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COVID-19 is a pandemic malady caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus. It is a global threat that has affected 223 countries and territories all over the world. According to the WHO report as of April 06, 2022 coronavirus has affected 492,189,439 people globally with 6,159,474 confirmed deaths. The pandemic of COVID-19 has badly affected Bangladesh likewise many other countries of the world. According to Worldometer report on 06 April 2022 the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 were 1,951,903 with 29,123 deaths, and 1,886,036 COVID-19 recoveries in Bangladesh. After originating from China, this notorious virus has been spread to almost all the countries of the world. Its spike protein aids in binding with the ACE2 receptors of the cell membrane resulting in cell entry, replication, and induction of inflammatory and pro-inflammatory responses leading to the pathogenic condition. The novel COVID-19 virus has structural and genetic similarity with its predecessors specially SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. This review presents the existing literature on COVID-19 and discusses different aspects of COVID-19 including virology, etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, transmission and susceptibility and preventive measures of COVID-19. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 25(2): 143-163, 2022 (July)

Eclipta prostata (E. prostata) L, is a herbal medicinal plant, which is reported to contain phenolics and flavonoids, but very little is known about its bioactive potentials. In this report, we reexamined the phenols and flavonoid content and evaluated different bioactivities of organic soluble fractions from the shoots of E. prostata for the first time. Among the extractives, chloroform soluble fraction (CSF) possessed the highest content of phenols (156.03 ± 0.52 mg gallic acid equivalent /g of dry extract) and flavonoids (67.47 ± 0.56 mg quercetin equivalent /g of dry extract) and exhibited the most potent antioxidant properties in terms of total antioxidant capacity (198.71 ± 0.89 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/g of dry extract) and DPPH free radical scavenging ability (IC50; 17.68 ± 0.32 μg/ml). Similarly, CSF showed the highest cytotoxicity with LC50 values of 16.03±0.23 μg/ml, and thrombolytic activity with 36.06 ± 0.39% clot lysis. A significant correlation was observed between flavonoid content and total antioxidant capacity (r2 = 0.894, p < 0.05), while high correlation was seen between polyphenols and flavonoid content with free radical scavenging, total antioxidant capacity and cytotoxicity (r2 = 0.612 - 0.928). These findings suggest that E. prostata is a precious source of polyphenols having potential bioactivities, which could be utilized for the management of lifestyle diseases. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 25(2): 164-174, 2022 (July)

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has been a healthcare disaster because of the unique and distinct characteristics of the pathogen, the easy and rapid transmission of the virus from humans to humans, the challenges in diagnosis and confirmation of the disease and the inability to invent and distribute safe and effective drugs or vaccines worldwide that would work against all the variants of coronavirus. Bangladesh, despite being a third-world country with limited health resources, has not been one of the worst-hit countries in the world but has still suffered with the loss of nearly eleven thousand people. Traditional and herbal remedies have become popular in this sub-continent since long ago and used for the treatment and management of different diseases including infectious disease. In this review, we have summarized the reports of immunostimulating, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and respiratory distress syndrome improving activities of prospective indigenous plants of Bangladesh that may be recommended for use as complementary and alternative medicine or may be potential sources for the discovery and development of anti-COVID-19 medicaments. Thus, the review will be beneficial for the researchers, complementary and alternative medicines or herbal medicine manufacturers, formulators to find out and manage the potential herbal/nutraceutical/medicinal agents for the preparation of complementary and alternative medicines, as well as to the scientist for further research for the discovery and development of therapeutics/new drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 as well as other viral infections. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 25(1): 89-114, 2022 (January)

