Majority (271, 42.0%) of the study participants mentioned "health worker" as source of information on DHS while 13% mentioned "Social media". The sociodemographic determinants of DHS practices used to prevent/treat COVID-19 during the pandemic included older age group of 61-70 years, widows, secondary level of education and not employed.

Conclusions

The findings showed widespread use of DHS for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. The use of DHS in this study was mainly guided by health workers with a marginal role of social media and Mass media. These findings call for a more robust consolidative tactic towards DHS to ensure its proper and safe use.

Food Application of Orange Seed Powder through Incorporation in Wheat Flour to Boost Vitamin and Mineral Profiles of Formulated Biscuits

The significance of conducting research for its application has been noted as a result of the rising global food production and waste generation. As a result, there is increasing interest in fruits and vegetable seeds that contain bioactive chemicals, such as those that are obtained from orange seeds. In the current work, orange seed powder replaced wheat flour at 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% levels, to observe changes in physicochemical features of developed biscuits. Proximate analysis of orange seed powder and wheat flour revealed that orange seed powder has high fat, fiber, protein, and ash contents as compared to wheat flour, whereas moisture contents in wheat flour were high. In developed biscuits, the highest values (percentage) of ash (9.68 ± 0.04), fiber (6.79 ± 0.12), protein (10.42 ± 0.25), and fat (36.90 ± 0.55) were found in biscuits developed with 10% orange seed powder. Orange seed powder was a comparatively good source of both macro and micro minerals, as compared to wheat flour. High contents of selenium (5.32 ± 0.03), iron (2.12 ± 0.05), zinc (3.88 ± 0.12), and manganese (2.25 ± 0.04) mg/100 g, present in orange seed powder, were the prominent findings of this research work, as wheat flours were observed to be deficient in these trace minerals. Contents of calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, manganese, zinc, and selenium in control biscuits were found 20.51 ± 0.08, 17.29 ± 0.04, 46.12 ± 0.05, 1.06 ± 0.01, 1.97 ± 0.01, 0.12 ± 0.01, and 0.11 ± 0.01 mg/100 g, respectively, and replacement of wheat flour with 10% orange seed powder increased values of these minerals to 103.90 ± 0.35, 44.35 ± 0.50, 71.29 ± 0.32, 2.59 ± 0.4, 2.75 ± 0.02, 1.31 ± 0.01, and 2.02 ± 0.05 mg/100 g, respectively. Vitamins E and K, which were not detected in wheat flour, were present in orange powder in high amount, whereas B group vitamins, which were also present in wheat flour, were observed in significantly high quantities in orange seed powder. Increment in vitamin A, D, E, K, and B complexes was significant as a result of orange seed powder supplementation, except for vitamins B1 and B2, which were slightly decreased. Sensory evaluation revealed that a 5% replacement of orange seed powder provided good quality biscuits with acceptable colour, flavor, taste, texture, and overall acceptability. Orange seed powder could prove an important ingredient in the baking industry with the potential of promoting the nutritional value of foods.

Comparison of different drying technologies for brocade orange (Citrus sinensis) peels: Changes in color, phytochemical profile, volatile, and biological availability and activity of bioactive compounds

This study evaluated the effects of freeze drying (FD), heat pump drying (HPD), microwave drying (MD), and far-infrared drying (FID) on the quality of brocade orange peels (BOPs). Although the most attractive appearance, maximum levels of ascorbic acid (0.46 mg/g dry weight (DW)), carotenoids (total 16.34 μg/g DW), synephrine (15.58 mg/g DW), limonoids (total 4.60 mg/g DW), phenols (total 9142.80 μg/g DW), and antioxidant activity were observed in FD-BOPs, many aroma components in FD-BOPs were in the minimum levels. HPD-, and MD-BOPs depicted similar trends to FD-BOPs, but they contained the highest concentrations of limonene and β-myrcene. Phenols and ascorbic acid in MD-BOPs generally featured the highest levels of bioavailability, being to 15.99% and 63.94%, respectively. In comparison, FID was not beneficial for the preservation of bioactive compounds and volatile. Therefore, considering time and energy costs, HPD and particularly MD are more appropriate for the commercial production of dried BOPs.

Extraction of Functional Compounds from Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) by Deep Eutectic Solvents at Different Properties

In this study, it was aimed to examine the capacity of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with different contents to extract bioactive compounds from tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) plant. For this reason, the total phenolic-flavonoid content, total proanthocyanidin content and antioxidant/antimicrobial activities of the prepared DES extracts were investigated, as well as the individual phenolic and individual amino acid profiles. According to the results, DES10 had the highest efficiency in terms of its capacity to extract individual phenolics (approximately 59 mg/100 g) and individual amino acids (approximately 2500 mg/kg), and also gave a higher yield compared to ethanol (approximately 44 mg/100 g for individual phenolics and about 19810 mg/kg for individual amino acids) and methanol (approximately 58 mg/100 g for individual phenolics and approximately 21430 mg/kg for individual amino acids). However, the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity values of DES extracts were determined between 59.09-77.50 mg GAE/100 g, 28.68-45.55 mg GAE/100 g and 42.96-146.86 mg TE/100 g, respectively. Therefore, it can be recommended to use these green solvents, which are known as environmentally friendly, as an alternative to organic solvents in the process of preparing extracts of this important medicinal plant in different areas.

A study on the effect of natural products against the transmission of B.1.1.529 Omicron

BACKGROUND

The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic resulted in a successful vaccination program launched by the World Health Organization. However, a large population is still unvaccinated, leading to the emergence of mutated strains like alpha, beta, delta, and B.1.1.529 (Omicron). Recent reports from the World Health Organization raised concerns about the Omicron variant, which emerged in South Africa during a surge in COVID-19 cases in November 2021. Vaccines are not proven completely effective or safe against Omicron, leading to clinical trials for combating infection by the mutated virus. The absence of suitable pharmaceuticals has led scientists and clinicians to search for alternative and supplementary therapies, including dietary patterns, to reduce the effect of mutated strains.

MAIN BODY

This review analyzed Coronavirus aetiology, epidemiology, and natural products for combating Omicron. Although the literature search did not include keywords related to in silico or computational research, in silico investigations were emphasized in this study. Molecular docking was implemented to compare the interaction between natural products and Chloroquine with the ACE2 receptor protein amino acid residues of Omicron. The global Omicron infection proceeding SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was also elucidated. The docking results suggest that DGCG may bind to the ACE2 receptor three times more effectively than standard chloroquine.

CONCLUSION

The emergence of the Omicron variant has highlighted the need for alternative therapies to reduce the impact of mutated strains. The current review suggests that natural products such as DGCG may be effective in binding to the ACE2 receptor and combating the Omicron variant, however, further research is required to validate the results of this study and explore the potential of natural products to mitigate COVID-19.

