Volume 30, Nº 41 (2024)

Immunology, Inflammation & Allergy

Some Highly Potent Nepalese Medicinal Plants with Antimicrobial Properties

Khanal A., Shrestha S., Adhikari R.

Resumo

:In recent years, microbial infections have emerged as a serious global health problem, necessitating the search for novel and effective treatments. Medicinal plants contain phytochemicals that can be used to prevent and treat various infections. Traditional medicinal practices have long relied on the healing properties of herbs, and Nepal is particularly rich in this knowledge. Bioactive compounds found in plants possess antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties, making them a valuable resource for the fight against microbial infections. This review focuses on three medicinal plants native to Nepal, Amomum subulatum, Cymbopogon jwarancusa, and Cinnamomum glaucescens, which contain potent antimicrobial phytochemicals. The traditional uses, bioactive components, and biological activities of these plants are discussed, providing valuable insights into their potential as natural remedies to combat microbial infections.

Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2024;30(41):3233-3239
pages 3233-3239 views

Biocompatible Electrospun Hydrogel Fibers for Advanced Wound Healing Therapies

Yadav P., Gupta M., Singh S., Parashar P.

Resumo

:Wound healing is a complex cascade and is governed through a number of crucial factors. Conventional wound dressing possesses numerous limitations which hinder wound healing process and may result in serious infections and even mortality. A lot of effort have been put in through researchers to develop a multifaceted dressing which can address these limitations and facilitate accelerated wound healing. Among various newly developed dressings, electrospun hydrogel nanofibers have emerged as a promising class of biomaterials for advanced wound care and tissue engineering applications. These biomimetic fibers closely mimic the architect of the native extracellular matrix, providing an optimal environment that facilitates cellular proliferation and fast generation required for effective wound healing. Electrospinning offers versatility in precisely controlling fiber attributes such as diameter, alignment, and surface morphology and can entrap a variety of drugs with high efficacy. Recently, such dressings have advanced through the incorporation of smart features such as stimuli-responsive components, real-time wound monitoring sensors, and smart closed-loop systems. The electrospun hydrogels are bestowed with extreme porosity, water-retention attribute, biocompatibility, and modified drug release which make them superior over other wound dressings. The review gives an insight of electrospun hydrogel fibers and their application in wound healing and the studies assessing wound healing potential with underlying mechanisms have been critically analysed. Electrospun hydrogel fibers have significant potential to revolutionize wound care through their biomimetic structure, versatile customization, and capacity for integrating therapeutic and sensing capabilities, outlining future research directions toward next-generation wound care products.

Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2024;30(41):3240-3254
pages 3240-3254 views

Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. as a Natural Intervention for Diabesity: A Review

Jachak S., Thakur M., Ahirrao P., Goyal A.

Resumo

Background:Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. (family: Rutaceae), commonly known as curry leaf or sweet neem, is a tropical plant native to India and Southeast Asia. It is highly valued in Ayurveda for its medicinal properties. Almost every part (fresh leaves, fruits, bark, and roots) of this plant is used to treat various ailments. Its fresh leaves are considered to have numerous medicinal properties for various diseases, including piles, inflammation, itching, fresh cuts, dysentery, and edema. A combination of curry leaf and buttermilk is used to treat diseases, such as amoebiasis, diabetes, and hepatitis. Its leaves are also believed to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. The bark has been traditionally used for treating snakebites. Its roots are utilized in Ayurveda for the treatment of body aches. Being a storehouse of carbazole alkaloids, M. koenigii has been reported to show anti-obesity and anti-diabetic activity in in vitro and in vivo studies. The review aimed to appraise the role of M. koenigii leaf in the prevention of diabesity.

Methods:We performed a literature search with the keywords "diabesity", "obesity", "diabetes", "adipose tissue", and "carbazole alkaloids" on Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases. Several in vitro and in vivo studies conducted on cell lines and animals for anti-diabetic/anti-hyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities have been included and appraised in the article, providing supporting evidence for the ethnomedicinal claims.

