Liver cirrhosis is a complication usually due to the consequence of persistent chronic liver disease. It is associated with different mechanisms, including hypoalbuminemia, impaired amino acid turnover, and micronutrient deficiencies. Consequently, cirrhotic patients can develop progressive complications like ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The liver is a vital organ that regulates the different metabolic pathways and transportation of trace elements. Zn is an indispensable micronutrient trace element involved in its crucial functions in cellular metabolic activity. Zn mediates its action by binding to a wide range of proteins; therefore, it imparts numerous biological effects, including cellular division, differentiation, and growth. It is also involved in critical processes for the biosynthesis of structural proteins and regulation of transcription factors and acts as a co-factor for the various enzymatic processes. As the liver is a significant regulator of Zn metabolism, its abnormalities lead to Zn deficiency, which has consequences on cellular, endocrine, immune, sensory, and skin dysfunctions. Conversely, Zn deficiency may modify the functions of hepatocytes and immune responses (acute phase protein production) in inflammatory liver diseases. This review has concisely stated the evolving indication of the critical role of Zn in biological processes and complications associated with liver cirrhosis pathogenesis due to Zn deficiency.

This review article highlights the critical research and formative works relating to nanofiber composites loaded with bioactive materials for diverse applications, and discusses the recent research on the use of electrospun nanofiber incorporating bioactive compounds such as essential oils, herbal bioactive components, plant extracts, and metallic nanoparticles. Inevitably, with the common advantages of bioactive components and polymer nanofibers, electrospun nanofibers containing bioactive components have attracted intense interests for their applications in biomedicine and cancer treatment. Many studies have only concentrated on the production and performance of electrospun nanofiber loaded with bioactive components; in this regard, the features of different types of electrospun nanofiber incorporating a wide variety of bioactive compounds and their developing trends are summarized and assessed in the present article, as is the feasible use of nanofiber technology to produce products on an industrial scale in different applications.

Among the most common problems facing public health today is a lack of vitamin D, which plays a role in the physiological processes of chronic illness conditions. Vitamin D deficiency in metabolic disorders has primary effects on osteoporosis, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Vitamin D acts as a “co-hormone” in the various tissues of the body, and it has been found that vitamin D receptors (VDR) are present on all cell types, suggesting that vitamin D has a wide range of effects on most cells. Recently, there has been a surge in interest in assessing its roles. Vitamin D insufficiency increases the risk of diabetes because it lowers insulin sensitivity, and also raises the risk of obesity and CVD because of its effect on the body’s lipid profile, particularly in terms of the prevalence of dangerously high levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Furthermore, vitamin D insufficiency is often related to CVD and connected risk factors, highlighting the need to know vitamin D’s functions in relation to metabolic syndrome and related processes. Through looking at previous studies, this paper explains why vitamin D is important, how deficiency is related to risk factors for metabolic syndrome through different mechanisms, and how deficiency affects CVD.

In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxic effects of Athyrium hohenackerianum ethanolic extract (AHEE) on the proliferation of breast, lung, and colon cancer cells. The AHEE was tested for its effect on the progression of the cell cycle, followed by induction of apoptosis determination by flow cytometry. Real-time qRT-PCR was also utilized to observe the initiation of apoptosis. In addition, GC-MS was performed in order to identify the active phytochemicals present in the AHEE. A cytotoxic activity with an IC₅₀ value of 123.90μg/mL against HCT-116 colon cancer cells was exhibited by AHEE. Following propidium iodide staining, annexin-V/PI, and clonogenic assays, AHEE treatment results in cell arrest in the S phase, causing an increase in the early and late phases of apoptosis and displaying antiproliferative potential, respectively. The morphological alterations were further monitored using acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining. When compared with the control cells, features of apoptotic cell death, including nuclear fragmentation, in the AHEE-treated cells were noticed. The apoptosis was also confirmed by detecting the increased expression of p53 and caspase-3 along with the downregulation of Bcl-2. GC-MS analysis revealed that trans-linalool oxide, loliolide, phytol, 4,8,12,16-tetramethylheptadecan-4-olide, and gamma-sitosterol were the major phytochemical constituents. Based on these findings, it can be suggested that AHEE causes cellular death via apoptosis, which should be further explored for the identification of active compounds responsible for these observed effects. Therefore, AHEE can be used in the pharmaceutical development of anticancer agents for cancer therapeutics.