No abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death. Despite significant advancements in the discovery of medications for the treatment of cancer, these drugs are hindered by applicability and efficacy issues and frequently exhibit major side effects that can further impair patients 'quality of life. Therefore, the development of therapeutically sound anti-cancer medicines derived from natural products has gained prominence in the field of functional foods. Some of these compounds have shown efficacy in the prevention and treatment of cancer as well as low toxicity. Additionally, many recent studies have explored the recycling of agro-industrial waste to create bioactive chemicals. Citrus peels are produced in vast quantities in the food processing sector; due to their abundance of flavonoids, they may be inexpensive sources of protection against several cancers. Citrus is a common type of fruit that contains a variety of nutrients. In particular, the antioxidant chemicals found in citrus peel have been identified as potential cancer-fighting agents. Antioxidant substances such as flavonoids prevent the development of cancer by inhibiting the metastatic cascade, decreasing the mobility of cancer cells in the circulatory system, promoting apoptosis, and suppressing angiogenesis. To explore the most effective uses of citrus peel-derived antioxidants, this review presents background information, an overview of the role of citrus antioxidants in cancer therapy, and a discussion of the key underlying molecular mechanisms.

Aluminum is the most abundant metal that can get admission to the human through several means that include our food, drinking water, cans, drugs, and deodorants, causing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The present study aims to evaluate the role of quercetin nanoemulsion (QCNE) in attenuating neuronal dysfunction in aluminum chloride (AlCl3)-induced experimental AD. All animals were classified into six groups including negative control group (I): received a vehicle; QC group: received intraperitoneal (IP) injection of QC; Alzheimer’s group: received AlCl3 orally; treated group (I): received AlCl3 orally and IP injection of QC; treated group (II): received AlCl3 orally and QC orally; and treated group (III): received AlCl3 orally and IP injection of QCNE. At the end of the experimental period (30 days), the brain was used to study biochemical parameters (measurement of neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine), oxidant/antioxidant parameters (reduced glutathione, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and advanced oxidation protein product), and inflammatory markers (adiponectin, interleukin 1β, and plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha)), while another part was for brain immune-histochemical analysis (study cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2)). Results showed that the mean value of oxidative stress markers was significantly increased in the AD group as well as the inflammatory biomarkers and all the study neurotransmitters, whereas these parameters were attenuated in treated groups, especially those that received QCNE. The immunohistochemistry findings confirm our results. Both approaches (QC and QCNE) succeeded in retracting the negative impact of AlCl3. Meanwhile, the effect of QCNE is more potent in mitigating the impact mediated by AlCl3 in treated animals. In conclusion, the treatment mainly by QCNE has huge potential in protecting against AlCl3-induced neuronal dysfunction, as shown in our results by the elevation of brain antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activities and neurotransmitter levels as well as mending of the histopathological changes in animal models.

Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in the world, and alone, in 2020, almost 2.21 million new cases were diagnosed, with 1.80 million deaths, and are increasing daily. Non-small cell lung (NSCLC) is the primary type of lung cancer, predominantly forms around 80% of cases compared to small cell carcinoma, and about 75% of patients are already in an advanced state when diagnosed. Despite notable advances in early diagnosis and treatment, the five-year survival rate for NSCLC is not encouraging. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the molecular causes of non-small cell lung cancer to create more efficient therapeutic approaches. Lung cancer showed a more significant and persistent binding affinity and energy landscape with the target CDK2 staurosporine and FGF receptor-1. In this study, we have picked two essential target proteins, human cyclin-dependent kinase-2 and Human Protein Kinase CK2 Holoenzyme and screened the entire prepared DrugBank prepared library of 1,55,888 compounds and identified 2-(2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole-1-yl) ethanol (Metralindole) as a major inhibitor. Metralindole has displayed high docking scores of -5.159 Kcal/mol and -5.99 Kcal/mol with good hydrogen bonding and other bonding topologies such as van der Waals force, and ADMET results shown excellent bioavailability, outstanding solubility, no side effects, and toxicity. The molecular dynamics simulation for 100ns in a water medium confirmed the compound's stability and interaction pattern with the lowest deviation and fluctuations. Our in-silico study suggests Metralindole, an experimental compound, can effectively cure lung cancer. Further, the experimental validation of the compound is a must before any prescription.

This study explored the growth efficiency and the intracellular pathways by which Cnicus benedictus extract (CBE) acts. It investigated the antioxidant effects and efficacy of CBE as a fish supplement in attenuation of Aeromonas hydrophila in Oreochromis niloticus fish. Mono-sex Nile tilapia fish (n = 225) were randomly allocated to five groups in triplicate aquaria (n = 3 tanks per group, 15 fish per tank, with 120 L of water per tank) with a daily water exchange rate of 20%. After adaption for 2 weeks and body weight measuring, the experimental groups were fed isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets with different dosages of the ethanolic extract of C. benedictus for 10 weeks. The five groups were identified as the control group (CBE0.0), which was fed on the basal diet, while the second (CBE0.1), the third (CBE0.2), the fourth (CBE0.4), and the fifth (CBE0.6) groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% of C. benedictus extract, respectively. After the 10-week feeding trial was completed, the fish were inoculated with the PCR-identified pathogenic A. hydrophila in a challenge trial which lasted 15 days. A. hydrophila, one of the septicemic bacteria, causes severe economic losses, high mortality rates, and hemorrhages in Nile tilapia and other cultured freshwater fishes worldwide. The CBE was found to significantly increase the body mass, weight gain, and the specific growth rate, as well as the protein efficiency ratio of the fish. Increased survival percentage, accompanied by post challenge lymphocytosis with decreased liver enzyme levels, increased total protein, and improved kidney function markers were also seen. Additionally, CBE supplementation showed significant increases in phagocytic activity, phagocytic index, and lysosomal activity post challenge, accompanied by increases in antioxidant activity and the mRNA expression of cytokines genes hsp70 and tlr7 mRNA. The desirable effects of CBE treatment were confirmed by a histopathological examination of the height of intestinal villi and enterocytes lining the middle intestine and increases in the size of liver cells. We conclude that CBE increases the growth performance and modulates the antioxidant, inflammatory, stress, and immune-related genes in Nile tilapia. Moreover, the dietary inclusion of 0.42–0.47% CBE showed a better protective effect with the A. hydrophila challenge.