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Functional plant-based foods (such as fruits, vegetables, and berries) can improve health, have a preventive effect, and diminish the risk of different chronic diseases during in vivo and in vitro studies. Berries contain many phytochemicals, fibers, vitamins, and minerals. The primary phytochemicals in berry fruits are phenolic compounds including flavonoids (anthocyanins, flavonols, flavones, flavanols, flavanones, and isoflavonoids), tannins, and phenolic acids. Since berries have a high concentration of polyphenols, it is possible to use them for treating various diseases pharmacologically by acting on oxidative stress and inflammation, which are often the leading causes of diabetes, neurological, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. This review examines commonly consumed berries: blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, black raspberries, and strawberries and their polyphenols as potential medicinal foods (due to the presence of pharmacologically active compounds) in the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and other diseases. Moreover, much attention is paid to the bioavailability of active berry components. Hence, this comprehensive review shows that berries and their bioactive compounds possess medicinal properties and have therapeutic potential. Nevertheless, future clinical trials are required to study and improve the bioavailability of berries’ phenolic compounds and extend the evidence that the active compounds of berries can be used as medicinal foods against various diseases.

Black garlic (BG) is a form of aged garlic obtained from raw garlic (Allium sativum) via Millard reaction under high temperature (60–90 °C) and humidity (70–90%) for a period of time. Several studies reported higher contents of water-soluble antioxidants compounds (S-allyl cysteine, S-allyl-mercapto cysteine), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, organosulfur compounds, polyphenol, volatile compounds, and products of other Millard reactions compared to fresh garlic after the thermal processing. Recent studies have demonstrated that BG and its bioactive compounds possess a wide range of biological activities and pharmacological properties that preserve and show better efficacy in preventing different types of diseases. Most of these benefits can be attributed to its anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-obesity, hepatoprotection, hypolipidemia, anti-cancer, anti-allergy, immunomodulation, nephroprotection, cardiovascular protection, and neuroprotection. Substantial studies have been conducted on BG and its components against different common human diseases in the last few decades. Still, a lot of research is ongoing to find out the therapeutic effects of BG. Thus, in this review, we summarized the pre-clinical and clinical studies of BG and its bioactive compounds on human health along with diverse bioactivity, a related mode of action, and also future challenges.

Polyphenols are classified as an organic chemical with phenolic units that display an array of biological functions. However, polyphenols have very low bioavailability and stability, which make polyphenols a less bioactive compound. Many researchers have indicated that several factors might affect the efficiency and the metabolism (biotransformation) of various polyphenols, which include the gut microbiota, structure, and physical properties as well as its interactions with other dietary nutrients (macromolecules). Hence, this mini-review covers the two-way interaction between polyphenols and gut microbiota (interplay) and how polyphenols are metabolized (biotransformation) to produce various polyphenolic metabolites. Moreover, the protective effects of numerous polyphenols and their metabolites against various gastrointestinal disorders/diseases including gastritis, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn’s disease (CD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) like celiac disease (CED) are discussed. For this review, the authors chose only a few popular polyphenols (green tea polyphenol, curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin), and a discussion of their proposed mechanism underpinning the gastroprotection was elaborated with a special focus on clinical evidence. Overall, this contribution would help the general population and science community to identify a potent polyphenol with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, prebiotic, and immunomodulatory properties to combat various gut-related diseases or disorders (complementary therapy) along with modified lifestyle pattern and standard gastroprotective drugs. However, the data from clinical trials are much limited and hence many large-scale clinical trials should be performed (with different form/metabolites and dose) to confirm the gastroprotective activity of the above-mentioned polyphenols and their metabolites before recommendation.

