Cancer is a hard-to-treat disease with a high reoccurrence rate that affects health and lives globally. The condition has a high occurrence rate and is the second leading cause of mortality after cardiovascular disorders. Increased research and more profound knowledge of the mechanisms contributing to the disease’s onset and progression have led to drug discovery and development. Various drugs are on the market against cancer; however, the drugs face challenges of chemoresistance. The other major problem is the side effects of these drugs. Therefore, using complementary and additional medicines from natural sources is the best strategy to overcome these issues. The naturally occurring phytochemicals are a vast source of novel drugs against various ailments. The modes of action by which phytochemicals show their anti-cancer effects can be the induction of apoptosis, the onset of cell cycle arrest, kinase inhibition, and the blocking of carcinogens. This review aims to describe different phytochemicals, their classification, the role of phytochemicals as anti-cancer agents, the mode of action of phytochemicals, and their role in various types of cancer.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and a significant health concern worldwide. The main threat to the elimination of TB is the development of resistance by MTB to the currently used antibiotics and more extended treatment methods, which is a massive burden on the health care system. As a result, there is an urgent need to identify new, effective therapeutic strategies with fewer adverse effects. The traditional medicines found in South Asia and Africa have a reservoir of medicinal plants and plant-based compounds that are considered another reliable option for human beings to treat various diseases. Abundant research is available for the biotherapeutic potential of naturally occurring compounds in various diseases but has been lagging in the area of TB. Plant-based compounds, or phytoproducts, are being investigated as potential anti-mycobacterial agents by reducing bacterial burden or modulating the immune system, thereby minimizing adverse effects. The efficacy of these phytochemicals has been evaluated through drug delivery using nanoformulations. This review aims to emphasize the value of anti-TB compounds derived from plants and provide a summary of current research on phytochemicals with potential anti-mycobacterial activity against MTB. This article aims to inform readers about the numerous potential herbal treatment options available for combatting TB.

Identifying novel therapeutic agents is a fundamental challenge in contemporary drug development, especially in the context of complex diseases like cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and metabolic syndromes. Here, we present a comprehensive computational study to identify potential inhibitors of SIRT1 (Sirtuin 1), a critical protein involved in various cellular processes and disease pathways. Leveraging the concept of drug repurposing, we employed a multifaceted approach that integrates molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to predict the binding affinities and dynamic behavior of a diverse set of FDA-approved drugs from DrugBank against the SIRT1. Initially, compounds were shortlisted based on their binding affinities and interaction analyses to identify safe and promising binding partners for SIRT1. Among these candidates, Doxercalciferol and Timiperone emerged as potential candidates, displaying notable affinity, efficiency, and specificity towards the binding pocket of SIRT1. Extensive evaluation revealed that these identified compounds boast a range of favorable biological properties and prefer binding to the active site of SIRT1. To delve deeper into the interactions, all-atom MD simulations were conducted for 500 nanoseconds (ns). These simulations assessed the conformational dynamics, stability, and interaction mechanism of the SIRT1-Doxercalciferol and SIRT1-Timiperone complexes. The MD simulations illustrated that the SIRT1-Doxercalciferol and SIRT1-Timiperone complexes maintain stability over a 500 ns trajectory. These insightful outcomes propose that Doxercalciferol and Timiperone hold promise as viable scaffolds for developing potential SIRT1 inhibitors, with implications for tackling complex diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and metabolic syndromes.

In this study, phytochemical analyses of the chloroform extract of Piper betle L. var. haldia and maghai, Piperaceae, leaves led to the isolation of two new phenolic derivatives: 1-n-decanoyl hydroxy-benzoic acid/1-n-decanoyl phenol (H2) and 3-butylphenol (M1) on the basis of spectroscopic data 1D NMR (¹H, ¹³C) and 2D NMR (¹H - ¹H COSY, HMBC) as well as ESI-MS, FT-IR and HR-ESI-MS analyses. Compounds H2 and M1 showed excellent antioxidant DPPH free radical scavenging activity with IC₅₀ values of 10.66 μ/mL and 13.65 μg/mL compared to ascorbic acid as a standard antioxidant with an IC₅₀ value of 2.52 μg/mL. Evaluation of cytotoxic activity against two human oral cancer cell lines (SCC-40 and SCC-29B) showed significant effect with GI₅₀ values of 24.08 and 33.08 μg/mL for compound H2 and 35.03 and 47.06 μg/mL for compound M1, compared to Doxorubicin® as a standard cytotoxic drug with GI₅₀ value of < 10 μg/mL. Graphical Abstract