scholarly journals Pharmaceutical Values of Calycosin: One Type of Flavonoid Isolated from Astragalus

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Guowei Gong ◽  
Yuzhong Zheng ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Yixuan Sui ◽  
Zhen Wen
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Clinical Research ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Active Ingredients ◽  
Working Mechanism ◽  
Materia Medica ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Pharmaceutical Properties ◽  
Isolated Molecules

Astragalus is a popular Materia Medica in China, and it could be applied in the treatment of various diseases. It contains a variety of chemically active ingredients, such as saponins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. Plant-derived bioactive chemicals are considered natural, safe, and beneficial. Among the infinite plant-identified and isolated molecules, flavonoids have been reported to have positive effects on human health. Calycosin is the most important active flavonoid substance identified predominantly within this medicinal plant. In recent years, calycosin has been reported to have anticancer, antioxidative, immune-modulatory, and estrogenic-like properties. This review collected recent relevant literatures on calycosin and summarized its potential pharmaceutical properties and working mechanism involved, which provided solid basis for future clinical research.

scholarly journals Uncovering Prospective Role and Applications of Existing and New Nutraceuticals from Bacterial, Fungal, Algal and Cyanobacterial, and Plant Sources

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3671
Author(s):  
Jameel R. Al-Obaidi ◽  
Khalid H. Alobaidi ◽  
Bilal Salim Al-Taie ◽  
David Hong-Sheng Wee ◽  
Hasnain Hussain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
The Public ◽  
Biological Sources ◽  
Pharmaceutical Properties ◽  
Plant Sources ◽  
Health And Well Being

Nutraceuticals are a category of products more often associated with food but having pharmaceuticals property and characteristics. However, there is still no internationally accepted concept of these food-pharmaceutical properties, and their interpretation can differ from country to country. Nutraceuticals are used as part of dietary supplements in most countries. They can be phytochemicals which are biologically active and have health benefits. These can be supplied as a supplement and/or as a functional food to the customer. For human health and longevity, these materials are likely to play a vital role. Consumption of these items is typical without a therapeutic prescription and/or supervision by the vast majority of the public. The development of nutraceuticals can be achieved through many bioresources and organisms. This review article will discuss the current research on nutraceuticals from different biological sources and their potential use as an agent for improving human health and well-being, as well as the gaps and future perspective of research related to nutraceutical development.

scholarly journals Methodologies in the Analysis of Phenolic Compounds in Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.): Composition, Biological Activity, and Beneficial Effects on Human Health

Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Bety W. Hapsari ◽  
Manikharda ◽  
Widiastuti Setyaningsih
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Phenolic Compounds ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
Environmental Influence ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Hibiscus Sabdariffa ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Positive Effects

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), as an edible flower, has long provided an array of positive effects on human health. This benefit is a result of phenolic compounds that are naturally present mainly in the calyx. Plentiful medicinal remedies and functional foods based on this flower are available worldwide, as supported by the studies of phenolic compounds in recent decades. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the composition, biological activity, and beneficial effects on human health of phenolic compounds in roselle. This review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A structured search in the published literature for phenolics compositions in roselle was required prior to the evaluation on the validity of the reported analytical methods. Reliable identification and quantification of phenolic compounds in roselle can be achieved by employing the proper extraction and separation methods. With ample alternative analytical methods discussed here, this review provided an aid for comprehending and selecting the most appropriate method for a particular study. The applications of the analytical methods highlighted indicated that phenolic acids, flavonoids, and their derivatives have been identified and quantified in roselle with a range of biological activities and beneficial effects on human health. It was also disclosed that the composition and concentration of phenolic compounds in roselle vary due to the growth factors, cultivars, and environmental influence. Finally, apart from the research progress carried out with roselle during the last ten years, this review also proposed relevant future works.

scholarly journals Moral Reciprocity, Ethics of Appropriation of Indigenous Medicinal Plant Knowledge and Associated Biopiracy

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-65
Author(s):  
Oscar Agbor Ambang ◽  
Sergio Alloggio ◽  
Roman Tandlich
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Moral Accountability ◽  
Pharmacologically Active

