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Cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) enzymes play a pivotal role in producing pro-inflammatory eicosanoids, including prostaglandins (PGs) and leukotrienes (LTs), in the inflammation process. Mitragynine is a primary alkaloid contained in the kratom’s leaves and has been reported to show anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing COX-2 mRNA translation to lowering PGs synthesis. In this study, the Kratom’s alkaloid extract containing ~ 46% mitragynine was found to exhibit dual inhibition activity towards COX-2/5-LOX enzymes at concentrations below 25 ppm in the LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. At these levels, no cell toxicity was observed while the cells became death (e.g., 10–46% viability at 50–100 ppm) and only COX-2 inhibition activity was observed after exposed with more than 25 ppm of alkaloid extract. In contrast, the methanolic-crude extract of Kratom’s leaf containing ~ 5% mitragynine showed no inhibition toward COX-2/5-LOX enzymes and did not toxic onto the cells, even after treated at 100 ppm. The alkaloid extract suppressed several antiinflammation parameters, including ROS (64% reduction at 25 ppm), NO (30% reduction at 25 ppm), TNF-α (~ 50% reduction at 25 ppm), and IL-6 production (60% reduction at 6.25 ppm). In silico molecular studies indicated strong binding affinity of Kratom alkaloids to COX-2 and 5-LOX active sites, supporting the Kratom’s alkaloids to have great potential dual inhibition activity towards COX-2/5-LOX enzymes and to be developed as a safer NSAIDs with fewer side effects.

Cancer was the world’s second major cause of death. Several treatments were available, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and surgery. However, they are restricted due to their risk to normal cells, their ability to destroy the immune system, and conferring increased risk of secondary cancer development. Nanotechnology was extensively researched and used in cancer treatment because nanoparticles could play an essential role in drug delivery. Furthermore, nanoparticle drug delivery systems have been shown to help overcome cancer-related drug resistance. Gold nanoparticles have unique physical, chemical, and biological properties, making them suitable candidates for non-toxic drug carriers. Because of their nanorange size, surface modifications of gold nanoparticles could improve their stability, minimize nanoparticle aggregation, and enhance attachment to anti-cancer agents and target cells, further increasing their ability to penetrate cell membranes and reduce toxicity. This review aims to discuss the current research in targeting drug delivery for anti-cancer agents using gold nanoparticles. By conducting a literature search through the PubMed and Scopus database up to April 2022 using the term gold nanoparticles, targeted drug delivery, chemotherapy, gene therapy, and cancer, this review summarized report on the implementation of gold nanoparticles for targeted drug-delivery systems for cancer therapeutics. The targeting ligands included folic acid, aptamers, hyaluronic acid, glutathione, peptides, and antibodies. According to the findings of studies, implementing gold nanoparticles as nanocarriers significantly improves drug delivery of anti-cancer agents to cancer cells without affecting other untargeted cells. Enhanced cell uptake, increase in drug toxicity, inhibition of tumor growth, and selective drug target are also reported to be the advantages of gold nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery carriers.

Andrographispaniculata (Burm.f.) Nees has been used as a traditional medicine in Asian countries, especially China, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. This herbaceous plant extract contains active compounds with multiple biological activities against various diseases, including the flu, colds, fever, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. Several isolated compounds from A. paniculata, such as andrographolide and its analogs, have attracted much interest for their potential treatment against several virus infections, including SARS-CoV-2. The mechanisms of action in inhibiting viral infections can be categorized into several types, including regulating the viral entry stage, gene replication, and the formation of mature functional proteins. The efficacy of andrographolide as an antiviral candidate was further investigated since the phytoconstituents of A. paniculata exhibit various physicochemical characteristics, including low solubility and low bioavailability. A discussion on the delivery systems of these active compounds could accelerate their development for commercial applications as antiviral drugs. This study critically reviewed the current antiviral development based on andrographolide and its derivative compounds, especially on their mechanism of action as antiviral drugs and drug delivery systems.

