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PurposeThere is an immense need to develop new antiviral compounds that are effective and have little side effects. Natural compounds provide a good candidate that is gaining popularity. Probiotics asLactiplantibacillus plantarumand plant-derived medicines as star anise extract have been investigated to treat viral diseases, cancer, and inflammation. This work aimed to investigate the antiviral effect of probiotics (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum) and (star anise) againstHerpes simplex virustype 1(HSV-1) andVesicular stomatitis virus(VSV).Patients and methodsLactiplantibacillus plantarumand star anise extract had been prepared and tested against vero cell lines for cytotoxicity assay. The antiviral effect ofL. plantarumand star anise against HSV-1 and VSV was evaluated by titration calculation (TCID50). The expression ofMXgenes were measured in infected cells before and after treatment withL. plantarumand star anise.ResultsWe found thatL. planterumis more effective againstHSV-1and caused 2.5 log reduction in virus titre while star anise extract is more effective against VSV and caused 1.25 log reduction in virus titre. Evaluation ofMXgenes expression revealed higher expression in HSV-1 infected cell treated withL. planterumand VSV infected cells treated with star anise extract.ConclusionL. planterumand star anise could be useful antiviral natural compounds that have minimal side effectsPlain language SummaryBothHerpes simplex virustype 1(HSV-1) andVesicular stomatitis virus(VSV) caused infection characterized by lytic lesions.Lactiplantibacillus plantarumand star anise had shown promising antiviral effects. So, we investigated the antiproliferative effect ofL. plantarumand star anise against HSV-1 and VSV by assessment of virus titre before and after treatment and assessment ofMXgene coding for antiviral proteins. We found thatL. plantarumand star anise could inhibit proliferation of HSV-1 and VSV and increase expression ofMXgene.L. plantarumand star anise could be good antiviral candidate.

Skin is the largest protective organ that could be recurrently wounded and attacked by microorganisms. The wounded skin safeguarding and supporting were intended through natural derivatives. Fish collagen (Cg) type I, extracted from sea bream (Spondyliosoma cantharus), chitosan nanoparticles (NCht) from shrimp shells, and henna (Lawsonia inermis L.) leaves extract (He) were produced and physiochemically characterized. The antimicrobial potentialities of these compounds and their composites were assessed toward skin pathogens (Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus) using various assaying methods and microimaging techniques. The infrared and electrophoretic analysis of Cg validated its characteristics, and the IR-spectroscopic analysis of the compounds/composites indicated their physiochemical attributes and interrelations. The produced NCht particles had a diameter range of 64.6-308.8 nm, 104 nm mean diameter, and +31.3 mV zeta potentiality. Both NCht, He, and NCht/He composite exhibited significant antimicrobial potentiality toward skin pathogens; NCht/He was the strongest with inhibitory concentrations of 20.0 and 22.5 μg/mL and inhibition zones of 25.7 and 26.8 mm against S. aureus and C. albicans, respectively. The electron micrographs verified the synergistic microbicidal action of NCht/He, as they led to severe microbial lysis and deformations. The skin wounds’ treatment with NCht/He/Cg composite promoted the fastest and complete healing of wounded rats’ skin during 8 days of local treatment, with the absence of inflammation and infection signs; treated with NCht/He/Cg composite, the wound area vastly reduced from 63.6 mm2 to 15.9 and 9.1 mm2 after 2 and 4 days, respectively. The natural NCht/He/Cg composites are recommended as topical applications for optimum skin disinfection and regeneration.

The increasing prevalence of obesity has become a demanding issue in both high-income and low-income countries. Treating obesity is challenging as the treatment options have many limitations. Recently, diet modification has been commonly applied to control or prevent obesity and its risks. In this study, we investigated novel therapeutic approaches using a combination of a potential probiotic source with prebiotics. Forty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were selected and divided into seven groups (eight rats per group). The first group was fed a high-fat diet, while the second group was a negative control. The other five groups were orally administered with a probiotic

