Recently, the use of plant-origin materials has become especially important due to the aggravation of environmental problems and the shortage and high cost of synthetic materials. One of the potential candidates among natural organic compounds is polysaccharides, characterized by a number of advantages over synthetic polymers. In recent years, natural polysaccharides have been used to design composite catalysts for various organic syntheses. This review is devoted to the current state of application of polysaccharides (chitosan, starch, pectin, cellulose, and hydroxyethylcellulose) and composites based on their catalysis. The article is divided into four main sections based on the type of polysaccharide: (1) chitosan-based nanocomposites; (2) pectin-based nanocomposites; (3) cellulose (hydroxyethylcellulose)-based nanocomposites; and (4) starch-based nanocomposites. Each section describes and summarizes recent studies on the preparation and application of polysaccharide-containing composites in various chemical transformations. It is shown that by modifying polysaccharides, polymers with special properties can be obtained, thus expanding the range of biocomposites for catalytic applications.

Species of the genus Artemisia are well known for their use as ingredients in ancient medicine. The advantage of using plant extracts compared to individual pharmaceutical ingredients is the rate of adaptation of the pathogenic microorganisms to the drug. Due to the rapid development of multidrug-resistance in microorganisms in the field, it is essential to search for novel, effective drugs with low toxicity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to isolate and study the biologically active substances obtained from various substances in the raw materials of Artemisia cina Berg. The identification of the main biologically active components was performed using the method of chromato-mass spectrometry. Moreover, the antiviral activity of several extracts was studied using the method of measuring limiting dilutions (the Reed–Mench method), with some modifications. For the first time, the biological activity of extracts from the raw material of Artemisia cina Berg. upon the SARS-CoV-2 virus was confirmed. All the obtained extracts exhibited nontoxic effects in animals, with an LD₅₀ greater than 2 g/kg. Comprehensive toxicological analyses are also presented in the study, such as those of the biochemical parameters of urine after one day and one week of the extracts’ administration in mice at a dose of 2 g/kg body weight. In all groups of animals that received extracts of Artemisia cina Berg., a slight increase in the presence of red blood cells in their urine was observed one day following the administration of the extracts. This increase decreased somewhat after a week; however, it remained higher than the levels observed in the control animals. In the three groups, there was also a slight increase in the amount of ketones in the urine. Two weeks following the administration of the extracts to these groups, the internal organs of the animals were examined. The examination showed that the internal organs of the animals that received the extracts were not visibly different from those of the control animals in terms of their size or appearance. The weight of the internal organs of the animals that received the extracts was also similar to the weight of the internal organs of the control animals, illustrating the absence of toxicity.

In Central Eurasia, the availability of drugs that are inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and have proven clinical efficacy is still limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of drugs that were available in Kazakhstan during the acute phase of the epidemic against SARS-CoV-2. Antiviral activity is reported for Favipiravir, Tilorone, and Cridanimod, which are registered drugs used for the treatment of respiratory viral infections in Kazakhstan. A licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) extract was also incorporated into this study because it offered an opportunity to develop plant-derived antivirals. The Favipiravir drug, which had been advertised in local markets as an anti-COVID cure, showed no activity against SARS-CoV-2 in cell cultures. On the contrary, Cridanimod showed impressive high activity (median inhibitory concentration 66 μg/mL) against SARS-CoV-2, justifying further studies of Cridanimod in clinical trials. Tilorone, despite being in the same pharmacological group as Cridanimod, stimulated SARS-CoV-2 replication in cultures. The licorice extract inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in cultures, with a high median effective concentration of 16.86 mg/mL. Conclusions: The synthetic, low-molecular-weight compound Cridanimod suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication at notably low concentrations, and this drug is not toxic to cells at therapeutic concentrations. In contrast to its role as an inducer of interferons, Cridanimod is active in cells that have a genetic defect in interferon production, suggesting a different mechanism of action. Cridanimod is an attractive drug for inclusion in clinical trials against SARS-CoV-2 and, presumably, other coronaviruses. The extract from licorice shows low activity against SARS-CoV-2. At the same time, high doses of 2 g/kg of this plant extract show little or no acute toxicity in animal studies; for this reason, licorice products can still be considered for further development as a safe, orally administered adjunctive therapy.

In order to establish the formation patterns of the Co–Mg oxide system, samples with different Co:Mg ratios and heat treatment temperatures were synthesized and studied. A study of the samples confirmed the phase transition of Mg_xCo_2–xO₄ spinels into the corresponding solid solutions at 800–900 °C. The similarity of the formation patterns for different compositions is shown. The rocksalt oxide in low-temperature samples is an anion-modified paracrystalline phase that forms a “true” solid solution only upon spinel decomposition. The TPR profiles of the decomposed Co₃O₄ spinel show surface Co₃O₄ peaks and a wide peak corresponding to the well-crystallized CoO, while partial Co₃O₄ TPR up to 380 °C results in dispersed and amorphous CoO. The high-temperature non-stoichiometric samples are poorly reduced, indicating their low oxygen reactivity. Spinel reoxidation after heat treatment to 1100 °C by calcination at 750 °C showed complete regeneration for MgCo₂O₄–Co₃O₄ samples and its absence in case of an excess of MgO relative to stoichiometry.