Background: At present, the entire world is in a war against COVID-19 pandemic which has gradually led us toward a more compromised “new normal” life. SARS-CoV-2, the pathogenic microorganism liable for the recent COVID-19 outbreak, is extremely contagious in nature resulting in an unusual number of infections and death globally. The lack of clinically proven therapeutic intervention for COVID-19 has dragged the world’s healthcare system into the biggest challenge. Therefore, development of an efficient treatment scheme is now in great demand. Screening of different biologically active plant-based natural compounds could be a useful strategy for combating this pandemic. In the present research, a collection of 43 flavonoids of 7 different classes with previously recorded antiviral activity was evaluated via computational and bioinformatics tools for their impeding capacity against SARS-CoV-2. In silico drug likeness, pharmacophore and Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicity (ADMET) profile analysis of the finest ligands were carried out using DataWarrior, DruLiTo and admetSAR programs, respectively. Molecular docking was executed by AutoDock Vina, while molecular dynamics simulation of the target protein–ligand bound complexes was done using nanoscalable molecular dynamics and visual molecular dynamics software package. Finally, the molecular target analysis of the selected ligands within Homo sapiens was conducted with SwissTargetPredcition web server. Results: Out of the forty-three flavonoids, luteolin and abyssinone II were found to develop successful docked complex within the binding sites of target proteins in terms of lowest binding free energy and inhibition constant. The root mean square deviation and root mean square fluctuation values of the docked complex displayed stable interaction and efficient binding between the ligands and target proteins. Both of the flavonoids were found to be safe for human use and possessed good drug likeness properties and target accuracy. Conclusions: Conclusively, the current study proposes that luteolin and abyssinone II might act as potential therapeutic candidates for SARS-CoV-2 infection. In vivo and in vitro experiments, however, should be taken under consideration to determine the efficiency and to demonstrate the mechanism of action.

Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Chemotherapeutic drugs have become a popular choice as anticancer agents. Despite the therapeutic benefits of chemotherapeutic drugs, patients often experience side effects and drug resistance. Biopolymers could be used to overcome some of the limitations of chemotherapeutic drugs, as well as be used either as anticancer agents or drug delivery vehicles. Chitosan is a biocompatible polymer derived from chitin. Chitosan, chitosan derivatives, or chitosan nanoparticles have shown their promise as an anticancer agent. Additionally, functionally modified chitosan can be used to deliver nucleic acids, chemotherapeutic drugs, and anticancer agents. More importantly, chitosan-based drug delivery systems improved the efficacy, potency, cytotoxicity, or biocompatibility of these anticancer agents. In this review, we will investigate the properties of chitosan and chemically tuned chitosan derivatives, and their application in cancer therapy.

Nanotherapeutics has emerged as the most sought after approach to tackle the menace of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. Among others, biogenic silver nanoparticles (bAgNPs) synthesized using medicinal plant extracts demonstrate promising antibacterial propensity with excellent biocompatibility. Herein, bAgNPs were synthesized through the green chemistry approach using Syzygium cymosum leaf extract as a reducing agent at different pH values (i.e., 5, 7, 8, and 10). The average size of bAgNPs synthesized at pH 5, 7, 8, and 10 was 23.3, 21.3, 17.2, and 35.3 nm, respectively, and all the nanoparticles were negatively charged. Their antibacterial potential was investigated against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli DH5α, E. coli K12, enteropathogenic E. coli, and Salmonella typhi. The highest antibacterial activity was exhibited by bAgNPs synthesized at pH 8 against all the tested bacterial strains, which can be attributed to their small size and greater surface area to volume ratio. The bAgNPs demonstrated the highest zone of inhibition (29.5 ± 0.8 mm) against B. subtilis through oxidation of membrane fatty acids that resulted in the formation of the malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid (MDA-TBA) adduct. However, bAgNPs demonstrated excellent hemocompatibility with rat and human red blood cells. Biogenic AgNPs synthesized at pH 8 also exhibited biocompatibility in terms of liver and kidney function biomarkers. Furthermore, hematoxylin and eosin staining of the tissue sections of vital organs (i.e., liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, spleen, and brain) also confirmed the biocompatibility of bAgNPs.

With the background of snowballing threat of skin wound to public health and economy, this study was undertaken utilizing xanthan gum (Xnt), citric acid (C), gelatin (Gel), glutaraldehyde (G) and HPLC-grade water to fabricate a series of composite hydrogels i.e. Xnt, Xnt:C, Xnt:Gel(3):G, Xnt:C:Gel(3):G, Xnt:Gel(5):G, Xnt:C:Gel(5):G for investigating their wound healing efficacy in experimental rat skin wound model. Physicochemical characterization revealed that all the composite hydrogels contained more than 90% water. The hydrogels displayed swelling ability, biodegradability, good polymeric networks and porosity. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) studies confirmed the presence of bound water and free, intra and inter molecular bound hydrogen bonded OH and NH in the hydrogels. All the hydrogels showed significant wound healing potency in experimental deep second degree skin burns in rats compared to controls. 20 days post-application of hydrogels, Xnt:Gel(3):G, Xnt:Gel(5):G and Xnt:C:Gel(5):G-treated wounds showed better recovery compared to other composite hydrogels. We conclude that, Xnt:Gel(3):G, Xnt:Gel(5):G and Xnt:C:Gel(5):G might be effective wound dressing material.