Medicinal plants have considerable potential as antimicrobial agents due to the presence of secondary metabolites. This comprehensive overview aims to summarize the classification, morphology, and ethnobotanical uses of Euphorbia neriifolia L. and its derived phytochemicals with the recent updates on the pharmacological properties against emerging infectious diseases, mainly focusing on bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections. The data were collected from electronic databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink by utilizing several keywords like ‘Euphorbia neriifolia’, ‘phytoconstituents’, ‘traditional uses’, ‘ethnopharmacological uses’, ‘infectious diseases’, ‘molecular mechanisms’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘bacterial infection’, ‘viral infection’, etc. The results related to the antimicrobial actions of these plant extracts and their derived phytochemicals were carefully reviewed and summarized. Euphol, monohydroxy triterpene, nerifoliol, taraxerol, β-amyrin, glut-5-(10)-en-1-one, neriifolione, and cycloartenol are the leading secondary metabolites reported in phytochemical investigations. These chemicals have been shown to possess a wide spectrum of biological functions. Different extracts of E. neriifolia exerted antimicrobial activities against various pathogens to different extents. Moreover, major phytoconstituents present in this plant, such as quercetin, rutin, friedelin, taraxerol, epitaraxerol, taraxeryl acetate, 3β-friedelanol, 3β-acetoxy friedelane, 3β-simiarenol, afzelin, 24-methylene cycloarenol, ingenol triacetate, and β-amyrin, showed significant antimicrobial activities against various pathogens that are responsible for emerging infectious diseases. This plant and the phytoconstituents, such as flavonoids, monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, and alkaloids, have been found to have significant antimicrobial properties. The current evidence suggests that they might be used as leads in the development of more effective drugs to treat emerging infectious diseases, including the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The aim of the study was to conduct phytochemical and pharmacological investigations of Wrightia coccinea (Roxb. ex Hornem.) Sims via several in vitro, in vivo, and in silico models. A total of four compounds were identified and isolated from the methanol extract of the bark and the methanol extract of the seed pulp of W. coccinea through successive chromatographic techniques and were characterized as 3β-acetyloxy-olean-12-en-28-ol (1), wrightiadione (2), 22β-hydroxylupeol (3), and β-sitosterol (4) by spectroscopic analysis. The aqueous fraction of the bark and chloroform fraction of the fruits provided the most potent antioxidant capacity (IC₅₀ = 7.22 and 4.5 µg/mL, respectively) in DPPH free radical scavenging assay compared with the standard ascorbic acid (IC₅₀ = 17.45 µg/mL). The methanol bark extract and the methanol fruit coat extract exerted anti-diarrheal activity by inhibiting 74.55 ± 0.67% and 77.78 ± 1.5% (mean ± SEM) of the diarrheal episode in mice, respectively, after four hours of loading the samples. In the hypoglycemic test, the methanol bark extract and the methanol fruit coat extract (400 mg/kg) produced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the blood glucose level in mice. Both doses of the plant extracts (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) used in the study induced a significant (p < 0.05) increase in pain reaction time. The in vitro and in vivo findings were supported by the computational studies. The isolated compounds exhibited higher binding affinity compared with the standard drugs towards the active binding sites of glutathione reductase, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), kappa opioid receptor, glucose transporter 3 (GLUT 3), Mu opioid receptor, and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) proteins due to their potent antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-diarrheal, hypoglycemic, and central and peripheral analgesic properties, respectively. The current findings concluded that W. coccinea might be a potential natural source for managing oxidative stress, diarrhea, hyperglycemia, and pain. Further studies are warranted for extensively phytochemical screening and establishing exact mechanisms of action.

Background: The Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) was the first to be introduced in Bangladesh to fight the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. As this vaccine had shown some side-effects in its clinical trial, we aimed to conduct a study assessing short-term adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) in Bangladesh. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on social and electronic media platforms by delivering an online questionnaire among people who had taken at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The collected data were then analysed to evaluate various parameters related to the AEFIs of the respondents. Results: A total of 626 responses were collected. Of these, 623 were selected based on complete answers and used for the analysis. Most of the respondents were between 30–60 years of age, and 40.4% were female. We found that a total of 8.5% of the total respondents had been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Our survey revealed that out of 623 volunteers, 317 reported various side-effects after taking the vaccine, which is about 50.88% of the total participants. The majority of participants (37.07%, 231/623) reported swelling and pain at the injection site and fever (25.84%, 162/623); these were some of the common localized and generalized symptoms after the COVID-19 vaccine administration. Conclusion: The side-effects reported after receiving the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) are similar to those reported in clinical trials, demonstrating that the vaccines have a safe therapeutic window. Moreover, further research is needed to determine the efficacy of existing vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections or after-infection hospitalization.