AbstractIntroduction: Although this paper deals mostly with the positive effects of a posthumanist worldview on environmental sustainability, partnership, or moral accountability in science and scientific research, it also promotes a new understanding of our educational practice in higher education. The ideas espoused have the ability to inspire educators at all levels to show students, future researchers or other professions about the importance of a progressive, holistic approach to our environment. We claim that being sensitive and caring for our environment is not only part of our moral and ethical responsibility, it is an inseparable aspect of our environmental education, our environmental intelligence. This paper discusses posthumanist1 reciprocity ethics in the context of traditional knowledge (TK) and the protection of indigenous traditional knowledge from commercial exploitation.Methods: Instances of unethical bioprospecting and biopiracy were common throughout the turn of the 21st century and are discussed using cases in countries such as Cameroon, India, South Africa and Australia, where medicinal plant species were, are still a highly sought-after source of potent, pharmacologically active phytochemicals.Results and discussion: The observed increase in regulations against bioprospecting on indigenous land in these countries as a result of intellectual property monopoly by big pharmaceutical companies is discussed in this paper along the lines of a ‘humanist vs posthumanist’ ontology. Patent exclusivity laws have historically marginalized the proprietary owners of indigenous traditional knowledge, creating a moral and ethical rift between those that seek to exploit this knowledge commercially and those from whom the knowledge originally comes from. This disconnection from nature and natural resources due to a humanistic approach2 to growth and development, often leads to environmental exploitation, exploitation of indigenous people and unsustainable commercial practices. Existing research and bioprospecting ethics that are practiced on indigenous lands must be questioned in their ability to provide mutually beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders.Conclusions: The posthumanist approach to morality and research ethics is discussed in this paper as a possible and practical alternative to humanism along with the potential for posthumanist ethics to be a tool to shape legal frameworks and the policies that protect at-risk communities and their respective natural environments. Our current developmental trajectory as a collective species has us blurring the lines that separate the ‘human’ from the ‘non-human’ elements in our world as humanity grows towards a more technologically advanced but equally environmentally dependent people. Thus, the currently existing systems of ethics that govern the relationship between the ‘human’ and ‘non-human’ must be called into question. This paper aims to illustrate the positive effects of a posthumanist worldview on issues such as environmental sustainability, partnership, moral accountability and reciprocity ethics in the context of modern science and modern scientific research.

scholarly journals Improved Wellbeing for Both Caretakers and Users from A Zoo-Related Nature Based Intervention—A Study at Nordens Ark Zoo, Sweden

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (24) ◽  
pp. 4929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Sahlin ◽  
Björn Johansson ◽  
Per-Olof Karlsson ◽  
Jenny Loberg ◽  
Mats Niklasson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Disadvantaged Group ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Working Lives

Nature-based interventions have been proposed to promote physical and mental health and give stress reduction. Little attention has been given to the potential of zoos for human health and wellbeing. A disadvantaged group in Sweden regarding access to nature are individuals with disabilities who consequently do not have the same access to these health benefits as other groups. To increase awareness and knowledge regarding spending time in nature and with animals, courses directed at caretakers for persons with disabilities and their users were held at Nordens Ark, a zoo in Sweden. To explore if the courses had led to increased nature activities, and if participating in the courses had affected caretakers’ and their users’ health and wellbeing, questionnaires and interviews for evaluating the courses were used. The results showed improved quality in nature visits because of course participation as well as positive effects for the wellbeing, sustainability for the caregivers and users in their working lives, and relationships were positively affected. The conclusion from this study is that nature and animal-based education should be more frequent to provide opportunities for a disadvantaged group to have the positive effects of nature of which most other groups have obvious access to.

scholarly journals The Beneficial Effects of Short-Term Exposure to Scuba Diving on Human Mental Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 7238
Author(s):  
Arnau Carreño ◽  
Mireia Gascon ◽  
Cristina Vert ◽  
Josep Lloret
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Scuba Diving ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Medication Intake ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
Regular Medication

Exposure to outdoor blue spaces can help improve human health by reducing stress, promoting social relationships, and physical activity. While most studies have focused on the adverse health effects of scuba diving, very few have assessed its health benefits. Moreover, when scuba diving is done in large groups with no diving instructor or pre-dive briefing, negative environmental impacts are generated and negative impacts on human health may also occur due to overcrowding, which may create stress. This is the first study to evaluate the effects of scuba diving on divers’ mental health using their diving practices to estimate the impacts on the ecosystem. In the marine-protected area of Cap de Creus and adjacent areas, we assessed the mental health of 176 divers and 70 beach users (control group) by employing a 29-item version of Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaires. According to the parameters associated with reduced environmental impacts, two scuba diving experiences were established. Poisson regression models were performed to assess both the contribution of the activity and diving experiences to POMS scores. Both groups (scuba divers and beach goers) reduced their POMS scores after carrying out the activities. Although no significant differences were found between beach and scuba diving activities, nor between the two different scuba diving experiences, our results showed that subjects with regular medication intake due to a chronic or psychiatric illness had a POMS reduction score significantly higher than other subjects. We conclude that both beach and scuba diving activities have positive effects for human mental health, particularly among subjects with regular medication intake.

scholarly journals MetaMed: Linking Microbiota Functions with Medicine Therapeutics

mSystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Zhao ◽  
Shaliu Fu ◽  
Yifei Yu ◽  
Zhanbing Zhang ◽  
Ping Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Clinical Research ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Rich Source ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Integrative System ◽  
Pharmaceutical Applications ◽  
Mapping System

ABSTRACT Understanding how the human microbiome affects human health has consequences for treating disease and minimizing unwanted side effects in clinical research. Here, we present MetaMed (http://metamed.rwebox.com/index), a novel and integrative system-wide correlation mapping system to link bacterial functions and medicine therapeutics, providing novel hypotheses for deep investigation of microbe therapeutic effects on human health. Furthermore, comprehensive relationships between microbes living in the environment and drugs were discovered, providing a rich source for discovering microbiota metabolites with great potential for pharmaceutical applications.

