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Introduction: The main protease (Mpro) and the papain-like protease (PLpro) are essential for the replication of SARS-CoV-2. Both proteases can be targets for drugs acting against SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction:. It is well documented that many species from Passifloraceae family can provide edible and nutritious fruits while the leaves of cultivated plants are renewable and waste material. This biomass may be further used in various sectors, especially as a bioactive food additive and as source of innovative pharmaceuticals, cosmetics or feed additives. The biomaterials and green chemistry are new sectors bioeconomy according to the high-level horizontal strategies and bio-based industries in Europe. In recent years, attention has been paid to the biological activity and phytochemical profiles of extracts from different species of Passiflora. However, there is little comparative studies using the same procedures and techniques in the same laboratory conditions for study of plant material obtained from the similar greenhouse conditions.

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) attracts increasing interest of growers, in relation to both industrial and medical purposes. Construction is the most promising area of the economy for hemp, and specifically, the fast-growing production of insulation and bio-composite materials.

Flavonoids and their conjugates are the most important group of natural chemical compounds in drug discovery and development. The search for pharmacological activity and new mechanisms of activity of these chemical compounds, which may inhibit mediators of inflammation and influence the structure and function of endothelial cells, can be an interesting pharmacological strategy for the prevention and adjunctive treatments of hypertension, especially induced by pregnancy. Because cardiovascular diseases have multi-factorial pathogenesis these natural chemical compounds with wide spectrum of biological activities are the most interesting source of new drugs. Extracts from one of the most popular plant used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi could be a very interesting source of flavonoids because of its exact content in quercetin, apigenin, chrysin and scutellarin as well as in baicalin. These flavonoids exert vasoprotective properties and many activities such as: anti-oxidative via several pathways, anti-in-flammatory, anti-ischaemic, cardioprotective and anti-hypertensive. However, there is lack of summaries of results of studies in context of potential and future application of flavonoids with determined composition and activity. Our review aims to provide a literature survey of in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo pharmacological studies of selected flavonoids (apigenin, chrysin and scutellarin, baicalin) in various models of hypertension carried out in 2008–2018.

Introduction: In recent years, the search for potential neuroprotective properties of salidroside and its ability to influence the activity of nervous system become the subject of intense studies of many research groups. None of these studies, however, include an attempt to determine the effect of salidroside on the course of alcohol tolerance in vivo.

Food supplements are concentrated sources of nutrients and/or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect. However, they often contain herbal substances or their preparations. Food supplements belong to category of food and for that reason are regulated by food legislation. European Union regulations and directives established general directions for dietary supplements, dietetic food, which due to their special composition or manufacturing process are prepared for specific groups of people with special nutritional needs, and novel food/novel food ingredients to ensure product safety, suitability and appropriate consumer information.

Introduction: Our study is a part of a trend of studies on the antioxidative properties of Chelidonium majus extracts or their fractions suggesting that antioxidant activities may depend on total flavonoid and/or alkaloid contents.

Wstęp: Mimo powszechnego stosowania Panax ginseng i Ginkgo biloba dane dotyczące bezpieczeństwa, a także interakcji pomiędzy preparatami roślinnymi a lekami syntetycznymi są bardzo ograniczone. W niniejszych badaniach założono, iż żeń-szeń oraz miłorząb mogą modulować aktywność i zawartość izoenzymów cytochromu P450 biorących udział w biotransformacji różnych substancji ksenobiotycznych. Cel: Określenie wpływu preparatów roślinnych na poziom ekspresji enzymów CYP i ich czynników transkrypcyjnych. Metody: Szczurom rasy Wistar podawano standaryzowany Panax ginseng (30 mg/kg) oraz Ginkgo biloba (200 mg/kg) przez 3 do 10 dni. Ekspresję w tkance wątrobowej analizowano za pomocą metody PCR w czasie rzeczywistym. Wyniki: Uzyskane wyniki wykazały spadek poziomu mRNA CYP3A1 (homolog ludzkiego enzymu CYP3A4) po podaniu ekstraktu z żeń-szenia. Ekspresja genu CYP2C6 (homolog ludzkiego enzymu CYP2C9) również uległa obniżeniu. Dodatkowo, obserwowaliśmy wzrost ekspresji CYP1A1 (homolog ludzkiego enzymu CYP1A1) i CYP1A2 (homolog ludzkiego enzymu CYP1A2) po 10 dniach stosowania P. ginseng. Ponadto, ekstrakt z G. biloba spowodował również wzrost poziomu mRNA CYP1A1, CYP2C6, CYP3A1 i CYP3A2 w modelu in vivo. Wnioski: Badania sugerują, że wyciągi roślinne mogą modulować ekspresję czynników transkrypcyjnych i enzymów CYP uczestniczących w metabolizmie ksenobiotyków i chemicznej karcynogenezie.

Background: Foodborne infections affect approximately 600 million people annually. Simultaneously, many plants contain substances like organic acids, which have antimicrobial activity. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of 21 organic acids, naturally occurring in plants, on four foodborne bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enterica Typhimurium) and two fungi (Geotrichum candidum and Penicillium candidum). Methods: The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the organic acids against foodborne bacteria and in silico toxicity prediction of acids were investigated. Results: Benzoic and salicylic acids exhibit the best activity against foodborne bacteria (mean MIC < 1 mg/mL). Acetic, chlorogenic, formic, malic, nicotinic, and rosmarinic acids demonstrate slightly weaker activity (mean MICs 1–2 mg/mL). Other acids have moderate or poor activity. The effectiveness of organic acids against foodborne fungi is weaker than against bacteria. Most acids require high concentrations (from 10 to >100 mg/mL) to inhibit fungal growth effectively. The predicted LD50 of organic acids ranges from 48 to 5000 mg/kg. Those potentially safe as food preservatives (MIC < LD50) include ascorbic, chlorogenic, malic, nicotinic, rosmarinic, salicylic, succinic, tannic, and tartaric acids. The studied organic acids are not carcinogenic but many can cause adverse effects such as skin sensitization, eye irritation, and potential nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, or neurotoxicity. Conclusions: Most of the investigated plant-derived organic acids exhibit good antibacterial activity and moderate or poor antifungal effects. Among 21 acids, only 9 appear to be safe as food preservatives (MIC < LD50). The relationship between MIC and LD50 is crucial in determining the suitability of organic acids as food preservatives, ensuring that they are effective against bacteria or fungi at concentrations that are not harmful to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value of herbal raw material guarantees the success of phytotherapy. However, the quality of raw material depends on many complex factors. This is a particular challenge in the era of climate changes. The progress of phytotherapy is possible thanks to work aimed at improving the adaptive capacity of plants in response to environmental changes. Biological and biotechnological methods are interesting techniques used in agriculture, leading to the induction of genomic mutations by chemical polyploidization using antimitotics. This could be a strategy that can prevent decline in crop production. The improvement of crop plants by obtaining higher effectiveness of varieties is an important task of world agriculture. The publication discusses genomic mutations and the occurrence of polyploidy in nature, classifications and mechanisms of polyploid mutations, characteristics of polyploids and the achievements of polyploid breeding. Chemical compounds used to induce polyploidization are listed (colchicine, oryzalin, methyl amiprophos). Techniques for inducing artificial polyploids are presented, including the use of biotechnological techniques (plant cell and tissue cultures in vitro) and polyploidization detection methods. The importance of polyploidization was emphasized, including the functional features of artificial polyploids (utility plants, fruit plants, ornamental plants, herbal plants). Examples of polyploids important in agriculture (50 species) are listed. Experimental achievements regarding herbal plants are described, indicating the main induced features of new plants, including phenotypic, anatomical and phytochemical characteristics. It was noted that the biotechnological approach may be a solution leading to the improvement of plant biomass parameters and an increase in the content of secondary metabolites of medicinal and cosmetic importance using in vitro breeding systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench is a valuable ornamental and medicinal plant used in human and animal medicine. The technique of micropropagation using in vitro plant culture is an promising alternative to obtain large amounts of healthy plant propagation material in a short time during climate changes and environmental contamination. Methods: Clonal propagation may be applied for the multiplication of selected genotypes under controlled conditions. This technique also allows acclimating the new plants to elevated temperatures. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of micodermine, nystatin, miconazole on purity seed and their germination (n=800, four groups, three replicates). Next aim was to evaluate the influence of various concentrations of four cytokinins on induction of adventitious shoots using shoot tips. Results: Benzyloaminopurine (BAP), meta-topolin (mT), and additionally kinetin (KIN), and zeatin (Ze) (1.00-2.00 mg l-1 ) with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (0.1-0.2 mg l-1) in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium have been used. Testing the effectiveness of BAP (1.0 mg l-1) and mT (1.0 mg l-1) with IAA (0.1 mg l-1) in MS medium has been caried out for 15 explants in three replicates. For rooting of plants (n=60), IAA at concentrations of 0.1 mg l-1 and 0.5 mg l-1 (three groups in duplicate) has been used. Finally, the effectiveness of acclimatization of rooted plants (n=60) to ex vitro conditions was assessed. All antifungal substances have been effective in the obtanment of 100% purity of seeds (n=300). Application of mycodermine resulted in 51% germinating of seeds with signficat differences vs. control seeds (p<0.001), vs. nystatin (p<0.05) and vs. miconazol (p<0.05), and during 16.90±4.26 days without statisctical differences vs. nystatin and vs. mycodermin. MS basal medium supplemented with BAP (1.0 mg l-1) with IAA (0.1 mg l-1) produced the greatest number of adventious shoots (n=144), resulting in 9.6±2.77 shoots per explant on average with signficat differences vs. control medium MS (p<0.001). However, this result was not statisticaly significant compared with medium MS supplemented by mT (1.0 mg l-1) with IAA (0.1 mg l-1) (8.93±3.99 shoots per explant) and with MS supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg l-1) + IAA (0.2 mg l-1) (7 ± 3.39 shoots per explant). IAA at concentration of 0.1 mg l-1 and 0.5 mg l-1 produced of 100% of rooted plants (n=40) similarly as MS medium without IAA (n=20) (differences between groups are not statistically significant). Moreover, 70% obtained plants (n=42) have been acclimated to ex vitro conditions using elevated temperature of 35ºC. Conclusions: Compared to previous study, our experiment showed that low concetration of BAP and mT to effective micropropagation without callus induction can be successfully used. Our results provide the proposal for rapid protocol of clonal propagation of E. purpurea (IDA variety). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inappropriate use of antimicrobials, along with environmental conditions, can lead to the emergence of resistant microorganisms. The use of phytopharmaceuticals and herbal medicines has a positive impact and represents a promising alternative. Psidium guajava extracts have been widely reported to have antimicrobial potential; however, studies reporting their activity against resistant bacterial strains are scarce. Because of the emerging resistance, the aim of this study was to analyze the antimicrobial capacity of the aqueous extract of guava leaves against wild-type and resistant bacterial strains. The aqueous extract obtained from the leaves of P. guajava was evaluated by HPLC for the content of total phenolics and tannins, antioxidant activity, and chemical composition. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was analyzed by the disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The results of the chemical analysis of the extracts showed total phenolics content of 17.02 ± 6.87 mg/g of dry extract, total tannin content of 14.09 ± 1.20 mg of tannic acid equivalents/g of dry extract, and moderate antioxidant capacity with an EC50 value of 140 µg/mL. Flavonoids are the major compounds (rutin, hesperidin, and quercetin), followed by phenolic acids. Disk diffusion test results showed the presence of inhibition halos for Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, sensitive and resistant; Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, sensitive and resistant; and Streptococcus spp., beta-hemolytic), while for Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, sensitive and resistant), there was no inhibition in the tested concentration range. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentration was 6.8 mg/mL for all Gram-positive strains evaluated. The present study demonstrated the antimicrobial activity of the aqueous extract of P. guajava against sensitive and resistant Gram-positive bacteria. The better antimicrobial activity found in the present study compared with previously reported activity should be highlighted and may be related to the higher concentration of total phenolics present in the tested extract. Moreover, the content of tannins found suggests a species with high quality that produces tannins. These new findings suggest an innovative profile regarding therapeutic resources that can be adopted to combat resistant microbial strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]