Background Centella asiatica L. (Apiaceae), a green leafy vegetable, has been used as a popular folk medicine in Bangladesh in the treatment of various ailments. The plant is reported to contain phenolics and flavonoids, but their bioactive potentials are not yet completely known. The present study was designed to investigate the role of the phenolic and flavonoids in the antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antibacterial and thrombolytic activities. Methods Four solvent fractions viz. methanol (MSF), ethyl acetate (ESF), chloroform (CSF) and petroleum ether (PSF) were prepared from the dried powder of the whole plant by the modified Kupchan method. Total phenolic content and flavonoid content were determined by Folin Ciocalteu method and aluminum chloride colorimetric method, respectively. The antioxidant activity was assessed by the DPPH radical scavenging and total antioxidant capacity assays. The antibacterial activity was determined by the disc diffusion method and cytotoxicity was evaluated by the brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Thrombolytic activity was assayed using streptokinase as standard. Results Qualitative analysis of phytochemical revealed the presence of phenolics and flavonoids along with other bioactive constituents. Among the extractives, CSF contained the highest content of phenolics (155.46 ± 0.52 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (345.17 ± 1.12 mg QE/g) and exhibited the most potent antioxidant activity in terms of total antioxidant capacity (179.01 ± 0.89 mg AAE/g) and DPPH scavenging ability (IC50; 15.31 ± 0.32 µg/mL). Similarly, CSF showed the highest cytotoxicity with LC50 values of 13.80 ± 0.23 µg/mL, and thrombolytic activity with 43.94 ± 0.62% clot lysis. The fraction also exhibited broad spectrum antibacterial activity. A significant correlation was observed between the flavonoid content and total antioxidant activity (r2 = 0.894, p 2 = 0.612–0.928). Similarly, a positive correlation was found between phenolic and flavonoid content with thrombolytic and antibacterial activities. Conclusion These results revealed that C. asiatica is a rich source of phenolics and flavonoids and correlated with antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antibacterial and thrombolytic activities. Hence isolation of phenolics and flavonoids from this plant may offer potential candidates which may be effective in the prevention of many chronic diseases.

Coriandrum sativum (C. sativum), belonging to the Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family, is widely recognized for its uses in culinary and traditional medicine. C. sativum contains various phytochemicals such as polyphenols, vitamins, and many phytosterols, which account for its properties including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and analgesic effects. The cardiovascular benefits of C. sativum have not been summarized before, hence this review aims to further evaluate and discuss its effectiveness in cardiovascular diseases, according to the recent literature. An electronic search for literature was carried out using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, preprint platforms, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Articles were gathered from the inception of the database until August 2021. Moreover, the traditional uses and phytochemistry of coriander were surveyed in the original resources and summarized. As a result, most of the studies that cover cardiovascular benefits and fulfilled the eligibility criteria were in vivo, while only a few were in vitro and clinical studies. In conclusion, C. sativum can be deemed a functional food due to its wide range of cardiovascular benefits such as antihypertensive, anti-atherogenic, antiarrhythmic, hypolipidemic as well as cardioprotective effects.

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is essential for infant and child health. This study aimed to explore the trend in the EBF over the last decade in Bangladesh and investigated if there was a significant association with maternal employment by analyzing the data extracted from three consecutive nationally representative surveys: Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS) of 2011, 2014, and 2017–2018. Prevalence of EBF (95% confidence interval) with the Cochran-Armitage test was reported to see the trend in EBF. A chi-square (χ2) test was applied to find the potential factors associated with EBF. Finally, a three-level logistic regression was utilized to find the significant association between maternal employment and EBF while adjusting other covariates. We observed no increase in the practice of EBF over the last decade (P = 0.632). The prevalence of EBF was 64.9% (95% CI: 61.41, 68.18) in 2011, followed by 60.1% (95% CI: 56.25, 64) in 2014, and 64.9% (95% CI: 61.82, 67.91) in 2017. Regression results showed that employed mothers had 24% (p < 0.05) lower odds of EBF than unemployed mothers. Early initiation of breastfeeding was also found to be significantly associated [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.22, P < 0.05] with EBF. Government and policymakers must come forward with new interventions to increase the practice of EBF, providing basic education and campaigns on the topic of EBF. Maternity leave should be extended up to 6 months of the child's age to achieve an optimal level of EBF.

Immunostimulants are greatly required for the upregulation of immunity to fight against viral and bacterial infections and cancers. Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), eaten as vegetables, are rich sources of vitamin C and E, provitamin A, β-carotene, and numerous phenolic compounds. Antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-mutagenic and anti-inflammatory properties of Bell peppers were reported. Our research group for the first time reported the immunomodulatory activities of Bell peppers. In this study, we evaluated the antibody production abilities of two different colored Bell peppers (red and green) in the culture of antibody producing splenic B cells of mice. Antibodies and the number of viable cells were determined by an ELISA and MTT assays, respectively. Red Bell pepper Extract (RBPE) at the doses of (0.375, 0.75, 1.5, and 2.25 mg/mL) significantly augmented the production of polyclonal IgM and IgG antibodies in-vitro. The highest amount of IgM antibody production was observed by the dose of 1.5 mg/kg which was 3 times higher than that of the untreated cells. Similarly, RBPE also enhanced the production of IgG antibody in the culture of murine splenic B cells. On the contrary, cultural treatment of murine splenic B cells with Green Bell pepper Extract (GBPE) could not stimulate the B cells, and hence, failed to produce neither IgM nor IgG antibody. Thus the current findings suggest that consumption of Red Bell Pepper extract or its vegetables, not green pepper, may be beneficial to strengthen humoral immune responses. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 24(1): 45-53, 2021

