Safety Evaluation of Local Weight-Gain Formulas in the Saudi Arabian Markets

Background. The utilization of herbal formulas is continuously increasing on the global level. However, assessment of contamination and impurities is the leading challenge in the use of herbal medicines. Objective. Assessment of therapeutic application in relation to herbal formulas usage for reducing weight is the objective for this investigation. Results. Reduced dietary fibers and fats are common outcomes of herbal usage. 9.8% of the mixtures were contaminated because of lead. However, investigation has indicated <10 microbial counts in herbal products. Increased levels of calcium, minerals, fibers, and lead traces have been identified in the herbals; however, products lacked nicotinamide, riboflavin, and vitamin C. Conclusion. It was concluded that majority of herbal products were pure and uncontaminated in order to reduce the complications of obesity efficiently

Structure-based identification of galectin-1 selective modulators in dietary food polyphenols : a pharmacoinformatics approach

In this study, a set of dietary polyphenols was comprehensively studied for the selective identification of the potential inhibitors/modulators for galectin-1. Galectin-1 is a potent prognostic indicator of tumor progression and a highly regarded therapeutic target for various pathological conditions. This indicator is composed of a highly conserved carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) that accounts for the binding affinity of β-galactosides. Although some small molecules have been identified as galectin-1 inhibitors/modulators, there are limited studies on the identification of novel compounds against this attractive therapeutic target. The extensive computational techniques include potential drug binding site recognition on galectin-1, binding affinity predictions of ~ 500 polyphenols, molecular docking, and dynamic simulations of galectin-1 with selective dietary polyphenol modulators, followed by the estimation of binding free energy for the identification of dietary polyphenol-based galectin-1 modulators. Initially, a deep neural network-based algorithm was utilized for the prediction of the druggable binding site and binding affinity. Thereafter, the intermolecular interactions of the polyphenol compounds with galectin-1 were critically explored through the extra-precision docking technique. Further, the stability of the interaction was evaluated through the conventional atomistic 100 ns dynamic simulation study. The docking analyses indicated the high interaction affinity of different amino acids at the CRD region of galectin-1 with the proposed five polyphenols. Strong and consistent interaction stability was suggested from the simulation trajectories of the selected dietary polyphenol under the dynamic conditions. Also, the conserved residue (His44, Asn46, Arg48, Val59, Asn61, Trp68, Glu71, and Arg73) associations suggest high affinity and selectivity of polyphenols toward galectin-1 protein.The Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, through the Research Groups Program Grant No. (RGP-1440–0021).https://link.springer.com/journal/11030hj2023Chemical Patholog

Pharmacoinformatics-based identification of anti-bacterial catalase-peroxidase enzyme inhibitors

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In the present age, due to the rapid increase in antibiotic resistance worldwide, TB has become a major threat to human life. Regardless of significant efforts have been inclined to improve the healthcare systems for improving diagnosis, treatment, and anticipatory measures controlling TB is challenging. To date, there are no such therapeutic chemical agents available to fight or control the bacterial drug-resistance. The catalase-peroxidase enzyme (katG) which encoded by the katG gene of Mtb is most frequently getting mutated and hence promotes Isoniazid resistance by diminishing the normal activity of katG enzyme. In the current study, an effort has been intended to find novel and therapeutically active antibacterial chemical compounds through pharmacoinformatics methodologies. Initially, the five mutant katG were generated by making mutation of Ser315 by Thr, Ile, Arg, Asn, and Gly followed by structural optimizations. About eight thousand small molecules were collected from the Asinex antibacterial library. All molecules were docked to active site of five mutant katG and wild type katG. To narrow down the chemical space several criteria were imposed including, screening for highest binding affinity towards katG proteins, compounds satisfying various criterion of drug-likeliness properties like Lipinski’s rule of five (RO5), Veber’s rule, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) profile, and synthetic accessibility. Finally, five molecules were found to be important antibacterial katG inhibitors. All the analyzed parameters suggested that selected molecules are promising in nature. Binding interactions analysis revealed that proposed molecules are efficient enough to form a number of strong binding interactions with katG proteins. Dynamic behavior of the proposed molecules with katG protein was evaluated through 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study. Parameters calculated from the MD simulation trajectories adjudged that all molecules can form stable complexes with katG. High binding free energy of all proposed molecules definitely suggested strong affection towards the katG. Hence, it can be concluded that proposed molecules might be used as antibacterial chemical component subjected to experimental validation.The Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia through the Fast-track Research Funding Program.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/cbac2020-12-01hj2019Chemical Patholog

