Chalcones are secondary metabolites belonging to the flavonoid (C₆-C₃-C₆ system) family that are ubiquitous in edible and medicinal plants, and they are bioprecursors of plant flavonoids. Chalcones and their natural derivatives are important intermediates of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. Plants containing chalcones have been used in traditional medicines since antiquity. Chalcones are basically α,β-unsaturated ketones that exert great diversity in pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, antitubercular, antiplasmodial, antileishmanial, immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, and so on. This review provides an insight into the chemistry, biosynthesis, and occurrence of chalcones from natural sources, particularly dietary and medicinal plants. Furthermore, the pharmacological, pharmacokinetics, and toxicological aspects of naturally occurring chalcone derivatives are also discussed herein. In view of having tremendous pharmacological potential, chalcone scaffolds/chalcone derivatives and bioflavonoids after subtle chemical modification could serve as a reliable platform for natural products-based drug discovery toward promising drug lead molecules/drug candidates.

Cigarette smoking has been responsible for causing many life-threatening diseases such as pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases as well as lung cancer. One of the prominent health implications of cigarette smoking is the oxidative damage of cellular constituents, including proteins, lipids, and DNA. The oxidative damage is caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS, oxidants) present in the aqueous extract of cigarette smoke (CS). In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the potential health benefits of dietary polyphenols as natural antioxidant molecules. Epidemiological studies strongly suggest that long-term consumption of diets (fruits, vegetables, tea, and coffee) rich in polyphenols offer protective effects against the development of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis, and neurodegenerative diseases. For instance, green tea has chemopreventive effects against CI-induced lung cancer. Tea might prevent CS-induced oxidative damages in diseases because tea polyphenols, such as catechin, EGCG, etc., have strong antioxidant properties. Moreover, apple polyphenols, including catechin and quercetin, provide protection against CS-induced acute lung injury such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In CS-induced health problems, the antioxidant action is often accompanied by the anti-inflammatory effect of polyphenols. In this narrative review, the CS-induced oxidative damages and the associated health implications/pathological conditions (or diseases) and the role of diets rich in polyphenols and/or dietary polyphenolic compounds against various serious/chronic conditions of human health have been delineated.

The significance of biomaterials is well appreciated in nanotechnology, and its use has resulted in major advances in biomedical sciences. Although, currently, very little data is available on the clinical trial studies for treatment of neurological conditions, numerous promising advancements have been reported in drug delivery and regenerative therapies which can be applied in clinical practice. Among the commonly reported biomaterials in literature, the self-assembling peptides and hydrogels have been recognized as the most potential candidate for treatment of common neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury, stroke and tumors. The hydrogels, specifically, offer advantages like flexibility and porosity, and mimics the properties of the extracellular matrix of the central nervous system. These factors make them an ideal scaffold for drug delivery through the blood-brain barrier and tissue regeneration (using stem cells). Thus, the use of biomaterials as suitable matrix for therapeutic purposes has emerged as a promising area of neurosciences. In this review, we describe the application of biomaterials, and the current advances, in treatment of statistically common neurological disorders.

Most of the dairy cows often have immune suppression during calving time and leads several metabolic disorders and manifesting of poorly functioning immune system. Hence, the interaction between the immune system and metabolism of dairy cows is core important to read in terms of benefit to dairy industries. In this, the transition of dry period to lactation period is at most risk periods for the dairy cow’s body mechanism and by this time, there are several changes occur in the protein level. There have been several studies focused on casein protein and its functions in the lactation mechanism in mammary glands. But there are few other proteins, which are contributing directly or indirectly in the lactation process, and it is compulsory to understand those contributions up to its structural level. In dairy cows, the Interactions between the L-selectin and Glycam1 is core important protein -protein interactions, but the information’s on these systems are lacking. This study aims to provide the mechanical insights of L-selectin binding over the Glycosylation-dependent cell adhesion molecule 1 (Glycam1) in Bos taurus. Through this work, we have represented the structural details of Glycam1 and L-selectin along with their interactions is visualized.

Viral latency remains one of the major barriers to the prevention and treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. Despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV persists in latent cellular reservoirs, necessitating lifelong treatment and preventing complete viral eradication. This review comprehensively explores the molecular mechanisms underlying HIV latency, therapeutic barriers, and emerging opportunities toward a functional or sterilizing cure. HIV latency is regulated through complex interactions involving integration site heterogeneity, transcriptional repression, chromatin remodeling, and epigenetic modifications that collectively maintain viral dormancy. Resting CD4+ T cells serve as the principal latent reservoir; however, persistence also occurs within lymphoid tissues, gut-associated lymphoid tissues, and the central nervous system, creating sanctuary sites resistant to immune surveillance and pharmacological intervention. Current cure strategies include the “shock and kill” approach using latency-reversing agents such as histone deacetylase inhibitors, bromodomain inhibitors, and protein kinase C agonists, as well as the “block and lock” strategy employing Tat inhibitors and epigenetic silencing agents to achieve durable viral suppression. Immunotherapeutic approaches, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and broadly neutralizing antibodies, have demonstrated promising potential but remain limited by incomplete reservoir clearance, toxicity, and viral escape. Clinical translation is further complicated by difficulties in reservoir quantification, ethical concerns, and implementation challenges in resource-limited settings. Emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence-assisted drug discovery and personalized therapeutic modeling, provide new opportunities for optimizing HIV cure strategies. Future progress will require interdisciplinary collaboration, equitable healthcare access, and innovative interventions targeting both viral persistence and host immune dynamics.