ObjectivesThis current study aims to assess the prevalence and factors associated with body mass index (BMI), dietary patterns, and the extent of physical activities among university students following the prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown in Bangladesh.MethodsA cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted between July 10 to August 10, 2021, through a pre-designed Google Form to collect the data from Bangladeshi university students (age: ≥18 years). Informed consent was electronically obtained from each participant, and a simple snowball technique was employed during the sampling. Frequency and percentage distribution, paired t-test, chi-square [χ2] test, and multinomial and binary logistic regression analyses were consecutively applied to analyze the collected data.ResultsAmong the total participants (n = 1,602), 45.1% were female and 55.6% were 22–25 years' age group students. The BMI (mean ± standard deviation, SD) during the COVID-19 lockdown was 23.52 ± 7.68 kg/m2, which was 22.77 ± 4.11 kg/m2 during the pre-lockdown period (mean difference = 0.753; p < 0.001). The multinomial logistic regression analysis found a significant impact of gender [male vs. female: adjusted relative risk ratio (RRR) = 1.448; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.022, 2.053; p = 0.037], age (years) (25: RRR =0.389, 95% CI = 0.213,0.710; p = 0.002, and 22–25 vs. >25: RRR = 0.473, 95% CI = 0.290, 0.772; p = 0.003), monthly family income (BDT) (50,000: RRR = 0.525, 95% CI = 0.334,0.826; p = 0.005), university type (public vs. private: RRR = 0.540, 95% CI = 0.369, 0.791; p = 0.002), eating larger meals/snacks (increased vs. unchanged: RRR = 2.401, 95% CI = 1.597, 3.610; p < 0.001 and decreased vs. unchanged: RRR = 1.893, 95% CI = 1.218, 2.942; p = 0.005), and verbally or physically abuse (yes vs. no: RRR = 1.438, 95% CI = 0.977, 2.116; p = 0.066) on obesity during COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, the female students and those who have constant eating habits, were more likely to be underweight. Additionally, the binary logistic regression analysis found that the students from private universities [others vs. private: adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.461, 95% CI = 0.313, 0.680; p < 0.001], urban areas (urban vs. rural: AOR = 1.451, 95% CI = 1.165, 1.806; p = 0.001), wealthier families (50,000 BDT: AOR = 0.727, 95% CI = 0.540, 0.979; p = 0.036), and who were taking larger meals/snacks (increased vs. unchanged: AOR = 2.806, 95% CI = 2.190, 3.596; p < 0.001) and had conflicts/arguments with others (no vs. yes: AOR = 0.524, 95% CI = 0.418, 0.657; p < 0.001), were significantly more physically inactive. Finally, the level of education and smoking habits significantly influenced the eating habits of university students during the extended strict lockdown in Bangladesh.ConclusionThe current findings would be helpful tools and evidence for local and international public health experts and policymakers to reverse these worsening effects on students mediated by the prolonged lockdown. Several effective plans, programs, and combined attempts must be earnestly implemented to promote a smooth academic and daily life.

Drowning is one of the major public health concerns, and children are the most vulnerable victims of drowning death in Bangladesh, which has been a paramount threat to child survival. Based on available data, we intend to underline the prevalence and associated risk factors for child drowning deaths in Bangladesh. According to the Center for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh, about 19 000 people of all ages drown per year across the country, where approximately 77% are children (