Electrolyzed water (EW) is a new type of cleaning and disinfecting agent obtained by means of electrolysis with a dilute sodium chloride solution. It has low cost and harm to the human body and is also friendly to the environment. The anode produces acidic electrolyzed water (AEW), which is mainly used to inhibit bacterial growth and disinfect. The cathode provides basic electrolyzed water (BEW), which is implemented to promote human health. EW is a powerful multifunctional antibacterial agent with a wide range of applications in the medicine, agriculture, and food industry. Studies in vitro and in vivo show that it has an inhibitory effect on pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Therefore, EW is used to prevent chronic diseases, while it has been found to be effective against various kinds of infectious viruses. Animal experiments and clinical trials clearly showed that it accelerates wound healing, and has positive effects in oral health care, anti-obesity, lowering blood sugar, anti-cancer and anti-infectious viral diseases. This review article summarizes the application of EW in treating bacteria and viruses, the prevention of chronic diseases, and health promotion.

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) have emerged as a significant global health crisis, disproportionately affecting the aging population. As longevity increases, the incidence, healthcare costs, and caregiver burden associated with NDs are escalating at an alarming rate. As of recent data, NDs such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are not only significant health burdens but also reflect a complex interplay between socio-economic factors and healthcare systems worldwide. Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis) is a rich source of bioactive compounds that has been used as food and traditional medicine. Gac fruit ameliorates memory deficits, enhances beta amyloid (Aβ)1–42 clearance, and induces neurite outgrowth. In this study, we examined the anti-neurodegenerative and synaptic improvement effect of fresh gac fruit parts extracts (FGPEs) produced from different solvents. Results showed that the 80% ethanol extract of peel (PE-EtOH) and ethyl acetate extract of seed (SE-EtOAc) significantly protected HT-22 cells by attenuating Aβ-induced cell death, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial dysfunction, and synaptic dysfunction. PE-EtOH protected synaptic functions by significantly increasing the postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) and reducing the neurexin 2 mRNA expression. In contrast, SE-EtOAc increased the PSD-95 and neurexin 3 and reduced the neurexin 2 expressions. These findings indicate that PE-EtOH and SE-EtOAc could have great potential in ameliorating Aβ-induced toxicity in an HT-22 cell model.

Dementia is a neurodegenerative condition marked by progressive cognitive decline, which affects people worldwide. Studies on dementia typically continue over years of uncertainty. Different types of dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and vascular dementia, exhibit different pathological features, yet their downstream inflammatory pathways involve similar inflammatory mediators. As an initial trigger, microglial cells and astrocytes become activated by protein aggregates, mutations, or any other cause, and release pro-inflammatory cytokines, which can lead to synaptic dysfunction, neuronal degeneration, and impaired cognitive function. Neuroinflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of all forms of dementia. Despite their distinct neuropathological features, inflammatory processes may coincide at a point and lead to neuronal degeneration and cognitive decline. Recent advancements in neuroimaging techniques and biomarker discovery revealed potential therapeutic targets that may mitigate neuroinflammation. The primary objective of this review is to explore the underlying mechanisms linking neuroinflammation to various types of dementia. This review focuses on shared and distinct neuroinflammatory mechanisms to unravel significant therapeutic strategies for dementia.

Since 2019, COVID-19 has been raging around the world. Respiratory viral infectious diseases such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection are also prevalent, with influenza having the ability to cause seasonal pandemics. While vaccines and antiviral drugs are available to prevent and treat disease, herbal extracts would be another option. This study investigated the inhibitory effects of extracts of Echinacea purpurea (EP) and Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) and the advanced G. lucidum drink (AG) on influenza A/B viruses. To determine whether EP and G. lucidum extracts enhance cell immunity and thus prevent virus infection or act to directly suppress viruses, cell survival and hemagglutination (HA) assays were used in this study. Cells were treated with samples at different concentrations (each sample concentration was tested from the highest non-cytotoxic concentration) and incubated with influenza A/B for 24 h, with the results showing that both G. lucidum and EP extracts and mixtures exhibited the ability to enhance cell survival against viruses. In the HA assay, AG and EP extract showed good inhibitory effect on influenza A/B viruses. All of the samples demonstrated an improvement of the mitochondrial membrane potential and improved resistance to influenza A/B virus infection. EP and G. lucidum extracts at noncytotoxic concentrations increased cell viability, but only AG and EP extract directly decreased influenza virus titers. In conclusion, results indicate the ability of EP and G. lucidum extract to prevent viruses from entering cells by improving cell viability and mitochondrial dysfunction and EP extract showed direct inhibition on viruses and prevented viral infection at post-infection strategy.

