Role of MicroRNAs in Inflammatory Joint Diseases: A Review

Inflammatory arthritis commonly initiates in the soft tissues lining the joint. This lining swells, as do the cells in it and inside the joint fluid, producing chemicals that induce inflammation signs such as heat, redness, and swelling. MicroRNA (miRNA), a subset of non-coding small RNA molecules, post-transcriptionally controls gene expression by targeting their messenger RNA. MiRNAs modulate approximately 1/3 of the human genome with their multiple targets. Recently, they have been extensively studied as key modulators of the innate and adaptive immune systems in diseases such as allergic disorders, types of cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. However, research on the different inflammatory joint diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, Lyme disease, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis, remains in its infancy. This review presents a deeper understanding of miRNA biogenesis and the functions of miRNAs in modulating the immune and inflammatory responses in the above-mentioned inflammatory joint diseases. According to the literature, it has been demonstrated that the development of inflammatory joint disorders is closely related to different miRNAs and their specific regulatory mechanisms. Furthermore, they may present as possible prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for all diseases and may help in developing a therapeutic response. However, further studies are needed to determine whether manipulating miRNAs can influence the development and progression of inflammatory joint disorders.

Mechanistic Insights and Potential Therapeutic Approaches in PolyQ Diseases via Autophagy

Polyglutamine diseases are a group of congenital neurodegenerative diseases categorized with genomic abnormalities in the expansion of CAG triplet repeats in coding regions of specific disease-related genes. Protein aggregates are the toxic hallmark for polyQ diseases and initiate neuronal death. Autophagy is a catabolic process that aids in the removal of damaged organelles or toxic protein aggregates, a process required to maintain cellular homeostasis that has the potential to fight against neurodegenerative diseases, but this pathway gets affected under diseased conditions, as there is a direct impact on autophagy-related gene expression. The increase in the accumulation of autophagy vesicles reported in neurodegenerative diseases was due to an increase in autophagy or may have been due to a decrease in autophagy flux. These reports suggested that there is a contribution of autophagy in the pathology of diseases and regulation in the process of autophagy. It was demonstrated in various disease models of polyQ diseases that autophagy upregulation by using modulators can enhance the dissolution of toxic aggregates and delay disease progression. In this review, interaction of the autophagy pathway with polyQ diseases was analyzed, and a therapeutic approach with autophagy inducing drugs was established for disease pathogenesis.

Biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from Tinosporacordifolia leaves: An effective antibiofilm agent against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 23235

Medicinal plants are long known for their therapeutic applications. Tinospora cordifolia (commonly called gulancha or heart-leaved moonseed plant), a herbaceous creeper widely has been found to have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer properties. However, there remains a dearth of reports regarding its antibiofilm activities. In the present study, the anti-biofilm activities of phytoextractof T. cordifolia and the silver nanoparticles made from this phytoextract were tested against the biofilm of S.taphylococcus aureus, one of the major nosocomial infection-producing bacteria taking tetracycline antibiotic as control. Both phytoextract from the leaves of T. cordifolia, and the biogenic AgNPs from the leaf extract of T. cordifolia, were found successful in reducing the biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus. The biogenic AgNPs formed were characterized by UV- Vis spectroscopy, Field emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE- SEM), and Dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. FE- SEM images showed that the AgNPs were of size ranging between 30 and 50 nm and were stable in nature, as depicted by the zeta potential analyzer. MIC values for phytoextract and AgNPs were found to be 180 mg/mL and 150 μg/mL against S. aureusrespectively. The antibiofilm properties of the AgNPs and phytoextract were analyzed using the CV assay and MTT assay for determining the reduction of biofilms. Reduction in viability count and revival of the S. aureus ATCC 23235 biofilm cells were analyzed followed by the enfeeblement of the EPS matrix to quantify the reduction in the contents of carbohydrates, proteins and eDNA. The SEM analyses clearly indicated that although the phytoextracts could destroy the biofilm network of S. aureuscells yet the biogenicallysynthesizedAgNPs were more effective in biofilm disruption. Fourier Transformed Infrared Radiations (FT- IR) analyses revealed that the AgNPs could bring about more exopolysaccharide (EPS) destruction in comparison to the phytoextract. The antibiofilm activities of AgNPs made from the phytoextract were found to be much more effective than the non-conjugated phytoextract, indicating the future prospect of using such particles for combatting biofilm-mediated infections caused by S aureus.