Six compounds namely, tanshinone IIA (1), carnosic acid (2), rosmarinic acid (3), salvianolic acid B (4), baicalein (5), and glycyrrhetinic acid (6) were screened for their anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities against both the spike (S) and main protease (Mpro) receptors using molecular docking studies. Molecular docking recommended the superior affinities of both salvianolic acid B (4) and glycyrrhetinic acid (6) as the common results from the previously published computational articles. On the other hand, their actual anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities were tested in vitro using plaque reduction assay to calculate their IC50 values after measuring their CC50 values using MTT assay on Vero E6 cells. Surprisingly, tanshinone IIA (1) was the most promising member with IC50 equals 4.08 ng μl−1. Also, both carnosic acid (2) and rosmarinic acid (3) showed promising IC50 values of 15.37 and 25.47 ng μl−1, respectively. However, salvianolic acid (4) showed a weak anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity with an IC50 value equals 58.29 ng μl−1. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations for 100 ns were performed for the most active compound from the computational point of view (salvianolic acid 4), besides, the most active one biologically (tanshinone IIA 1) on both the S and Mpro complexes of them (four different molecular dynamics processes) to confirm the docking results and give more insights regarding the stability of both compounds inside the SARS-CoV-2 mentioned receptors, respectively. Also, to understand the mechanism of action for the tested compounds towards SARS-CoV-2 inhibition it was necessary to examine the mode of action for the most two promising compounds, tanshinone IIA (1) and carnosic acid (2). Both compounds (1 and 2) showed very promising virucidal activity with a most prominent inhibitory effect on viral adsorption rather than its replication. This recommended the predicted activity of the two compounds against the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 rather than its Mpro protein. Our results could be very promising to rearrange the previously mentioned compounds based on their actual inhibitory activities towards SARS-CoV-2 and to search for the reasons behind the great differences between their in silico and in vitro results against SARS-CoV-2. Finally, we recommend further advanced preclinical and clinical studies especially for tanshinone IIA (1) to be rapidly applied in COVID-19 management either alone or in combination with carnosic acid (2), rosmarinic acid (3), and/or salvianolic acid (4).

Background: Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease associated with having excess body fat that could be influenced by many factors. Our study aimed to assess the powerful effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus alone or combined (symbiotic) with Prebiotic such as Ginger, Pineapple and Green Coffee as anti-obesity agents. Methodology: Using 8 groups (10 rats each) of Sprague-Dawley rats, Group 1 was kept as a negative control, Group 2 positive control, while other groups were orally given Lactobacillus acidophilus, Ginger, Pineapple and Green Coffee individually and in combination with Probiotics, for 45 days till the end of the experiment while the body weight of rats was recorded.Blood samples were collected for biochemical parameters analysis and organs were dissected and homogenized to analyze obesity-related biomarkers, Results: Our results revealed that either individual or mixed administration of this pro and prebiotics decreased the body and organs, specifically those treated with the mixture or probiotic and prebiotic, also serum (HDL), CAT), and (SOD) was decreased (P

Four steroidal saponins, spirostan-25(27)-ene-1β,3α-diol-1-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside] (fruticoside M) (6), 5α-spirost-25(27)-ene-1β,3β-diol-1-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-(4-O-sulfo)-β-D-fucopyranoside (fruticoside I) (8), 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-22-O-methyl-(25S)-5α-furostane-1β,3α,22e,26-tetrol 3,26-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), and 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-22-O-methyl-(22S)-5α-furostane-3α,22e-26-triol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (12) together with 8 phenolic compounds, 5,3′,5′-trihydroxy-3,6,7,4′-tetramethoxyflavone (1), procyanidin B2 (2), vitexin 2′′-O-rhamnoside (3), naringenin (4), 3-O-[6-trans-p-coumaryl]-β-D-glucoside (helichrysoside) (5), baicalein-6-O-β-glucuronopyranoside (7), 4′,5,7-trihydroxy-6,8-dimethylisoflavone (10) and farrerol (11) were isolated from the 70% aqueous methanolic extract of C. fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. leaves. Using HPLC-ESI/MS-MS, 46 metabolites were identified in the plant extract. They were mainly steroidal saponins and phenolics. The effect of C. fruticosa leaves’ extract against doxorubicin–cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity in rats were evaluated. Administration of C. fruticosa extract (200 mg per kg per day) induced a significant decrease in the AST, ALT, ALP, urea, U.A. and creatinine in doxorubicin-treated rats and protected the renal tissues from necrosis induced by doxorubicin. The administration of the extract (200 mg per kg body weight) 10 days before cisplatin ingestion (5 mg per kg, single dose) in the preventive process, contributed to a pronounced protection against hepatic injury induced by cisplatin. In addition to that, the protection increased through the post prevention and treatment stages with levels of ALT and AST. The isolated compounds were examined via molecular docking as Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors compared to silymarin as a reference drug. The obtained results could be very promising for advanced evaluations of the isolated compounds, especially the most two promising isolated compounds (6) and (9) either alone or in combination with other isolates of the extract through different in vitro and in vivo techniques for their hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects as well.

The developed resistance of pathogenic microorganisms towards the currently used antimicrobial agents requires the fast search for newer potent antimicrobials. One of the most important ways to combat the previously mentioned disaster is the use of natural alternatives like medicinal plants. Our study aimed to estimate the anti-inflammatory property, and antibacterial effects of probioticsExperimentally induced infected wound model in mice was created and divided into 10 groups then treated for two days byOur results revealed thatThese results suggest that