Severe session jam phobia (SJP), the extent of underprivileged online education, and subsequent mental health disorders among students have emerged as distinguished global problems due to the overwhelming effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of extended COVID-19 lockdown and its mediating factors on current e-Learning activities, the prevalence of severe SJP and psychological distress among university students in Bangladesh. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assemble responses through Google Form by applying a simple snowball sampling technique among university students aged 18 years or above in Bangladesh. All ethical considerations were maintained, and univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were employed to analyze the acquired data set. Among the total analyzed data (n = 1,122), the male and female ratio was almost 1:1, and a remarkable segment (63.7%) was aged between 21–24 years. Alarmingly, around 50–60% of the students were suffering from severe SJP, prevailing underprivileged education in the e-Learning platform, and severe mental distress. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that the students from public universities, lower- and mid-income families, lower-aged, and junior years education groups were significantly (p < 0.05) more underprivileged than their counter groups. Besides, the monthly family income and university type significantly influenced the extent of severe SJP. Finally, the students who were female, rustic, come from low-income families (below 25,000 BDT), who had academic uncertainty, job insecurity, online exam phobia, and dissatisfaction with e-Learning education, were significantly suffering from moderate to severe mental distress. The current evidence demonstrates that a substantial number of Bangladeshi university students are struggling with extreme session jam phobia, underprivileged e-Learning education, and subsequent psychological distress, which need to be immediately addressed through concerted efforts by the government, parents, and university authorities.

Background and Objective. Clerodendrum wallichii Merr leaves are traditionally used for the treatment of fever, skin infections, inflammation, diarrhea, and dysentery. However, its pharmacological investigation is scarce and no data found on its effect on the liver. We aimed to evaluate the protective effect of Clerodendrum wallichii methanol extract (MECW) against ethanol-induced liver injury in Sprague-Dawley rats. Materials and Methods. An oral acute toxicity study was carried out following OECD guidelines. Hepatotoxicity was induced by the administration of ethanol for 4 weeks. Hepatic enzymes and oxidative stress biomarkers were determined using commercial diagnostic kits. Results. Treatment of rats with MECW (800 mg/kg) showed the highest reduction of body weight (4.76 ± 0.372 vs. 16.92 ± 0.846) and liver weight (3.06 ± 0.128 vs 5.55 ± 0.311). Treatment of rats with MECW at 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 mg/kg significantly (∗∗p<0.01) reduced SGPT. Similarly, serum SGOT and ALP were significantly decreased by MECW (200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 mg/kg). All used doses of MECW significantly increased antioxidant enzymes GSH and SOD. MECW (600 and 800 mg/kg) significantly promoted CAT levels in liver tissues; whereas, it significantly diminished oxidative biomarker, MDA. Histopathological observations of the liver showed improvement in the architecture of hepatic cells having signs of protection with a reduced number of inflammatory cells, vascular degeneration and congestion, cellular degeneration, necrosis, and significant reduction of fatty cells accumulation. Acute toxicity study resulted in the well-tolerability and safety of used doses of MECW (200–1000 mg/kg) in rats. Conclusion. Our study clearly demonstrated the hepatoprotective effect of Clerodendrum wallichii extract against ethanol-induced liver injury in the laboratory rats model.

Nanoparticles are materials whose size is less than 100 nm. Because of their distinctive physical and chemical characteristics, nanoparticles have drawn considerable interest in a variety of fields. Biosynthesis of nanoparticles is a green and environmentally friendly technology, which requires fewer chemical reagents, precursors, and catalysts. There are various types of nanomaterials, out of which trimetallic nanoparticles are receiving considerable interest in recent years. Trimetallic nanoparticles possess unique catalytic, biomedical, antimicrobial, active food packaging, and sensing applications as compared to monometallic or bimetallic nanoparticles. Trimetallic nanoparticles are currently synthesized by various methods such as chemical reduction, microwave-assisted, thermal, precipitation, and so on. However, most of these chemical and physical methods are expensive and toxic to the environment. Biological synthesis is one of the promising methods, which includes the use of bacteria, plants, fungi, algae, waste biomass, etc., as reducing agents. Secondary metabolites present in the biological agents act as capping and reducing agents. Green trimetallic nanoparticles can be used for different applications such as anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, catalytic activity, etc. This review provides an overview of the synthesis of trimetallic nanoparticles using biological agents, and their applications in different areas such as anticancer, antimicrobial activity, drug delivery, catalytic activity, etc. Finally, current challenges, future prospects, and conclusions are highlighted.