Chemical Composition of Honeysuckle (Lonicerae japonicae) Extracts and Their Potential in Inhibiting the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and ACE2 Binding, Suppressing ACE2, and Scavenging Radicals

Honeysuckle (Lonicerae japonicae) has been used in functional tea products. The chemical compositions of the water and ethanol extracts of honeysuckle were examined in the present study, along with their potential in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding to ACE2, suppressing ACE2 activity, and scavenging reactive free radicals. Thirty-six compounds were tentatively identified from the honeysuckle extracts using HPLC-MS/MS, with ten reported for the first time in honeysuckle. Both honeysuckle extracts inhibited the binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to ACE2, as well as ACE2 activity. The ethanol extract exhibited a 100% inhibition on binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to ACE2 at 100 mg botanical equivalent/mL, whereas the water extract had a 65% binding inhibition at the same concentration. Furthermore, the water extract exhibited 90% ACE2 activity inhibition, which was stronger than that of the ethanol extract (62% inhibition) at the same botanical weight concentration. In addition, higher total phenolic contents and greater scavenging activities against hydroxyl (HO•), DPPH•, and ABTS•+ radicals were observed in the water extract than the ethanol extract counterpart on a dry botanical weight concentration basis. These findings suggest honeysuckle has the potential to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Bioactive Compositions of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum J. Presl) Extracts and Their Capacities in Suppressing SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Binding to ACE2, Inhibiting ACE2, and Scavenging Free Radicals

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum J. Presl) bark and its extracts are popular ingredients added to food and supplement products. It has various health effects, including potentially reducing the risk of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). In our study, the bioactives in cinnamon water and ethanol extracts were chemically identified, and their potential in suppressing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding, reducing ACE2 availability, and scavenging free radicals was investigated. Twenty-seven and twenty-three compounds were tentatively identified in cinnamon water and ethanol extracts, respectively. Seven compounds, including saccharumoside C, two emodin-glucuronide isomers, two physcion-glucuronide isomers, and two type-A proanthocyanidin hexamers, were first reported in cinnamon. Cinnamon water and ethanol extracts suppressed the binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to ACE2 and inhibited ACE2 activity in a dose-dependent manner. Cinnamon ethanol extract had total phenolic content of 36.67 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g and free radical scavenging activities against HO• and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation (ABTS•+) of 1688.85 and 882.88 μmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g, which were significantly higher than those of the water extract at 24.12 mg GAE/g and 583.12 and 210.36 μmol TE/g. The free radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) of cinnamon ethanol extract was lower than that of the water extract. The present study provides new evidence that cinnamon reduces the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 development.

Bioinformatics-based investigation on the genetic influence between SARS-CoV-2 infections and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diseases, and drug repurposing

Some recent studies showed that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) disease might stimulate each other through the shared genes. Therefore, in this study, an attempt was made to explore common genomic biomarkers for SARS-CoV-2 infections and IPF disease highlighting their functions, pathways, regulators and associated drug molecules. At first, we identified 32 statistically significant common differentially expressed genes (cDEGs) between disease (SARS-CoV-2 and IPF) and control samples of RNA-Seq profiles by using a statistical r-package (edgeR). Then we detected 10 cDEGs (CXCR4, TNFAIP3, VCAM1, NLRP3, TNFAIP6, SELE, MX2, IRF4, UBD and CH25H) out of 32 as the common hub genes (cHubGs) by the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. The cHubGs regulatory network analysis detected few key TFs-proteins and miRNAs as the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators of cHubGs. The cDEGs-set enrichment analysis identified some crucial SARS-CoV-2 and IPF causing common molecular mechanisms including biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components and signaling pathways. Then, we suggested the cHubGs-guided top-ranked 10 candidate drug molecules (Tegobuvir, Nilotinib, Digoxin, Proscillaridin, Simeprevir, Sorafenib, Torin 2, Rapamycin, Vancomycin and Hesperidin) for the treatment against SARS-CoV-2 infections with IFP diseases as comorbidity. Finally, we investigated the resistance performance of our proposed drug molecules compare to the already published molecules, against the state-of-the-art alternatives publicly available top-ranked independent receptors by molecular docking analysis. Molecular docking results suggested that our proposed drug molecules would be more effective compare to the already published drug molecules. Thus, the findings of this study might be played a vital role for diagnosis and therapies of SARS-CoV-2 infections with IPF disease as comorbidity risk.

Identification of host genomic biomarkers from multiple transcriptomics datasets for diagnosis and therapies of SARS-CoV-2 infections

The pandemic of COVID-19 is a severe threat to human life and the global economy. Despite the success of vaccination efforts in reducing the spread of the virus, the situation remains largely uncontrolled due to the random mutation in the RNA sequence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which demands different variants of effective drugs. Disease-causing gene-mediated proteins are usually used as receptors to explore effective drug molecules. In this study, we analyzed two different RNA-Seq and one microarray gene expression profile datasets by integrating EdgeR, LIMMA, weighted gene co-expression network and robust rank aggregation approaches, which revealed SARS-CoV-2 infection causing eight hub-genes (HubGs) including HubGs; REL, AURKA, AURKB, FBXL3, OAS1, STAT4, MMP2 and IL6 as the host genomic biomarkers. Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analyses of HubGs significantly enriched some crucial biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components and signaling pathways that are associated with the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Regulatory network analysis identified top-ranked 5 TFs (SRF, PBX1, MEIS1, ESR1 and MYC) and 5 miRNAs (hsa-miR-106b-5p, hsa-miR-20b-5p, hsa-miR-93-5p, hsa-miR-106a-5p and hsa-miR-20a-5p) as the key transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators of HubGs. Then, we conducted a molecular docking analysis to determine potential drug candidates that could interact with HubGs-mediated receptors. This analysis resulted in the identification of top-ranked ten drug agents, including Nilotinib, Tegobuvir, Digoxin, Proscillaridin, Olysio, Simeprevir, Hesperidin, Oleanolic Acid, Naltrindole and Danoprevir. Finally, we investigated the binding stability of the top-ranked three drug molecules Nilotinib, Tegobuvir and Proscillaridin with the three top-ranked proposed receptors (AURKA, AURKB, OAS1) by using 100 ns MD-based MM-PBSA simulations and observed their stable performance. Therefore, the findings of this study might be useful resources for diagnosis and therapies of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

COVID-19 signalome: Potential therapeutic interventions

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered intensive research and development of drugs and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 during the last two years. The major success was especially observed with development of vaccines based on viral vectors, nucleic acids and whole viral particles, which have received emergent authorization leading to global mass vaccinations. Although the vaccine programs have made a big impact on COVID-19 spread and severity, emerging novel variants have raised serious concerns about vaccine efficacy. Due to the urgent demand, drug development had originally to rely on repurposing of antiviral drugs developed against other infectious diseases. For both drug and vaccine development the focus has been mainly on SARS-CoV-2 surface proteins and host cell receptors involved in viral attachment and entry. In this review, we expand the spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 targets by investigating the COVID-19 signalome. In addition to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, the envelope, membrane, and nucleoprotein targets have been subjected to research. Moreover, viral proteases have presented the possibility to develop different strategies for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication and spread. Several signaling pathways involving the renin-angiotensin system, angiotensin-converting enzymes, immune pathways, hypoxia, and calcium signaling have provided attractive alternative targets for more efficient drug development.

