Medicinal plants possess a surplus of novel and biologically active secondary metabolites that are responsible for counteracting diseases. Traditionally, Gomphandra tetrandra (Wall.) Sleumer is used to treat mental disorders. The present research was designed to explore phytochemicals from the ethanol leaf extract of Gomphandra tetrandra (Wall.) Sleumer to identify the potential pharmacophore(s) in the treatment of neurological disorders. The chemical compounds of the experimental plant were identified through GC-MS analysis. In-vitro antioxidant activity was assessed using different methods. Furthermore, in-vivo neurological activity was assessed in Swiss-albino mice. Computer-aided analysis was appraised to determine the best-fit phytoconstituent of a total of fifteen identified compounds in the experimental plant extract against beta-amyloid precursor protein. The experimental extract revealed fifteen compounds in GC-MS analysis and the highest content was 9, 12, 15-octadecatrienoic acid (z,z,z). The extract showed potent antioxidant activity in in-vitro assays. Furthermore, in in-vivo neurological assays, the extract disclosed significant (p < 0.05) neurological activity. The most favorable phytochemicals as neurological agents were selected via ADMET profiling, and molecular docking was studied with beta-amyloid precursor protein. In the computer-aided study, 1, 5-diphenyl-2h-1, 2, 4-triazoline-3-thione (Pub Chem CID: 2802516) was more active than other identified compounds with strong binding affinity to beta-amyloid precursor protein. The present in vivo and in silico studies revealed neuropharmacological features of G. tetrandra leaf extract as a natural agent against neurological disorders, especially Alzheimer’s disease.

Consumption of vegetables has been proven to be effective in the prevention of different diseases. Traditionally edible aerial part of Pisum sativum L. subsp. sativum (Fabaceae) is used to treat diabetes, heart diseases and as blood purifier. Present study was aimed to explore the traditional use of aerial parts of P. sativum as a source of antidiabetic agent. In addition, antioxidant activity and chemical composition was carried out. Total polyphenol content was spectrophotometrically determined using Folin Chiocalteu’s reagent while the flavonoids by aluminum chloride colorimetric assay. Identification of compounds of the extract was made through HPLC and LCMS. Antihyperglycemic activity was assessed by oral glucose tolerance test in mice. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging and reducing power assay. Total polyphenol and total flavonoids content were found to be 51.23 mg gallic acid equivalent and 30.88 mg quercetin equivalent per gram of dried plant extract respectively. Ellagic acid and p-coumeric acid were detected through HPLC. A total of eight compounds including naringenin, β-sitosterol were indentified through LCMS. In OGTT, extract (200 mg/kg bw) showed a 30.24% decrease (P< 0.05) in blood glucose levels at 30 min compared to the normal control. The extract showed IC50 value of 158.52 μg/mL in DPPH scavenging assay and also showed comparable reducing power. Along with other compounds ellagic acid and β-sitosterol present in the extract may be responsible for its antioxidant as well as antihyperglycemic activities. Altogether these results rationalize the use of this vegetable in traditional medicine.

Lectins are a unique group of nonimmune carbohydrate-binding proteins or glycoproteins that exhibit specific and reversible carbohydrate-binding activity in a non-catalytic manner. Lectins have diverse sources and are classified according to their origins, such as plant lectins, animal lectins, and fish lectins. Marine organisms including fish, crustaceans, and mollusks produce a myriad of lectins, including rhamnose binding lectins (RBL), fucose-binding lectins (FTL), mannose-binding lectin, galectins, galactose binding lectins, and C-type lectins. The widely used method of extracting lectins from marine samples is a simple two-step process employing a polar salt solution and purification by column chromatography. Lectins exert several immunomodulatory functions, including pathogen recognition, inflammatory reactions, participating in various hemocyte functions (e.g., agglutination), phagocytic reactions, among others. Lectins can also control cell proliferation, protein folding, RNA splicing, and trafficking of molecules. Due to their reported biological and pharmaceutical activities, lectins have attracted the attention of scientists and industries (i.e., food, biomedical, and pharmaceutical industries). Therefore, this review aims to update current information on lectins from marine organisms, their characterization, extraction, and biofunctionalities.

Dengue is a Flavivirus infection transmitted through mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, which is known to occur in over 100 countries of the world. Dengue has no available drugs for treatment; CYD-TDV is the only vaccine thus far approved for use by a few countries in the world. In the absence of drugs and a widely approved vaccine, attention has been focused on plant-derived compounds to the discovery of a potential therapeutic for DENV. The present study aimed to determine, in silico, the binding energies of the steroidal saponins, melongosides, to NS2B-NS3 activator protease of DENV-2, which plays an essential role in the viral replication. The blind molecular docking studies carried out gave binding energies (ΔG=kcal/mol) of melongosides B, F, G, H, N, O, and P as 7.7, 8.2, 7.6, 7.8, 8.3, 8.0, and 8.0, respectively. All the melongosides interacted with the NS3 protease part of NS2B-NS3. Melongosides B, F, and N showed interactions with His51, while melongoside G interacted with Asp75 of NS3, to be noted, these are important amino acid residues in the catalytic site of the NS3 protease. However, the 200ns molecular dynamic simulation experiment indicates significant stability of the protein-ligand interactions with the RMSD values of 2.5Å, thus suggesting a better docking position and no disruption of the protein-ligand structure. Taken together, melongosides need further attention for more scientific studies as a DENV inhibitory agent, which if proven, in vivo and in clinical trials, can be a useful therapeutic agent against at least DENV-2.