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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant global health concern, prompting the need for effective treatment strategies. This in-depth review critically assesses the landscape of HCV treatment, drawing parallels between traditional interferon/ribavirin therapy historically pivotal in HCV management and herbal approaches rooted in traditional and complementary medicine. Advancements in therapeutic development and enhanced clinical outcomes axis on a comprehensive understanding of the diverse HCV genome, its natural variations, pathogenesis, and the impact of dietary, social, environmental, and economic factors. A thorough analysis was conducted through reputable sources such as Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, books, and dissertations. This review primarily focuses on the intricate nature of HCV genomes and explores the potential of botanical drugs in both preventing and treating HCV infections.

Adipose tissue-resident macrophages (ATMs) are reported to be important for maintaining adipose tissue remodeling and homeostasis. ATMs were classified for the first time in 2007 into the M1 and M2 types. This theory suggests that in the non-obese adipose tissue, the anti-inflammatory, alternatively activated macrophages (AAMs) predominate, and regulate tissue homeostasis, remodeling, and insulin sensitivity. On the other hand, classically activated M1-type macrophages increase rapidly in obesity, secrete inflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα and IL-6, and induce insulin resistance. In recent years, experimental findings that cannot be explained by this theory have been clarified one after another and the theory is being reconsidered. In this review, based on recent findings, we summarize reports on the novel metabolic regulatory functions of ATMs beyond the M1/M2 paradigm.

