Sepsis has evolved as an enormous health issue amongst critically ill patients. It is a major risk factor that results in multiple organ failure and shock. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most frequent complications underlying sepsis, which portends a heavy burden of mortality and morbidity. Thus, the present review is aimed to provide an insight into the recent progression in the molecular mechanisms targeting dysregulated immune response and cellular dysfunction involved in the development of sepsis-associated AKI, accentuating the phytoconstituents as eligible candidates for attenuating the onset and progression of sepsis-associated AKI. The pathogenesis of sepsis-mediated AKI entails a complicated mechanism and is likely to involve a distinct constellation of hemodynamic, inflammatory, and immune mechanisms. Novel biomarkers like neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1, procalcitonin, alpha-1-microglobulin, and presepsin can help in a more sensitive diagnosis of sepsis-associated AKI. Many bioactive compounds like curcumin, resveratrol, baicalin, quercetin, and polydatin are reported to play an important role in the prevention and management of sepsis-associated AKI by decreasing serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, cystatin C, lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress, IL-1β, TNF-α, NF-κB, and increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and level of PPARγ. The plant bioactive compounds could be developed into a drug-developing candidate in managing sepsis-mediated acute kidney injury after detailed follow-up studies. Lastly, the gut-kidney axis may be a more promising therapeutic target against the onset of septic AKI, but a deeper understanding of the molecular pathways is still required.

Nanotechnology is gaining significant attention, with numerous biomedical applications. Silver in wound dressings, copper oxide and silver in antibacterial preparations, and zinc oxide nanoparticles as a food and cosmetic ingredient are common examples. However, adverse effects of nanoparticles in humans and the environment from extended exposure at varied concentrations have yet to be established. One of the drawbacks of employing nanoparticles is their tendency to cause oxidative stress, a significant public health concern with life‐threatening consequences. Cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory problems and diabetes are among the oxidative stress‐related disorders. In this context, phytoantioxidant functionalized nanoparticles could be a novel and effective alternative. In addition to performing their intended function, they can protect against oxidative damage. This review was designed by searching through various websites, books, and articles found in PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. To begin with, oxidative stress, its related diseases, and the mechanistic basis of oxidative damage caused by nanoparticles are discussed. One of the main mechanisms of action of nanoparticles was unearthed to be oxidative stress, which limits their use in humans. Secondly, the role of phytoantioxidant functionalized nanoparticles in oxidative damage prevention is critically discussed. The parameters for the characterization of nanoparticles were also discussed. The majority of silver, gold, iron, zinc oxide, and copper nanoparticles produced utilizing various plant extracts were active free radical scavengers. This potential is linked to several surface fabricated phytoconstituents, such as flavonoids and phenols. These phytoantioxidant functionalized nanoparticles could be a better alternative to nanoparticles prepared by other existing approaches.

Rubus ellipticus fruits aqueous extract derived ZnO-nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized through a green synthesis method. The structural, optical, and morphological properties of ZnO-NPs were investigated using XRD, FTIR, UV-vis spectrophotometer, XPS, FESEM, and TEM. The Rietveld refinement confirmed the phase purity of ZnO-NPs with hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure and p-63-mc space group with an average crystallite size of 20 nm. XPS revealed the presence of an oxygen chemisorbed species on the surface of ZnO-NPs. In addition, the nanoparticles exhibited significant in vitro antioxidant activity due to the attachment of the hydroxyl group of the phenols on the surface of the nanoparticles. Among all microbial strains, nanoparticles’ maximum antibacterial and antifungal activity in terms of MIC was observed against Bacillus subtilis (31.2 µg/mL) and Rosellinia necatrix (15.62 µg/mL), respectively. The anticancer activity revealed 52.41% of A549 cells death (IC₅₀: 158.1 ± 1.14 µg/mL) at 200 μg/mL concentration of nanoparticles, whereas photocatalytic activity showed about 17.5% degradation of the methylene blue within 60 min, with a final dye degradation efficiency of 72.7%. All these results suggest the medicinal potential of the synthesized ZnO-NPs and therefore can be recommended for use in wastewater treatment and medicinal purposes by pharmacological industries.

