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Virology Journal May 2022The new coronavirus (COVID-19) has been transmitted exponentially. Numerous studies have been performed in recent years that have shown the inhibitory effect of plant... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
The new coronavirus (COVID-19) has been transmitted exponentially. Numerous studies have been performed in recent years that have shown the inhibitory effect of plant extracts or plant-derived compounds on the coronavirus family. In this study, we want to use systematic review and meta-analysis to answer the question, which herbal compound has been more effective?
MAIN BODY
The present study is based on the guidelines for conducting meta-analyzes. An extensive search was conducted in the electronic database, and based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, articles were selected and data screening was done. Quality control of articles was performed. Data analysis was carried out in STATA software.
CONCLUSION
Due to the variety of study methods, definitive conclusions are not possible. However, in this study, we attempted to gather all the available evidence on the effect of plant compounds on SARS-COV-2 to be used for the development and use of promising antiviral agents against this virus and other coronaviruses. Trypthantrin, Sambucus extract, S. cusia extract, Boceprevir and Indigole B, dioica agglutinin urtica had a good effect on reducing the virus titer. Also among the compounds that had the greatest effect on virus inhibition, Saikosaponins B2, SaikosaponinsD, SaikosaponinsA and Phillyrin, had an acceptable selectivity index greater than 10. Andrographolide showed the highest selectivity index on SARS-COV-2. Our study confirmed insufficient data to support alkaloid compounds against SARS-COV-2, and the small number of studies that used alkaloid compounds was a limitation. It is recommended to investigate the effect of more alkaloid compounds against Corona virus.
Topics: Alkaloids; Antiviral Agents; Humans; Plant Extracts; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 Drug Treatment
PubMed: 35597998
DOI: 10.1186/s12985-022-01808-z -
Systematic Reviews Oct 2023Since 1997, several meta-analyses (MAs) of placebo-controlled randomised efficacy trials of homoeopathy for any indication (PRETHAIs) have been published with different...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Since 1997, several meta-analyses (MAs) of placebo-controlled randomised efficacy trials of homoeopathy for any indication (PRETHAIs) have been published with different methods, results and conclusions. To date, a formal assessment of these MAs has not been performed. The main objective of this systematic review of MAs of PRETHAIs was to evaluate the efficacy of homoeopathic treatment.
METHODS
The inclusion criteria were as follows: MAs of PRETHAIs in humans; all ages, countries, settings, publication languages; and MAs published from 1 Jan. 1990 to 30 Apr. 2023. The exclusion criteria were as follows: systematic reviews without MAs; MAs restricted to age or gender groups, specific indications, or specific homoeopathic treatments; and MAs that did not assess efficacy. We searched 8 electronic databases up to 14 Dec. 2020, with an update search in 6 databases up to 30 April 2023. The primary outcome was the effect estimate for all included trials in each MA and after restricting the sample to trials with high methodological quality, according to predefined criteria. The risk of bias for each MA was assessed by the ROBIS (Risk Of Bias In Systematic reviews) tool. The quality of evidence was assessed by the GRADE framework. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the proportion of MAs showing a significant positive effect of homoeopathy vs. no significant difference.
RESULTS
Six MAs were included, covering individualised homoeopathy (I-HOM, n = 2), nonindividualised homoeopathy (NI-HOM, n = 1) and all homoeopathy types (ALL-HOM = I-HOM + NI-HOM, n = 3). The MAs comprised between 16 and 110 trials, and the included trials were published from 1943-2014. The median trial sample size ranged from 45 to 97 patients. The risk of bias (low/unclear/high) was rated as low for three MAs and high for three MAs. Effect estimates for all trials in each MA showed a significant positive effect of homoeopathy compared to placebo (5 of 5 MAs, no data in 1 MA). Sensitivity analyses with sample restriction to high-quality trials were available from 4 MAs; the effect remained significant in 3 of the MAs (2 MAs assessed ALL-HOM, 1 MA assessed I-HOM) and was no longer significant in 1 MA (which assessed NI-HOM).
DISCUSSION
The quality of evidence for positive effects of homoeopathy beyond placebo (high/moderate/low/very low) was high for I-HOM and moderate for ALL-HOM and NI-HOM. There was no support for the alternative hypothesis of no outcome difference between homoeopathy and placebo. The available MAs of PRETHAIs reveal significant positive effects of homoeopathy beyond placebo. This is in accordance with laboratory experiments showing partially replicable effects of homoeopathically potentised preparations in physico-chemical, in vitro, plant-based and animal-based test systems.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
PROSPERO CRD42020209661. The protocol for this SR was finalised and submitted on 25 Nov. 2020 and registered on 26 Dec. 2020.