LC-TOF-MS/MS and GC-MS based phytochemical profiling and evaluation of wound healing activity of Oroxylum Indicum (L.) Kurz (Beka)

Background: Beka (Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz) has been used as a culinary herb and natural remedy by the local communities in Malaysia. The leaf of O. indicum is traditionally used for the treatment of diarrhea, high blood pressure, and improving digestive health. Objectives: The present study was conducted to evaluate the phytochemical constituents and wound healing properties (in vitro and in vivo models) of aqueous and ethanol extracts of O. indicum leaves. Methods: The total phenolic (TPC) and total flavonoid (TFC) contents in the plant extracts were determined by the spectrophotometric methods. Further, the extract was characterized by Liquid Chromatography Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS/MS) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The wound healing activity was assessed using the in vitro scratch wound-healing assay and in vivo excisional wound model. Results: The results show the ethanol leaves extract had the higher TPC (164 mg GAE/g) when compared with the aqueous leaves extract (30 mg gallic acid equivalents/g). The ethanol leaves extract was also found to have higher TFC (101 mg Catechin equivalents/g) than the aqueous leaves extract (76 mg Catechin equivalents/g). The ethanol leaves extract was then used for further chemical analysis. The LC-TOF-MS/MS analysis showed that the leaves extracts of O. indicum contains many important compounds such as Orientin, Chrysin, Pinoquercetin, Cupressuflavone, Puerarin xyloside, Forsythiaside and Paederoside. In GC-MS analysis, 19 compounds were identified in ethanolic leaves extract. The wound healing studies shows that O. indicum has promising wound healing activity by increasing the rate of wound contraction significantly (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study showed that O. indicum leaf contains important phytochemicals and the wound healing potential of the O. indicum extract may probably be as a result of the presence of various phytoconstituents.

Anti-biofilm efficacy of green-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles on oral biofilm: In vitro and in silico study

The development of biofilm on the biotic and abiotic surfaces is the greatest challenge for health care sectors. At present times, oral infection is a common concern among people with an unhealthy lifestyle and most of these biofilms-associated infections are resistant to antibiotics. This has increased a search for the development of alternate therapeutics for eradicating biofilm-associated infection. Nanobiotechnology being an effective way to combat such oral infections may encourage the use of herbal compounds, such as bio-reducing and capping agents. Green-synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NP) by the use of the floral extract of Clitoria ternatea, a traditionally used medicinal plant, showed stability for a longer period of time. The NPs as depicted by the TEM image with a size of 10 nm showed excitation spectra at 360 nm and were found to remain stable for a considerable period of time. It was observed that the NPs were effective in the eradication of the oral biofilm formed by the major tooth attacking bacterial strains namely Porphyromonsas gingivalis and Alcaligenes faecalis, by bringing a considerable reduction in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). It was observed that the viability of the Porphyromonsas gingivalis and Alcaligenes faecalis was reduced by NP treatment to 87.89 ± 0.25% in comparison to that of amoxicillin. The results went in agreement with the findings of modeling performed by the use of response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN). The microscopic studies and FT-IR analysis revealed that there was a considerable reduction in the biofilm after NP treatment. The in silico studies further confirmed that the ZnO NPs showed considerable interactions with the biofilm-forming proteins. Hence, this study showed that ZnO NPs derived from Clitoria ternatea can be used as an effective alternative therapeutic for the treatment of biofilm associated oral infection.

Bioactivity and Pharmacological Potential of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Against Pandemic COVID-19: a Comprehensive Review

A novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), transmitted from person to person, has quickly emerged as the pandemic responsible for the current global health crisis. This infection has been declared a global pandemic, resulting in a concerning number of deaths as well as complications post-infection, primarily among vulnerable groups particularly older people and those with multiple comorbidities. In this article, we review the most recent research on the role of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruits (DPFs) to prevent or treat COVID-19 infection. The mechanisms underlying this preventive or therapeutic effect are also discussed in terms of bioactivity potentials in date palm, e.g., antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and hemolytic potential, as well as prospect against COVID-19 disease and the potential product development. Therefore, it can be concluded that regular consumption of DPFs may be associated with a lower risk of some chronic diseases. Indeed, DPFs have been widely used in folk medicine since ancient times to treat a variety of health conditions, demonstrating the importance of DPFs as a nutraceutical and source of functional nourishment. This comprehensive review aims to summarize the majority of the research on DPFs in terms of nutrient content and biologically active components such as phenolic compounds, with an emphasis on their roles in improving overall health as well as the potential product development to ensure consumers’ satisfaction in a current pandemic situation. In conclusion, DPFs can be given to COVID-19 patients as a safe and effective add-on medication or supplement in addition to routine treatments.

