p-cymene also known as p-cymol or p-isopropyltoluene is an alkyl-substituted aromatic compound naturally occurring in essential oils (EOs) of various aromatic plants, including the genus of ...Artemisia, Protium, Origanum, and Thymus. It is related to the family of terpenes, especially monocyclic monoterpenes. p-cymene is also present in several food-based plants such as carrots, orange juice, grapefruit, tangerine, raspberries and several spices. Numerous studies have demonstrated the pharmacological properties of the monoterpenes p-cymene, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, antiviral, antitumor, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. The p-cymene has also been reported to act as an analgesic, antinociceptive, immunomodulatory, vasorelaxant and neuroprotective agent. Its anticancer effects are related to some mechanisms such as the inhibition of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. In this review, we critically highlighted the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties of the p-cymene molecule, providing insight into its mechanisms of action and potential applications in drug discovery. In light of this finding, in-depth in vivo studies are strongly required to validate the safety and beneficial effects of the p-cymene molecule in human healthcare and industrial applications as a potential source of drug discovery.
Chalcones are among the leading bioactive flavonoids with a therapeutic potential implicated to an array of bioactivities investigated by a series of preclinical and clinical studies. In this ...article, different scientific databases were searched to retrieve studies depicting the biological activities of chalcones and their derivatives. This review comprehensively describes preclinical studies on chalcones and their derivatives describing their immense significance as antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, psychoactive, and neuroprotective agents. Besides, clinical trials revealed their use in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency, skin conditions, and cancer. Bioavailability studies on chalcones and derivatives indicate possible hindrance and improvement in relation to its nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Multifaceted and complex underlying mechanisms of chalcone actions demonstrated their ability to modulate a number of cancer cell lines, to inhibit a number of pathological microorganisms and parasites, and to control a number of signaling molecules and cascades related to disease modification. Clinical studies on chalcones revealed general absence of adverse effects besides reducing the clinical signs and symptoms with decent bioavailability. Further studies are needed to elucidate their structure activity, toxicity concerns, cellular basis of mode of action, and interactions with other molecules.
Bacterial strains have developed an ability to resist antibiotics via numerous mechanisms. Recently, researchers conducted several studies to identify natural bioactive compounds, particularly ...secondary metabolites of medicinal plants, such as terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, as antibacterial agents. These molecules exert several mechanisms of action at different structural, cellular, and molecular levels, which could make them candidates or lead compounds for developing natural antibiotics. Research findings revealed that these bioactive compounds can inhibit the synthesis of DNA and proteins, block oxidative respiration, increase membrane permeability, and decrease membrane integrity. Furthermore, recent investigations showed that some bacterial strains resist these different mechanisms of antibacterial agents. Researchers demonstrated that this resistance to antibiotics is linked to a microbial cell-to-cell communication system called quorum sensing (QS). Consequently, inhibition of QS or quorum quenching is a promising strategy to not only overcome the resistance problems but also to treat infections. In this respect, various bioactive molecules, including terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, exhibit numerous anti-QS mechanisms via the inhibition of auto-inducer releases, sequestration of QS-mediated molecules, and deregulation of QS gene expression. However, clinical applications of these molecules have not been fully covered, which limits their use against infectious diseases. Accordingly, the aim of the present work was to discuss the role of the QS system in bacteria and its involvement in virulence and resistance to antibiotics. In addition, the present review summarizes the most recent and relevant literature pertaining to the anti-quorum sensing of secondary metabolites and its relationship to antibacterial activity.
The plant faces different pedological and climatic challenges that influence its growth and enhancement. While, plant-microbes interactions throught the rhizosphere offer several privileges to this ...hotspot in the service of plant, by attracting multi-beneficial mutualistic and symbiotic microorganisms as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), archaea, mycorrhizal fungi, endophytic fungi, and others…). Currently, numerous investigations showed the beneficial effects of these microbes on growth and plant health. Indeed, rhizospheric microorganisms offer to host plants the essential assimilable nutrients, stimulate the growth and development of host plants, and induce antibiotics production. They also attributed to host plants numerous phenotypes involved in the increase the resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. The investigations and the studies on the rhizosphere can offer a way to find a biological and sustainable solution to confront these environmental problems. Therefore, the interactions between microbes and plants may lead to interesting biotechnological applications on plant improvement and the adaptation in different climates to obtain a biological sustainable agricultures without the use of chemical fertilizers.