Nigella sativa L. is one of the most extensively used traditional medicinal plants. This widely studied plant is known to display diverse pharmacological actions, including antimicrobial activities. Current literature has documented its multi-target mode of antimicrobial actions. N. sativa or its bioactive compounds, such as thymoquinone, can induce oxidative stress, cell apoptosis (by producing reactive oxygen species), increase membrane permeability, inhibit efflux pumps, and impose strong biocidal actions. Despite its well-documented antimicrobial efficacy in the experimental model, to the best of our knowledge its antimicrobial mechanisms highlighting the multi-targeting properties have yet to be well discussed. Is N. sativa or thymoquinone a valuable lead compound for therapeutic development for infectious diseases? Are N. sativa’s bioactive compounds potential antimicrobial agents or able to overcome antimicrobial resistance? This review aims to discuss the antimicrobial pharmacology of N. sativa-based treatments. Additionally, it provides a holistic overview of the ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, and phytochemistry of N. sativa.

Diabetes, a chronic physiological dysfunction affecting people of different age groups and severely impairs the harmony of peoples’ normal life worldwide. Despite the availability of insulin preparations and several synthetic oral antidiabetic drugs, there is a crucial need for the discovery and development of novel antidiabetic drugs because of the development of resistance and side effects of those drugs in long-term use. On the contrary, plants or herbal sources are getting popular day by day to the scientists, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies all over the world to search for potential bioactive compound(s) for the discovery and development of targeted novel antidiabetic drugs that may control diabetes with the least unwanted effects of conventional antidiabetic drugs. In this review, we have presented the prospective candidates comprised of either isolated phytochemical(s) and/or extract(s) containing bioactive phytoconstituents which have been reported in several in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies possessing noteworthy antidiabetic potential. The mode of actions, attributed to antidiabetic activities of the reported phytochemicals and/or plant extracts have also been described to focus on the prospective phytochemicals and phytosources for further studies in the discovery and development of novel antidiabetic therapeutics.

Citrus grandis or Citrus maxima , widely recognized as Pomelo is widely cultivated in many countries because of their large amounts of functional, nutraceutical and biological activities. In traditional medicine, various parts of this plant including leaf, pulp and peel are used for generations as they are scientifically proven to have therapeutic potentials and safe for human use. The main objective of this study was to review the different therapeutic applications of Citrus grandis and the phytochemicals associated with its medicinal values. In this article different pharmacological properties like antimicrobial, antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiepileptic, stomach tonic, cardiac stimulant, cytotoxic, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, and anti-diabetic activities of the plant are highlighted. The enrichment of the fruit with flavonoids, polyphenols, coumarins, limonoids, acridone alkaloids, essential oils and vitamins mainly helps in exhibiting the pharmacological activities within the body. The vitamins enriched fruit is rich in nutritional value and also has minerals like calcium, phosphorous, sodium and potassium, which helps in maintaining the proper health and growth of the bones as well as the electrolyte balance of the body. To conclude, various potential therapeutic effects of Citrus grandis have been demonstrated in recent literature. Further studies on various parts of fruit, including pulp, peel, leaf, seed and it essential oil could unveil additional pharmacological activities which can be beneficial to the mankind.

Aristolochic acid (AA) is an abundant chemical substance commonly present in the genus, Aristolochia. In term of stereoisomerism, Aristolochic acid I (AA-I) is known to cause nephrotoxicity, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity. Therefore, the determination of AA-I in the herbal products is imperative to avoid the unwanted adverse drug reaction. Hence, this study was undertaken to develop a low cost isocratic HPLC method to detect AA-I and AA-II in two selected products. RP-HPLC instrument (Cyberlab LC-100) equipped with photo-diode-array UV detector with Capcell Pak C18 - column (5μm, 25 x 0.46 cm), and a mobile phase, methanol-water (75:25) added with 0.1% glacial acetic acid (pH 4.14) with a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. at 254 nm was used. The total run time was 10 min. The results indicate that the isocratic RP-HPLC method developed in the present study is a reproducible and precise method with an optimum resolution for the separation of peaks. The presence of AA was determined in three herbal plants, A. debilis, A. fangchi, and A. manshuriensis and two different Chinese herbal products. The HPLC chromatogram of the standard was identified and the retention time of the standards AA-I and AA-II was found at 8.35 min and 7.0 min respectively, also the AA-I was identified in raw herbs, A. debilis, and A. fangchi at 8.4 and 8.5 min. respectively whereas, A. manshuriensis did not show the peak for AA-I. The HPLC analyses of methanol extract of the two selected Chinese herbal products Zhu Ling San and Wu Ling San indicated the absence of AA-I peaks at 8.4 min.