Hesperidin Induced HePG-2 Cell Apoptosis through ROS-Mediated p53/Bcl-2/Bax and p-mTOR Signaling Pathways

Recently, research showed that one of the most common kinds of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is also the fourth main cause of cancer deaths. In studies regarding chemicals to better treat the disease, hesperidin shows a novel potential in performing anticancer activities, particularly in liver cancer. However, the specific mechanism of hesperidin that causes such activities remains a mystery. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate hesperidin’s effect on cell proliferation and activation of ROS-mediated signaling pathways in HePG-2 cells. Hesperidin shows a significant impact on inhibiting HePG-2 cells’ proliferation through induction of cell apoptosis by Bcl-2, Bax, and p53 pathways. Treating cells with hesperidin in a dose-dependent manner shows a significant increase in the apoptotic cell population (sub-G1). Moreover, Hesperidin’s induction of apoptotic activities shows dependence on ROS (reactive oxygen species) overproduction, further affecting the p-mTOR pathways and leading to DNA damage. Hence, the overall data demonstrate that ROS-mediated signaling pathways exhibit mechanisms that may lead to useful information for interpreting hesperidin-induced hepatocarcinoma cell apoptosis.

Cluster-based text mining for extracting drug candidates for the prevention of COVID-19 from the biomedical literature

Objective

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis that began at the end of 2019 made researchers around the world quickly race to find effective solutions. Related literature exploded and it was inevitable that an automated approach was needed to find useful information, namely text mining, to overcome COVID-19, especially in terms of drug candidate discovery. While text mining methods for finding drug candidates mostly try to extract bioentity associations from PubMed, very few of them mine with a clustering approach. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach to identify drugs for the prevention of COVID-19 through literature review, cluster analysis, drug docking calculations, and clinical trial data.

Methods

This research was conducted in four main stages. First, the text mining stage was carried out by involving Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers for Biomedical to obtain vector representation of each word in the sentence from texts. The next stage generated the disease-drug associations, which were obtained from the correlation between disease and drug. Next, the clustering stage grouped the rules through the similarity of diseases by utilizing Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency as its feature. Finally, the drug candidate extraction stage was processed through leveraging PubChem and DrugBank databases. We further used the drug docking package AUTODOCK VINA in PyRx software to verify the results.

Results

Comparative analyses showed that the percentage of findings using mining with clustering outperformed mining without clustering in all experimental settings. In addition, we suggest that the top three drugs/phytochemicals by drug docking analysis may be effective in preventing COVID-19.

Conclusions

The proposed method for text mining utilizing the clustering method is quite promising in the discovery of drug candidates for the prevention of COVID-19 through the biomedical literature.

Efficiency of Hesperidin against Liver Fibrosis Induced by Bile Duct Ligation in Rats

Introduction

Bile duct ligation (BDL) and subsequent cholestasis are associated with oxidative stress and liver injury and fibrosis. Hesperidin (3,5,7-trihydroxyflavanone 7-rhamnoglucoside) is a flavanone glycoside abundant in citrus fruits. It has positive effects on diabetic retinopathy, reduced platelet aggregation, and blood flow alterations and has the potential to reduce liver injury in oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of hesperidin on BDL-induced liver injury in rats.

Methods

A total of 48 adult male Wistar rats were equally allocated to six eight-rat groups, namely, a healthy group, a sham group, a BDL+Vehicle group (BDL plus treatment with distilled water), a BDL+VitC group (BDL plus treatment with vitamin C 4.25 μg/kg), a BDL+Hesp100 group (BDL plus treatment with hesperidin 100 mg/kg/day), and a BDL+Hesp200 group (BDL plus treatment with hesperidin 200 mg/kg/day). Treatments were orally provided for 21 consecutive days. Finally, rats were sacrificed through heart blood sampling. Blood samples were centrifuged, and liver function, oxidative stress, and antioxidant parameters were assessed. Liver tissue was also assessed for oxidative stress, antioxidant, and histological parameters. The expression of inflammatory genes, namely, TGFβ1, iNOS, Caspase-3, and α-SMA, was measured through polymerase chain reaction. Findings. Hesperidin supplementation was associated with significant decrease in the levels of liver enzymes, bilirubin, nitric oxide, malondialdehyde, protein carbonyl, and inflammatory gene expression; significant increase in the levels of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione, and superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activity; and significant improvement in the histological morphology and structure of the liver parenchyma.

Conclusion

Hesperidin has significant positive effects on liver morphology and structure, inflammation, fibrosis, and oxidative stress in rats with BDL-induced cholestatic liver injury.

Innovative Processing Technologies to Develop a New Segment of Functional Citrus-Based Beverages: Current and Future Trends

The food industries are interested in developing functional products due to their popularity within nutritional and healthy circles. Functional fruit-based beverages represent one of the fast-growing markets due to the high concentrations of bioactive compounds (BCs), which can be health promoters. Hence, functional beverages based on citrus fruits are a potential way to take advantage of their nutritional and bioactive properties that could attract the interest of consumers. In order to ensure microbial and quality stability, the beverages are subjected to preservation treatment; however, the application of high temperatures leads to the loss of thermolabile BCs. Nowadays, innovative processing technologies (IPT) such as pulsed electric field (PEF), high-pressure processing (HPP), ultrasound processing (US), ohmic heating (OH), and microwave (MW) are a promising alternative due to their efficiency and low impact on juice BCs. The available literature concerning the effects of these technologies in functional fruit-based beverages is scarce; thus, this review gathers the most relevant information about the main positive and negative aspects of the IPT in functional properties, safety, and consumer acceptance of functional citrus-based beverages, as well as the use of citrus by-products to promote the circular economy in citrus processing.

Chemical Compositions of Clove (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.) Extracts and Their Potentials in Suppressing SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein-ACE2 Binding, Inhibiting ACE2, and Scavenging Free Radicals

COVID-19 is initiated by binding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on host cells. Food factors capable of suppressing the binding between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and ACE2 or reducing the ACE2 availability through ACE2 inhibitions may potentially reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19. In this study, the chemical compositions of clove water and ethanol extracts were investigated, along with their potentials in suppressing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-ACE2 binding, reducing ACE2 availability, and scavenging free radicals. Thirty-four compounds were tentatively identified in the clove water and ethanol extracts, with six reported in clove for the first time. Clove water and ethanol extracts dose-dependently suppressed SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding to ACE2 and inhibited ACE2 activity. The water extract had stronger inhibitory effects than the ethanol extract on a dry weight basis. The clove water extract also had more potent free radical scavenging activities against DPPH^• and ABTS^•+ (536.9 and 3525.06 μmol TE/g, respectively) than the ethanol extract (58.44 and 2298.01 μmol TE/g, respectively). In contrast, the ethanol extract had greater total phenolic content (TPC) and relative HO^• scavenging capacity (HOSC) values (180.03 mg GAE/g and 2181.08 μmol TE/g, respectively) than the water extract (120.12 mg GAE/g and 1483.02 μmol TE/g, respectively). The present study demonstrated the potential of clove in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 development.