Proinflammatory hepatic macrophage activation plays a key role in the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This involves increased embryonic hepatic Kupffer cell (KC) death, facilitating the replacement of KCs with bone marrow–derived recruited hepatic macrophages (RHMs) that highly express proinflammatory genes. Moreover, phago/efferocytic activity of KCs is diminished in NASH, enhancing liver inflammation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes in KCs are not known. Here, we show that hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) mediates NASH-associated decreased KC growth and efferocytosis by enhancing lysosomal stress. At the molecular level, HIF-2α stimulated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)– and extracellular signal–regulated kinase-dependent inhibitory transcription factor EB (TFEB) phosphorylation, leading to decreased lysosomal and phagocytic gene expression. With increased metabolic stress and phago/efferocytic burden in NASH, these changes were sufficient to increase lysosomal stress, causing decreased efferocytosis and lysosomal cell death. Of interest, HIF-2α–dependent TFEB regulation only occurred in KCs but not RHMs. Instead, in RHMs, HIF-2α promoted mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and proinflammatory activation by increasing ANT2 expression and mitochondrial permeability transition. Consequently, myeloid lineage–specific or KC-specific HIF-2α depletion or the inhibition of mTOR-dependent TFEB inhibition using antisense oligonucleotide treatment protected against the development of NASH in mice. Moreover, treatment with an HIF-2α–specific inhibitor reduced inflammatory and fibrogenic gene expression in human liver spheroids cultured under a NASH-like condition. Together, our results suggest that macrophage subtype–specific effects of HIF-2α collectively contribute to the proinflammatory activation of liver macrophages, leading to the development of NASH. Editor's summary: Abberant hepatic macrophage activity has been implicated in NASH development, but the mechanism of this immune dysregulation is unclear. Jeelani et al. show that a hypoxia-inducible factor, HIF-2α, promotes differential effects on macrophage subpopulations during NASH in obesity. HIF-2α suppressed the growth and function of endogenous liver macrophages (Kupffer cells) but increased the proinflammatory activation of the myeloid-derived macrophages that are subsequently recruited to the liver and that start to replace the Kupffer cells. HIF-2α–specific approaches in a murine NASH model and human organoids suggested that this disease biology may be therapeutically targetable. —Catherine Charneski [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study investigated the effect of photodynamic therapy on chronic periodontitis patients and then evaluated the microbial, immunological, periodontal, and clinical outcomes. The significant effects of photodynamic therapy obtained by in vitro and in vivo studies have made it a popular treatment for periodontal diseases in recent years. Photodynamic therapy is a novel bactericidal strategy that is stronger, faster, and less expensive than scaling and root planing. Method: This study registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021267008) and retrieved fifty-three randomized controlled trials by searching nine databases (Medline, Embase, Scopus, Open Gray, Google Scholar, ProQuest, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov) from 2008 to 2023. Of 721 records identified through database searches following title and full-text analysis, and excluding duplicate and irrelevant publications, 53 articles were included in this systematic review. Fifty of the 53 eligible studies fulfilled all the criteria in the Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI's) Checklist for RCTs; the remaining articles met 9-12 criteria and were considered high quality. Results: The present study showed that photodynamic therapy in adjunct to scaling and root planing has the potential to improve periodontal parameters such as clinical attachment loss or gain, decrease in bleeding on probing, and probing pocket depth. In addition, photodynamic therapy decreases the rate of periodontal pathogens and inflammation markers, which, in turn, reduces the progression of periodontitis. Conclusion: Photodynamic therapy is considered a promising, adjunctive, and low-cost therapeutic method that is effective in tissue repair, reducing chronic periodontitis, reducing inflammation, and well-tolerated by patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathological scars (PS), including hypertrophic scars (HTS) and keloids, are a common complication of poor wound healing that significantly affects patients' quality of life. Currently, there are several treatment options for PS, including surgery, drug therapy, radiation therapy, and biological therapy. However, these treatments still face major challenges such as low efficacy, high side effects, and a high risk of recurrence. Therefore, the search for safer and more effective treatments is particularly urgent. New materials often have less immune rejection, good histocompatibility, and can reduce secondary damage during treatment. New technology can also reduce the side effects of traditional treatments and the recurrence rate after treatment. Furthermore, derivative products of new materials and biomaterials can improve the therapeutic effect of new technologies on PS. Therefore, new technologies and innovative materials are considered better options for enhancing PS. This review concentrates on the use of two emerging technologies, microneedle (MN) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), and two novel materials, photosensitizers and exosomes (Exos), in the treatment of PS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a considerable rise in the production of novel metabolites derived from fungi compared to the ones originating from bacteria. These organic substances are utilized in various sectors such as farming, healthcare, and pharmaceutical. Since all dividing living cells contain primary metabolites, secondary metabolites are synthesized by utilizing intermediate compounds or by-products generated from the primary metabolic pathways. Secondary metabolites are not critical for the growth and development of an organism; however, they exhibit a variety of distinct biological characteristics. White-rot fungi are the only microorganisms able to decompose all wood components. Hence, they play an important role in both the carbon and nitrogen cycles by decomposing non-living organic substrates. They are ubiquitous in nature, particularly in hardwood (e.g., birch and aspen) forests. White-rot fungi, besides ligninolytic enzymes, produce different bioactive substances during their secondary metabolism including some compounds with antimicrobial and anticancer properties. Such properties could be of potential interest for the pharmaceutical industries. Considering the importance of the untapped biologically active secondary metabolites from white-rot fungi, the present paper reviews the secondary metabolites produced by white-rot fungi with different interesting bioactivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an editorial published in Frontiers in Pharmacology titled "Recent advances in immunometabolism." The editorial discusses the emerging field of immunometabolism, which explores the complex relationship between immune responses and metabolic pathways. It highlights recent breakthroughs in understanding how immune cells modulate metabolic processes and vice versa, providing new insights into disease pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets. The editorial also mentions several studies included in the research topic, including one on the role of oleanolic acid in alleviating adipose tissue inflammation, another on the anti-inflammatory properties of campesterol ester derivatives in arthritis, a review on dysregulated lipid metabolism in kidney diseases, a study on thiazole derivatives as anti-inflammatory agents, and a review on the diversity and functional characteristics of macrophages. The editorial concludes by emphasizing the significance of immunometabolism in developing therapeutics and understanding complex disease mechanisms. [Extracted from the article]