Berry-derived polyphenols are bioactive compounds synthesized and secreted by several berry fruits. These polyphenols feature a diversity of chemical compounds, including phenolic acids and ...flavonoids. Here, we report the beneficial health effects of berry-derived polyphenols and their therapeutical application on gut-microbiota-related diseases, including inflammation and cancer. Pharmacokinetic investigations have confirmed the absorption, availability, and metabolism of berry-derived polyphenols. In vitro and in vivo tests, as well as clinical trials, showed that berry-derived polyphenols can positively modulate the gut microbiota, inhibiting inflammation and cancer development. Indeed, these compounds inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and also promote beneficial bacteria. Moreover, berry-derived polyphenols exhibit therapeutic effects against different gut-microbiota-related disorders such as inflammation, cancer, and metabolic disorders. Moreover, these polyphenols can manage the inflammation via various mechanisms, in particular the inhibition of the transcriptional factor Nf-κB. Berry-derived polyphenols have also shown remarkable effects on different types of cancer, including colorectal, breast, esophageal, and prostate cancer. Moreover, certain metabolic disorders such as diabetes and atherosclerosis were also managed by berry-derived polyphenols through different mechanisms. These data showed that polyphenols from berries are a promising source of bioactive compounds capable of modulating the intestinal microbiota, and therefore managing cancer and associated metabolic diseases. However, further investigations should be carried out to determine the mechanisms of action of berry-derived polyphenol bioactive compounds to validate their safety and examinate their clinical uses.
Cancer is a heterogeneous disease and one of the major issues of health concern, especially for the public health system globally. Nature is a source of anticancer drugs with abundant pool of diverse ...chemicals and pharmacologically active compounds. In recent decade, some natural products and synthetic analogs have been investigated for the cancer treatment. This article presents the utilization of natural products as a source of antitumor drugs.
Moroccan medicinal plants exhibit several pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects, which are related to the presence of ...numerous bioactive compounds, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and terpenoids. In the present review, we systematically evaluate previously published reports on the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Moroccan medicinal plants. The in vitro investigations revealed that Moroccan medicinal plants inhibit several enzymes related to inflammatory processes, whereas in vivo studies noted significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects as demonstrated using different experimental models. Various bioactive compounds exhibiting in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, with diverse mechanisms of action, have been identified. Some plants and their bioactive compounds reveal specific secondary metabolites that possess important anti-inflammatory effects in clinical investigations. Our review proposes the potential applications of Moroccan medicinal plants as sources of anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents.
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•Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Moroccan medicinal plants were highlighted.•Chemical nature of Moroccan medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects was reported.•Insights into anti-inflammatory mechanisms of bioactive compounds were highlighted.•Toxicological investigations of Moroccan medicinal plants were reviewed.
Carvone is a monoterpene ketone contained in the essential oils of several aromatic and medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families. From aromatic plants, this monoterpene is secreted ...at different concentrations depending on the species, the parts used, and the extraction methods. Currently, pharmacological investigations showed that carvone exhibits multiple pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antineuraminidase, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities. These studies were carried out in vitro and in vivo and involved a great deal of knowledge on the mechanisms of action. Indeed, the antimicrobial effects are related to the action of carvone on the cell membrane and to ultrastructural changes, while the anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer effects involve the action on cellular and molecular targets such as inducing of apoptosis, autophagy, and senescence. With its multiple mechanisms, carvone can be considered as natural compounds to develop therapeutic drugs. However, other investigations regarding its precise mechanisms of action as well as its acute and chronic toxicities are needed to validate its applications. Therefore, this review discusses the principal studies investigating the pharmacological properties of carvone, and the mechanism of action underlying some of these properties. Moreover, further investigations of major pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic studies were also suggested.
It has recently been proven that epigenetic dysregulation is importantly involved in cell transformation and therefore induces cancerous diseases. The development of molecules called epidrugs, which ...target specifically different epigenetic modifications to restore cellular memory and therefore the treatment, became a real challenge currently. Currently, bioactive compounds of medicinal plants as epidrugs have been can identified and explored in cancer therapy. Indeed, these molecules can target specifically different epigenetic modulators including DNMT, HDAC, HAT, and HMT. Moreover, some compounds exhibit stochastic epigenetic actions on different pathways regulating cell memory. In this work, pharmacodynamic actions of natural epidrugs belonging to cannabinoids, carotenoids, chalcones, fatty acids, lignans, polysaccharides, saponins, secoiridoids, steroids, tannins, tanshinones, and other chemical classes we reported and highlighted. In this review, the effects of several natural bioactive compounds of epigenetic medications on cancerous diseases were highlighted. Numerous active molecules belonging to different chemical classes such as cannabinoids, carotenoids, fatty acids, lignans, polysaccharides, saponins, secoiridoids, steroids, tannins, and tanshinones are discussed in this review.
Cancer is one of the most complex and systemic diseases affecting the health of mankind, causing major deaths with a significant increase. This pathology is caused by several risk factors, of which ...genetic disturbances constitute the major elements, which not only initiate tumor transformation but also epigenetic disturbances which are linked to it and which can induce transcriptional instability. Indeed, the involvement of epigenetic disturbances in cancer has been the subject of correlations today, in addition to the use of drugs that operate specifically on different epigenetic pathways. Natural molecules, especially those isolated from medicinal plants, have shown anticancer effects linked to mechanisms of action. The objective of this review is to explore the anticancer effects of alkaloids, terpenoids, quinones, and isothiocyanates.
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