The electroacoustic waves, particularly ion-acoustic waves (IAWs), and their expansion in the medium of a magnetized collision-free plasma system has been investigated theoretically. The plasma system is assumed to be composed of both positively and negatively charged mobile ion species and kappa-distributed hot electron species. In the nonlinear perturbation regime, the magnetized Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) and magnetized modified KdV (mKdV) equations are derived by using reductive perturbation method. The prime features (i.e., amplitude, phase speed, width, etc.) of the IAWs are studied precisely by analyzing the stationary solitary wave solutions of the magnetized KdV and magnetized mKdV equations, respectively. It occurs that the basic properties of the IAWs are significantly modified in the presence of the excess superthermal hot electrons, obliqueness, the plasma particle number densities, etc. It is also observed that, in case of magnetized KdV solitary waves, both compressive and rarefactive structures are formed, whereas only compressive structures are found for the magnetized mKdV solitary waves. The implication of our results in some space and laboratory plasma situations is concisely discussed.

Several theories for aging are constantly put forth to explain the underlying mechanisms. Oxidative stress, DNA dysfunction, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction, along with the release of cytochrome c are some of these theories. Diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, intestinal dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases, hepatic injury, and even cancer develop with age and eventually cause death. Ulva polysaccharides, owing to their special structures and various functions, have emerged as desirable materials for keeping healthy. These polysaccharide structures are found to be closely related to the extraction methods, seaweed strains, and culture conditions. Ulvan is a promising bioactive substance, a potential functional food, which can regulate immune cells to augment inflammation, control the activity of aging-related genes, promote tumor senescence, enhance mitochondrial function, maintain liver balance, and protect the gut microbiome from inflammatory attacks. Given the desirable physiochemical and gelling properties of ulvan, it would serve to improve the quality and shelf-life of food.

COVID-19, transmitted by SARS-CoV-2, is one of the most serious pandemic situations in the history of mankind, and has already infected a huge population across the globe. This horrendously contagious viral outbreak was first identified in China and within a very short time it affected the world's health, transport, economic, and academic sectors. Despite the recent approval of a few anti-COVID-19 vaccines, their unavailability and insufficiency along with the lack of other potential therapeutic options are continuing to worsen the situation, with valuable lives continuing to be lost. In this situation, researchers across the globe are focusing on repurposing prospective drugs and prophylaxis such as favipiravir, remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, lopinavir-ritonavir, azithromycin, doxycycline, ACEIs/ARBs, rivaroxaban, and protease inhibitors, which were preliminarily based on in vitro and in vivo pharmacological and toxicological study reports followed by clinical applications. Based on available preliminary data derived from limited clinical trials, the US National Institute of Health (NIH) and USFDA also recommended a few drugs to be repurposed i.e., hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and favipiravir. However, World Health Organization later recommended against the use of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and lopinavir/ritonavir in the treatment of COVID-19 infections. Combining basic knowledge of viral pathogenesis and pharmacodynamics of drug molecules as well as in silico approaches, many drug candidates have been investigated in clinical trials, some of which have been proven to be partially effective against COVID-19, and many of the other drugs are currently under extensive screening. The repurposing of prospective drug candidates from different stages of evaluation can be a handy wellspring in COVID-19 management and treatment along with approved anti-COVID-19 vaccines. This review article combined the information from completed clinical trials, case series, cohort studies, meta-analyses, and retrospective studies to focus on the current status of repurposing drugs in 2021.

SARS-CoV-2 is the latest worldwide pandemic declared by the World Health Organization and there is no established anti-COVID-19 drug to combat this notorious situation except some recently approved vaccines. By affecting the global public health sector, this viral infection has created a disastrous situation associated with high morbidity and mortality rates along with remarkable cases of hospitalization because of its tendency to be high infective. These challenges forced researchers and leading pharmaceutical companies to find and develop cures for this novel strain of coronavirus. Besides, plants have a proven history of being notable wellsprings of potential drugs, including antiviral, antibacterial, and anticancer therapies. As a continuation of this approach, plant-based preparations and bioactive metabolites along with a notable number of traditional medicines, bioactive phytochemicals, traditional Chinese medicines, nutraceuticals, Ayurvedic preparations, and other plant-based products are being explored as possible therapeutics against COVID-19. Moreover, the unavailability of effective medicines against COVID-19 has driven researchers and members of the pharmaceutical, herbal, and related industries to conduct extensive investigations of plant-based products, especially those that have already shown antiviral properties. Even the recent invention of several vaccines has not eliminated doubts about safety and efficacy. As a consequence, many limited, unregulated clinical trials involving conventional mono- and poly-herbal therapies are being conducted in various areas of the world. Of the many clinical trials to establish such agents as credentialed sources of anti-COVID-19 medications, only a few have reached the landmark of completion. In this review, we have highlighted and focused on plant-based anti-COVID-19 clinical trials found in several scientific and authenticated databases. The aim is to allow researchers and innovators to identify promising and prospective anti-COVID-19 agents in clinical trials (either completed or recruiting) to establish them as novel therapies to address this unwanted pandemic.

