Search Results (162)

Background: The aim of this review is to summarize and evaluate the properties of antibacterial polysaccharides for application in dental implantology to identify knowledge gaps and provide new research ideas. Methods: The electronic databases PubMed, Medline, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were used to search for peer-reviewed scientific publications published between 2018 and 2025 that provide insights to answer research questions on the role of antibacterial polysaccharides in combating pathogens in dental implantology without triggering immune reactions and inflammation. Further research questions relate to the efficacy against various dental pathogens and the understanding of the antibacterial mechanism, which may enable the development of functionalized polysaccharides with long-term antibacterial activity. Results: Biomedical implants have revolutionized medicine but also increased the risk of infections. Implant infections are a major problem in implantology and lead to implant failure and replacement. An antibacterial coating could be an excellent strategy to extend the lifespan of implants and improve the quality of the patient’s life. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics poses significant challenges for researchers, forcing them to search for new ways to prevent bacterial infections in implantology. Antibacterial natural polymers have recently received considerable research attention due to their long-term antibacterial activity. Polysaccharides from marine sources, such as chitosan and alginate, or pectin, xanthan, etc., from various plants, appear to be promising biopolymers for such applications in implantology due to their antibacterial activity, biocompatibility, and osteogenic properties. The antibacterial activity of these natural biopolymers depends on their chemical and physical properties. Nanopolysaccharides exhibit higher antibacterial activity than conventional polysaccharides, but their toxicity to human cells must be considered. Their antibacterial activity is based on the disruption of bacterial DNA or RNA synthesis, increased cell wall permeability, membrane disruption, and cytoplasmic leakage. Conclusions: Polysaccharides are a class of natural polymers with a broad spectrum of biological activities. They exhibit antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anticoagulant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral activity. Furthermore, polysaccharides are non-cytotoxic and exhibit good biocompatibility with osteogenic cells. Bactericidal polysaccharides are attractive new antibacterial materials against implant infections and open up new perspectives in implantology. Full article

The resulting plant waste from R. idaeus, P. serotina, P. avium, and P. cerasus exhibits a complex chemical composition, depending on the variety from which it originates, with applications in multiple fields such as the food, pharmaceutical or dermato-cosmetic industry due to the presence of phytochemical compounds such as flavonoids, flavonols, tannins, cyanogenic glycosides, vitamins, aldehyde, and phenolic acids. The aim of this review was to summarize and analyze the most recent and significant data from literature on the importance of plant waste resulting from the pruning process of trees and shrubs, in the context of applying circular economy principles, with a focus on the pharmacological importance (antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antiviral, and antitumoral) of some bioactive compounds identified in these species. Their applicability in various industries is closely linked to both the bioavailability of the final products and the study of their toxicity. The literature indicates that the isolation of these compounds can be carried out using conventional or modern methods, the last ones being favored due to the increased efficiency of the processes, as well as from the perspective of environmental protection. This review increases the attention and perspective of using plant waste as a linked source of pharmaceutical and dermato-cosmetic agents. Full article

The marine seaweed Undaria pinnatifida belongs to the large group of brown macroalgae (Ochrophyta) and is valued both as a nutritious food and a source of pharmaceutical compounds. It has been widely consumed in East Asia as part of the traditional diet and is generally regarded as a “healthy longevity food.” Consequently, it represents one of the most promising natural sources of biomedicinal and bioactive products. This review aims to synthesize current scientific evidence on the pharmacologically active compounds of U. pinnatifida, emphasizing their mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative and chronic diseases. This narrative review is based on a comprehensive literature search of peer-reviewed articles from scientific databases, focusing on studies addressing the pharmacological properties of U. pinnatifida and its major bioactive constituents. Recent research highlights that compounds such as fucoxanthin (a carotenoid), fucosterol (a sterol), fucoidan (a polysaccharide), alginate, and dietary fiber found in U. pinnatifida possess significant potential for developing treatments for conditions including goitre, urinary diseases, scrofula, dropsy, stomach ailments, and hemorrhoids. Moreover, these compounds exhibit remarkable pharmacological properties, including immunomodulation, antitumor, antiviral, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antithrombotic, and antibacterial activities, all with low toxicity and minimal side effects. Additionally, U. pinnatifida shows promise in the treatment or prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as neuropsychiatric conditions like depression, supported by its antioxidant effects against oxidative stress and neuroprotective activities. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have confirmed that U. pinnatifida polysaccharides (UPPs), particularly fucoidans, exhibit significant biological activities. Thus, accumulating evidence positions UPPs as promising therapeutic agents for a variety of diseases. Full article