Fourteen-Day Evolution of COVID-19 Symptoms during the Third Wave in Nonvaccinated Subjects and Effects of Hesperidin Therapy: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study

COVID-19 symptoms can cause substantial disability, yet no therapy can currently reduce their frequency or duration. We conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of hesperidin 1000 mg once daily for 14 days in 216 symptomatic nonvaccinated COVID-19 subjects. Thirteen symptoms were recorded after 3, 7, 10, and 14 days. The primary endpoint was the proportion of subjects with any of four cardinal (group A) symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, or anosmia. At the baseline, symptoms in decreasing frequency were as follows: cough (53.2%), weakness (44.9%), headache (42.6%), pain (35.2%), sore throat (28.7%), runny nose (26.9%), chills (22.7%), shortness of breath (22.2%), anosmia (18.5%), fever (16.2%), diarrhea (6.9%), nausea/vomiting (6.5%), and irritability/confusion (3.2%). Group A symptoms in the placebo vs. hesperidin group were 88.8% vs. 88.5% (day 1) and reduced to 58.5 vs. 49.4% at day 14 (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.38–1.27, $p=0.23$ ). At day 14, 15 subjects in the placebo group and 28 in the hesperidin group failed to report their symptoms. In an attrition bias analysis imputing “no symptoms” to missing values, the hesperidin group showed reduction of 14.5% of group A symptoms from 50.9% to 36.4% (OR: 0.55, 0.32–0.96, $p=0.03$ ). Anosmia, the most frequent persisting symptom (29.3%), was lowered by 7.3% to 25.3% in the hesperidin group vs. 32.6% in the placebo group ( $p=0.29$ ). The mean number of symptoms in the placebo and hesperidin groups was 5.10 (SD 2.26) vs. 5.48 (SD 2.35) (day 1) and 1.40 (SD 1.65) vs. 1.38 (SD 1.76) (day 14) ( $p=0.92$ ). In conclusion, most nonvaccinated COVID-19 infected subjects remain symptomatic after 14 days with anosmia being the most frequently persisting symptom. Hesperidin 1 g daily may help reduce group A symptoms. Earlier treatment of longer duration and/or higher dosage should be tested.

Early Outpatient Treatment of COVID-19: A Retrospective Analysis of 392 Cases in Italy

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020. The knowledge of COVID-19 pathophysiology soon provided a strong rationale for the early use of both anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic drugs; however, its evidence was slowly and partially incorporated into institutional guidelines. The unmet needs of COVID-19 outpatients were taken care of by networks of physicians and researchers. We analyse the characteristics, management and outcomes in COVID-19 outpatients who were taken care of by physicians within the IppocrateOrg Association. In this observational retrospective study, volunteering doctors provided data on 392 COVID-19 patients. The mean age of patients was 48.5 years (range: 0.5–97), and patients were taken care of in COVID-19 stage 0 (15.6%), stage 1 (50.0%), stage 2a (28.8%) and stage 2b (5.6%). Many patients were overweight (26%) or obese (11.5%), with chronic comorbidities (34.9%), mainly cardiovascular (23%) and metabolic (13.3%). The most frequently prescribed drugs included: vitamins and supplements (98.7%), aspirin (66.1%), antibiotics (62%), glucocorticoids (41.8%), hydroxychloroquine (29.6%), enoxaparin (28.6%), colchicine (8.9%), oxygen therapy (6.9%), and ivermectin (2.8%). Hospitalization occurred in 5.8% of cases, mainly in stage 2b (27.3%). A total of 390 patients (99.6%) recovered; one patient was lost at follow up, and one patient died after hospitalization. This is the first real-world study describing the behaviours of physicians caring for COVID-19 outpatients, and the outcomes of COVID-19 early treatment. The lethality in this cohort was 0.2%, while overall, and over the same period, the COVID-19 lethality in Italy was over 3%. The drug use described in this study appears effective and safe. The present evidence should be carefully considered by physicians and political decision makers.

Solubility Enhancement, Formulation Development, and Antibacterial Activity of Xanthan-Gum-Stabilized Colloidal Gold Nanogel of Hesperidin against Proteus vulgaris

The objective of the study was to develop a transdermal nanoformulation of hesperidin (HSP) against Proteus vulgaris (P. vulgaris). Based on the low water solubility of HSP, we prepared HSP-enabled AuNPs stabilized with xanthan gum (XA), referred to as HSP@XA@AuNPs. The HSP@XA@AuNP formulation was evaluated for particle size (43.16 nm), PDI (0.565), zeta potential (−31.9 mV), and entrapment efficiency (56.7%). The HSP@XA@AuNPs gel was developed by incorporating selected formulation grades into a 1% Carbopol gel base and characterized by physical evaluation and rheological studies. The color of the HSP@XA@AuNP gel was light pink, and the texture was very smooth and non-greasy. The gel was shown to be odorless. A field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) was used to investigate the shape of HSP@XA@AuNPs further. The drug release was 73.08% for the HSP@XA@AuNPs and 86.26% for the HSP@XA@AuNPs gel in 500 min. The prepared gel showed antimicrobial activity against P. vulgaris with an MIC of 1.78 μg/mL. In conclusion, the HSP@XA@AuNPs gel could be an advanced modality for treating P. vulgaris.

Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, and Immunomodulatory Roles of Nonvitamin Antioxidants in Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Therapy

Viral pathologies encompass activation of pro-oxidative pathways and inflammatory burst. Alleviating overproduction of reactive oxygen species and cytokine storm in COVID-19 is essential to counteract the immunogenic damage in endothelium and alveolar membranes. Antioxidants alleviate oxidative stress, cytokine storm, hyperinflammation, and diminish the risk of organ failure. Direct antiviral roles imply: impact on viral spike protein, interference with the ACE2 receptor, inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase 4, transmembrane protease serine 2 or furin, and impact on of helicase, papain-like protease, 3-chyomotrypsin like protease, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Prooxidative environment favors conformational changes in the receptor binding domain, promoting the affinity of the spike protein for the host receptor. Viral pathologies imply a vicious cycle, oxidative stress promoting inflammatory responses, and vice versa. The same was noticed with respect to the relationship antioxidant impairment-viral replication. Timing, dosage, pro-oxidative activities, mutual influences, and interference with other antioxidants should be carefully regarded. Deficiency is linked to illness severity.