This questionnaire-based study sought to investigate the existing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-2019) among Bangladeshi populaces amid the early phases of this outbreak within the country. Among the total respondents (N = 1861), 64.53% were men, and 36% completed a bachelor or higher degree. The average scores (mean ± standard deviation) for knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were 3.69 ± 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.63-3.75; P < .001) out of 5, 1.51 ± 0.65 (95% CI = 1.48-1.54; P < .001) out of 3, and 2.48 ± 0.89 (95% CI = 2.43-2.52; P < .001) out of 4, respectively. Most of the Bangladeshi inhabitants, particularly women and elderly individuals, have not shown good knowledgeable status, reflecting the lack of attitudes and behavioral responses.

The foremost aim of this thermodynamic study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) profiles of linagliptin (LG), rabeprazole sodium (RS), and their 1:1 formed complex by interacting with bovine serum albumin (BSA) at physiological pH 7.4. The molecular interactions of these ligands with the desired biomolecule were substantiated by the spectral quelling of fluorescence intensity of BSA. The fluorescent test and molecular docking revealed that the quenching mechanism was a spontaneous and exothermic static process, and the protein gained its secondary structure due to the interactions. The spectroscopic method was exercised to determine the thermodynamic factors that supported the interactions mediated by van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds. The activation energy of the formed complex was higher than its precursor drugs while interacting with BSA, and the energy transformation profiles were studied by UV‐fluorescence overlaid curves according to Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) theory. The double log plot verified that these ligands bound with protein at a 1:1 ratio, which was confirmed by the approximately estimated values of the binding parameters. The drastically lower value of the binding constant of the formed complex suggested the lower half‐life as well as its triggered elimination rate from the cardiovascular system, which may be an initial indicator of the reduced hypoglycemic property of linagliptin. Moreover, the UV–vis and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopic methods affirmed the conformational changes of the BSA due to drug‐protein complexation and polarity alterations in the microenvironment of disparate chromophores of the biomolecule.

People in Bangladeshi village area have long practice to take plant-based products for their basic health care. Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken (Family: Sapindaceae) is an important folk medicine in Bangladesh, India that has been used to cure a wide variety of human ailments. Here, the crude methanol extract of S. oleosa leaf (MESOL) and its various solvent (Hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, aqueous) fractions were evaluated to determine the level of biological activities by both In vitro and in vivo approaches. The crude methanol extract along with its different solvent fractions was investigated for antioxidant activity by measuring total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging assay. Cytotoxic activity was performed by brine shrimp lethality bioassay method. The blood clot lysis ability was screened using aspirin as standard. In vitro anti-inflammatory test was performed by RBC membrane stabilizing activity. Beside In vitro analysis, tail immersion procedure and formalin-induced writhing test were carried out to evaluate the analgesic activity of the plant extract in mice. In addition, the anti-diarrheal activity was determined by castor oil-induced diarrheal model in mice. The ethyl acetate fraction of S. oleosa showed prominent antioxidant activity by scavenging DPPH radical with an IC50 value of 9.46 μg/ml, possibly due to its highest phenol content (103.23 mg of GAE/g of plant extract). The crude methanol extract revealed significant cytotoxicity towards brine shrimp with an LC50 value of 16.79 μg/ml. The dichloromethane fraction showed moderate blood clot lysis ability (28.93% clot lysis) while the crude methanol extract of S. oleosa leaf produced the highest 74.62% inhibition of hemolysis that was induced by hypotonic solution. During in vivo assay, the crude methanol extract of S. oleosa leaf produced significant (p<0.05) and dose-dependent pain response and anti-diarrheal effect in mice. The present study revealed that Schleichera oleosa possesses significant pharmacological activities. However, additional studies are compulsory to discover the mechanism of action of this plant extract.