The overall series of "P-N copolymers are also synthesized within the overall presence of two of the C2 symmetric "rac-Et (Indenyl) 2ZrCl2" and "rac-Me2Si (Indenyl) 2ZrCl2" with other co-catalysts. Alternatively, the overall P-N copolymers are characterized by the C-13 NMR spectroscopy". The overall study also includes the copolymer synthesis of propene-norbornene. Apart from that, the study also illustrates the NMR spectra of P-N copolymer and states the microstructure of the copolymer (propene-norbornene). The project also suggests the mechanism and reactivity ratio of the copolymer and its monomer. On the other hand, it also illustrates assigning the "spectra of C-NMR of the cyclic olefin based on the overall co-polymers by choosing the appropriate tools. Apart from that, it also includes the synthesis of copolymers with various co-monomer contents and with catalysts with various symmetries. The chemical shifts of the C-13 NMR include the combination of the statistics regarding the P-N chain and it also gives significant and appropriate information regarding the overall assessment of the C-13 NMR spectra of all the copolymers". Therefore, these overall assignments are used for calculating the overall copolymer and also comparing the N values that are obtained from various areas of the spectra. As a result, the primary goal of finding the overall triads is not met, and this also applies to the overall estimation of the molar fractions within the standard deviation, which is only acquired to a level of 2-4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore complex biological and chemical systems, pharmaceutical research has effectively included several molecular modeling tools into a range of drug development initiatives. Molecular docking methods are widely employed in current drug design to investigate ligand conformations within macromolecular targets' binding sites. This method also estimates the ligand-receptor binding free energy by assessing critical phenomena involved in the intermolecular recognition process. In an attempt, several natural products have been synthesized in our laboratory. All the synthesized compounds containing (6H-Dibenzo[b,d]pyran-6-one) framework were subjected to molecular docking studies for the inhibition of CYP1B1 and BCL2 proteins using Auto Dock Vina software and the interacting amino acid residues were visualized using Discovery Studio, to look into the binding modalities that might influence their anticancer properties. The in silico molecular docking study outcomes showed that all the synthesized compounds having optimum binding energy and have a decent affinity to the active pocket, thus, they may be considered as a respectable inhibitor of CYP1B1 and BCL2 proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant global health concern, prompting the need for effective treatment strategies. This in-depth review critically assesses the landscape of HCV treatment, drawing parallels between traditional interferon/ribavirin therapy historically pivotal in HCV management and herbal approaches rooted in traditional and complementary medicine. Advancements in therapeutic development and enhanced clinical outcomes axis on a comprehensive understanding of the diverse HCV genome, its natural variations, pathogenesis, and the impact of dietary, social, environmental, and economic factors. A thorough analysis was conducted through reputable sources such as Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, books, and dissertations. This review primarily focuses on the intricate nature of HCV genomes and explores the potential of botanical drugs in both preventing and treating HCV infections., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Nawaz, Manzoor, Ahmed, Ahmed, Abbas, Mir, Bilal, Sheikh, Ahmad, Jeelani and Nakagawa.)

The interaction of drugs with proteins plays a very important role in the distribution of the drug. Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant protein in the human body, showing great binding characteristics, and has gained a lot of importance pharmaceutically. It plays an essential role in the pharmacokinetics of a number of drugs; hence, several reports are available on the interaction of drugs with HSA. It can bind to cancer drugs; thus, it is crucial to look at the binding characteristics of these drugs with HSA. Herein, we summarize the binding properties of some anti-cancer drugs by specifically looking into the binding site with HSA. The number of drugs binding at the Sudlow's site I situated in subdomain II A is more than the drugs binding at Sudlow's site II., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

To explore complex biological and chemical systems, pharmaceutical research has effectively included several molecular modeling tools into a range of drug development initiatives. Molecular docking methods are widely employed in current drug design to investigate ligand conformations within macromolecular targets' binding sites. This method also estimates the ligand-receptor binding free energy by assessing critical phenomena involved in the intermolecular recognition process. In an attempt, several natural products have been synthesized in our laboratory. All the synthesized compounds containing (6H-Dibenzo[b,d]pyran-6-one) framework were subjected to molecular docking studies for the inhibition of CYP1B1 and BCL2 proteins using Auto Dock Vina software and the interacting amino acid residues were visualized using Discovery Studio, to look into the binding modalities that might influence their anticancer properties. The in silico molecular docking study outcomes showed that all the synthesized compounds having optimum binding energy and have a decent affinity to the active pocket, thus, they may be considered as a respectable inhibitor of CYP1B1 and BCL2 proteins.