Potent Bioactive Compounds From Seaweed Waste to Combat Cancer Through Bioinformatics Investigation

The seaweed industries generate considerable amounts of waste that must be appropriately managed. This biomass from marine waste is a rich source of high-value bioactive compounds. Thus, this waste can be adequately utilized by recovering the compounds for therapeutic purposes. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are key epigenetic regulators established as one of the most promising targets for cancer chemotherapy. In the present study, our objective is to find the HDAC 2 inhibitor. We performed top-down in silico methodologies to identify potential HDAC 2 inhibitors by screening compounds from edible seaweed waste. One hundred ninety-three (n = 193) compounds from edible seaweeds were initially screened and filtered with drug-likeness properties using SwissADME. After that, the filtered compounds were followed to further evaluate their binding potential with HDAC 2 protein by using Glide high throughput virtual screening (HTVS), standard precision (SP), extra precision (XP), and quantum polarized ligand docking (QPLD). One compound with higher negative binding energy was selected, and to validate the binding mode and stability of the complex, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using Desmond were performed. The complex-binding free energy calculation was performed using molecular mechanics-generalized born surface area (MM-GBSA) calculation. Post-MD simulation analyses such as PCA, DCCM, and free energy landscape were also evaluated. The quantum mechanical and electronic properties of the potential bioactive compounds were assessed using the density functional theory (DFT) study. These findings support the use of marine resources like edible seaweed waste for cancer drug development by using its bioactive compounds. The obtained results encourage further in vitro and in vivo research. Our in silico findings show that the compound has a high binding affinity for the catalytic site of the HDAC 2 protein and has drug-likeness properties, and can be utilized in drug development against cancer.

Engineered Nanotechnology: An Effective Therapeutic Platform for the Chronic Cutaneous Wound

The healing of chronic wound infections, especially cutaneous wounds, involves a complex cascade of events demanding mutual interaction between immunity and other natural host processes. Wound infections are caused by the consortia of microbial species that keep on proliferating and produce various types of virulence factors that cause the development of chronic infections. The mono- or polymicrobial nature of surface wound infections is best characterized by its ability to form biofilm that renders antimicrobial resistance to commonly administered drugs due to poor biofilm matrix permeability. With an increasing incidence of chronic wound biofilm infections, there is an urgent need for non-conventional antimicrobial approaches, such as developing nanomaterials that have intrinsic antimicrobial-antibiofilm properties modulating the biochemical or biophysical parameters in the wound microenvironment in order to cause disruption and removal of biofilms, such as designing nanomaterials as efficient drug-delivery vehicles carrying antibiotics, bioactive compounds, growth factor antioxidants or stem cells reaching the infection sites and having a distinct mechanism of action in comparison to antibiotics—functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) for better incursion through the biofilm matrix. NPs are thought to act by modulating the microbial colonization and biofilm formation in wounds due to their differential particle size, shape, surface charge and composition through alterations in bacterial cell membrane composition, as well as their conductivity, loss of respiratory activity, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitrosation of cysteines of proteins, lipid peroxidation, DNA unwinding and modulation of metabolic pathways. For the treatment of chronic wounds, extensive research is ongoing to explore a variety of nanoplatforms, including metallic and nonmetallic NPs, nanofibers and self-accumulating nanocarriers. As the use of the magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-entrenched pre-designed hydrogel sheet (MPS) is found to enhance wound healing, the bio-nanocomposites consisting of bacterial cellulose and magnetic nanoparticles (magnetite) are now successfully used for the healing of chronic wounds. With the objective of precise targeting, some kinds of “intelligent” nanoparticles are constructed to react according to the required environment, which are later incorporated in the dressings, so that the wound can be treated with nano-impregnated dressing material in situ. For the effective healing of skin wounds, high-expressing, transiently modified stem cells, controlled by nano 3D architectures, have been developed to encourage angiogenesis and tissue regeneration. In order to overcome the challenge of time and dose constraints during drug administration, the approach of combinatorial nano therapy is adopted, whereby AI will help to exploit the full potential of nanomedicine to treat chronic wounds.