A Review on Herbal Secondary Metabolites Against COVID-19 Focusing on the Genetic Variants of SARS-CoV-2

Context: An outbreak of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, subsequently affecting countries worldwide and causing a pandemic. Although several vaccines, such as mRNA vaccines, inactivated vaccines, and adenovirus vaccines, have been licensed in several countries, the danger of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants persists. To date, Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351, B.1.351.2, B.1.351.3), Delta (B.1.617.2, AY.1, AY.2, AY. 3), Gamma (P.1, P.1.1, P.1.2), and Iota (B.1 .526) circulating in the United States, Kappa (B.1.617.1) in India, Lambda (C.37) in Peru and Mu (B.1.621) in Colombia are considered the variants of concern and interest. Evidence Acquisition: Data were collected through the end of August 2021 by searching PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. There were findings from in silico, in vitro cell-based, and non-cell-based investigations. Results: The potential and safety profile of herbal medicines need clarification to scientifically support future recommendations regarding the benefits and risks of their use. Conclusions: Current research results on natural products against SARS-CoV-2 and variants are discussed, and their specific molecular targets and possible mechanisms of action are summarized.

Evaluation of pH in Sausages Stuffed in a Modified Casing with Orange Extracts by Hyperspectral Imaging Coupled with Response Surface Methodology

The pH values of sausages stuffed in natural hog casings with different modifications (soy lecithin, soy oil, orange extracts (OE) from waste orange peels, lactic acid in slush salt, and treatment time) after 16-day 4 °C storage were evaluated for the first time by hyperspectral imaging (350−1100 nm) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM). A partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was developed to relate the spectra to the pH of sausages. Spectral pretreatment, including first derivative, second derivative, multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), standard normal variate (SNV), normalization, and normalization, with different combinations was employed to improve model performance. RSM showed that only soy lecithin and OE interactively affected the pH of sausages (p < 0.05). The pH value decreased when the casing was treated with a higher concentration of soy lecithin with 0.26% OE. As the first and second derivatives are commonly used to eliminate the baseline shift, the PLSR model derived from absorbance pretreated by the first derivative in the full wavelengths showed a calibration coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.73 with a root mean square error of calibration of 0.4283. Twelve feature wavelengths were selected with a comparable R2 value compared with the full wavelengths. The prediction map enables the visualization of the pH evolution of sausages stuffed in the modified casings added with OE.

Hesperetin from Root Extract of Clerodendrum petasites S. Moore Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein S1 Subunit-Induced NLRP3 Inflammasome in A549 Lung Cells via Modulation of the Akt/MAPK/AP-1 Pathway

Inhibition of inflammatory responses from the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (Spike) by targeting NLRP3 inflammasome has recently been developed as an alternative form of supportive therapy besides the traditional anti-viral approaches. Clerodendrum petasites S. Moore (C. petasites) is a Thai traditional medicinal plant possessing antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, C. petasites ethanolic root extract (CpEE) underwent solvent-partitioned extraction to obtain the ethyl acetate fraction of C. petasites (CpEA). Subsequently, C. petasites extracts were determined for the flavonoid contents and anti-inflammatory properties against spike induction in the A549 lung cells. According to the HPLC results, CpEA significantly contained higher amounts of hesperidin and hesperetin flavonoids than CpEE (p < 0.05). A549 cells were then pre-treated with either C. petasites extracts or its active flavonoids and were primed with 100 ng/mL of spike S1 subunit (Spike S1) and determined for the anti-inflammatory properties. The results indicate that CpEA (compared with CpEE) and hesperetin (compared with hesperidin) exhibited greater anti-inflammatory properties upon Spike S1 induction through a significant reduction in IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-18 cytokine releases in A549 cells culture supernatant (p < 0.05). Additionally, CpEA and hesperetin significantly inhibited the Spike S1-induced inflammatory gene expressions (NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18, p < 0.05). Mechanistically, CpEA and hesperetin attenuated inflammasome machinery protein expressions (NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1), as well as inactivated the Akt/MAPK/AP-1 pathway. Overall, our findings could provide scientific-based evidence to support the use of C. petasites and hesperetin in the development of supportive therapies for the prevention of COVID-19-related chronic inflammation.

A Pilot Study to Examine If Dietary Habits Can Affect Symptomology in Mild Pre-Vaccination COVID-19 Cases

The heterogeneity of the severity of symptoms of COVID-19 experienced by the young and healthy individuals is poorly understood. The present study was undertaken to mainly examine whether the respective diets and the type of symptoms experienced by patients are predictive of having long COVID-19. Disease severity was assessed with a symptomatology questionnaire and used to group 55 participants in asymptomatic (AS), mild symptoms (S) and long COVID (LC). We found that experiencing a higher number of symptoms as well as fatigue were predictors of developing LC whereas those who experienced rhinorrhea were less likely to develop LC. Blood samples were also taken to measure vitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and duration of spike IgG antibodies. In this study, serum 25(OH)D was not significantly different between 3 symptom groups with median (IQR) ng/mL levels of 22.0 (12.3) in the AS, 22.3 (7.5) in S, and 24.9 (9.4) in the LC group (p ≥ 0.05). The duration of IgG antibody response was found to vary greatly, with some individuals showing raised IgG over a year after infection. To examine whether dietary factors can influence the severity of symptoms, diet was analysed using 4–7-day food diaries as well as a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Some nutrients such as vitamin E, polyunsaturated fatty acids, fibre, and iron were associated with lower severity of COVID-19. Lower intake of vitamin E was associated with having LC with a median (IQR) intake of 6.2 mg (3.8) seen in LC vs. 8.6 mg (7.2) in the AS group (p = 0.047). This pilot study has highlighted a few differences in the number and type of symptoms experienced by the young non-hospitalised individuals with mild and long COVID-19 and identified a few dietary components for their potential protective role against long COVID-19, however, the findings need to be confirmed with further large scale studies.

Hesperetin as an anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent can inhibit COVID-19-associated cancer progression by suppressing intracellular signaling pathways

Hesperetin, an aglycone metabolite of hesperidin with high bioavailability, recently gained attention due to its anti-COVID-19 and anti-cancer properties. Multiple studies revealed that cancer patients are prone to experience a severe form of COVID-19 and higher mortality risk. In addition, studies suggested that COVID-19 can potentially lead to cancer progression through multiple mechanisms. This study proposes that hesperetin not only can be used as an anti-COVID-19 agent but also can reduce the risk of multiple cancer progression by suppressing several intracellular signaling pathways in cancer patients with COVID-19. Therefore, in this review, we attempted to provide evidence demonstrating anti-COVID-19/cancer properties of hesperetin with several mechanisms.

