مهندسی ژنتیک در محصولات غذایی و دارویی: فواید، نگرانی‌ها و ملاحظات اخلاقی

Background and Aim: In order to sustain the world’s growing population, the production of food must be more than 70% of what it is produced today. A remarkable and stable solution for the eradication of hunger is using genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Genetic modifications have contributed to larger yields in agriculture and livestock as well as the development of new biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and proteins. Despite the large benefits that genetic engineering and GMOs can bring for us, they may produce some hazards and concerns in certain areas. Moreover, considering the products to be new and also vast changes that they can make in economical, social, health, and safety matters, ethical issues plays an important role in the application of these technologies. Materials and Methods: This is a review study. Research data were collected by searching databases of Web of science, PubMed, Scopus, google scholar, Magiran (Bank of Iran's Magazines Information), SID (Jahad-e Daneshgahi Scientific Information Center) with keywords of Ethic, Genetic engineering, genetically modified organisms and transgenic. Ethical Considerations: The findings of these articles are stated in all stages of the research without bias and with respect to ethical aspects. Findings: In this study, first some of the beneficial effects of such products on humanity and their contribution to the conservation of available resources are pointed out and then possible concerns about mass production and consumption of transgenic products as well as safety issues are discussed. Finally, the need to observe ethical considerations, the importance of respecting the rights of customers and product labeling are mentioned. Conclusion: Adopting rational and prospective policies by observing ethical aspects, enacting integrated laws to avoid consumer's confusion, observing ethical aspects and providing correct and unbiased informing can prevent the possible dangers of this technology and people will profit its benefits.   Cite this article as: Zahedipour F, Hosseini SA, Jalili A. Genetic Engineering in Food and Pharmaceutical Products: Benefits, Concerns and Ethical Considerations. Faslnamah-i akhlaq-i pizishki. 2021; 15(46): e19.زمینه و هدف: به منظور حفظ جمعیت رو به رشد جهان، بایستی تولید محصولات غذایی 70 درصد بیشتر از آنچه تولید امروز است، رشد داشته باشد. یک راه حل قابل توجه و پایدار برای ریشه‌کن‌کردن گرسنگی استفاده از ارگانیسم‌های اصلاح‌شده ژنتیکی (Genetically Modified Organisms) یا تراریخته است. اصلاحات ژنتیکی منجر به بازده بیشتر در کشاورزی و دامداری و همچنین توسعه داروهای جدید زیستی، واکسن‌ها و پروتئین‌ها شده است. با وجود مزایای بزرگی که مهندسی ژنتیک و تراریخته‌ها می‌توانند داشته باشند، احتمال خطرات و نگرانی‌ها در زمینه‌های خاصی را هم ایجاد می‌کنند، به علاوه با توجه به جدیدبودن این محصولات و همچنین تغییرات وسیعی که در مسائل اقتصادی، اجتماعی، وضعیت سلامت و ایمنی می‌توانند ایجاد نمایند، مسائل مربوط به اخلاق زیستی نیز در مورد آن‌ها اهمیت مضاعف می‌یابد. مواد و روش‌‌ها: این مطالعه به روش مروری انجام شده و داده‌های پژوهش با جستجو در پایگاه‌های اطلاعاتی Web of Science، Pubmed، Scopus، Google Scholar، بانک اطلاعات نشریات ایران (Magiran)، پایگاه مرکز اطلاعات علمی جهاد دانشگاهی (SID) با واژگان کلیدی Ethic، Genetic Engineering، Genetically Modified Organisms و تراریخته گردآوری شد. ملاحظات اخلاقی: یافته‌های حاصل از این مقالات در تمام مراحل پژوهش بدون سوگیری و با رعایت جنبه‌های اخلاقی عنوان شد. یافته‌ها: در این بررسی، ابتدا به برخی از تأثیرات مفید این‌گونه محصولات برای انسان و سهم آن‌ها در حفظ منابع موجود اشاره شده است، سپس نگرانی‌های احتمالی در مورد تولید انبوه و مصرف محصولات ژنتیکی و همچنین مسائل مربوط به ایمنی آن‌ها مورد بحث قرار گرفته است. سرانجام لزوم رعایت ملاحظات اخلاقی، اهمیت رعایت حقوق مشتریان و برچسب‌زنی محصولات عنوان شده است. نتیجه‌گیری: اتخاذ سیاست‌های منطقی و آینده‌نگر با رعایت جنبه‌های اخلاقی، وضع قوانین یکپارچه به منظور جلوگیری از سردرگمی مصرف‌کنندگان، رعایت جنبه‌های اخلاقی و اطلاع‌رسانی صحیح و به دور از موضع‌گیری می‌تواند ضمن جلوگیری از مخاطرات احتمالی این فناوری، مردم را ازمزایای آن بهره‌مند نماید

Pulmonary fibrosis: Therapeutic and mechanistic insights into the role of phytochemicals

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is the devastating consequence of various inflammatory diseases of the lung. PF leads to a reduction of lung function, respiratory failure, and death. Several molecular pathways are involved in PF, such as inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), tumor necrosis factor β1 (TNFβ1), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 4 (IL-4), reactive oxygen species, matrix metalloproteases, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). Targeting these processes involved in the progression of PF is essential for the treatment of this disease. Natural products, including plant extracts and active compound that directly target the processes involved in PF, could be suitable therapeutic options with less adverse effects. In the present study, we reviewed the protective effects and the therapeutic role of various bioactive compounds from plants in PF management

