The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is used as an embryonic and larval model to perform in vitro experiments and developmental toxicity studies. Zebrafish may be used to determine the toxicity of samples in early screening assays, often in a high-throughput manner. The zebrafish embryotoxicity model is at the leading edge of toxicology research due to the short time required for analyses, transparency of embryos, short life cycle, high fertility, and genetic data similarity. Zebrafish toxicity studies range from assessing the toxicity of bioactive compounds or crude extracts from plants to determining the optimal process. Most of the studied extracts were polar, such as ethanol, methanol, and aqueous solutions, which were used to detect the toxicity and bioactivity. This review examines the latest research using zebrafish as a study model and highlights its power as a tool for detecting toxicity of medicinal plants and its effectiveness at enhancing the understanding of new drug generation. The goal of this review was to develop a link to ethnopharmacological zebrafish studies that can be used by other researchers to conduct future research.

Traditional medical practitioners in Hawaii and Polynesia have used Morinda citrifolia\ud L. (Noni) for centuries to cure or prevent varieties of illnesses. The popularity of M. citrifolia as\ud a dietary supplement, a food functional ingredient, or as a natural health enhancer is increasing\ud throughout the world. M. citrifolia contains phytochemicals that own antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal,\ud antitumor, anthelminthic, analgesic, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing\ud effects. Moreover, the increasing vogue of M. citrifolia has attracted industries to employ it as a part\ud of various products and for wide applications such as a natural source of medicines and chemical\ud reagents as well as a green insecticidal. The wide spread of M. citrifolia in tropical climate of the\ud globe, from USA to Brazil reaching to Tahiti, Malaysia and Australia, contributed in enriching\ud its uses and potentials due to the variation in harvest locations. M. citrifolia parts including fruits,\ud seeds, barks, leaves, and flowers are utilized on their own for individual nutritional and therapeutical\ud values, however, the fruit is considered to contain the most valuable chemical compounds. This\ud review discusses in details the industrial uses and the pharmacological activities of M. citrifolia fruit,\ud seed, leaf and root, along with their isolated phytochemical compounds, through describing the\ud conducted in vitro and in vivo studies as well as clinical data

Recent advances in nanotechnology have contributed tremendously to the development and revolutionizing of drug delivery systems in the field of nanomedicine. In particular, targeting nanoparticles based on biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymers have gained much interest. However, PLGA nanoparticles remain of concern for their effectiveness against cancer cells and their toxicity to normal cells. The aim of this systematic review is to identify a promising targeting PLGA nanoformulation based on the comparison study of their cytotoxicity potency in different cell lines. A literature search was conducted through the databases of Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and SpringerLink. The sources studied were published between 2009 and 2019, and a variety of keywords were utilized. In total, 81 manuscripts that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for analysis based on their cytotoxicity, size, zeta potential, year of publication, type of ligand, active compounds and cell line used. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) for cytotoxicity was the main measurement in this data extraction, and the SI units were standardized to μg mL⁻¹ for a better view of comparison. This systematic review also identified that cytotoxicity potency was inversely proportional to nanoparticle size. The PLGA nanoparticles predominantly exhibited a size of less than 300 nm and absolute zeta potential ∼20 mV. In conclusion, more comprehensive and critical appraisals of pharmacokinetic, pharmacokinetic, toxicokinetic, in vivo and in vitro tests are required for the investigation of the full value of targeting PLGA nanoparticles for cancer treatment.

In the field of medicine, nanomaterials, especially those derived using the green method, offer promise as anti-cancer agents and drug carriers. However, the biosafety of metallic nanoparticles used as anti-cancer agents remains a concern. The goal of this systematic review was to compare the cytotoxicity of different plant-mediated syntheses of metallic nanoparticles based on their potency, therapeutic index, and cancer cell type susceptibility in the hopes of identifying the most promising anti-cancer agents. A literature search of electronic databases including Science Direct, PubMed, Springer Link, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate, was conducted to obtain research articles. Keywords such as biosynthesis, plant synthesis, plant-mediated, metallic nanoparticle, cytotoxicity, and anticancer were used in the literature search. All types of research materials that met the inclusion criteria were included in the study regardless of whether the results were positive, negative, or null. The therapeutic index was used as a safety measure for the studied compound of interest. Data from 76 selected articles were extracted and synthesised. Seventy-two studies reported that the cytotoxicity of plant-mediated synthesis of metallic nanoparticles was time and/or dose-dependent. Biosynthesised silver nanoparticles demonstrated higher cytotoxicity potency compared to gold nanoparticles synthesised by the same plants (Plumbago zeylanica, Commelina nudiflora, and Cassia auriculata) irrespective of the cancer cell type tested. This review also identified a correlation between the nanoparticle size and morphology with the potency of cytotoxicity. Cytotoxicity was found to be inversely proportional to nanoparticle size. The plant-mediated syntheses of metallic nanoparticles were predominantly spherical or quasi-spherical, with the median lethal dose of 1–20 µg/mL. Nanoparticles with other shapes (triangular, hexagonal, and rods) were less potent. Metallic nanoparticles synthesised by Abutilon inducum, Butea monosperma, Gossypium hirsutum, Indoneesiella echioides, and Melia azedarach were acceptably safe as anti-cancer agents, as they had a therapeutic index of >2.0 when tested on both cancer cells and normal human cells. Most plant-mediated syntheses of metallic nanoparticles were found to be cytotoxic, although some were non-cytotoxic. The results from this study suggest a focus on a selected list of potential anti-cancer agents for further investigations of their pharmacodynamic/toxicodynamic and pharmacokinetic/toxicokinetic actions with the goal of reducing the Global Burden of Diseases and the second leading cause of mortality.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that causes candidiasis in humans. In recent years, metabolic pathways in C. albicans have been explored as potential antifungal targets to treat candidiasis. The glyoxylate cycle, which enables C. albicans to survive in nutrient-limited host niches and its. Key enzymes (e.g., isocitrate lyase (ICL1), are particularly attractive antifungal targets for C. albicans. In this study, we used a new screening approach that better reflects the physiological environment that C. albicans cells experience during infection to identify potential inhibitors of ICL. Three compounds (caffeic acid (CAFF), rosmarinic acid (ROS), and apigenin (API)) were found to have antifungal activity against C. albicans when tested under glucose-depleted conditions. We further confirmed the inhibitory potential of these compounds against ICL using the ICL enzyme assay. Lastly, we assessed the bioavailability and toxicity of these compounds using Lipinski's rule-of-five and ADMET analysis.