Flavonoids are phytochemical compounds present in many plants, fruits, vegetables, and leaves, with potential applications in medicinal chemistry. Flavonoids possess a number of medicinal benefits, ...including anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. They also have neuroprotective and cardio-protective effects. These biological activities depend upon the type of flavonoid, its (possible) mode of action, and its bioavailability. These cost-effective medicinal components have significant biological activities, and their effectiveness has been proved for a variety of diseases. The most recent work is focused on their isolation, synthesis of their analogs, and their effects on human health using a variety of techniques and animal models. Thousands of flavonoids have been successfully isolated, and this number increases steadily. We have therefore made an effort to summarize the isolated flavonoids with useful activities in order to gain a better understanding of their effects on human health.
Flavonoids are natural phytochemicals known for their antiviral activity. The flavonoids acts at different stages of viral infection, such as viral entrance, replication and translation of proteins. ...Viruses cause various diseases such as SARS, Hepatitis, AIDS, Flu, Herpes, etc. These, and many more viral diseases, are prevalent in the world, and some (i.e. SARS-CoV-2) are causing global chaos. Despite much struggle, effective treatments for these viral diseases are not available. The flavonoid class of phytochemicals has a vast number of medicinally active compounds, many of which are studied for their potential antiviral activity against different DNA and RNA viruses. Here, we reviewed many flavonoids that showed antiviral activities in different testing environments such as in vitro, in vivo (mice model) and in silico. Some flavonoids had stronger inhibitory activities, showed no toxicity & the cell proliferation at the tested doses are not affected. Some of the flavonoids used in the in vivo studies also protected the tested mice prophylactically from lethal doses of virus, and effectively prevented viral infection. The glycosides of some of the flavonoids increased the solubility of some flavonoids, and therefore showed increased antiviral activity as compared to the non-glycoside form of that flavonoid. These phytochemicals are active against different disease-causing viruses, and inhibited the viruses by targeting the viral infections at multiple stages. Some of the flavonoids showed more potent antiviral activity than the market available drugs used to treat viral infections.
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•Flavonoids are the phytochemicals with many medicinal properties.•Different studies showed their potency against various human viral infections.•Novel flavonoids are required for better absorption and bioavailibilty.•Clinical trials are necessary; to further explore their antiviral properties.
The process of aggregation of proteins and peptides is dependent on the concentration of proteins, and the rate of aggregation can be altered by the presence of metal ions, but this dependence is not ...always a straightforward relationship. In general, aggregation does not occur under normal physiological conditions, yet it can be induced in the presence of certain metal ions. However, the extent of the influence of metal ion interactions on protein aggregation has not yet been fully comprehended. A consensus has thus been difficult to reach because the acceleration/inhibition of the aggregation of proteins in the presence of metal ions depends on several factors such as pH and the concentration of the aggregated proteins involved as well as metal concentration level of metal ions. Metal ions, like Cu
2+
, Zn
2+
, Pb
2+
etc.
may either accelerate or inhibit aggregation simply because the experimental conditions affect the behavior of biomolecules. It is clear that understanding the relationship between metal ion concentration and protein aggregation will prove useful for future scientific applications. This review focuses on the dependence of the aggregation of selected important biomolecules (peptides and proteins) on metal ion concentrations. We review proteins that are prone to aggregation, the result of which can cause serious neurodegenerative disorders. Furthering our understanding of the relationship between metal ion concentration and protein aggregation will prove useful for future scientific applications, such as finding therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
The process of aggregation of proteins and peptides is dependent on the concentration of proteins, and the rate of aggregation can be altered by the presence of metal ions, but this dependence is not always a straightforward relationship.
Due to their unique structural, physical and chemical properties, cyclodextrins and their derivatives have been of great interest to scientists and researchers in both academia and industry for over ...a century. Many of the industrial applications of cyclodextrins have arisen from their ability to encapsulate, either partially or fully, other molecules, especially organic compounds. Cyclodextrins are non-toxic oligopolymers of glucose that help to increase the solubility of organic compounds with poor aqueous solubility, can mask odors from foul-smelling compounds, and have been widely studied in the area of drug delivery. In this review, we explore the structural and chemical properties of cyclodextrins that give rise to this encapsulation (i.e., the formation of inclusion complexes) ability. This review is unique from others written on this subject because it provides powerful insights into factors that affect cyclodextrin encapsulation. It also examines these insights in great detail. Later, we provide an overview of some industrial applications of cyclodextrins, while emphasizing the role of encapsulation in these applications. We strongly believe that cyclodextrins will continue to garner interest from scientists for many years to come, and that novel applications of cyclodextrins have yet to be discovered.
Studying disease models at the molecular level is vital for drug development in order to improve treatment and prevent a wide range of human pathologies. Microbial infections are still a major ...challenge because pathogens rapidly and continually evolve developing drug resistance. Cancer cells also change genetically, and current therapeutic techniques may be (or may become) ineffective in many cases. The pathology of many neurological diseases remains an enigma, and the exact etiology and underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. Viral infections spread and develop much more quickly than does the corresponding research needed to prevent and combat these infections; the present and most relevant outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, which originated in Wuhan, China, illustrates the critical and immediate need to improve drug design and development techniques. Modern day drug discovery is a time-consuming, expensive process. Each new drug takes in excess of 10 years to develop and costs on average more than a billion US dollars. This demonstrates the need of a complete redesign or novel strategies. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) has played a critical role in drug discovery ever since its introduction several decades ago. In just three decades, NMR has become a "gold standard" platform technology in medical and pharmacology studies. In this review, we present the major applications of NMR spectroscopy in medical drug discovery and development. The basic concepts, theories, and applications of the most commonly used NMR techniques are presented. We also summarize the advantages and limitations of the primary NMR methods in drug development.
Cyclodextrins are well known for their ability to encapsulate molecules and have;
captured the attention of scientists for many years. This ability alone makes;
cyclodextrins attractive for study, ...research, and applications in many fields including;
food, cosmetics, textiles, and the pharmaceutical industry.;
In this thesis, we specifically look at the ability of the three native cyclodextrins, alpha,;
beta, and gamma cyclodextrin (α-CD, β-CD, and γ-CD, respectively), to encapsulate the;
drug molecule, quinine, a small hydrophobic, lipophilic molecule used to treat malaria,;
leg cramps, and other similar conditions. This encapsulation process is driven by the;
molecular interactions, which have been studied by NMR techniques at different;
temperatures (288 K, 293 K, 298 K, 303 K, 308 K) and pH values (7.4, 11.5). These factors;
(temperature and pH) influence these molecular interactions, which in turn significantly;
affects the entire encapsulation process. Detailed studies of the influences of;
temperature and pH on the interactions that drive the encapsulation may suggest some;
new directions into designing controlled drug release processes.;
Results obtained throughout the course of this work indicate that β-CD is the best native;
cyclodextrin to bind quinine, and that binding is best at pH = 11.5. It was found that ;
temperature does not significantly affect the binding affinity of quinine to either α-CD,;
β-CD, or γ-CD.
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