Plastics are very widely used worldwide, and most of these are not degradable, resulting in global environmental concerns. Plastic usage is growing faster than it did in the past, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak. Global plastic waste associated solely with this pandemic was estimated to be 8.4 ± 1.4 million tons in 2021, exacerbating the existing global burden of plastic, estimated at 9 billion tons produced up to 2017. Some insects can break down plastic polymers, and their intestinal microorganisms play an important role in the process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biodegradation of several types of plastics by yellow mealworms ( larvae) and identify the intestinal bacteria engaged in the process. In this study, a total of 140 g of mealworms (±1,050 individuals) were divided into seven groups consisting of approximately 150 larvae, and assigned to different plastic feeding conditions, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for 30 days. The consumption rate of plastic, mealworm total live biomass retention, and the life cycle of mealworms were observed. The gut microorganisms of mealworms with the highest rate of plastic consumption were isolated and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Their potential for plastic degradation was assessed by testing their capability to grow in a minimal medium with PVC film serving as the sole carbon source. After a month, PVC was consumed by mealworms more than other plastic sources, as evidenced by their regular life cycle and total live biomass retention (94.8702 ± 2.4278%). A bacterial strain (MG06) with potential PVC-degrading capability was isolated from the guts of the mealworms and was identified as based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The strain demonstrated PVC-dependent growth and survival, indicating its potential to utilize PVC as a carbon source. To the best of our knowledge, no information regarding concerning plastic degradation has been disclosed. This work reports the first evidence suggesting that this bacterium species may contribute to the biodegradation of PVC.

Antibiotic-resistant strains are a global health-threatening problem. Drug-resistant microbes have compromised the control of infectious diseases. Therefore, the search for a novel class of antibiotic drugs is necessary. Streptomycetes have been described as the richest source of bioactive compounds, including antibiotics. This study was aimed to characterize the antibacterial compounds of Streptomyces sp. PJ85 isolated from dry dipterocarp forest soil in Northeast Thailand. The 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic analysis showed that PJ85 possessed a high similarity to Streptomyces actinomycinicus RCU-197T of 98.90%. The PJ85 strain was shown to produce antibacterial compounds that were active against Gram-positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The active compounds of PJ85 were extracted and purified using silica gel column chromatography. Two active antibacterial compounds, compound 1 and compound PJ85_F39, were purified and characterized with spectroscopy, including liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Compound 1 was identified as actinomycin D, and compound PJ85_F39 was identified as dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the purification and characterization of the antibacterial compounds of S. actinomycinicus.

In recent years fifteen 5,6-dihydro-α-pyrone derivatives, bearing either a distinctive cyclopropane or furan ring and named brevipolides A–O ( 1 – 15 ), have been isolated from the invasive plant Hyptis brevipes Poit. Their fascinating structural features, and the potent biological activities, including cytotoxicity against an array of human cancer cell lines and inhibition of the chemokine receptor CCR5, make them attractive synthetic targets. This review article highlights the recent synthetic methodologies and briefly summarizes their biological activities.

Over recent decades, nanomedicine has played an important role in the enhancement of therapeutic outcomes compared to those of conventional therapy. At the same time, nanoparticle drug delivery systems offer a significant reduction in side effects of treatments by lowering the off-target biodistribution of the active pharmaceutical ingredients. Cancer nanomedicine represents the most extensively studied nanotechnology application in the field of pharmaceutics and pharmacology since the first nanodrug for cancer treatment, liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil ® ), has been approved by the FDA. The advancement of cancer nanomedicine and its enormous technological success also included various other target diseases, including hepatic fibrosis. This confirms the versatility of nanomedicine for improving therapeutic activity. In this review, we summarize recent updates of nanomedicine platforms for improving therapeutic efficacy regarding liver fibrosis. We first emphasize the challenges of conventional drugs for penetrating the biological barriers of the liver. After that, we highlight design principles of nanocarriers for achieving improved drug delivery of antifibrosis drugs through passive and active targeting strategies.