Role of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 (Nrf2) in the Recovery of Long COVID-19 Using Natural Antioxidants: A Systematic Review

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease with approximately 517 million confirmed cases, with the average number of cases revealing that patients recover immediately without hospitalization. However, several other cases found that patients still experience various symptoms after 3–12 weeks, which is known as a long COVID syndrome. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can activate nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κβ) and unbind the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) with Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), causing inhibition of Nrf2, which has an important role in antioxidant response and redox homeostasis. Disrupting the Keap1–Nrf2 pathway enhances Nrf2 activity, and has been identified as a vital approach for the prevention of oxidative stress and inflammation. Hence, natural antioxidants from various sources have been identified as a promising strategy to prevent oxidative stress, which plays a role in reducing the long COVID-19 symptoms. Oxygen-rich natural antioxidant compounds provide an effective Nrf2 activation effect that interact with the conserved amino acid residues in the Keap1-binding pocket, such as Ser602, Ser363, Ser508, and Ser555. In this review, the benefits of various natural antioxidant compounds that can modulate the Nrf2 signaling pathway, which is critical in reducing and curing long COVID-19, are highlighted and discussed.

Propolis efficacy on SARS-COV viruses: a review on antimicrobial activities and molecular simulations

This current study review provides a brief review of a natural bee product known as propolis and its relevance toward combating SARS-CoV viruses. Propolis has been utilized in medicinal products for centuries due to its excellent biological properties. These include anti-oxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and bactericidal activities. Furthermore, studies on molecular simulations show that flavonoids in propolis may reduce viral replication. While further research is needed to validate this theory, it has been observed that COVID-19 patients receiving propolis show earlier viral clearance, enhanced symptom recovery, quicker discharge from hospitals, and a reduced mortality rate relative to other patients. As a result, it appears that propolis could probably be useful in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. Therefore, this review sought to explore the natural properties of propolis and further evaluated past studies that investigated propolis as an alternative product for the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms. In addition, the review also highlights the possible mode of propolis action as well as molecular simulations of propolis compounds that may interact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The activity of propolis compounds in decreasing the impact of COVID-19-related comorbidities, the possible roles of such compounds as COVID-19 vaccine adjuvants, and the use of nutraceuticals in COVID-19 treatment, instead of pharmaceuticals, has also been discussed.

Evaluation of Hesperidin on Sausages Stuffed in a New Modified Casing during Long-Term Storage—A Preliminary Study

The effects of hesperidin and different casings on pH, moisture content, water-holding capacity, and total viable count (TVC) of sausages stored for 171 days were evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA). Sausages stuffed in a modified casing with treatment B (soy lecithin concentration: 1:30, soy oil concentration: 2.5%, lactic acid concentration: 21 mL/kg NaCl [solid], treated time: 90 min) had a significantly lower pH value (6.89 ± 0.01) at d 31 but higher (6.55 ± 0.03) than that of control casings at d 171 (p < 0.05). Hesperidin plays an important role in antimicrobial property that renders the sausages with modified casing by treatment A (soy lecithin concentration: 1:27.5, soy oil concentration: 1.25%, lactic acid concentration: 19.5 mL/kg NaCl [solid], treated time: 75 min) stable (p > 0.05), with the final TVC of 5.03 ± 0.10 log cfu/g. According to the PCA results, water-holding capacity has a positive correlation to pH. Moisture content was the best discriminator for differentiating sausages with control and modified casings, whilst pH was able to discriminate sausages stored after 138 days from other days.

Potential COVID-19 Therapies from Computational Repurposing of Drugs and Natural Products against the SARS-CoV-2 Helicase

Repurposing of existing drugs is a rapid way to find potential new treatments for SARS-CoV-2. Here, we applied a virtual screening approach using Autodock Vina and molecular dynamic simulation in tandem to screen and calculate binding energies of repurposed drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 helicase protein (non-structural protein nsp13). Amongst the top hits from our study were antivirals, antihistamines, and antipsychotics, plus a range of other drugs. Approximately 30% of our top 87 hits had published evidence indicating in vivo or in vitro SARS-CoV-2 activity. Top hits not previously reported to have SARS-CoV-2 activity included the antiviral agents, cabotegravir and RSV-604; the NK1 antagonist, aprepitant; the trypanocidal drug, aminoquinuride; the analgesic, antrafenine; the anticancer intercalator, epirubicin; the antihistamine, fexofenadine; and the anticoagulant, dicoumarol. These hits from our in silico SARS-CoV-2 helicase screen warrant further testing as potential COVID-19 treatments.

Targeted phenolic profile of radler beers by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS: the added value of hesperidin to beer antioxidants

The well-known health beneficial properties of beer are mainly due to phenolic antioxidants. Citrus-flavored beers represent a growing side-market in the beer industry, sparingly investigated to date. The phenolic profile of commercial radler beers (R1, R2) was investigated to evaluate the impact of the lemon juice added to beer in the industrial production. Results were compared to those obtained for opportunely chosen commercial beer (B) and lemonade (L). The study was carried out by an HPLC-MS/MS with an electrospray ionization source in selected ion recording mode, analyzing in a single chromatographic run 26 compounds belonging to the different phenolic classes of hydroxybenzoic, hydroxycinnamic and caffeoylquinic acids, flavonoids and prenylflavonoids. Different phenolic profiles were found for R1 and R2, mainly ascribed to different malt/hop/recipe used for the beer. High to very high level of hesperidin were found in the radlers, so that a major impact on phenolic antioxidants of the radlers was due to the lemon. Similarly, a major impact of the lemon aromas was found, D-limonene being the dominant peak resulting from the GC-MS analysis of the volatile fraction of the radlers.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of various PET-bottled Japanese green teas and tea compounds in vitro

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a serious threat to global public health. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants is a significant concern regarding the continued effectiveness of vaccines and antiviral therapeutics. Thus, natural products such as foods, drinks, and other compounds should be investigated for their potential to treat COVID-19. Here, we examined the in vitro antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 of various polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-bottled green Japanese teas and tea compounds. Six types of PET-bottled green tea were shown to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 at half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) of 121- to 323-fold dilution. Our study revealed for the first time that a variety of PET-bottled Japanese green tea drinks inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in a dilution-dependent manner. The tea compounds epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin gallate showed virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2, with IC₅₀ values of 6.5 and 12.5 µM, respectively. The investigated teas and tea compounds inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in a dose-dependent manner, as demonstrated by the viral RNA levels and infectious titers. Furthermore, the green teas and EGCG showed significant inhibition at the entry and post-entry stages of the viral life cycle and inhibited the activity of the SARS-CoV-2 3CL-protease. These findings indicate that green tea drinks and tea compounds are potentially useful in prophylaxis and COVID-19 treatment.

