The present study examined the protective effects of curcuminoid isolates from Curcuma longa against carbon tetrachloride (CCL 4 )-induced hepatic injury in rats. The hepatoprotective effect of the crude extract (150, 300 and 600 mg/kg bw) and curcuminoids (75, 150 and 300 mg bw) was evident by significant increases in the serum antioxidative defence capacities (super oxide dismutase, reduced glutathione, catalase) and reduction in biomarker enzymes of liver integrity (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and alkaline phosphatase) in comparison to the results obtained in the CCL 4 -untreated animals. Some of these parameters were completely restored by pre-treatments with curcuminoids. Similarly, the curcuminoids increases the concentrations of total proteins, albumins and ameliorated histological changes observed in CCL 4 injured rats. Therefore, curcuminoid could be considered a novel candidate for the development of new drug against liver diseases.

Despite the growing scientific interest in finding effective treatment, SARS-CoV-2 virus remains a global major health burden and public health emergency. SARS-CoV main protease (Mpro) also known as chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) is an important protein identified to be vital for SARS-CoV-2 survival. However, to date, there are no clinically approved drugs or antibodies specific for SARS-CoV-2. In the present study, we evaluated the interaction of 3CLpro with azadirachtin-A a bioactive compound from Azadiracta indica using in silico molecular docking study. Our results revealed that Azadiractin A docked well into the binding cavity of 3CLproSARS-CoV-2 with binding affinities ranges between -6.3 and -5.20 kcal/mol, and Pkd of 5.82~6.10 for the ten best binding modes. Azadiractin interacted with the active site of 3CLpro-SARS-CoV-2 by 2 conventional hydrogen bonding to HIS163 and GLU166, C-H interactions with HIS127, and alkyl interaction with PRO168 of the 3CLpro-SARS-CoV-2. We also found that the Azadiractin-A_3CLpro-SARS-CoV-2 complex is stabilized by various Vander wall forces with ASN142, LEU141, PHE140, MET165, GLN189, LEU167, THR190, and ALA191. In conclusion, our results suggested that Azadirachtin-A could be a potential inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 main protease, thus worthy of further preclinical study.

There has been tremendous growth in field of herbal medicine as therapeutic agents. Dennettia tripetala, is known to possess ethnomedicinal properties and has been used for centuries in the Ayurvedic system of medicine for the treatments of various diseases. The present review provides detailed description on the distribution, ethno-medicinal use, phyto-constituents, and biological properties of the plant that justifies its use as a potential therapeutic agent in management of different diseases. The phyto chemical composition of Dennettia tripetala include alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids and cardiac glycosides while it biological activities include antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antihypertensive, anticonvulsant, antitrypanosomal, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties among others. In conclusion, Dennettia tripetala contains various nutritional and phytochemicals compositions that make it valuable for pharmacological purposes.

Despite advancements in diagnostic and standard treatment modalities, cancer survival rate remains disappointing globally. It has however, been recognized that exploring the therapeutic properties of secondary metabolite from natural products may alleviate the problems of drug resistance and toxicity that besiege the conventional therapies, and hence improve the overall prognosis of cancer patient. To this end curcumin, a polyphenolic natural compound has been widely studied for it anticancer activities in in vitro and in vivo models. Computational technology has significantly improved the success rate of drug discovery and development, hence, it has become a widely explore tool in drug candidate identification. In this study we used computational approached to identify 12 genes that are potential druggable candidate for curcumin. The genes identified were found to be enriched in cancer and drug resistance associated signaling pathways. Interestingly, the top 3 identified genes; Microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 (TDP1) were observed to be over expressed in multiple cancer cohorts and were associated with poor prognoses of the patients. Curcumin has good physicochemical, bioavailability and ADMET properties. Importantly, it met the Lipinski's Rule of 5 for drug likeness and thus worthy of further in vitro and in vivo confirmation studies.