Dengue, a very widespread mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by Aedes aegypti virus, has been occurring during the monsoons every year. The prevalence and incidence of dengue fever and death due to its complications have been increased drastically in these recent years in Bangladesh, Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, and India. Recently, dengue had spread in an epidemic form in Bangladesh, Thailand, and Philippines. Although the infection affected a large number of people around the world, there is no established specific and effective treatment by synthetic medicines. In this subcontinent, Malaysia could effectively control its incidences and death of patients using alternative medication treatment mainly prepared from Carica papaya L. leaves along with proper care and hospitalization. Papaya leaves, their juice or extract, as well as their different forms of preparation have long been used traditionally for treating dengue fever and its complications to save patients’ lives. Although it is recommended by traditional healers, and the general public use Papaya leaves juice or their other preparations in dengue fever, this treatment option is strictly denied by the physicians offering treatment in hospitals in Bangladesh as they do not believe in the effectiveness of papaya leaves, thus suggesting to patients that they should not use them. In Bangladesh, 1,01,354 dengue patients have been hospitalized, with 179 deaths in the year 2019 according to information from the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research as well as the Directorate General of Health Services of Bangladesh. Most of the patients died because of the falling down of platelets to dangerous levels and hemorrhage or serious bleeding. Therefore, this paper aims to critically review the scientific basis and effectiveness of Carica papaya L. leaves in treating dengue fever based on preclinical and clinical reports. Thrombocytopenia is one of the major conditions that is typical in cases of dengue infection. Besides, the infection and impairment of immunity are concerned with dengue patients. This review summarizes all the scientific reports on Carica papaya L. for its ability on three aspects of dengue: antiviral activities, prevention of thrombocytopenia and improvement of immunity during dengue fever.

Background Colocasia gigantea, locally named as kochu is well-known due to its various healing power. This research is to investigate the antidiarrheal, antimicrobial and antioxidant possibilities of the methanol soluble extract of Colocasia gigantea. Methods The antidiarrheal investigation was performed by using in vivo castor oil-induced diarrheal method whereas in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant investigation have been implemented by disc diffusion and DPPH scavenging method respectively. Moreover, in silico studies were followed by molecular docking analysis of several secondary metabolites that were appraised with Schrödinger-Maestro v11.1 and Biovia Discovery Studio. Results The induction of plant extract (200 and 400 mg/kg, b.w, p.o) has minimized the castor oil mediated diarrhea by 16.96% (p p C. gigantea showed mild sensitivity against almost all the tested strains but it shows high consistency of phenolic content and yielded 67.68 μg/mL of IC50 value in the DPPH test. In the PASS prediction, selected isolated compounds have demonstrated significant antidiarrheal and antimicrobial activity following the Lipinski drug rules which have ascertained efficacy with the compounds in molecular docking study. Conclusion The results of this scientific research reflects that the methanol soluble extract of C. gigantea is safe and may provide possibilities of alleviation of diarrhea along with being a potential wellspring of antioxidant and antimicrobial agents which can be considered as an alternate source for exploration of new medicinal products in near future.

A novel polysaccharide obtained from Enteromorpha prolifera (EPP) was purified through diethylaminoethyl cellulose-52 and Sephadex G-75 chromatography. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were employed to analyse the structure of EPP. It mainly comprised rhamnose, glucuronic acid, galactose, arabinose, and xylose at a molar ratio of 20.45:12.74:10.99:5.84:1.95, and its average molecular weight was 46.56 kDa. The seven major glycosidic residues identified by NMR were as follows: →2)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →2)-α-L-Rhap-(1→, →4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→, →2,6)-β-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-β-D-GlcpA-(1→, →3,4)-β-D-GlcpA-(1→, and →4)-β-Xylp-(1→. The effect of EPP on hyperuricemic mice was determined by analysing correlative general physical parameters, renal histopathology, renal gene expressions, and gut microbiome. EPP significantly reduced serum uric acid (UA), serum blood urea nitrogen, serum xanthine oxidase (XOD), and hepatic XOD as well as improved histological parameters in hyperuricemic mice. Furthermore, mRNA and protein expression analyses showed the upregulation of UA excretion genes such as ABCG2, OAT1, and NPT1 and downregulation of UA resorption gene URAT1. Moreover, EPP maintained the stability of the intestinal flora and confirmed that Parasutterella is closely related to the regulation of hyperuricemia. This study is the first to demonstrate the anti-hyperuricemic activity of EPP and highlight its therapeutic potential for hyperuricemia-related diseases.