Antioxidant effects of bioactive glasses (BGs) and their significance in tissue engineering strategies

Elevated levels of oxidative stress are usually observed following injuries, leading to impaired tissue repair due to oxidation-related chronic inflammation. Several attempts have been made to manage this unfavorable situation, and the use of biomaterials with antioxidant activity is showing great promise in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches. Bioactive glasses (BGs) are a versatile group of inorganic substances that exhibit an outstanding regenerative capacity for both hard and soft damaged tissues. The chemical composition of BGs provides a great opportunity for imparting specific biological activities to them. On this point, BGs may easily become antioxidant substances through simple physicochemical modifications. For example, particular antioxidant elements (mostly cerium (Ce)) can be added to the basic composition of the glasses. On the other hand, grafting natural antioxidant substances (e.g., polyphenols) on the BG surface is feasible for making antioxidant substitutes with promising results in vitro. Mesoporous BGs (MBGs) were demonstrated to have unique merits compared with melt-derived BGs since they make it possible to load antioxidants and deliver them to the desired locations. However, there are actually limited in vivo experimental studies on the capability of modified BGs for scavenging free radicals (e.g., reactive oxygen species (ROS)). Therefore, more research is required to determine the actual potential of BGs in decreasing oxidative stress and subsequently improving tissue repair and regeneration. The present work aims to highlight the potential of different types of BGs in modulating oxidative stress and subsequently improving tissue healing

Phytochemicals as inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor alpha and neuroinflammatory responses in neurodegenerative diseases

Inflammatory processes and proinflammatory cytokines have a key role in the cellular processes of neurodegenerative diseases and are linked to the pathogenesis of functional and mental health disorders. Tumor necrosis factor alpha has been reported to play a major role in the central nervous system in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and many other neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, a potent proinflammatory/proapoptotic tumor necrosis factor alpha could be a strong candidate for targeted therapy. Plant derivatives have now become promising candidates as therapeutic agents because of their antioxidant and chemical characteristics, and anti-inflammatory features. Recently, phytochemicals including flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, and lignans have generated interest as tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor candidates for a number of diseases involving inflammation within the nervous system. In this review, we discuss how phytochemicals as tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors are a therapeutic strategy targeting neurodegeneration

Modified Sol–Gel Synthesis of Mesoporous Borate Bioactive Glasses for Potential Use in Wound Healing

In this study, we successfully utilized nitrate precursors for the synthesis of silver (Ag)-doped borate-based mesoporous bioactive glass (MBGs) based on the 1393B3 glass formulation in the presence of a polymeric substrate (polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) as a stabilizer of boric acid. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the glassy state of all the MBGs. The incorporation of 7.5 mol% Ag into the glass composition led to a decrease in the glass transition temperature (Tg). Improvements in the particle size, zeta potential, surface roughness, and surface area values were observed in the Ag-doped MBGs. The MBGs (1 mg/mL) had no adverse effect on the viability of fibroblasts. In addition, Ag-doped MBGs exhibited potent antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative species. In summary, a modified sol–gel method was confirmed for producing the Ag-doped 1393B3 glasses, and the primary in vitro outcomes hold promise for conducting in vivo studies for managing burns

Potential effects of curcumin in the treatment of COVID-19 infection

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is an ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with considerable mortality worldwide. The main clinical manifestation of COVID-19 is the presence of respiratory symptoms, but some patients develop severe cardiovascular and renal complications. There is an urgency to understand the mechanism by which this virus causes complications so as to develop treatment options. Curcumin, a natural polyphenolic compound, could be a potential treatment option for patients with coronavirus disease. In this study, we review some of the potential effects of curcumin such as inhibiting the entry of virus to the cell, inhibiting encapsulation of the virus and viral protease, as well as modulating various cellular signaling pathways. This review provides a basis for further research and development of clinical applications of curcumin for the treatment of newly emerged SARS-CoV-2

Zinc- and Copper-Doped Mesoporous Borate Bioactive Glasses: Promising Additives for Potential Use in Skin Wound Healing Applications

In this study, zinc (Zn)- and copper (Cu)-doped 13-93B3 borate mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) were successfully synthesized using nitrate precursors in the presence of Pluronic P123. We benefited from computational approaches for predicting and confirming the experimental findings. The changes in the dynamic surface tension (SFT) of simulated body fluid (SBF) were investigated using the Du Noüy ring method to shed light on the mineralization process of hydroxyapatite (HAp) on the glass surface. The obtained MBGs were in a glassy state before incubation in SBF. The formation of an apatite-like layer on the SBF-incubated borate glasses was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The incorporation of Zn and Cu into the basic composition of 13-93B3 glass led to changes in the glass transition temperature (Tg) (773 to 556 °C), particle size (373 to 64 nm), zeta potential (−12 to −26 mV), and specific surface area (SBET) (54 to 123 m2/g). Based on the K-means algorithm and chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID) tree, we found that the SFT of SBF is an important factor for the prediction and confirmation of the HAp mineralization process on the glasses. Furthermore, we proposed a simple calculation, based on SFT variation, to quantify the bioactivity of MBGs. The doped and dopant-free borate MBGs could enhance the proliferation of mouse fibroblast L929 cells at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL. These glasses also induced very low hemolysis (Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In summary, we showed that Cu-/Zn-doped borate MBGs can be fabricated using a cost-effective method and also show promise for wound healing/skin tissue engineering applications, as especially supported by the cell test with fibroblasts, good compatibility with blood, and antibacterial properties