Results and Conclusion:This review has been an attempt to summarize comprehensively the overall research done on M. koenigii with regard to obesity and diabetes. The studies on anti-diabetic/anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic activities of the plant have ranged from studies on crude extracts to isolated compounds. However, some of the studies require further in-depth analysis and validation of obtained results.

Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2024;30(41):3255-3275
pages 3255-3275 views

Revolutionizing Antiviral Therapeutics: In silico Approaches for Emerging and Neglected RNA Viruses

Sharma K., Singh M., Sharma S.

Resumo

:The 21st century has shown us how rapidly the pandemic can evolve and devastate the life of human beings without differentiating between the continents. Even after the global investment of billions of dollars into the healthcare sector, we are still lacking multiple therapeutics against emerging viruses. World Health Organization (WHO) has listed a number of viruses that could take the form of pandemics at anytime, depending upon their mutations. Among those listed, the SARS-CoV, Ebola, Zika, Nipah, and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) are the most known viruses in terms of their number of outbreaks. The common feature among these viruses is their RNA-based genome. Developing a new therapeutic candidate for these RNA viruses in a short period of time is challenging. In silico drug designing techniques offer a simple solution to these problems by implementing supercomputers and complicated algorithms that can evaluate the inhibition activity of proposed synthetic compounds without actually doing the bioassays. A vast collection of protein crystal structures and the data on binding affinity are useful tools in this process. Taking this into account, we have summarized the in silico based therapeutic advances against SARS-CoV, Ebola, Zika, Nipah, and CHIKV viruses by encapsulating state-of-art research articles into different sections. Specifically, we have shown that computer- aided drug design (CADD) derived synthetic molecules are the pillars of upcoming therapeutic strategies against emerging and neglected viruses.

Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2024;30(41):3276-3290
pages 3276-3290 views

Cpd861 Targeting BCL2 to Alleviate Hepatic Fibrosis: Network Pharmacology, Mendelian Randomization, and Molecular Docking Mechanisms

Lyu Y., Liang X., Gao S., Li J., Li J., Zhang S., Yin C., Chi C.

Resumo

Background:Compound 861 (Cpd861) is a traditional Chinese herbal compound for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis (HF). In the current investigation, Cpd861 has been demonstrated to have an underlying molecular mechanism and material foundation for the treatment of HF through network pharmacology, Mendelian randomization (MR), and molecular docking.

Methods:Public databases were consulted for Cpd861 constituents and HF targets. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) were established using STRING software, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. To elucidate the causal relationship between potential targets and liver injury, MR was used as a methodological tool. Finally, a molecular docking analysis was conducted between the active compound and the key target.

Results:We obtained 174 active ingredients and 113 intersecting genes. Through the PPI network, high-degree targets were identified, namely CTNNB1, ESR1, FOS, MDM2, CCND1, TP53, RELA, and BCL2. As shown by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses, Cpd861 functions through xenobiotic stimulus and oxidative stress-related genes, as well as the PI3K-AKT and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) signaling pathways. The results of MR showed that MDM2 and BCL2 had a causal relationship with liver injury. Molecular docking results showed that several active compounds in Cpd861 were stably bound to BCL2.

Results:We obtained 174 active ingredients and 113 intersecting genes. Through the PPI network, high-degree targets were identified, namely CTNNB1, ESR1, FOS, MDM2, CCND1, TP53, RELA, and BCL2. As shown by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses, Cpd861 functions through xenobiotic stimulus and oxidative stress-related genes, as well as the PI3K-AKT and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) signaling pathways. The results of MR showed that MDM2 and BCL2 had a causal relationship with liver injury. Molecular docking results showed that several active compounds in Cpd861 were stably bound to BCL2.

Conclusion:This study made predictions regarding the efficacious components, as well as potential targets and pathways of Cpd861 in the therapy of HF. This will open up a new perspective for further investigation of the molecular mechanism of Cpd861 in the treatment of HF.

Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2024;30(41):3291-3310
pages 3291-3310 views