Phytosterols in Seaweeds: An Overview on Biosynthesis to Biomedical Applications

Seaweed extracts are considered effective therapeutic alternatives to synthetic anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial agents, owing to their availability, low cost, greater efficacy, eco-friendliness, and non-toxic nature. Since the bioactive constituents of seaweed, in particular, phytosterols, possess plenty of medicinal benefits over other conventional pharmaceutical agents, they have been extensively evaluated for many years. Fortunately, recent advances in phytosterol-based research have begun to unravel the evidence concerning these important processes and to endow the field with the understanding and identification of the potential contributions of seaweed-steroidal molecules that can be used as chemotherapeutic drugs. Despite the myriad of research interests in phytosterols, there is an immense need to fill the void with an up-to-date literature survey elucidating their biosynthesis, pharmacological effects, and other biomedical applications. Hence, in the present review, we summarize studies dealing with several types of seaweed to provide a comprehensive overview of the structural determination of several phytosterol molecules, their properties, biosynthetic pathways, and mechanisms of action, along with their health benefits, which could significantly contribute to the development of novel drugs and functional foods

Targeting STATs in neuroinflammation: The road less traveled!

JAK/STAT transduction pathway is a highly conserved pathway implicated in regulating cellular proliferation, differentiation, survival and apoptosis. Dysregulation of this pathway is involved in the onset of autoimmune, haematological, oncological, metabolic and neurological diseases. Over the last few years, the research of anti-neuroinflammatory agents has gained considerable attention. The ability to diminish the STAT-induced transcription of inflammatory genes is documented for both natural compounds (such as polyphenols) and chemical drugs. Among polyphenols, quercetin and curcumin directly inhibit STAT, while Berberis vulgaris L. and Sophora alopecuroides L extracts act indirectly. Also, the Food and Drug Administration has approved several JAK/STAT inhibitors (direct or indirect) for treating inflammatory diseases, indicating STAT can be considered as a therapeutic target for neuroinflammatory pathologies. Considering the encouraging data obtained so far, clinical trials are warranted to demonstrate the effectiveness and potential use in the clinical practice of STAT inhibitors to treat inflammation-associated neurodegenerative pathologies