Prospective Medicinal Plants and Their Phytochemicals Shielding Autoimmune and Cancer Patients Against the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: A Special Focus on Matcha

Background

Being "positive" has been one of the most frustrating words anyone could hear since the end of 2019. This word had been overused globally due to the high infectious nature of SARS-CoV-2. All citizens are at risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2, but a red warning sign has been directed towards cancer and immune-compromised patients in particular. These groups of patients are not only more prone to catch the virus but also more predisposed to its deadly consequences, something that urged the research community to seek other effective and safe solutions that could be used as a protective measurement for cancer and autoimmune patients during the pandemic.

Aim

The authors aimed to turn the spotlight on specific herbal remedies that showed potential anticancer activity, immuno-modulatory roles, and promising anti-SARS-CoV-2 actions.

Methodology

To attain the purpose of the review, the research was conducted at the States National Library of Medicine (PubMed). To search databases, the descriptors used were as follows: "COVID-19"/"SARS-CoV-2", "Herbal Drugs", "Autoimmune diseases", "Rheumatoid Arthritis", "Asthma", "Multiple Sclerosis", "Systemic Lupus Erythematosus" "Nutraceuticals", "Matcha", "EGCG", "Quercetin", "Cancer", and key molecular pathways.

Results

This manuscript reviewed most of the herbal drugs that showed a triple action concerning anticancer, immunomodulation, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities. Special attention was directed towards "matcha" as a novel potential protective and therapeutic agent for cancer and immunocompromised patients during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Conclusion

This review sheds light on the pivotal role of "matcha" as a tri-acting herbal tea having a potent antitumorigenic effect, immunomodulatory role, and proven anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity, thus providing a powerful shield for high-risk patients such as cancer and autoimmune patients during the pandemic.

Effects of edible whole citrus fruits on endogenous antioxidant enzymes of HepG2 cells

The effects of eating fresh citrus fruits including two varieties of mandarins, one of sweet oranges, one of grapefruit, two of pomelo, and one of kumquat cultivated in China on endogenous antioxidant enzymes were investigated by in vitro digestion and HepG2 cells. The correlations between enzyme activity and cell uptake of phytochemicals, and cellular antioxidant capacities were analyzed. The results showed that most of fresh citrus fruits increased the endogenous antioxidant activity. Bairoumiyou, Hongroumiyou, Ponkan, and Jinju after digestion significantly increased the activity of catalase (CAT) (P &lt; 0.05). Hongroumiyou, Bairoumiyou, Ponkan navel orange, and Jinju after digestion significantly increased glutathione peroxidases (GPxs) activity (P &lt; 0.05), while Huyou and Satsuma could not increase the activity of GPxs after digestion. Thioredoxin oxidoreductase (TrxR) activity was improved significantly by most of the digested whole citrus fruits except Ponkan (P &lt; 0.05) and the one added whole citrus fruits had higher increase than added citrus fruits extracts. The results indicated that edible whole citrus fruits had similar effects as extracts on enzymes.

Formulation of Biscuits Fortified with a Flour Obtained from Bergamot By-Products (Citrus bergamia, Risso)

Bergamot belongs to the Rutaceae family and is a typical fruit grown principally in the province of Reggio Calabria (South Italy). Nowadays, its industrial use is mostly related to the extraction of the essential oil contained in the flavedo but also to a lesser extent the extraction of the juice (from the pulp), which is rich in antioxidants. However, the pressed pulp (known as Pastazzo) is either used for animal feed or is discarded. The aim of this research was to study the effect of bergamot Pastazzo flour in shortbread biscuits. Pastazzo flour partially replaced the 00 wheat flour in different percentages (2.5%, 5%, 10% and 15%). Simultaneously, a sample without the addition of pastazzo flour (control) was analyzed, thus obtaining five biscuit samples. Cooking was done in a ventilated oven at 180 °C. The baking time was different for the control and the enriched samples depending on when the desired color was reached. The control took 12 min, while the enriched samples reached the desired color in 8 min. All samples were subjected to physicochemical and antioxidant characterization, as well as total polyphenols and flavonoids. The use of pastazzo flour resulted in a slight increase in water activity and humidity values. pH values decreased for all the enriched samples compared to the control, but this was more relevant for the samples enriched with 10 and 15% of flour from by-products. Hardness varied from 1823 g (Control) to 2022 and 2818 g (respectively, for 2.5% and 15% bergamot Pastazzo flour in the recipe). Total phenol content varied from 0.14 mg GAE g−1 (Control) to 0.60 and 3.64 mg GAE g−1 (respectively, for 2.5% and 15% bergamot Pastazzo flour in the recipe). The obtained results demonstrated that the use of pastazzo flour had a positive influence on the antioxidant content, with values which increased as more pastazzo flour was added.

Amorphous Inclusion Complexes: Molecular Interactions of Hesperidin and Hesperetin with HP-Β-CD and Their Biological Effects

This study aimed at obtaining hesperidin (Hed) and hesperetin (Het) systems with HP-β-CD by means of the solvent evaporation method. The produced systems were identified using infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moreover, in silico docking and molecular dynamics studies were performed to assess the most preferable site of interactions between tested compounds and HP-β-CD. The changes of physicochemical properties (solubility, dissolution rate, and permeability) were determined chromatographically. The impact of modification on biological activity was tested in an antioxidant study as well as with regards to inhibition of enzymes important in pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. The results indicated improvement in solubility over 1000 and 2000 times for Hed and Het, respectively. Permeability studies revealed that Hed has difficulties in crossing biological membranes, in contrast with Het, which can be considered to be well absorbed. The improved physicochemical properties influenced the biological activity in a positive manner by the increase in inhibitory activity on the DPPH radical and cholinoesterases. To conclude the use of HP-β-CD as a carrier in the formation of an amorphous inclusion complex seems to be a promising approach to improve the biological activity and bioavailability of Hed and Het.

Optimizing Procedures of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Waste Orange Peels by Response Surface Methodology

The simultaneous effects of three continuous factors: solvent concentration (50−100%), treated times (25−85 min), treated temperatures (25−55 °C), and two categorical factors: type of solvents (methanol or ethanol) and ultrasonic frequency (28 kHz or 40 kHz) on ultrasonic-assisted extraction yield from waste orange peels were evaluated and optimized by response surface methodology. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with a wavelength of 500 cm−1 to 4000 cm−1 was employed to rapidly identify the orange extracts. The significant polynomial regression models on crude extraction, sediments after evaporation, and precipitation yield were established (p < 0.05). Results revealed that solvent concentration affected crude extraction and precipitation yield linearly (p < 0.01). The optimal and practical ultrasound-assisted extraction conditions for increasing the precipitation yield were using 61.42% methanol with 85 min at 55 °C under 40 kHz ultrasonic frequency. The spectra of extracts showed a similar fingerprint of hesperidin.

Modulating the Antioxidant Response for Better Oxidative Stress-Inducing Therapies: How to Take Advantage of Two Sides of the Same Medal?