Propolis is a natural resinous substance produced by honeybees that has many biological activities. For thousands of years, it has been widely used as a dietary supplement and traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and wound-healing properties. Nutritional supplements and foods may interact with drugs both pharmacodynamically and pharmacokinetically, which could raise clinical concerns. Background/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of propolis on the plasma disposition of enrofloxacin and to assess the potential pharmacokinetic interaction in rabbits. Methods: In this study, enrofloxacin was applied per os (20 mg/kg) and IM (10 mg/kg) and with propolis (100 mg resin/kg) administration in four groups of rabbits (each of six individuals). Heparinized blood samples were collected at 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h post-administration. HPLC-FL was used to analyze the plasma concentrations of enrofloxacin and its active metabolite ciprofloxacin following liquid–liquid phase extraction, i.e., protein precipitation with acetonitrile and partitioning with sodium sulfate. Results: The results revealed that propolis coadministration significantly affected the plasma disposition of enrofloxacin and its active metabolite after both per os and intramuscular administration routes. Significantly greater AUC (48.91 ± 11.53 vs. 26.11 ± 12.44 µg.h/mL), as well as longer T_1/2λz (11.75 ± 3.20 vs. 5.93 ± 2.51 h) and MRT (17.26 ± 4.55 vs. 8.96 ± 3.82 h) values of enrofloxacin and its metabolite ciprofloxacin, were observed after the coadministration of propolis compared to enrofloxacin alone following both per os and IM routes in rabbits. Conclusions: The concurrent use of propolis and prescription medications may prolong the half-life (T_1/2λz) and increase the systemic availability of chronically used drugs with narrow therapeutic indices. The repeated use of drugs such as antibiotics, heart medications, and antidepressants, or drugs with a narrow therapeutic index such as antineoplastic and anticoagulant agents, can cause toxic effects by raising blood plasma levels. Considering the varied metabolism of rabbits and humans, further validation of this study may require thorough clinical trials in humans. Full article

Leech therapy is a biotherapeutic approach that has been traditionally used for centuries and is currently being re-evaluated in modern medicine. The efficacy of this treatment is attributed to various bioactive compounds found in leech saliva, which exhibit anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. It has been demonstrated that leech saliva possesses the potential to modulate inflammatory processes and apoptotic mechanisms. In this study, the therapeutic potential of the saliva of Hirudo verbana was evaluated, and its biological and pharmacological effects were comprehensively investigated. The anticancer effects, antioxidant capacity, and anti-inflammatory activity of the crude leech saliva were assessed using human umbilical vein endothelial cells and epithelial ovarian cancer cells. The chemical composition of the saliva was analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, while the protein content was determined by the Bradford assay. Antioxidant activity was measured using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay, inflammatory effects were evaluated by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay, and cell viability was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The findings revealed that crude leech saliva had a minimal effect on healthy cells but showed a selective effect on the viability of ovarian cancer cells. At low concentrations (3.13%), 99.16% of healthy cells remained viable, whereas this rate decreased to 89.25% in cancer cells; at high concentrations (50%), cell viability in cancer cells declined to 63.02%. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis identified compounds such as gibberellic acid and 6-[(4-methoxyphenyl)methoxy]-4,4,5,7,8-pentamethyl-3H-chromen-2-one, which demonstrated high affinity for the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Survivin in molecular docking analyses. In conclusion, the crude leech saliva was confirmed to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. However, further biochemical and clinical research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these biological effects in greater detail. Full article

Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan (UPF), a bioactive sulphated polysaccharide, is widely recognised for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, anticoagulant, antiviral, and immunomodulatory properties. However, the precise mechanisms by which UPF regulates inflammation and neuronal health remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of UPF supplementation on pro-inflammatory cytokines in skeletal muscle, small intestine, and the hypothalamus, as well as plasma cytokine levels. Additionally, a brain proteomic investigation in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) was performed to assess UPF’s impact on neuronal protein expression in mice. A total of 64 C57BL/6J mice were administered either a standard chow or high-fat diet (HFD) with or without UPF (400 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks. In HFD-fed mice, UPF significantly reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) in skeletal muscle, small intestine, and hypothalamus, while also lowering circulating IL-1α and IL-6 levels. Proteomic analysis of the NAc revealed that UPF modulated proteins involved in oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, neurotransmitter regulation, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. In contrast, in chow-fed mice, UPF had no effect on the neuroinflammatory–oxidative stress markers but influenced the abundance of proteins associated with immune response and innate immunity. These findings suggest that UPF modulates stress-response pathways in a diet-dependent manner, supporting its potential neuroprotective role in inflammation-related disorders and brain health. Full article

Viola yedoensis Makino (V. yedoensis), a perennial herb in the Violaceae family, is recognized for its violet flowers and has a longstanding role in ethnomedicine for treating various inflammatory diseases, such as boils, furuncles, carbuncles, and both acute and chronic hepatitis, among others. A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilizing resources including the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Flora of China, Web of Science, PubMed, Baidu Scholar, Google Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). This paper serves as the inaugural comprehensive review of the latest findings regarding the botany, traditional applications, phytochemistry, pharmacological properties, quality control, and prospective uses of V. yedoensis. The objective is to provide a robust foundation for future research and to suggest novel avenues for exploring its potential applications. To date, 162 chemical constituents have been isolated from V. yedoensis, with flavonoids and coumarins identified as particularly abundant. These compounds exhibit promising activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-lung injury, anti-liver injury, anti-bacterial, anti-coagulant, anti-complement, and anti-oxidant properties. Despite considerable advancements in fundamental research on V. yedoensis, further investigations are required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action and to discover additional uncharacterized compounds. This review underscores the plant’s significant development potential, highlighting the necessity for more in-depth exploration. Full article

Background/Objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are at heightened risk of severe COVID-19 due to underlying respiratory impairment, systemic inflammation, and immune dysregulation. This review explores the hematological changes that occur in COPD patients with COVID-19 and their implications for disease progression, prognosis, and clinical management. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of recent peer-reviewed studies from medical databases including Clarivate Analytics, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Results: Hematological alterations, such as lymphopenia, elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), increased D-dimer and fibrinogen levels, inflammatory anemia, and erythrocyte dysfunction, are commonly observed in COPD patients with COVID-19. These changes are linked to immune suppression, hyperinflammation, oxidative stress, and thromboembolic complications. Conclusions: Hematological biomarkers are valuable tools for early risk assessments and guiding treatment strategies in this high-risk population. The regular monitoring of D-dimer, fibrinogen, and NLR is advisable. Prophylactic anticoagulation and immunomodulatory therapies, such as corticosteroids and IL-6 and IL-1 inhibitors, may improve clinical outcomes. Further clinical studies are needed to validate personalized approaches and explore antioxidant-based interventions. Full article

The marine environment, covering over 70% of the Earth’s surface, serves as a reservoir of bioactive molecules, including peptides and proteins. Due to the unique and often extreme marine conditions, these molecules exhibit distinctive structural features and diverse functional properties, making them promising candidates for therapeutic applications. Marine-derived bioactive peptides, typically consisting of 3 to 40 amino acid residues—though most commonly, 2 to 20—are obtained from parent proteins through chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation, or gastrointestinal digestion. Like peptides, protein hydrolysates from collagen, a dominant protein of such materials, play an important role. Peptide bioactivities include antioxidant, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, and anti-cancer effects as well as immunoregulatory and wound-healing activities. These peptides exert their effects through mechanisms such as enzyme inhibition, receptor modulation, and free radical scavenging, among others. Fish, algae, mollusks, crustaceans, microbes, invertebrates, and marine by-products such as skin, bones, and viscera are some of the key marine sources of bioactive proteins and peptides. The advancements in the extraction and purification processes, e.g., enzymatic hydrolysis, ultrafiltration, ion-exchange chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and molecular docking, facilitate easy identification and purification of such bioactive peptides in greater purity and activity. Despite their colossal potential, their production, scale-up, stability, and bioavailability are yet to be enhanced for industrial applications. Additional work needs to be carried out for optimal extraction processes, to unravel the mechanisms of action, and to discover novel marine sources. This review emphasizes the enormous scope of marine-derived peptides and proteins in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and functional food industries, emphasizing their role in health promotion and risk reduction of chronic diseases. Full article