scholarly journals Nanotechnology-Based Cosmeceuticals

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alka Lohani ◽  
Anurag Verma ◽  
Himanshi Joshi ◽  
Niti Yadav ◽  
Neha Karki
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Potential Risk ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Personal Care ◽  
Active Ingredients ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Aesthetic Appeal ◽  
Care Industry ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Opening Up

Cosmeceuticals are the fastest growing segment of the personal care industry, and a number of topical cosmeceutical treatments for conditions such as photoaging, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and hair damage have come into widespread use. In the cosmeceutical arena nanotechnology has played an important role. Using new techniques to manipulate matter at an atomic or molecular level, they have been at the root of numerous innovations, opening up new perspectives for the future of cosmeceutical industry. Nanotechnology-based cosmeceuticals offer the advantage of diversity in products, and increased bioavailability of active ingredients and increase the aesthetic appeal of cosmeceutical products with prolonged effects. However increased use of nanotechnology in cosmeceuticals has raised concern about the possible penetration of nanoparticles through the skin and potential hazards to the human health. This review outlines the different nanoparticles used in various classes of cosmeceuticals, nanotechnology-based cosmeceutical products present in the market, and the potential risk caused by nanoparticles on exposure and recent regulatory steps taken to overcome them.

scholarly journals OverCOVID: an integrative web portal for SARS-CoV-2 bioinformatics resources

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Asif Ahsan ◽  
Yongjing Liu ◽  
Cong Feng ◽  
Ralf Hofestädt ◽  
Ming Chen
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Research ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Clinical Data ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Web Portal ◽  
Vast Amount ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Web

Abstract Outbreaks of COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is still a threat to global human health. In order to understand the biology of SARS-CoV-2 and developing drug against COVID-19, a vast amount of genomic, proteomic, interatomic, and clinical data is being generated, and the bioinformatics researchers produced databases, webservers and tools to gather those publicly available data and provide an opportunity of analyzing such data. However, these bioinformatics resources are scattered and researchers need to find them from different resources discretely. To facilitate researchers in finding the resources in one frame, we have developed an integrated web portal called OverCOVID (http://bis.zju.edu.cn/overcovid/). The publicly available webservers, databases and tools associated with SARS-CoV-2 have been incorporated in the resource page. In addition, a network view of the resources is provided to display the scope of the research. Other information like SARS-CoV-2 strains is visualized and various layers of interaction resources is listed in distinct pages of the web portal. As an integrative web portal, the OverCOVID will help the scientist to search the resources and accelerate the clinical research of SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals Longevity Internal Elixir—Tradition of Yue School in East Sichuan for Warding off Disease, Keeping in Good Health and Cultivating Mind

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Grace Tan
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Continuous Optimization ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Health It ◽  
Healthy Development ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Safeguard Measures ◽  
The People ◽  
Good Living

With the continuous improvement of the national economy and people’s quality of life, people’s attention to human health and health is increasing. Taking exercise and reasonable diet and good living habits to adjust the body’s meridian operation and promote the continuous optimization of human body function is an important way to achieve healthy development and optimize people’s lifestyle. This paper describes the formation and development of Longevity Internal Elixir form Yue School in East Sichuan and its positive effects on human health. It analyzes the implementation methods and steps of Longevity Internal Elixir and points out the precautions and safeguards for the implementation of Longevity Internal Elixir. Through the analysis of this paper, it is clear that Longevity Internal Elixir plays an important role in the health of the people, exerts its role in promoting bodily functions. The implementation methods and safeguard measures of Longevity Internal Elixir are also clarified in this paper.

scholarly journals A Phytopharmacological Review on a Medicinal Plant: Cordia africana Lam.

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gashaw Nigussie ◽  
Fozia Ibrahim ◽  
Sebsib Neway
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pharmacological Properties ◽  
Young Branch ◽  
Cordia Africana ◽  
Trees And Shrubs ◽  
Different Parts

The use of phytoconstituents single or combined with standard medicines has been utilized in cure of different diseases. Many plants of genus Cordia comprise of trees and shrubs are widely distributed in warmer regions and have been utilized in management of various diseases. Cordia africana Lam. (family- Boraginaceae) is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree, 4 to 15 (30) m high, heavily branched with a spreading, umbrella-shaped or rounded crown. Bole typically curved or crooked. Bark grayish-brown to dark brown, smooth in young trees, but soon becoming rough and longitudinally fissured with age; young branch lets with sparse long. Uses of C. africana: firewood, timber (furniture, beehives, boxes, mortars, church, drums), food (fruit), medicine (bark, roots), fodder (leaves), bee forage, mulch, soil conservation, ornamental, shade. Various phytoconstituents like flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, terpenoids, saponins, steroids, anthraquinones, carbohydrates and protins having different activities were screened and isolated from different parts of Cordia africana. Various important Pharmacological properties including Antioxidant, Cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, antimicrobial, anti-nociceptive, and others have been well documented for this plant. Therefore, we have briefly reviewed the various bioactivities of Cordia africana to improve our knowledge on plant phytochemicals as therapeutic entities. The present review describes the various phytoconstituents and therapeutic potential of Cordia africana that can be followed for future research on this plant for human health benefits.

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