Recent Progress on Vaccines Produced in Transgenic Plants

The development of vaccines from plants has been going on for over two decades now. Vaccine production in plants requires time and a lot of effort. Despite global efforts in plant-made vaccine development, there are still challenges that hinder the realization of the final objective of manufacturing approved and safe products. Despite delays in the commercialization of plant-made vaccines, there are some human vaccines that are in clinical trials. The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its resultant disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have reminded the global scientific community of the importance of vaccines. Plant-made vaccines could not be more important in tackling such unexpected pandemics as COVID-19. In this review, we explore current progress in the development of vaccines manufactured in transgenic plants for different human diseases over the past 5 years. However, we first explore the different host species and plant expression systems during recombinant protein production, including their shortcomings and benefits. Lastly, we address the optimization of existing plant-dependent vaccine production protocols that are aimed at improving the recovery and purification of these recombinant proteins

Anticancer Mechanisms of Bioactive Compounds from Solanaceae: An Update

Plants continue to provide unlimited pharmacologically active compounds that can treat various illnesses, including cancer. The Solanaceae family, besides providing economically important food plants, such as potatoes and tomatoes, has been exploited extensively in folk medicine, as it provides an array of bioactive compounds. Many studies have demonstrated the anticancer potency of some of the compounds, but the corresponding molecular targets are not well defined. However, advances in molecular cell biology and in silico modelling have made it possible to dissect some of the underlying mechanisms. By reviewing the literature over the last five years, we provide an update on anticancer mechanisms associated with phytochemicals isolated from species in the Solanaceae plant family. These mechanisms are conveniently grouped into cell cycle arrest, transcription regulation, modulation of autophagy, inhibition of signalling pathways, suppression of metabolic enzymes, and membrane disruption. The majority of the bioactive compounds exert their antiproliferative effects by inhibiting diverse signalling pathways, as well as arresting the cell cycle. Furthermore, some of the phytochemicals are effective against more than one cancer type. Therefore, understanding these mechanisms provides paths for future formulation of novel anticancer drugs, as well as highlighting potential areas of research