Nutritional values, Nutraceutical properties, and health benefits of Arabian Date Palme fruit

The date palm is widely known as a richer nutritional source and natural medical agent. Date fruit is a major source of carbohydrates and dietary fiber, and it has contains proteins, minerals, vitamins, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, sterols, and triterpenoids. The beneficial potential of this fruit is well known in Arab countries and even in the world. Date fruit has many health benefits such as Glucose-lowering potential, anti-cancer activity, antioxidant activity, hypocholesterolemia-lowering potential, antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, bone stimulating activity, which is attributed to the existence of bioactive substances such as carotenoids, polyphenols, triterpenoids, flavonoids, sterols, and some vitamins and minerals. Overall, Arabian date palms’ nutritional values and pharmacological activities remain to be explained. Thus, this study states the history, nutritional and health effects of Arabian date palm, highlighting the possibility of palm date components developing novel beneficial approaches for managing the above mentioned illnesses.Keywords: Arabian date palm; Arab’s tree; Nutritional values; Pharmacological activitie

Nutritional values, Nutraceutical properties, and health benefits of Arabian Date Palme fruit

The date palm is widely known as a richer nutritional source and natural medical agent. Date fruit is a major source of carbohydrates and dietary fiber, and it has contains proteins, minerals, vitamins, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, sterols, and triterpenoids. The beneficial potential of this fruit is well known in Arab countries and even in the world. Date fruit has many health benefits such as Glucose-lowering potential, anti-cancer activity, antioxidant activity, hypocholesterolemia-lowering potential, antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, bone stimulating activity, which is attributed to the existence of bioactive substances such as carotenoids, polyphenols, triterpenoids, flavonoids, sterols, and some vitamins and minerals. Overall, Arabian date palms’ nutritional values and pharmacological activities remain to be explained. Thus, this study states the history, nutritional and health effects of Arabian date palm, highlighting the possibility of palm date components developing novel beneficial approaches for managing the above mentioned illnesses.Keywords: Arabian date palm; Arab’s tree; Nutritional values; Pharmacological activitie

Validation of low dosages of γ-radiation and their effect on red beetle mortality, storability characteristics, and nutritional value of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) grain

This research was undertaken to validate the low dosages of γ-radiation of sorghum to examine the efficiency of gamma irradiation doses in quality attributes and storability of sorghum grain. Infested sorghum grains with the red flour beetle at the adult stage were irradiated at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 2.0 kGy emitted by 60CO. Subsequently, the mortality rate of the red flour beetle as affected by gamma doses was estimated and the storability characteristics and nutritional value of sorghum grains were measured. Eventually, the Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) analysis was executed to confirm the optimum dose of gamma which eliminate the red flour beetle and enhanced the grain quality. Results provide that the storability characteristics were enhanced after treatments. However, the changes in the germination rate of the grains were not different significantly after radiation. On the other hand, the radiation process enhanced sorghum grins' nutritional quality. Both tannins and phytic acid content dropped significantly and the digestibility and solubility of protein were gradually incremented in the grains. The PLS results indicated that using 1 and 2 kGy reflect the utmost effective dosage for sorghum. It can be concluded that this method is a potent rapid and operative preservation process to the alternate smoking chemical procedure for improving sorghum’s nutritional and functional quality and prolong its shelf life. Possibility of providing effective and rapid quarantine security as an alternative to chemical fumigation protocol to extend shelf life and enhance the nutritional and functional quality of sorghum