Currently, marine algae are still an under-exploited natural bioresource of bioactive compounds. Seaweeds represent a sustainable source for obtaining bioactive compounds that can be useful for the fabrication of new active products with biomedical benefits and applications as biomedicinals and nutraceuticals. The objective of this review is to highlight scientific papers that identify biocompounds from marine macroalgae and emphasize their benefits. The method used was data analysis to systematize information to identify biocompounds and their various benefits in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and nutraceuticals. The research results demonstrate the multiple uses of seaweeds. As pharmaceuticals, seaweeds are rich sources of bioactive compounds like polysaccharides, protein compounds, pigments, and polyphenols, which have demonstrated various pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticoagulant, and potentially anticarcinogenic effects. Seaweed has gained recognition as a functional food and offers a unique set of compounds that promote body health, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In conclusion, the importance of this review is to expand the possibilities for utilizing natural resources by broadening the areas of research for human health and marine nutraceuticals. Full article

Due to their remarkable biological and pharmacological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, anticoagulant, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties, synthesis of coumarins and their derivatives has attracted considerable attention in research and development among both organic and medicinal chemists. In this paper, we demonstrated for the first time a two-step tandem enzymatic synthesis of coumarin bioamide derivatives through sustainable continuous-flow technology. Salicylaldehyde and dimethyl malonate were firstly reacted to obtain coumarin carboxylate methyl derivatives, which were then reacted with various biogenic amines at 50 °C for about 40 min under the catalysis of lipase TL IM from Thermomyces lanuginosus to obtain coumarin bioamide derivatives in continuous-flow reactors. Reaction parameters such as reaction solvent, reaction catalyst type, reactant ratio, residence time, reaction temperature and comparative experiments with traditional batch process were studied. Ideal product yields (62.7–87.1%) were obtained. Environmentally friendly methanol was applied as the reaction medium. Substantially shorter reaction times as well as a significant increase in the product yield were obtained as compared to the batch process. This innovative approach provides a promising green, efficient and rapid synthesis strategy for pharmaceutical synthesis and further research on novel coumarin bioamide derivatives. Full article

Sericin has been characterized as demonstrating a variety of bioactivities, establishing it as a valuable resource for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. The diverse biological activities of sericin are likely linked to its unique biochemical composition and properties. This study aimed to assess the effect of origin, seasonality, and amino acid composition on the bioactivity of sericin samples from two Portuguese regions compared to commercial sericin. The amino acid profile was analyzed using HPLC-FLD. Moreover, several bioactivities were assessed through in vitro assays, including antiproliferative effects, cell migration, antimicrobial activity, anticoagulant properties, antioxidant capacity, and anti-inflammatory effects. The results obtained in this work revealed that the origin and season affect the sericin amino acid profile. In its pure state, sericin exhibited a low content of free amino acids, with tyrosine being the most abundant (53.42–84.99%). In contrast, hydrolyzed sericin displayed a higher amino acid content dominated by serine (54.05–59.48%). Regarding bioactivities, the sericin tested did not demonstrate antioxidant or anti-inflammatory potential in the conducted tests. Notwithstanding, it showed antiproliferative activity in contact with human tumor cell lines at a minimum concentration of 0.52 mg/mL. Regarding antimicrobial activity, sericin had the capacity to inhibit the growth of the bacteria and fungi tested at concentrations between 5 and 10 mg/mL. Additionally, sericin demonstrated its capacity to prolong the coagulation time in pooled human plasma, indicating a potential anticoagulant activity. In addition, the origin and season also revealed their impact on biological activities, and sericin collected in Bragança in 2021 (S3) and 2022 (S4) demonstrated higher antiproliferative, antibacterial, and anticoagulant potentials. Future studies should focus on optimizing sericin’s bioactivities and elucidating its molecular mechanisms for clinical and therapeutic applications. Full article