Therapeutic selectivity is a critical issue in cancer therapy. As a result of its adjustable physicochemical characteristics, the Au/cellulose nanocomposite currently holds a lot of potential for solving this challenge. This work was designed to prepare a Au/cellulose nanocomposite with enhanced anticancer activity through the regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway. Nanocellulose, nanogold (AuNPs), and a Au/cellulose nanocomposite were biosynthesized from microgreen alga Chlorella vulgaris. Using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), zeta potential analyzer, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the synthesized nanoparticles were confirmed and characterized. In human alveolar basal epithelial cells (A549 cells), the selectivity and anticancer activity of the produced nanoparticles were evaluated. The cytotoxicity results revealed that the inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the Au/cellulose nanocomposite against A549 cancer lung cells was 4.67 ± 0.17 µg/µL compared to 182.75 ± 6.45 µg/µL in the case of HEL299 normal lung fibroblasts. It was found that treatment with nanocellulose and the Au/cellulose nanocomposite significantly increased (p < 0.05) the relative expression of tumor suppressor 53 (p53) in comparison to control cells. They also significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the relative expression of the Raf-1 gene. These findings indicate that nanocellulose and the Au/cellulose nanocomposite regulate cell cycles mostly via the motivation of p53 gene expression and reduction of Raf-1 gene expression.

Six compounds namely, tanshinone IIA (1), carnosic acid (2), rosmarinic acid (3), salvianolic acid B (4), baicalein (5), and glycyrrhetinic acid (6) were screened for their anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities against both the spike (S) and main protease (Mpro) receptors using molecular docking studies. Molecular docking recommended the superior affinities of both salvianolic acid B (4) and glycyrrhetinic acid (6) as the common results from the previously published computational articles. On the other hand, their actual anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities were tested

Background : Probiotics are living organisms which upon ingestion in certain numbers exert health benefits beyond inherent basic nutrition, they are used for the treatment of Gastric ulcer. The lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactococcus lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are the most significant groups of probiotic organisms. Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a probiotic strains for treatment of peptic ulcer. Methodology: Gastric ulcers were induced by indomethacin in rats .probiotics were given for three days. The strains significantly reduced gastric ulcer area as compared to control and negative control groups. Neutrophils were strongly increased for treatment of peptic ulcer. Results: The results showed that lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacteria, Lactococcus lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae that used in dairy milk products and yogurt enhanced gastric ulcer healing via stimulating immune system.

Background : Probiotics are becoming one of the main alternative medicational solutions used worldwide nowadays. Besides to their function in alleviating the immune system, they are used for the treatment of gastric ulcer. Along with the mixing with prebiotics, this could increase the healing percentage and maybe rate as well. Methodology : In this study, the synbiotic effect of the Bifidobacteria and lactobacillus probiots with the Punica granatum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Cynara cardunculus. Prebiots were experimented separately to identify whether they would increase the healing effect or not. We divided the Ulcer-induced rats into 13 groups and treated for 14 days. Results: The results showed a decrease in WBCs count in the synbiotic mixture of Lactobacillus and P. granatum followed by Bifidobacterium with P. granatum. The lactobacillus and Cynara cardunculus mixture gave the highest WBCs count. Also, a decrease in both IL6 and IFN-γ after treatment with all synbiotic mixtures. The histopathology showed decreased gastric lesions and infiltration by mononuclear cells in all mixtures where the lactobacillus, P. Granatum mixture showed the best healing effect compared to the rest of groups and Ranitidine reference group. These results suggest that using probiotics along with prebiotics could be a potential treatment of gastric ulcer via enhancing the immune system.

Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects the human respiratory tract causing Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia. Recently, rising evidence indicated the ability of Legionella to regulate host defense via its type 4 secretion system including hundreds of effectors that promote intracellular bacterial replication. The host defense against such invaders includes autophagic machinery that is responsible for degradation events of invading pathogens and recycling of cell components. The interplay between host autophagy and Legionella infection has been reported, indicating the role of bacterial effectors in the regulation of autophagy during intracellular replication. Here, we investigated the potential impact of Legionella effector Lpg2936 in the regulation of host autophagy and its role in bacterial replication using mice-derived macrophages and human lung epithelial cells (A549 cells). First, monitoring of autophagic flux following infection revealed a marked reduction of Atg7 and LC3B expression profile and low accumulation levels of autophagy-related LC3-I, LC3-II, and the Atg12–Atg5 protein complex. A novel methyladenine alteration was observed due to irreversible changes of GATC motif to G(6 mA) TC in the promoter region of Atg7 and LC3B indicated by cleaved genomic-DNA using the N6 methyladenine-sensitive restriction enzyme DpnI. Interestingly, RNA interference (RNAi) of Lpg2936 in infected macrophages showed dramatic inhibition of bacterial replication by restoring the expression of autophagy-related proteins. This is accompanied by low production levels of bacterial-associated pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, a constructed Lpg2936 segment in the GFP expression vector was translocated in the host nucleus and successfully induced methyladenine changes in Atg7 and LC3B promoter region and subsequently regulated autophagy in A549 cells independent of infection. Finally, treatment with methylation inhibitors 5-AZA and (2)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) was able to restore autophagy-related gene expression and to disrupt bacterial replication in infected macrophages. This cumulative evidence indicates the methylation effect of Legionella effector Lpg2936 on the host autophagy-related molecules Atg7 and LC3B and subsequent reduction in the expression levels of autophagy effectors during intracellular replication of L. pneumophila.