Curcuma longa is very well-known medicinal plant not only in the Asian hemisphere but also known across the globe for its therapeutic and medicinal benefits. The active moiety of Curcuma longa is curcumin and has gained importance in various treatments of various disorders such as antibacterial, antiprotozoal, cancer, obesity, diabetics and wound healing applications. Several techniques had been exploited as reported by researchers for increasing the therapeutic potential and its pharmacological activity. Here, the dictum is the new room for the development of physicochemical, as well as biological, studies for the efficacy in target specificity. Here, we discussed nanoformulation techniques, which lend support to upgrade the characters to the curcumin such as enhancing bioavailability, increasing solubility, modifying metabolisms, and target specificity, prolonged circulation, enhanced permeation. Our manuscript tried to seek the attention of the researcher by framing some solutions of some existing troubleshoots of this bioactive component for enhanced applications and making the formulations feasible at an industrial production scale. This manuscript focuses on recent inventions as well, which can further be implemented at the community level.

Breast cancer persists as a diffuse source of cancer despite persistent detection and treatment. Flavonoids, a type of polyphenol, appear to be a productive option in the treatment of breast cancer, because of their capacity to regulate the tumor related functions of class of compounds. Plant polyphenols are flavonoids that appear to exhibit properties which are beneficial for breast cancer therapy. Numerous epidemiologic studies have been performed on the dynamic effect of plant polyphenols in the prevention of breast cancer. There are also subclasses of flavonoids that have antioxidant and anticarcinogenic activity. These can regulate the scavenging activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which help in cell cycle arrest and suppress the uncontrolled division of cancer cells. Numerous studies have also been performed at the population level, one of which reported a connection between cancer risk and intake of dietary flavonoids. Breast cancer appears to show intertumoral heterogeneity with estrogen receptor positive and negative cells. This review describes breast cancer, its various factors, and the function of flavonoids in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, namely, how flavonoids and their subtypes are used in treatment. This review proposes that cancer risk can be reduced, and that cancer can be even cured by improving dietary intake. A large number of studies also suggested that the intake of fruit and vegetables is associated with reduced breast cancer and paper also includes the role and the use of nanodelivery of flavonoids in the healing of breast cancer. In addition, the therapeutic potential of orally administered phyto-bioactive compounds (PBCs) is narrowed because of poor stability and oral bioavailability of compounds in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and solubility also affects bioavailability. In recent years, creative nanotechnology-based approaches have been advised to enhance the activity of PBCs. Nanotechnology also offers the potential to become aware of disease at earlier stages, such as the detection of hidden or unconcealed metastasis colonies in patients diagnosed with lung, colon, prostate, ovarian, and breast cancer. However, nanoformulation-related effects and safety must not be overlooked. This review gives a brief discussion of nanoformulations and the effect of nanotechnology on herbal drugs.

Food insecurity, pollution, and malnutrition are some critical issues tackled by the modern world in the recent era. However, edible mushrooms are nutritionally, economically, and biotechnologically valuable groups of macro fungi. Besides being an essential source of edible food, it is also exploited in pharmacological industries as a potential source of anticancer, antioxidant and immunomodulating agents. Mushrooms are not only a rich nutritional source of functional food all over the world, but also have highly significant bioactive compounds that are considered nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and mycotherapeutics across the globe. However, their cultivation is very low compared to their demand. Its cultivation consents the sustainable management of agro-industrial waste and generates decent income using low inputs. Additionally, the mushroom could also be used for the recirculation of forest waste by acting as a natural decomposer that in turn creates great opportunities for the development of economically miserable developing countries, like Pakistan. Mushroom farming is one of the promising approaches to explore such unwanted agro-waste materials from the environment and ensure food security. Mushroom farming is one of the cheapest sources to overcome the deficiency caused by malnutrition. Interestingly, it supports the local economy by offering more and more livelihood opportunities and significant income sources for local and national trade. The current review article emphasizes the prompt mushroom farming industries in Pakistan that can save lives by providing cheaper nutritional food and rich income sources.

Soil contamination with heavy metals is an emerging concern in the modern era, affecting all forms of life. Pigeon pea is a multi-use shrub with medicinal and nutritional values. On the basis of a randomized complete design, we investigated in the current project the combined cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) effect on plant growth and physio-chemical/medicinal properties of pigeon pea. Three-week-old seedlings were grown in combined Cd and Cu amended soil with increasing metal concentrations (control, 20 + 30 mg/kg, 40 + 60 mg/kg, and 60 + 90 mg/kg) for three months. At high-dose metal cumulative stress (60 + 90 mg/kg), plant shoot and root growth in terms of plant height as well as fresh and dry weight were significantly inhibited in association with decreased photosynthetic attributes (chlorophyll a and b contents, net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO₂ concentrations) and diminished nutrient contents. Cd and Cu at high amounts inflicted oxidative stresses as assessed in elevated lipid peroxidation (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and electrolyte leakage contents. Antioxidant enzyme activities, namely, those of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), were enhanced, along with proline content with increasing metal quantity. Phenolics and flavonoids exhibited a diverse response regarding metal concentration, and their biosynthesis was significantly suppressed at high Cd and Cu cumulative stress. The reduction in secondary metabolites may account for declined medicinal properties of pigeon pea as appraised in reduced antibacterial, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ferric-reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) activities. Our results clearly demonstrate that the exposure of pigeon pea to Cd- and Cu-contaminated soil might affect consumers due to the presence of metals and the negligible efficacy of the herbal products.

Scutellaria (Lamiaceae) comprises over 360 species. Based on its morphological structure of calyx, also known as Skullcap, it is herbaceous by habit and cosmopolitan by habitat. The species of Scutellaria are widely used in local communities as a natural remedy. The genus contributed over three hundred bioactive compounds mainly represented by flavonoids and phenols, chemical ingredients which serve as potential candidates for the therapy of various biological activities. Thus, the current review is an attempt to highlight the biological significance and its correlation to various isolated bioactive ingredients including flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, alkaloids, and steroids. However, flavonoids were the dominant group observed. The findings of the Scutellaria reveal that due to its affluent basis of numerous chemical ingredients it has a diverse range of pharmacological potentials, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifeedant, enzyme inhibition, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic significance. Currently, various bioactive ingredients have been investigated for various biological activities from the genus Scutellaria in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, these data help us to highlight its biomedical application and to isolate the responsible compounds to produce innovative medications as an alternative to synthetic drugs.