PHYTOCHEMICALS IN THE TREATMENT OF ARTHRITIS: CURRENT KNOWLEDGE

The objective of the present review is to evaluate the therapeutic potential of phytochemicals against arthritis, which is asymptomatic disorder of chronic joint inflammation followed by swelling and pain. Here, we discussed about the anti-arthritic activity of many phytomolecules such as Norisoboldine, Berberine, Triptolide, Hesperidin Hesperidin, Madecassocide, Hydroxy napthoquinone, Ginsenoside, Cryptotanshinone, Kirenol, Thymoquinone, Chlorogenic acid, Curcumin, Bromelain, Andrographolide and Allicin. These compounds are able to control inflammatory responses, proinflammatory cytokines, osteoclast differentiation and to prevent bone erosion in the joints. In this article, we reviewed anti-arthritic activities of phytichemicals from 2011-2019, using various scientific websites like PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct etc. Till date clinical trials conducted with anti-arthritic phytomolecules are very less. Hence, more clinical trials are needed to bring plant molecules as safe and effective anti-arthritic drugs in the market, either alone or in combination with other anti-arthritic agents

Niclosamide Induces Epiboly Delay During Early Zebrafish Embryogenesis

Niclosamide is an antihelminthic drug used worldwide for the treatment of tapeworm infections. Recent drug repurposing screens have revealed that niclosamide exhibits diverse mechanisms of action and, as a result, demonstrates promise for a number of applications, including the treatment of cancer, bacterial infections, and Zika virus. As new applications of niclosamide will require non-oral delivery routes that may lead to exposure in utero, the objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism of niclosamide toxicity during early stages of embryonic development. Using zebrafish as a model, we found that niclosamide induced a concentration-dependent delay in epiboly progression during late-blastula and early-gastrula, an effect that was dependent on exposure during the maternal-to-zygotic transition-a period characterized by degradation of maternally derived transcripts, zygotic genome activation, and initiation of cell motility. Moreover, we found that niclosamide did not affect embryonic oxygen consumption, suggesting that oxidative phosphorylation-a well-established target for niclosamide within intestinal parasites-may not play a role in niclosamide-induced epiboly delay. However, mRNA-sequencing revealed that niclosamide exposure during blastula and early-gastrula significantly impacted the timing of zygotic genome activation as well as the abundance of cytoskeleton- and cell cycle regulation-specific transcripts. In addition, we found that niclosamide inhibited tubulin polymerization in vitro, suggesting that niclosamide-induced delays in epiboly progression may, in part, be driven by disruption of microtubule formation and cell motility within the developing embryo

Search for intermediate-mass black hole binaries in the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo

International audienceIntermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) span the approximate mass range 100−105 M⊙, between black holes (BHs) that formed by stellar collapse and the supermassive BHs at the centers of galaxies. Mergers of IMBH binaries are the most energetic gravitational-wave sources accessible by the terrestrial detector network. Searches of the first two observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo did not yield any significant IMBH binary signals. In the third observing run (O3), the increased network sensitivity enabled the detection of GW190521, a signal consistent with a binary merger of mass ∼150 M⊙ providing direct evidence of IMBH formation. Here, we report on a dedicated search of O3 data for further IMBH binary mergers, combining both modeled (matched filter) and model-independent search methods. We find some marginal candidates, but none are sufficiently significant to indicate detection of further IMBH mergers. We quantify the sensitivity of the individual search methods and of the combined search using a suite of IMBH binary signals obtained via numerical relativity, including the effects of spins misaligned with the binary orbital axis, and present the resulting upper limits on astrophysical merger rates. Our most stringent limit is for equal mass and aligned spin BH binary of total mass 200 M⊙ and effective aligned spin 0.8 at 0.056 Gpc−3 yr−1 (90% confidence), a factor of 3.5 more constraining than previous LIGO-Virgo limits. We also update the estimated rate of mergers similar to GW190521 to 0.08 Gpc−3 yr−1.Key words: gravitational waves / stars: black holes / black hole physicsCorresponding author: W. Del Pozzo, e-mail: [email protected]† Deceased, August 2020