Background and Objectives: The cyanobacterium Spirulina also called blue green algae is a class of gram negative bacteria which possesses wide range of bioactive colored components as Phycocyanin, carotenoids and chlorophyll. Spirulina is one of the microalgae containing nutrients that have been used as a functional food in addition to therapeutic and pharmaceutical applications. This study aimed to evaluate the biochemical composition of Spirulina platensis biomass and its ethanolic and aqueous extracts, as well as, evaluate the antioxidant activities of the biomass, ethanolic, aqueous and the purified Phycocyanin. Materials and Methods: The chemical compositions of Spirulina platensis were determined, as well as the antioxidant activity of extracts, Phycocyanin, Phycocyanopeptide and Phycocyanobilin using (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity. Results: Results show that biomass has higher total proteins (49.72±0.508%), total carbohydrates (10.3±0.330%), moisture content (7.5±0.685%), lipids (7.2±0.105%) and Minerals (6.9±0.130%). In biomass, the total phenols (51.20±0.25 µg/mL) and flavonoids (97.73±1.858 µg/mL) were high compared to the ethanolic (49.48±0.130 and 69.07±1.814 µg/mL) and aqueous (15.27±0.639 and 4.67±0.611 µg/mL) extracts respectively. In the phenolic compounds, pyrogallol was identified as the major compound in biomass and aqueous extract (63.85 and 12.33%) respectively, E-vanillic acid in ethanolic (18.20 %), whereas, hespirdin (3.517 and1.639%) were major flavonoids found in aqueous and ethanolic extracts respectively. The DPPH scavenging activity was found higher in ethanolic extract compared to aqueous while in bioactive, the order of antioxidant activity was Phycocyanin > Phycocyanobilin > Phycocyanopeptide. Conclusions: The study data regarding to Spirulina nutritional value, makes Spirulina an excellent choice when formulating diets and combating malnutrition. Furthermore, it is a strong antioxidant and could be used as alternative treatments as anticancer, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory agent.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of death in men and the fourth in women worldwide and is characterized by deranged cellular energetics. Thymoquinone, an active component from Nigella sativa, has been extensively studied against cancer, however, its role in affecting deregulated cancer metabolism is largely unknown. Further, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is one of the most activated pathways in cancer and its activation is central to most deregulated metabolic pathways for supporting the anabolic needs of growing cancer cells. Herein, we provide evidence that thymoquinone inhibits glycolytic metabolism (Warburg effect) in colorectal cancer cell lines. Further, we show that such an abrogation of deranged cell metabolism was due, at least in part, to the inhibition of the rate-limiting glycolytic enzyme, Hexokinase 2 (HK2), via modulating the PI3/AKT axis. While overexpression of HK2 showed that it is essential for fueling glycolytic metabolism as well as sustaining tumorigenicity, its pharmacologic and/or genetic inhibition led to a reduction in the observed effects. The results decipher HK2 mediated inhibitory effects of thymoquinone in modulating its glycolytic metabolism and antitumor effects. In conclusion, we provide evidence of metabolic perturbation by thymoquinone in CRC cells, highlighting its potential to be used/repurposed as an antimetabolite drug, though the latter needs further validation utilizing other suitable cell and/or preclinical animal models.

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Thus, nanotechnology provides an excellent opportunity to treat drug-resistant microbial infections. Numerous antibiotics have been used to inhibit the growth and kill of microbes, but the development of resistance and the emergence of side effects have severely limited the use of these agents. Due to the development of the nanotechnology, nanoparticles are widely used as antimicrobials. Silver and chitosan nanoparticles have antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties, and many studies confirm the antifungal properties of silver nanoparticles. Nowadays, the use of nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases has developed due to less side effects and also the help of these particles in effective drug delivery to the target tissue. Liposomes are also used as carriers of drug delivery, genes, and modeling of cell membranes in both animals and humans. The ability of these liposomes to encapsulate large amounts of drugs, minimize unwanted side effects, high effectiveness and low toxicity has attracted the interest of researchers. This review article examines recent efforts by researchers to identify and treat infectious diseases using antimicrobial nanoparticles and drug nano-carriers.

The scientific development and economic advances have led to the identification of many pathogenic agents in hospital effluents. Hospital wastewaters are qualitatively similar to municipal wastewaters, with the difference that these wastewaters contain toxic and infectious substances and compounds that can be dangerous for the health of the environment, employees of these centers, and the entire community. Therefore, in the last few years, it has been emphasized that all hospitals and medical and health centers should have a treatment facility for their produced wastewater so that the health of the society and people is not threatened. An issue that is not paid attention to has become one of the environmental problems and concerns of the world today. The present study focused on the investigate hospital wastewater treatment methods and its impact on human health and the environment. In this narrative study, the first literature search was performed with four hundred and twenty-three articles were retrieved based on PubMed, Elsevier, Web of science, Spring, and Google Scholar databases. The results of this study showed that wastewater from hospitals and medical centers can play a significant impress in polluting soil and aquatic environments and spreading infectious diseases. According to the mentioned contents, collection and treatment of hospital wastewater is essential. In addition, if hospital wastewater enters the wastewater collection network without knowing its characteristics or with incomplete treatment and finally enters the municipal wastewater treatment plant. It causes many problems, including disturbing the balance of the biological system of the treatment plant. Purification and disposal of hospital wastewater is considered a vital action based on environmental standards. The results of this study also showed that the treatment methods of this type of hospital wastewater can play a significant role in reducing the spread of diseases caused by hospital wastewater treatment, including infectious diseases. The results of this study can be very useful for politicians, the managers of the Ministry of Energy and Health and the Environmental Organization in choosing the appropriate methods and process to reduce hospital wastewater and increase the efficiency of hospital wastewater treatment plants.

Background: The current study utilizes in silico molecular docking/molecular dynamics to evaluate the binding affinity of apigenin and safranal with 5HT1AR/5HT2AR, followed by assessment of in vivo effects of these compounds on depressive and anxious behavior. Methods: The docking between apigenin and safranal and the 5HT1A and 5HT2A receptors was performed utilizing AutoDock Vina software, while MD and protein-lipid molecular dynamics simulations were executed by AMBER16 software. For in vivo analysis, healthy control (HC), disease control (DC), fluoxetine-, and apigenin-safranal-treated rats were tested for changes in depression and anxiety using the forced swim test (FST) and the elevated plus-maze test (EPMT), respectively. Results: The binding affinity estimations identified the superior interacting capacity of apigenin over safranal for 5HT1A/5HT2A receptors over 200 ns MD simulations. Both compounds exhibit oral bioavailability and absorbance. In the rodent model, there was a significant increase in the overall mobility time in the FST, while in the EPMT, there was a decrease in latency and an increase in the number of entries for the treated and HC rats compared with the DC rats, suggesting a reduction in depressive/anxiety symptoms after treatment. Conclusions: Our analyses suggest apigenin and safranal as prospective medication options to treat depression and anxiety.