Quercetin (QUA), a flavonoid compound, is ubiquitously found in plants and has demonstrated a diverse range of biological activities. The primary objective of the current study is to assess the potential antiemetic properties of QUA using an in vivo and in silico approach. In this experiment, 4-day-old chicks were purchased to induce emesis by orally administering copper sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO₄·5H₂O) at a dose of 50 mg/kg (orally). Domperidone (DOM) (6 mg/kg), Hyoscine (HYS) (21 mg/kg), and Ondansetron (OND) (5 mg/kg) were treated as positive controls (PCs), and distilled water and a trace amount of Tween 80 mixture was employed as a negative control (NC). QUA was given orally at two distinct doses (25 and 50 mg/kg). Additionally, QUA (50 mg/kg) and PCs were administered separately or in combination to assess their antagonistic or synergistic effects on the chicks. The binding affinity of QUA and referral ligands towards the serotonin receptor (5HT3), dopamine receptors (D2 and D3), and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (M1–M5) were estimated, and ligand–receptor interactions were visualized through various computational tools. In vivo findings indicate that QUA (25 and 50 mg/kg) has a significant effect on reducing the number of retches (16.50 ± 4.65 and 10.00 ± 4.19 times) and increasing the chick latency period (59.25 ± 4.75 and 94.25 ± 4.01 s), respectively. Additionally, QUA (50 mg/kg) in combination with Domperidone and Ondansetron exhibited superior antiemetic effects, reducing the number of retches and increasing the onset of emesis-inducing time. Furthermore, it is worth noting that QUA exhibited the strongest binding affinity against the D2 receptor with a value of −9.7 kcal/mol through the formation of hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds. In summary, the study found that QUA exhibited antiemetic activity in chicks, potentially by interacting with the D2 receptor pathway.

Fruits and vegetables are used not only for nutritional purposes but also as therapeutics to treat various diseases and ailments. These food items are prominent sources of phytochemicals that exhibit chemopreventive and therapeutic effects against several diseases. Hirsutine (HSN) is a naturally occurring indole alkaloid found in various Uncaria species and has a multitude of therapeutic benefits. It is found in foodstuffs such as fish, seafood, meat, poultry, dairy, and some grain products among other things. In addition, it is present in fruits and vegetables including corn, cauliflower, mushrooms, potatoes, bamboo shoots, bananas, cantaloupe, and citrus fruits. The primary emphasis of this study is to summarize the pharmacological activities and the underlying mechanisms of HSN against different diseases, as well as the biopharmaceutical features. For this, data were collected (up to date as of 1 July 2023) from various reliable and authentic literature by searching different academic search engines, including PubMed, Springer Link, Scopus, Wiley Online, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Findings indicated that HSN exerts several effects in various preclinical and pharmacological experimental systems. It exhibits anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-diabetic, and antioxidant activities with beneficial effects in neurological and cardiovascular diseases. Our findings also indicate that HSN exerts promising anticancer potentials via several molecular mechanisms, including apoptotic cell death, induction of oxidative stress, cytotoxic effect, anti-proliferative effect, genotoxic effect, and inhibition of cancer cell migration and invasion against various cancers such as lung, breast, and antitumor effects in human T-cell leukemia. Taken all together, findings from this study show that HSN can be a promising therapeutic agent to treat various diseases including cancer.

Magnolin is a naturally occurring, multi-bioactive lignan molecule with inherent anticancer effects. This study aims to summarize the botanical origins and anticancer properties of magnolin. For this, a recent (as of March 2023) literature review was conducted using various academic search engines, including PubMed, Springer Link, Wiley Online, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. All the currently available information about this phytochemical and its role in various cancer types has been gathered and investigated. Magnolin is a compound found in many different plants. It has been demonstrated to have anticancer activity in numerous experimental models by inhibiting the cell cycle (G1 and G2/M phase); inducing apoptosis; and causing antiinvasion, antimetastasis, and antiproliferative effects via the modulation of several pathways. In conclusion, magnolin showed robust anticancer activity against many cancer cell lines by altering several cancer signaling pathways in various non- and pre-clinical experimental models, making it a promising plant-derived chemotherapeutic option for further clinical research.