Chitosan-Coated Solid Lipid Nanoparticles as an Efficient Avenue for Boosted Biological Activities of <i>Aloe perryi</i>: Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Anticancer Potential

Aloe perryi (ALP) is an herb that has several biological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and antitumor effects and is frequently used to treat a wide range of illnesses. The activity of many compounds is augmented by loading them in nanocarriers. In this study, ALP-loaded nanosystems were developed to improve their biological activity. Among different nanocarriers, solid lipid nanoparticles (ALP-SLNs), chitosan nanoparticles (ALP-CSNPs), and CS-coated SLNs (C-ALP-SLNs) were explored. The particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and release profile were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy was used to see the nanoparticles’ morphology. Moreover, the possible biological properties of ALP were assessed and evaluated. ALP extract contained 187 mg GAE/g extract and 33 mg QE/g extract in terms of total phenolic and flavonoid content, respectively. The ALP-SLNs-F1 and ALP-SLNs-F2 showed particle sizes of 168.7 ± 3.1 and 138.4 ± 9.5 nm and the zeta potential values of −12.4 ± 0.6, and −15.8 ± 2.4 mV, respectively. However, C-ALP-SLNs-F1 and C-ALP-SLNs-F2 had particle sizes of 185.3 ± 5.5 and 173.6 ± 11.3 nm with zeta potential values of 11.3 ± 1.4 and 13.6 ± 1.1 mV, respectively. The particle size and zeta potential of ALP-CSNPs were 214.8 ± 6.6 nm and 27.8 ± 3.4 mV, respectively. All nanoparticles exhibited PDI P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and E. coli, respectively. In addition, C-ALP-SLNs-F2 showed potential anticancer activity against A549, LoVo, and MCF-7 cell lines with IC50 values of 11.42 ± 1.16, 16.97 ± 1.93, and 8.25 ± 0.44, respectively. The results indicate that C-ALP-SLNs-F2 may be promising nanocarriers for enhancing ALP-based medicines

Optimization of cationic nanoparticles stabilized by poloxamer 188: A potential approach for improving the biological activity of Aloe perryi

Aloe perryi (AP) has gained considerable interest as a medicinal herb in various biological applications due to its rich phytochemical composition. However, the therapeutic benefits of AP could be potentiated by utilizing nanotechnology. Moreover, cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (CSLNs) possess remarkable characteristics that can greatly enrich a variety of biological uses. An optimization approach was used to achieve high-quality CSLNs to maximize the therapeutic efficacy of AP. Therefore, a factorial design was used to investigate the influence of various variables on the attributes of CSLNs quality. In this study, the factors under investigation were compritol 888 ATO (C-888, X1), poloxamer 188 (PL188, X2), and chitosan (CS, X3), which served as independent variables. The parameters measured as dependent variables included particle size (Y1), zeta potential (Y2), and encapsulation efficiency EE (Y3). The relationship among these variables was determined by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and response surface plots. The results revealed that PL188 played a significant role in reducing the particle size of CSLNS (ranging from 207 to 261 nm with 1 % PL188 to 167–229 nm with 3 % PL188). Conversely, an increase in the concentration of CS led to a rise in the particle size. The magnitude of positive zeta potential values was dependent on the increased concentration of CS. Moreover, the higher amounts of C-888 and PL188 improved the EE% of the CSLNs from 42 % to 86 %. Furthermore, a concentration-dependent antioxidant effect of the optimized AP-CSLNs was observed. The antioxidant activity of the optimized AP-CSLNs at 100 μg/mL was 75 % compared to 62 % and 60 % for AP-SLNs and AP solution, respectively. A similar pattern of improvement was also observed with antimicrobial, and anticancer activities of the optimized AP-CSLNs. These findings demonstrated the potential of AP-CSLNs as a carrier system, enhancing the biological activities of AP, opening new possibilities in herbal medicines