scholarly journals Fundamentals on seaweed potential as a promising share of nutraceuticals in alleviating the obese problem

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (AAEBSSD) ◽  
pp. 86-94
Author(s):  
Karpakavalli Meenakshisundaram ◽  
Muthumareeswari Sethurajan ◽  
Ranjithkumar Dhanaraj ◽  
Sangilimuthu Alagar Yadhav ◽  
Mohan Sellapppan
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Herbal Extracts ◽  
Cognitive Activities ◽  
Novel Drug ◽  
Drug Leads

Herbal and non-herbal extracts achieve an increased and continuous welcome as nutraceuticals in Global market demand eg., Green tea for weight loss and cancer, Ginkgo biloba to improve cognitive activities and Glucosamine in arthritis. WHO reports as 80% of world’s population relies on traditional medicine, historically provided many novel drug leads and plays a pivotal role in the facet of drug discovery. Nowadays, seaweeds cultivation is becoming very essential, as there is an inadequate natural seaweeds stock to meet the industrial need. For more than thousands of years, the medicinal effects viz., treatment of burns, rashes and wounds, of seaweeds are well established. From the literature, the marine sponges do contain many chemicals and are the good sources of minerals, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and fibers. However, the potential effects of these nature-based species, are awaiting exploration. These challenges can be overcome by the advent of new nutraceutical formulation, which do ensure a bio-enhancing, immune-stimulating and a drug adjunct effect in bioactivities. Edible seaweeds offer interesting possibilities to develop healthier drugs and are the formidable source of nutrients and bio-compounds with proven benefits against degenerative metabolic diseases and Obesity.

REGULATION OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ENZYMES INVOLVED IN THE METABOLISM OF STEROID HORMONES IN RAT LIVER: THE EFFECT OF 19-NORTESTOSTERONE AND THE INFLUENCE OF CYPROTERONE ACETATE ON THE ACTION OF TESTOSTERONE AND 5α-DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE

1974 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüdiger Ghraf ◽  
Edmund Rodney Lax ◽  
Hanns-Georg Hoff ◽  
Herbert Schriefers
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Rat Liver ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Cyproterone Acetate ◽  
Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase ◽  
Seminal Vesicles ◽  
Normal Male ◽  
Steroid Hydroxylases ◽  
Drug Leads

ABSTRACT The androgens testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone, the anabolic drug 19-nortestosterone and the anti-androgen cyproterone acetate were investigated with regard to their modifying action on the sexual differentiation of the activities of rat liver enzymes involved in steroid hormone metabolism. The activities of the enzymes (Δ4-5α-hydrogenase, 20-ketoreductase, 3α-and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, NAD- and NADP-dependent Δ4-3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, total steroid hydroxylases, 7α- and 16α-hydroxylase) were determined in cell-free liver fractions of male animals castrated on day 25 of life and killed on day 90; and of castrated animals which, from day 75 to 89 received daily sc injections (0.3 mg/100 g body weight) of the anabolic drug or the androgen only or in combination with cyproterone acetate (3 mg/100 g body weight). With the exception of 7α-hydroxylase castration leads to a feminization of the enzyme activity pattern. However, the degree of feminization varies from enzyme to enzyme. The administration of testosterone or of 5α-dihydrotestosterone reverses the effect of castration. With 5α-dihydrotestosterone activity values were reached which in some cases were significantly higher than those obtained with testosterone. Although both androgens restored the enzyme activities to the normal male values, neither androgen was able to compensate for the weight loss of the seminal vesicles in the dose administered. The administration of 19-nortestosterone in the same dose as testosterone is only 30 % as effective in restoring the weight loss of the seminal vesicles, but leads to identical activities of Δ4-5α-hydrogenase and of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases as are found for testosterone. 19-Nortestosterone is without influence on the activities of total steroid hydroxylases and of 16α-hydroxylase. 16α-Hydroxylase is the only enzyme in which the activity enhancing effects of testosterone or of 5α-dihydrotestosterone can be completely blocked by the simultaneous administration of the anti-androgen cyproterone acetate. In all other enzyme activities the anti-androgen does not interfere with the effect of the androgens although it blocks their action on the weight restitution of the seminal vesicles by 60–70 %. 7α-Hydroxylase does not exhibit any androgen dependency. Neither castration nor the subsequent administration of the two androgens, or of the anabolic drug leads to any alterations in activity. However, it is interesting to note that the administration of cyproterone acetate does cause an increase in activity.