Carissa, a genus of the Apocynaceae family, consists of evergreen species, such as shrubs as well as small trees that are native to Asia, Africa, and Oceania’s subtropical and tropical regions. Most of the Carissa species are traditionally used to treat various diseases, such as chest pain, headaches, gonorrhoea, rheumatism, syphilis, oedema, rabies, stomach pain, hepatitis, cardiac diseases, and asthma. The pharmacological studies on Carissa species revealed its antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, cardioprotective, antipyretic, analgesic, wound healing, anticonvulsant, antiarthritic, adaptogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic activities, thus validating its use in indigenous medicine systems. The review article summarised the comprehensive literature available, including morphology, indigenous uses, bioactive composition, nutraceutical, and pharmacological activities of Carissa species. A total of 155 research papers were cited in this review article. The Carissa fruits are rich in dietary fibre, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamin C, and macro- and micro-elements. A total of 121 compounds (35 polyphenols (flavonoids and phenolic acids), 30 lignans, 41 terpenoids, 7 steroids, 2 coumarins, and 6 cardiac glycosides) have been extracted from C. spinarum, C. carandas, and C. macrocarpa. Among all chemical constituents, lupeol, carissol, naringin, carisssone, scopoletin, carissaeduloside A, D, J, carandinol, sarhamnoloside, carissanol, olivil, carinol, 3β-hydroxyolean-11-en-28,13β-oilde, ursolic acid, and carissone are the key bioactive constituents responsible for pharmacological activities of genus Carissa. The gathered ethnopharmacological information in the review will help to understand the therapeutic relevance of Carissa as well as paving a way for further exploration in the discovery of novel plant-based drugs.

Drug resistance among microbial pathogens and oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species are two of the most challenging global issues. Firstly, drug-resistant pathogens cause several fatalities every year. Secondly aging and a variety of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, are associated with free radical generated oxidative stress. The treatments currently available are limited, ineffective, or less efficient, so there is an immediate need to tackle these issues by looking for new therapies to resolve resistance and neutralize the harmful effects of free radicals. In the 21st century, the best way to save humans from them could be by using plants as well as their bioactive constituents. In this specific context, Jasminum is a major plant genus that is used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine to treat a variety of ailments. The information in this review was gathered from a variety of sources, including books, websites, and databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar. In this review, a total of 14 species of Jasminum have been found to be efficient and effective against a wide variety of microbial pathogens. In addition, 14 species were found to be active free radical scavengers. The review is also focused on the disorders related to oxidative stress, and it was concluded that Jasminum grandiflorum and J. sambac normalized various parameters that were elevated by free radical generation. Alkaloids, flavonoids (rutoside), terpenes, phenols, and iridoid glucosides are among the main phytoconstituents found in various Jasminum species. Furthermore, this review also provides insight into the mechanistic basis of drug resistance, the generation of free radicals, and the role of Jasminum plants in combating resistance and neutralizing free radicals.

SARS-CoV-2 claimed numerous lives and put nations on high alert. The lack of antiviral medications and the small number of approved vaccines, as well as the recurrence of adverse effects, necessitates the development of novel treatment ways to combat COVID-19. In this context, using databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, we gathered information about nanotechnology’s involvement in the prevention, diagnosis and virus-like particle vaccine development. This review revealed that various nanomaterials like gold, polymeric, graphene and poly amino ester with carboxyl group coated magnetic nanoparticles have been explored for the fast detection of SARS-CoV-2. Personal protective equipment fabricated with nanoparticles, such as gloves, masks, clothes, surfactants, and Ag, TiO₂ based disinfectants played an essential role in halting COVID-19 transmission. Nanoparticles are used not only in vaccine delivery, such as lipid nanoparticles mediated transport of mRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but also in the development of vaccine as the virus-like particles elicit an immune response. There are now 18 virus-like particle vaccines in pre-clinical development, with one of them, developed by Novavax, reported being in phase 3 trials. Due to the probability of upcoming COVID-19 waves, and the rise of new diseases, the future relevance of virus-like particles is imperative. Furthermore, psychosocial variables linked to vaccine reluctance constitute a critical problem that must be addressed immediately to avert pandemic.