Seaweed plays an essential role in the survival of marine life, provides habitats and helps in nutrient recycling. It is rich in valuable nutritious compounds such as pigments, proteins, polysaccharides, minerals, vitamins, omega-rich oils, secondary metabolites, fibers and sterols. Pigments like fucoxanthin and astaxanthin and polysaccharides like laminarin, fucoidan, galactan and ulvan possess immune-modulatory and immune-enhancing properties. Moreover, they show antioxidative, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, anti-obesity, antimicrobial, anticoagulation and anti-aging properties and can prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and cardiovascular diseases. Though seaweed is frequently consumed by Eastern Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea and has gained the attention of Western countries in recent years due to its nutritional properties, its consumption on a global scale is very limited because of a lack of awareness. Thus, to incorporate seaweed into the global diet and to make it familiar as a functional food, issues such as large-scale cultivation, processing, consumer acceptance and the development of seaweed-based food products need to be addressed. This review is intended to give a brief overview of the present status of seaweed, its nutritional value and its bioactive metabolites as functional foods for human health and diseases owing to its immunity-boosting potential. Further, seaweed as a source of sustainable food and its prospects along with its issues are discussed in this review. Full article

Laelia furfuracea is an orchid endemic to Oaxaca, Mexico, used for the treatment of cough and has anticoagulant activity. We aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of the hydroethanolic extract of L. furfuracea leaves and identify its phytochemical compounds. The leaf material was subjected to solid–liquid extraction. Compounds were identified by UPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS/MS. The Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum trichloride methods were used to quantify phenols and flavonoids, respectively. The DPPH method was used to determine the antioxidant activity. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated in a model of carrageenan-induced plantar edema induced in Wistar rats. Compounds tentatively identified in L. furfuracea leaves were malic, citric, succinic, hydroximethylglutaric, azelaic, eucomic, and protocatechuic acids, saponarin, luteolin-7,3′-di-O-glucoside, isoorientin, and vitexin. The contents of total phenols and flavonoids and antioxidant activity were 394.7 ± 0.1 mg EqAG/g, 129.9 ± 0.005 mg EqQ/g, and 84.6 ± 1.4%, respectively. The anti-inflammatory effect of the extract was dose-dependent, where 1000 µg/paw presented a 43.4% reduction in inflammation, similar to naproxen. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of the hydroethanolic extract of Laelia furfuracea leaves was demonstrated. This effect may be due to the synergy between its compounds. This orchid is a potential candidate for future pharmacological research due to its anti-inflammatory activity. Full article

Vitamin C is an organic compound biosynthesized in plants and most vertebrates. Since its discovery, the benefits of vitamin C use in the cure and prevention of various pathologies have been frequently reported, including its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, and immune modulatory properties. Vitamin C plays an important role in collagen synthesis and subsequent scurvy prevention. It is also required in vivo as a cofactor for enzymes involved in carnitine and catecholamine norepinephrine biosynthesis, peptide amidation, and tyrosine catabolism. Moreover, as an enzymatic cofactor, vitamin C is involved in processes of gene transcription and epigenetic regulation. The absence of the synthesis of L-gulono-1,4-lactone oxidase, a key enzyme in the pathway of vitamin C synthesis, is an inborn metabolism error in some fishes and several bird and mammalian species, including humans and non-human primates; it is caused by various changes in the structure of the original GULO gene, making these affected species dependent on external sources of vitamin C. The evolutionary cause of GULO gene pseudogenization remains controversial, as either dietary supplementation or neutral selection is evoked. An evolutionary improvement in the control of redox homeostasis was also considered, as potentially toxic H₂O₂ is generated as a byproduct in the vitamin C biosynthesis pathway. The inactivation of the GULO gene and the subsequent reliance on dietary vitamin C may have broader implications for aging and age-related diseases, as one of the most important actions of vitamin C is as an anti-oxidant. Therefore, an important aim for medical professionals regarding human and animal health should be establishing vitamin C homeostasis in species that are unable to synthesize it themselves, preventing pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases, cognitive decline, and even cancer. Full article