Thermal Taste and Anti-Aspiration Drugs: A Novel Drug Discovery Against Pneumonia

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 2755-2759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoru Ebihara ◽  
Takae Ebihara ◽  
Peijun Gui ◽  
Ken Osaka ◽  
Yasunori Sumi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Thermal Taste ◽  
Novel Drug

Epigenetics, Nutrition, Disease and Drug Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Lundstrom
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Rna Interference ◽  
Nutritional Requirements ◽  
Signal Pathways ◽  
Disease Development ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Epigenetic Changes ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Novel Drug

Epigenetic mechanisms comprising of DNA methylation, histone modifications and gene silencing by RNA interference have been strongly linked to the development and progression of various diseases. These findings have triggered research on epigenetic functions and signal pathways as targets for novel drug discovery. Dietary intake has also presented significant influence on human health and disease development and nutritional modifications have proven important in prevention, but also the treatment of disease. Moreover, a strong link between nutrition and epigenetic changes has been established. Therefore, in attempts to develop novel safer and more efficacious drugs, both nutritional requirements and epigenetic mechanisms need to be addressed.

scholarly journals The Anti-Viral Applications of Marine Resources for COVID-19 Treatment: An Overview

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 409
Author(s):  
Sarah Geahchan ◽  
Hermann Ehrlich ◽  
M. Azizur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Viral Entry ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Sulfated Polysaccharides ◽  
Marine Resources ◽  
Active Metabolites ◽  
Marine Metabolites ◽  
Main Protease ◽  
Novel Drug ◽  
First Time ◽  
Potential Therapeutics

The ongoing pandemic has led to an urgent need for novel drug discovery and potential therapeutics for Sars-CoV-2 infected patients. Although Remdesivir and the anti-inflammatory agent dexamethasone are currently on the market for treatment, Remdesivir lacks full efficacy and thus, more drugs are needed. This review was conducted through literature search of PubMed, MDPI, Google Scholar and Scopus. Upon review of existing literature, it is evident that marine organisms harbor numerous active metabolites with anti-viral properties that serve as potential leads for COVID-19 therapy. Inorganic polyphosphates (polyP) naturally found in marine bacteria and sponges have been shown to prevent viral entry, induce the innate immune response, and downregulate human ACE-2. Furthermore, several marine metabolites isolated from diverse sponges and algae have been shown to inhibit main protease (Mpro), a crucial protein required for the viral life cycle. Sulfated polysaccharides have also been shown to have potent anti-viral effects due to their anionic properties and high molecular weight. Likewise, select marine sponges produce bromotyrosines which have been shown to prevent viral entry, replication and protein synthesis. The numerous compounds isolated from marine resources demonstrate significant potential against COVID-19. The present review for the first time highlights marine bioactive compounds, their sources, and their anti-viral mechanisms of action, with a focus on potential COVID-19 treatment.

scholarly journals Zebrafish Model in Ophthalmology to Study Disease Mechanism and Drug Discovery

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 716
Author(s):  
Yiwen Hong ◽  
Yan Luo
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽  
Disease Mechanism ◽  
Zebrafish Model ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Eye Disorders ◽  
Vertebrate Model ◽  
Drug Treatments ◽  
Novel Drug

Visual impairment and blindness are common and seriously affect people’s work and quality of life in the world. Therefore, the effective therapies for eye diseases are of high priority. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an alternative vertebrate model as a useful tool for the mechanism elucidation and drug discovery of various eye disorders, such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, photoreceptor degeneration, etc. The genetic and embryonic accessibility of zebrafish in combination with a behavioral assessment of visual function has made it a very popular model in ophthalmology. Zebrafish has also been widely used in ocular drug discovery, such as the screening of new anti-angiogenic compounds or neuroprotective drugs, and the oculotoxicity test. In this review, we summarized the applications of zebrafish as the models of eye disorders to study disease mechanism and investigate novel drug treatments.

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