Tocotrienol is a subfamily of natural vitamin E with multiple biological activities, including antioxidants, antiproliferative, proapoptotic, antiangiogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Despite numerous biological activities, the application of tocotrienol is hampered by its poor solubility, resulting in low bioavailability, and in turn, limits its therapeutic effectivity. To address these limitations, the present study focuses on the development of tocotrienol nanoemulsion, followed by an in vitro anticancer evaluation of the formula. The tocotrienol nanoemulsion was prepared by a combination of high-speed homogenization with ultrasonication, using food-grade canola oil and Tween 80 as oil phases and surfactants, respectively. The formulated nanoemulsion observed an encapsulation efficiency of 90.26% with particle size and zeta potential of 145 ± 0.06 nm and −25.27 ± 0.01 mV, respectively. The FTIR spectra show no interference between the active compounds and the excipients, indicating that tocotrienol was successfully loaded into the nanoemulsion. Besides, the tocotrienol nanoemulsions demonstrated higher antioxidant ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging activity than the free form of tocotrienol at the same concentration (p < 0.05). In the in vitro cytotoxicity studies, there was a decrease in cell viability observed against MCF-7 breast and A549 lung cancer cell lines for tocotrienol nanoemulsion. Overall, it suggests that nanoemulsion-based natural component delivery systems have substantial implications in developing and designing encapsulated biologically active systems. The potent cytotoxicity of tocotrienol-loaded nanoemulsion under aqueous phases provides insight into the development of nanoemulsion systems for enhancing the bioavailability and activity of tocotrienol as well as other lipophilic compounds in water systems, particularly for anticancer therapeutic.

This study aimed to synthesize AuNPs utilizing Centella asiatica leaf extract as a bioreductor of Au 3+ to Au 0 for cosmeceutical uses. The green synthesis approach was chosen for this study due to its various advantages, including its simplicity, eco-friendliness, and low cost. In this work, multiple pHs (acid, neutral, and alkaline), temperatures (25, 37, 50, and 70 °C), and plant concentrations (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10%) were utilized to optimize the synthesis process. The results showed that the suitable conditions for synthesizing AuNPs were at 70 °C, pH 7, and 4% concentration of C. asiatica extract. The UV–Vis spectra identified an SPR with a maximum wavelength of 526 nm, indicating the SPR spectra of AuNPs. SEM, EDX, TEM, FTIR, and XRD were used to characterize the synthesized AuNPs. The chemical elements comprised 13.6% Au and had spherical, rod, triangular, and hexagonal shapes. The AuNPs form a crystallinity profile based on the Bragg reflection of gold nanocrystals. The study was extended by examining anti-aging efficiency using stability, moisture retention, glycation, antioxidant, and cytotoxicity assay. AuNPs exhibit good stability since they do not change the SPR and zeta potential value after the stability test. The percentage inhibition value of AuNPs for the glycation assay was 95.30 + 3.51%. Moreover, the AuNPs do not exhibit cytotoxic activity at various concentrations from 6.25 to 100 μg/mL in NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. These findings suggest that the AuNPs synthesized utilizing C. asiatica could be a promising candidate for cosmetic components with anti-aging properties.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health challenge, as current therapeutic strategies, albeit effective, require prolonged treatment durations and strict patient adherence. This often results in treatment failure and contributes to the growing issue of antibiotic resistance. To address these challenges, extensive research has focused on innovative drug delivery systems to improve bioavailability, enhance site-specific targeting, and overcome the limitations of conventional TB treatment. In this review, we summarise recent advancements in solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), and functionalized lipid nanoparticles for TB treatment. A literature review was conducted focusing on the pathophysiology of TB, and efficacy, and toxicity of lipid nanoparticles, and recent advancements in lipid nanoparticles for anti-TB drug delivery to the lungs. Studies demonstrated lipid nanoparticles significantly improve the solubility, stability, and targeted delivery of anti-TB drugs to infected macrophages. Rifampicin-loaded NLCs exhibited over 90% drug release sustained over 7 days and remained physically stable for up to 6 months. Mannose-functionalized NLCs showed around 70% macrophage uptake, doubling the rate of non-functionalized systems. studies on isoniazid-loaded SLNs reported a 3-fold increase in LD₅₀ and a> 26-fold enhancement in bioavailability. Mannosylated clofazimine-NLCs exhibited prolonged lung retention and significantly reduced hepatic and renal toxicity. These quantitative improvements highlight the potential of lipid-based systems to outperform conventional formulations in both efficacy and safety. These advancements demonstrate strong potential for clinical translation, offering a more effective and patient-friendly approach to TB treatment.