Neuroprotection is a proactive approach to safeguarding the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, by preventing or limiting damage to nerve cells and other components. It primarily defends the central nervous system against injury from acute and progressive neurodegenerative disorders. Oxidative stress, an imbalance between the body's natural defense mechanisms and the generation of reactive oxygen species, is crucial in developing neurological disorders. Due to its high metabolic rate and oxygen consumption, the brain is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress. Excessive ROS damages the essential biomolecules, leading to cellular malfunction and neurodegeneration. Several neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and ischemic stroke, are associated with oxidative stress. Understanding the impact of oxidative stress in these conditions is crucial for developing new treatment methods. Researchers are exploring using antioxidants and other molecules to mitigate oxidative stress, aiming to prevent or slow down the progression of brain diseases. By understanding the intricate interplay between oxidative stress and neurological disorders, scientists hope to pave the way for innovative therapeutic and preventive approaches, ultimately improving individuals' living standards.

Cytokines regulate immune responses essential for maintaining immune homeostasis, as deregulated cytokine signaling can lead to detrimental outcomes, including inflammatory disorders. The antioxidants emerge as promising therapeutic agents because they mitigate oxidative stress and modulate inflammatory pathways. Antioxidants can potentially ameliorate inflammation-related disorders by counteracting excessive cytokine-mediated inflammatory responses. A comprehensive understanding of cytokine-mediated inflammatory pathways and the interplay with antioxidants is paramount for developing natural therapeutic agents targeting inflammation-related disorders and helping to improve clinical outcomes and enhance the quality of life for patients. Among these antioxidants, curcumin, vitamin C, vitamin D, propolis, allicin, and cinnamaldehyde have garnered attention for their anti-inflammatory properties and potential therapeutic benefits. This review highlights the interrelationship between cytokines-mediated disorders in various diseases and therapeutic approaches involving antioxidants.

The recent outbreak of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) is an unprecedented threat to human health and society across the globe. In this context, development of suitable interventions is the need of the hour. The viral spike protein (S Protein) and the cognate host cell receptor ACE2 can be considered as effective and appropriate targets for interventions. It is evident from the present computational study, that catechin and curcumin, not only exhibit strong binding affinity to viral S Protein and host receptor ACE2 but also to their complex (receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein of SARS-CoV2 and ACE2; RBD/ACE2-complex). The binding affinity values of catechin and curcumin for the S protein, ACE2 and RBD/ACE2-complex are − 10.5 and − 7.9 kcal/mol; − 8.9 and − 7.8 kcal/mol; and − 9.1 and − 7.6 kcal/mol, respectively. Curcumin directly binds to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of viral S Protein. Molecular simulation study over a period of 100 ns further substantiates that such interaction within RBD site of S Protein occurs during 40–100 ns out of 100 ns simulation trajectory. Contrary to this, catechin binds with amino acid residues present near the RBD site of S Protein and causes fluctuation in the amino acid residues of the RBD and its near proximity. Both catechin and curcumin bind the interface of ‘RBD/ACE2-complex’ and intervene in causing fluctuation of the alpha helices and beta-strands of the protein complex. Protein–protein interaction studies in presence of curcumin or catechin also corroborate the above findings suggesting the efficacy of these two polyphenols in hindering the formation of S Protein-ACE2 complex. In conclusion, this computational study for the first time predicts the possibility of above two polyphenols for therapeutic strategy against SARS-CoV2.

Thyroid dysfunction is the most prevalent endocrine disorder worldwide having an epidemiology of 11% in Indians, 4.6% in the United Kingdom, and 2% in the United States of America among the overall population. The common thyroid disorders include hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and thyroid cancer. This review briefly elaborates the molecular regulation and mechanism of thyroid hormone, and its associated thyroid disorders. The thyroid hormones regulate critical biochemical functions in brain development and function. Hypothyroidism is mainly associated with dysregulation of cytokines, increased ROS production, and altered signal transduction in major regions of the brain. In addition, it is associated with reduced antioxidant capacity and increased oxidative stress in humans. Though 70% of thyroid disorders are caused by heredity, environmental factors have a significant influence in developing autoimmune thyroid disorders in people who are predisposed to them. This drives us to understand the relationship between environmental factors and thyroid dysregulated disorders. The treatment option for the thyroid disorder includes antithyroid medications, receiving radioactive iodine therapy, or surgery at a critical stage. However, antithyroid drugs are not typically used long-term in thyroid disease due to the high recurrence rate. Adjuvant treatment of antioxidants can produce better outcomes with anti-thyroid drug treatment. Thus, Adjuvant therapy has been proven as an effective strategy for managing thyroid dysfunction, herbal remedies can be used to treat thyroid dysfunction in the future, which in turn can reduce the prevalence of thyroid disorders.