Oxidative stress-inducing therapies are characterized as a specific treatment that involves the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) by external or internal sources. To protect cells against oxidative stress, cells have evolved a strong antioxidant defense system to either prevent RONS formation or scavenge them. The maintenance of the redox balance ensures signal transduction, development, cell proliferation, regulation of the mechanisms of cell death, among others. Oxidative stress can beneficially be used to treat several diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, heart disease, cancer, and other diseases by regulating the antioxidant system. Understanding the mechanisms of various endogenous antioxidant systems can increase the therapeutic efficacy of oxidative stress-based therapies, leading to clinical success in medical treatment. This review deals with the recent novel findings of various cellular endogenous antioxidant responses behind oxidative stress, highlighting their implication in various human diseases, such as ulcers, skin pathologies, oncology, and viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2.

Exploring the Potential Pharmacological Mechanism of Hesperidin and Glucosyl Hesperidin against COVID-19 Based on Bioinformatics Analyses and Antiviral Assays

The development of anti-COVID-19 drugs has become the top priority since the outbreak of the epidemic, and Traditional Chinese medicine plays an important role in reducing mortality. Here, hesperidin and its glycosylation product, glucosyl hesperidin were selected to determine their antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 due to their structural specificity as reported. To be specific, their binding ability with ACE2, M, S, RBD and N proteins were verified with both in silico and wet lab methods, i.e., molecular docking and binding affinity tests, including biolayer interferometry assay (BLI) and isothermal titration calorimetry assay (ITC). Moreover, systematic pharmacological analysis was conducted to reveal their pharmacological mechanism in treating COVID-19. Finally, their antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 was determined in vitro in a biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratory. The results demonstrated their outstanding binding affinity with ACE2, M, S and RBD proteins, while showed barely unobserved binding with N protein, indicating their key roles in influencing the invasion and early replication phase of SARS-CoV-2. In addition, both hesperidin and glucosyl hesperidin were shown to have a great impact on immune, inflammation and virus infection induced by COVID-19 according to the systematic pharmacological analysis. Moreover, the IC50s of hesperidin and glucosyl hesperidin against SARS-CoV-2 were further determined (51.5 [Formula: see text]M and 5.5 mM, respectively) with cell-based in vitro assay, suggesting their great anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. All in all, present research was the first to verify the binding ability of hesperidin and glucosyl hesperidin with SARS-CoV-2 proteins with both in silico and wet-lab methods and proposed the possibility of applying hesperidin and glucosyl hesperidin to treat COVID-19.

In silico study of potential antiviral activity of copper(II) complexes with non–steroidal anti–inflammatory drugs on various SARS–CoV–2 target proteins

In silico molecular docking studies, in vitro toxicity and in silico predictions on the biological activity profile, pharmacokinetic properties, drug–likeness, ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) physicochemical pharmacokinetic data, and target proteins and toxicity predictions were performed on six copper(II) complexes with the non–steroidal anti–inflammatory drugs ibuprofen, loxoprofen, fenoprofen and clonixin as ligands, in order to investigate the ability of these complexes to interact with the key therapeutic target proteins of SARS–CoV–2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) 3C–like cysteine main protease (3CLpro/M^pro), viral papain–like protease (PLpro), RNA–dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and non–structural proteins (Nsps) Nsp16–Nsp10 2′–O–methyltransferase complex, and their capacity to act as antiviral agents, contributing thus to understanding the role they can play in the context of coronavirus 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic. Cytotoxic activity against five human cancer and normal cell lines were also evaluated.

The Role of Nutrients in Prevention, Treatment and Post-Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19)

SARS-CoV-2 virus, infecting human cells via its spike protein, causes Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is characterized by shortness of breath, fever, and pneumonia and is sometimes fatal. Unfortunately, to date, there is still no definite therapy to treat COVID-19. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) approved only supportive care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to maintain a correct intake of nutrients to support very weakened patients in overcoming disease arose. The literature available on nutrient intake for COVID-19 is mainly focused on prevention. However, the safe intake of micro- and/or macro-nutrients can be useful either for preventing infection and supporting the immune response during COVID-19, as well as in the post-acute phase, i.e., “long COVID”, that is sometimes characterized by the onset of various long lasting and disabling symptoms. The aim of this review is to focus on the role of nutrient intake during all the different phases of the disease, including prevention, the acute phase, and finally long COVID.

Changes in the Lifestyle of the Spanish University Population during Confinement for COVID-19

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on eating and physical activity behavior, in a university population. A healthy diet such as the Mediterranean Diet (MD) pattern, rich in fruit and vegetables, can prevent degenerative diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc. We conducted a cross-sectional study and data were collected by an anonymous online questionnaire. Participants completed a survey consisting of 3 sections: sociodemographic data; dietary behavior and physical activity; the Mediterranean Diet questionnaire (MEDAS-14) and the Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ). A total of 168 participants completed the questionnaire: 66.7% were women, 79.2% were from Spain, 76.8% were students, 76.2% lived in their family home and 66.1% were of normal weight. During lockdown our population shopped for groceries 1 time or less per week (76.8%); maintained the same consumption of fruits (45.2%), vegetables (50.6%), dairy products (61.9%), pulses (64.9%), fish/seafood (57.7%), white meat (77.4%), red and processed meat (71.4%), pastries and snacks (48.2%), rice/pasta/potatoes (70.2%) and nuts (62.5%), spirits (98.8%) and sugary drinks (91.7%). Cooking time increased (73.2%) and the consumption decreased of low alcohol drinks (60.1%), spirits (75%) and sugary drinks (57.1%), and physical activity also diminished (49.4%). University Employees (UE) gained more weight (1.01 ± 0.02) than students (0.99 ± 0.03) (p < 0.05) during the confinement period. A total of 79.8% of the participants obtained a Medium/High Adherence to the MD during lockdown. Emotional and very emotional eaters were higher in the female group (p < 0.01). In the event of further confinement, strategies should be implemented to promote a balanced and healthy diet together with the practice of physical activity, taking special care of the female and UE groups.

Bioactive Compounds of Citrus Fruits: A Review of Composition and Health Benefits of Carotenoids, Flavonoids, Limonoids, and Terpenes

The increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contributes to the reduced risk of many diseases related to metabolic syndrome, including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and cancer. Citrus, the genus Citrus L., is one of the most important fruit crops, rich in carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenes, limonoids, and many other bioactive compounds of nutritional and nutraceutical value. Moreover, polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs), a unique class of bioactive flavonoids, abundantly occur in citrus fruits. In addition, citrus essential oil, rich in limonoids and terpenes, is an economically important product due to its potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, and flavoring properties. Mechanistic, observational, and intervention studies have demonstrated the health benefits of citrus bioactives in minimizing the risk of metabolic syndrome. This review provides a comprehensive view of the composition of carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenes, and limonoids of citrus fruits and their associated health benefits.