Honey is considered to be a functional food with health-promoting properties. However, its potential health benefits can be affected by individual composition that varies between honey types. Although studies describing the health benefits of Tualang honey (TH), Kelulut honey (KH), and Sidr honey (SH) are scarce, these honey types showed a comparable therapeutic efficacy to Manuka honey (MH). The purpose of this review is to characterise the physicochemical, biological, and therapeutic properties of TH, KH, and SH. Findings showed that these honeys have antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiobesity, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties and effects on the cardiovascular system, nervous system, and respiratory system. The physicochemical characteristics of TH, KH, and SH were compared with MH and discussed, and results showed that they have high-quality contents and excellent biological activity sources. Flavonoids and polyphenols, which act as antioxidants, are two main bioactive molecules present in honey. The activity of honey depends on the type of bee, sources of nectar, and the geographic region where the bees are established. In conclusion, TH, KH, and SH could be considered as natural therapeutic agents for various medicinal purposes compared with MH. Therefore, TH, KH, and SH have a great potential to be developed for modern medicinal use.

Benzofuran is a heterocyclic compound found naturally in plants and it can also be obtained through synthetic reactions. Multiple physicochemical characteristics and versatile features distinguish benzofuran, and its chemical structure is composed of fused benzene and furan rings. Benzofuran derivatives are essential compounds that hold vital biological activities to design novel therapies with enhanced efficacy compared to conventional treatments. Therefore, medicinal chemists used its core to synthesize new derivatives that can be applied to a variety of disorders. Benzofuran exhibited potential effectiveness in chronic diseases such as hypertension, neurodegenerative and oxidative conditions, and dyslipidemia. In acute infections, benzofuran revealed anti-infective properties against microorganisms like viruses, bacteria, and parasites. In recent years, the complex nature and the number of acquired or resistant cancer cases have been largely increasing. Benzofuran derivatives revealed potential anticancer activity with lower incidence or severity of adverse events normally encountered during chemotherapeutic treatments. This review discusses the structure–activity relationship (SAR) of several benzofuran derivatives in order to elucidate the possible substitution alternatives and structural requirements for a highly potent and selective anticancer activity.

Mitochondrial complex V (ATP synthase) is a remarkable molecular motor crucial in generating ATP and sustaining mitochondrial function. Its importance in cellular metabolism cannot be overstated, as malfunction of ATP synthase has been linked to various pathological conditions. Both natural and synthetic ATP synthase inhibitors have been extensively studied, revealing their inhibitory sites and modes of action. These findings have opened exciting avenues for developing new therapeutics and discovering new pesticides and herbicides to safeguard global food supplies. However, it is essential to remember that these compounds can also adversely affect human and animal health, impacting vital organs such as the nervous system, heart, and kidneys. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of mitochondrial ATP synthase, its structural and functional features, and the most common inhibitors and their potential toxicities.

Cancer is a disorder characterized by an uncontrollable overgrowth and a fast-moving spread of cells from a localized tissue to multiple organs of the body, reaching a metastatic state. Throughout years, complexity of cancer progression and invasion, high prevalence and incidence, as well as the high rise in treatment failure cases leading to a poor patient prognosis accounted for continuous experimental investigations on animals and cellular models, mainly with 2D- and 3D-cell culture. Nowadays, these research models are considered a main asset to reflect the physiological events in many cancer types in terms of cellular characteristics and features, replication and metastatic mechanisms, metabolic pathways, biomarkers expression, and chemotherapeutic agent resistance. In practice, based on research perspective and hypothesis, scientists aim to choose the best model to approach their understanding and to prove their hypothesis. Recently, 3D-cell models are seen to be highly incorporated as a crucial tool for reflecting the true cancer cell microenvironment in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies, in addition to the intensity of anticancer drug response in pharmacogenomics trials. Hence, in this review, we shed light on the unique characteristics of 3D cells favoring its promising usage through a comparative approach with other research models, specifically 2D-cell culture. Plus, we will discuss the importance of 3D models as a direct reflector of the intrinsic cancer cell environment with the newest multiple methods and types available for 3D-cells implementation.