Clinical characteristics are essential for the correct diagnosis of diseases. The current review aimed to summarize the global clinical characteristics of the COVID-19 patients systematically and identify their diagnostic challenges to help the medical practitioners properly diagnose and for better management of COVID-19 patients. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases for original articles containing clinical information of COVID-19 published up to 7th May 2020. Two researchers independently searched the databases to extract eligible articles. A total of 34 studies from 8 different countries with 10889 case-patients were included for clinical characteristics. The most common clinical symptoms were cough 59.6, fever 46.9, fatigue 27.8, and dyspnea 20.23%. The prominent laboratory findings were lymphocytopenia 55.9, elevated levels of CRP 61.9, aspartate aminotransferase 53.3, LDH 40.8, ESR 72.99, serum ferritin 63, IL-6 52, and prothrombin time 35.47%, and decreased levels of platelets 17.26, eosinophils 59.0, hemoglobin 29, and albumin 38.4%. CT scan of the chest showed an abnormality in 93.50% cases with bilateral lungs 71.1%, ground-glass opacity 48%, lesion in lungs 78.3%, and enlargement of lymph node 50.7%. Common comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. The estimated median incubation period was 5.36 days, and the overall case fatality rate was 16.9% (Global case fatality outside China was 22.24%: USA 21.24%, Italy 25.61%, and others 0%; whereas the case fatality inside the Hubei Province of China was found to be 11.71%). Global features on the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 obtained from laboratory tests and CT scan results will provide useful information to the physicians to diagnose the disease and for better management of the patients as well as to address the diagnostic challenges to control the infection.

Background: The Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) was the first to be introduced in Bangladesh to fight the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. As this vaccine had shown some side-effects in its clinical trial, we aimed to conduct a study assessing short-term adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) in Bangladesh. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on social and electronic media platforms by delivering an online questionnaire among people who had taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The collected data were then analysed to evaluate various parameters related to the AEFIs of the respondents. Results: A total of 626 responses were collected. Of these, 623 were selected based on complete answers and used for the analysis. Most of the respondents were between 30–60 years of age, and 40.4% were female. We found that a total of 8.5% of the total respondents had been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Our survey revealed that out of 623 volunteers, 317 reported various side-effects after taking the vaccine, which is about 50.88% of the total participants. The majority of participants (37.07%, 231/623) reported swelling and pain at the injection site and fever (25.84%, 162/623), these were some of the common localized and generalized symptoms after the COVID-19 vaccine administration. Conclusion: The side-effects reported after receiving the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) are similar to those reported in clinical trials, demonstrating that the vaccines have a safe therapeutic window. Moreover, further research is needed to determine the efficacy of existing vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections or after-infection hospitalization.

Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) can be characterized by degradation and subsequent loss of neurons. ND has been identified as the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide and is associated with various risk factors such as ageing, certain genetic polymorphisms, inflammation, immune and metabolic conditions that may induce elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) release and subsequent oxidative stress. Presently, no specific cure or prevention is available for ND patients; the symptoms can be only alleviated via drug treatment or surgery. The existing pharmacological treatments are only available for partial treatment of the symptoms. A natural product known as oil palm phenolics (OPP), which is high in antioxidant, could become a potential supplementary antioxidant for neurodegenerative health. OPP is a water-soluble extract from palm fruit that demonstrated medicinal properties including anti-tumor, anti-diabetic and neuroprotective effects. In this review, OPP was proposed for its neuroprotective effects via several mechanisms including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Besides, OPP has been found to modulate the genes involved in neurotrophic activity. The evidence and proposed mechanism of OPP on the neuroprotective health may provide a comprehensive natural medicine approach to alleviate the symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases.