Irigenin, a novel lead from Iris confusa for management of Helicobacter pylori infection with selective COX-2 and HpIMPDH inhibitory potential

Synthesis and biological evaluation against H. pylori of chitosan menthone Schiff base hybrid with different types of inorganic nanoparticles

The production of novel natural medicines for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has lately attracted a lot of interest. Some bacterial infections have traditionally been alleviated by terpenes. The present work intended to examine the impact of several chitosan menthone Schiff base nanocomposites on the treatment of H. pylori infection as well as on its anti-inflammatory capacity. Chitosan (Cs) was condensed with menthone with different molar ratios of Cs:menthone (1:0.5, 1:1, and 1:2) to produce chitosan Schiff bases namely; Cs-SB1, Cs-SB2, and Cs-SB3, respectively. Cs-SB3 Schiff base nanocomposites were prepared individually by adding 2%Ag, 2%Se, (1%Ag + 1%Se), and 2%Fe2O3 nanoparticles to produce compounds denoted as Cs-SB-Ag, Cs-SB-Se, Cs-SB-Ag/ Se, and Cs-SB-Fe, respectively. The anti-H. pylori activity of Cs-SB-Se was detected at a minimal inhibitory concentration MIC of 1.9 μg/mL making it the most biologically active compound in our study. Cs-SB-Se nanocomposite was tested for its cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) inhibitory potential which demonstrated inhibitory efficacy towards COX enzymes with inhibition value against COX-1 (IC50 = 49.86 ± 1.784 μg/mL) and COX-2 (IC50 = 12.64 ± 0.463 μg/mL) which were less than the well-known Celecoxib (22.65 ± 0.081 and 0.789 ± 0.029 μg/mL) and Indomethacin (0.035 ± 0.001 and 0.08 ± 0.003 μg/mL) inhibitors. The selectivity index SI = 3.94 for tested nanocomposites indicated higher selectivity for COX-1. The cytotoxicity of the Cs-SB-Se nanocomposite was evaluated in Vero cells (CCL-81) and it showed that at a concentration of 62.5 μg/mL, cell viability was 85.43 %.

Helicobacter pylori infection in humans and phytotherapy, probiotics, and emerging therapeutic interventions: a review

The global prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection remains high, indicating a persistent presence of this pathogenic bacterium capable of infecting humans. This review summarizes the population demographics, transmission routes, as well as conventional and novel therapeutic approaches for H. pylori infection. The prevalence of H. pylori infection exceeds 30% in numerous countries worldwide and can be transmitted through interpersonal and zoonotic routes. Cytotoxin-related gene A (CagA) and vacuolar cytotoxin A (VacA) are the main virulence factors of H. pylori, contributing to its steep global infection rate. Preventative measures should be taken from people's living habits and dietary factors to reduce H. pylori infection. Phytotherapy, probiotics therapies and some emerging therapies have emerged as alternative treatments for H. pylori infection, addressing the issue of elevated antibiotic resistance rates. Plant extracts primarily target urease activity and adhesion activity to treat H. pylori, while probiotics prevent H. pylori infection through both immune and non-immune pathways. In the future, the primary research focus will be on combining multiple treatment methods to effectively eradicate H. pylori infection.

Correlation between secondary metabolites of Iris confusa Sealy and Iris pseudacorus L. and their newly explored antiprotozoal potentials

BACKGROUND

In the last few decades, the use of plant extracts and their phytochemicals as candidates for the management of parasitic diseases has increased tremendously. Irises are aromatic and medicinal plants that have long been employed in the treatment of different infectious diseases by traditional healers in many cultures. This study aims to explore the potential of three common Iris species (I. confusa Sealy, I. pseudacorus L. and I. germanica L.) against infectious diseases. Their in vitro antiprotozoal potency against Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei brucei, T. b. rhodesiense, T. cruzi and Leishmania infantum beside their cytotoxicity on MRC-5 fibroblasts and primary peritoneal murine macrophages were examined.

METHODS

The secondary metabolites of the tested extracts were characterized by UPLC-HRMS/MS and Pearsons correlation was used to correlate them with the antiprotozoal activity.

RESULTS

Overall, the non-polar fractions (NPF) showed a significant antiprotozoal activity (score: sc 2 to 5) in contrast to the polar fractions (PF). I. confusa NPF was the most active extract against P. falciparum [IC50 of 1.08 μg/mL, selectivity index (S.I. 26.11) and sc 5] and L. infantum (IC50 of 12.7 μg/mL, S.I. 2.22 and sc 2). I. pseudacorus NPF was the most potent fraction against T. b. rhodesiense (IC50 of 8.17 μg/mL, S.I. 3.67 and sc 3). Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol glycolipid (18:3/18:3), triaceylglycerol (18:2/18:2/18:3), oleic acid, and triterpenoid irridals (spirioiridoconfal C and iso-iridobelamal A) were the top positively correlated metabolites with antiplasmodium and antileishmanial activities of I. confusa NPF. Tumulosic acid, ceramide sphingolipids, corosolic, maslinic, moreollic acids, pheophytin a, triaceylglycerols, mono- and digalactosyldiacylglycerols, phosphatidylglycerol (22:6/18:3), phosphatidylcholines (18:1/18:2), and triterpenoid irridal iso-iridobelamal A, were highly correlated to I. pseudacorus NPF anti- T. b. rhodesiense activity. The ADME study revealed proper drug likeness properties for certain highly corelated secondary metabolites.

CONCLUSION

This study is the sole map correlating I. confusa and I. pseudacorus secondary metabolites to their newly explored antiprotozoal activity.

Eucalyptus torquata L. flowers: a comprehensive study reporting their metabolites profiling and anti-gouty arthritis potential

Gouty arthritis is one of the most common metabolic disorders affecting people. Plant based drugs can lower the risk of this health disorder. The anti-gouty potential of Eucalyptus torquata flowers methanol extract (ETME) was evaluated in vitro via measuring the inhibitory effects of five pro-inflammatory enzymes; xanthine oxidase (XO), hyaluronidase, lipoxygenase (5-LOX), cyclooxygenases COX-1, and COX-2, in addition to evaluating the inhibition of histamine release, albumin denaturation, membrane stabilization, tyrosinase, and protease inhibitory activities. Also, its antioxidant potential was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging assays and ferric reducing power assay (FRAP). HPLC-PDA-MS/MS was used to identify the metabolites in the tested extract. The latter exhibited substantial anti-arthritic properties in all assays with comparable potential to the corresponding reference drugs. HPLC-MS/MS analysis of this bioactive extract tentatively annotated 46 metabolites including phloroglucinols, gallic and ellagic acids derivatives, terpenes, flavonoids, fatty acids, and miscellaneous metabolites. Our study highlights the medicinal importance of E. torquata as an anti-gouty candidate and opens new avenues of gouty management.

Genome assembly of the bearded iris, Iris pallida Lam

Irises are perennial plants, representing a large genus with hundreds of species. While cultivated extensively for their ornamental value, commercial interest in irises lies in the secondary metabolites present in their rhizomes. The Dalmatian Iris (Iris pallida Lam.) is an ornamental plant that also produces secondary metabolites with potential value to the fragrance and pharmaceutical industries. In addition to providing base notes for the fragrance industry, iris tissues and extracts possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. However, study of these secondary metabolites has been hampered by a lack of genomic information, requiring difficult extraction and analysis techniques. Here, we report the genome sequence of Iris pallida Lam., generated with Pacific Bioscience long-read sequencing, resulting in a 10.04-Gbp assembly with a scaffold N50 of 14.34 Mbp and 91.8% complete BUSCOs. This reference genome will allow researchers to study the biosynthesis of these secondary metabolites in much greater detail, opening new avenues of investigation for drug discovery and fragrance formulations.

Natural compounds as possible anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic agents: an in-vitro and in-silico study

WHO declared severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2' (SARS-CoV-2) was global health emergency since 2020. In our study eighteen natural compounds were investigated for possible anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential, where the most potent natural compounds were ursolic acid and dioscin with IC50 value of 4.49 µg/mL and 7.11 µg/mL, respectively. Hesperidin, catechin, diosmin, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside and hyperoside showed medium antiviral activity with IC50 value of 20.87, 22.57, 38.92, 39.62 and 47.10 µg/mL, respectively. Molecular modelling studies including docking study and predictive ADME study were performed on all tested molecules. Their binding energies after docking were calculated and their orientations at the active sites of both SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) and spike (S) receptors were visualised and compared to the downloaded ligands. Also, the predictive ADME studies showed good pharmacokinetic properties of most of the tested compounds. The obtained in silico results obtained confirmed that many of the tested compounds are promising SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors.

The Potential of Alternative Therapies and Vaccine Candidates against Helicobacter pylori

Alternative therapies and vaccination are essential to combat the emergence of multidrug-resistant Helicobacter pylori and to prevent the development of gastroduodenal diseases. This review aimed to systematically review recent studies on alternative therapies, i.e., probiotics, nanoparticles, and natural products from plants, as well as recent progress in H. pylori vaccines at the preclinical stage. Articles published from January 2018 to August 2022 were systematically searched using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Medline. After the screening process, 45 articles were eligible for inclusion in this review. Probiotics (n = 9 studies) and natural products from plants (n = 28 studies) were observed to inhibit the growth of H. pylori, improve immune response, reduce inflammation, and reduce the pathogenic effects of H. pylori virulence factors. Natural products from plants also showed anti-biofilm activity against H. pylori. However, clinical trials of natural products from plants and probiotics are still lacking. A paucity of data assessing the nanoparticle activity of N-acylhomoserine lactonase-stabilized silver against H. pylori was observed. Nonetheless, one nanoparticle study showed anti-biofilm activity against H. pylori. Promising results of H. pylori vaccine candidates (n = 7) were observed at preclinical stage, including elicitation of a humoral and mucosal immune response. Furthermore, the application of new vaccine technology including multi-epitope and vector-based vaccines using bacteria was investigated at the preclinical stage. Taken together, probiotics, natural products from plants, and nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial activity against H. pylori. New vaccine technology shows promising results against H. pylori.

Ferocactus herrerae Fruits: Nutritional Significance, Phytochemical Profiling, and Biological Potentials

The current study reports for the first time the nutritional, fruit volatiles, phytochemical, and biological characteristics of Ferocactus herrerae J. G. Ortega fruits. The nutritional analysis revealed that carbohydrate (20.6%) was the most abundant nutrient followed by dietary fibers (11.8%), lipids (0.9%), and proteins (0.8%). It was rich in vitamins, minerals, essential, and non-essential amino acids. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the headspace-extracted volatiles showed that 3-methyl octadecane (35.72 ± 2.38%) was the major constituent detected. Spectrophotometric determination of total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the fruit methanolic extract (ME) showed high total phenolic [9.17 ± 0.87 mg/g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)] and flavonoid [4.99 ± 0.23 mg/g quercetin equivalent (QE)] contents. The ME was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet (HPLC-UV), which allowed for both qualitative and quantitative estimation of 16 phenolic compounds. Caffeic acid was the major phenolic acid identified [45.03 ± 0.45 mg/100 g dried powdered fruits (DW)] while quercitrin (52.65 ± 0.31 mg/100 g DW), was the major flavonoid detected. In-vitro assessment of the antioxidant capacities of the ME revealed pronounced activity using three comparative methods; 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (132.06 ± 2.1 μM Trolox equivalent (TE) /g), 2,2'-azino-di(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), (241.1 ± 5.03 uM TE/g), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (258.9 ± 1.75 uM TE/g). Besides, remarkable anti-inflammatory [COX-1 (IC₅₀ = 20.2 ± 1.1 μg/mL) and COX-2 (IC₅₀ = 9.8 ± 0.64 μg/mL)] and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory (IC₅₀ = 1.01 ± 0.39 mg/mL) activities were observed. Finally, our results revealed that these fruits could be used effectively as functional foods and nutraceuticals suggesting an increase in their propagation.