Phytochemicals are plant secondary metabolites that show health benefits for humans due to their bioactivity. There is a huge variety of phytochemicals that have already been identified, and these compounds can act as antimicrobial and neuroprotection agents. Due to their anti-microbial activity and neuroprotection, several phytochemicals might have the potency to be used as natural therapeutic agents, especially for Helicobacter pylori infection and neurodegenerative disease, which have become a global health concern nowadays. According to previous research, there are some connections between H. pylori infection and neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer’s disease. Hence, this comprehensive review examines different kinds of phytochemicals from natural sources as potential therapeutic agents to reduce H. pylori infection and improve neurodegenerative disease. An additional large-scale study is needed to establish the connection between H. pylori infection and neurodegenerative disease and how phytochemicals could improve this condition.

Context:Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss: Fr) Karst. (Polyporaceae) is an oriental medicinal fungus, commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating various condition or diseases such as hypertension, hyperglycaemia, hepatitis and cancer.Objective: The current study examines whether triterpenoids and polysaccharide-enriched G. lucidum (GL) influence antioxidation and hepatoprotective efficacy by suppressing oxidative stress.Materials and methods: Forty-two healthy subjects (22 male and 20 female) were recruited and segregated into two groups as experimental or placebo and requested to intake GL (n = 21) or placebo (n = 21) capsule (225 mg; after lunch or dinner) for six consecutive months and vice versa with one month washout period in between. The anthropometric analysis and biochemical assays, as well as abdominal ultrasonic examination were performed.Results: Consumption of GL substantially improved (p < 0.05) the total antioxidant capacity (TEAC; 79.33–84.04), total thiols and glutathione content (6–8.05) in plasma as well as significant (p < 0.05) enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Whereas, the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS; 3.37–2.47), 8-hydroxy-deoxy-guanosine (8-OH-dG; 15.99–11.98) and hepatic marker enzymes (glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase; GOT and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase; GPT) were concomitantly reduced (42 and 27%) on treatment with GL. Furthermore, the abdominal ultrasonic examination in GL subjects displayed a notable alteration on hepatic condition by reversing from mild fatty liver condition (initial) to normal condition.Discussion and Conclusion: The outcome of the present intervention demonstrated the antioxidation, anti-aging and hepatoprotective nature of GL by effectively curbing oxidative stress.

The pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has plunged the world into a major crisis of overwhelming morbidity and mortality and emerged various mutant strains. Patients recovering from SARS-CoV-2 develop post-acute COVID syndrome, commonly known as long COVID (LC), lasting up to 12 weeks or even longer. The mechanism has yet to be clarified. COVID-19 pseudovirus is a suitable model to understand the infection of the COVID-19 virus to cells, which is suitable to see the acute change in cells owing to its one-time infection and inactivation. The ACE2-293T cell infected by COVID-19 pseudovirus was used in this study. After the infection and removal of the pseudovirus, high amounts of ferrous ions were accumulated in mitochondria and then released into the cytosol. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation was formed and caused mitochondrial dysfunction. To evaluate the effect of nutritional strategy on ferrous ion accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction, lactoferrin, Q10 and Echinacea purpurea extract (EPE) were used in this study. Results showed that lactoferrin, Q10 and EPE could improve mitochondrial dysfunction by reducing the accumulation of ferrous ions and ROS in the mitochondria. HPLC analysis showed that EPE contained rich caffeic acid, and it also showed perfect improvement in mitochondrial dysfunction. In conclusion, cells infected with pseudovirus could increase the accumulation of ferrous ions and ROS in mitochondria and be released into the cytosol after removing pseudovirus, thereby causing mitochondrial dysfunction. Lactoferrin, Q10 and EPE were an effective nutritional strategy to suppress ferrous ion accumulation, ROS formation and advanced mitochondrial dysfunction.