Podophyllotoxin, along with its various derivatives and congeners are widely recognized as broad-spectrum pharmacologically active compounds. Etoposide, for instance, is the frontline chemotherapeutic drug used against various cancers due to its superior anticancer activity. It has recently been redeveloped for the purpose of treating cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients. Podophyllotoxin and its naturally occurring congeners have low bioavailability and almost all these initially discovered compounds cause systemic toxicity and development of drug resistance. Moreover, the production of synthetic derivatives that could suffice for the clinical limitations of these naturally occurring compounds is not economically feasible. These challenges demanded continuous devotions towards improving the druggability of these drugs and continue to seek structure-optimization strategies. The discovery of renewable sources including microbial origin for podophyllotoxin is another possible approach. This review focuses on the exigency of innovation and research required in the global R&D and pharmaceutical industry for podophyllotoxin and related compounds based on recent scientific findings and market predictions.

Marine bacterial species contribute to a significant part of the oceanic population, which substantially produces biologically effectual moieties having various medical and industrial applications. The use of marine-derived bacterial pigments displays a snowballing effect in recent times, being natural, environmentally safe, and health beneficial compounds. Although isolating marine bacteria is a strenuous task, these are still a compelling subject for researchers, due to their promising avenues for numerous applications. Marine-derived bacterial pigments serve as valuable products in the food, pharmaceutical, textile, and cosmetic industries due to their beneficial attributes, including anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities. Biodegradability and higher environmental compatibility further strengthen the use of marine bio-pigments over artificially acquired colored molecules. Besides that, hazardous effects associated with the consumption of synthetic colors further substantiated the use of marine dyes as color additives in industries as well. This review sheds light on marine bacterial sources of pigmented compounds along with their industrial applicability and therapeutic insights based on the data available in the literature. It also encompasses the need for introducing bacterial bio-pigments in global pigment industry, highlighting their future potential, aiming to contribute to the worldwide economy.

Spike proteins are heavily glycosylated, small protrusions located on the envelops of coronavirus. These proteins are the characteristic morphological features of coronavirus that give the virus family its name, and are alone responsible for the virulence, pathogenicity, and evolving tropism of these viruses. SARS-CoV-2 shows higher affinity towards its target, ACE-2 receptors in human subjects. This affinity is the result of mutations in its spike protein gene – as revealed through genomic sequencing. Being central to the viral structure, SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins and their receptor binding domains are the preferred platforms for vaccine development. The administration of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies is also being employed along with vaccines to accelerate viral shedding. Various expression and purification strategies are discussed in the paper to provide an updated overview of the SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic landscape. The development of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) is still a possible risk linked to the newly developed vaccines and needs to be studied. These challenges demand further research and an innovative approach to expand the therapeutic utility of coronavirus spike proteins.