Topics: Humans; Bias; Homeopathy; Research Design; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 37805577
DOI: 10.1186/s13643-023-02313-2 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2020Antimicrobial resistance represents a serious threat to human health across the globe. The cost of bringing a new antibiotic from discovery to market is high and return... (Review)
Review
Antimicrobial resistance represents a serious threat to human health across the globe. The cost of bringing a new antibiotic from discovery to market is high and return on investment is low. Furthermore, the development of new antibiotics has slowed dramatically since the 1950s' golden age of discovery. Plants produce a variety of bioactive secondary metabolites that could be used to fuel the future discovery pipeline. While many studies have focused on specific aspects of plants and plant natural products with antibacterial properties, a comprehensive review of the antibacterial potential of plants has never before been attempted. This systematic review aims to evaluate reports on plants with significant antibacterial activities. Following the PRISMA model, we searched three electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed and SciFinder by using specific keywords: "plant," "antibacterial," "inhibitory concentration." We identified a total of 6,083 articles published between 1946 and 2019 and then reviewed 66% of these (4,024) focusing on articles published between 2012 and 2019. A rigorous selection process was implemented using clear inclusion and exclusion criteria, yielding data on 958 plant species derived from 483 scientific articles. Antibacterial activity is found in 51 of 79 vascular plant orders throughout the phylogenetic tree. Most are reported within eudicots, with the bulk of species being asterids. Antibacterial activity is not prominent in monocotyledons. Phylogenetic distribution strongly supports the concept of chemical evolution across plant clades, especially in more derived eudicot families. The Lamiaceae, Fabaceae and Asteraceae were the most represented plant families, while , and were the most studied species. South Africa was the most represented site of plant collection. Crude extraction in methanol was the most represented type of extraction and leaves were the main plant tissue investigated. Finally, was the most targeted pathogenic bacteria in these studies. We closely examine 70 prominent medicinal plant species from the 15 families most studied in the literature. This review depicts the current state of knowledge regarding antibacterials from plants and provides powerful recommendations for future research directions.
PubMed: 33488385
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.586548 -
Biotechnology Advances Oct 2023Temperature affects cellular processes at different spatiotemporal scales, and identifying the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying temperature responses paves... (Review)
Review
Temperature affects cellular processes at different spatiotemporal scales, and identifying the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying temperature responses paves the way to develop approaches for mitigating the effects of future climate scenarios. A systems view of the effects of temperature on cellular physiology can be obtained by focusing on metabolism since: (i) its functions depend on transcription and translation and (ii) its outcomes support organisms' development, growth, and reproduction. Here we provide a systematic review of modelling efforts directed at investigating temperature effects on properties of single biochemical reactions, system-level traits, metabolic subsystems, and whole-cell metabolism across different prokaryotes and eukaryotes. We compare and contrast computational approaches and theories that facilitate modelling of temperature effects on key properties of enzymes and their consideration in constraint-based as well as kinetic models of metabolism. In addition, we provide a summary of insights from computational approaches, facilitating integration of omics data from temperature-modulated experiments with models of metabolic networks, and review the resulting biotechnological applications. Lastly, we provide a perspective on how different types of metabolic modelling can profit from developments in machine learning and models of different cellular layers to improve model-driven insights into the effects of temperature relevant for biotechnological applications.
Topics: Temperature; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Phenotype; Models, Biological
PubMed: 37348662
DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108203 -
Cureus Oct 2023Cancer is a leading cause of mortality around the world, despite continued advancements in the management of cancer. Recent research efforts have shifted to evaluating... (Review)
Review
Cancer is a leading cause of mortality around the world, despite continued advancements in the management of cancer. Recent research efforts have shifted to evaluating the role that modifiable risk factors play in cancer risk and development, as diet and nutrition have been found to play a significant role in the onset and progression of cancer. As a result, there has been an increasing focus on the impact of dietary modifications on preventing the onset, progression, and reoccurrence of cancer. In this systematic review, data were collected on three common diets, the Mediterranean diet (MD), ketogenic diet (KD), and plant-based diet, to gain insight into the application of these three dietary modification approaches for risk prevention and limitation of cancer burden. Initially, 4,397 articles were identified from three databases (Ovid, Web of Science, and CINHAL). After removing studies based on the exclusion criteria, only 23 studies were eligible to be included in the systematic review of which 15 evaluated the MD, four assessed the ketogenic diet, and four evaluated the plant-based diet. Each article was considered for its methods, procedures, and findings. The findings indicate that dietary interventions may effectively reduce the odds of cancer development and the advancement of diagnosed cancers. With the introduction of the MD, KD, and plant-based diets, significant improvements in lowering cancer development, recurrence-free status, and limiting tumor growth were noted across numerous cancer types. Currently, the MD has been extensively studied in the literature, and amongst the widest variety of cancer types. Additional information and evaluation are required on the ketogenic and plant-based diets to fully understand their impact on the cancer burden across a wider subset of cancers. Clinicians should evaluate and recommend nutritional adaptations to their patients to limit the development of specific cancers and as an adjunctive therapy to traditional pharmacological treatment options for patients with diagnosed cancers.
PubMed: 37937022
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.46639 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2023Agricultural crops are exposed to various abiotic stresses, such as salinity, water deficits, temperature extremes, floods, radiation, and metal toxicity. To overcome... (Review)
Review
Agricultural crops are exposed to various abiotic stresses, such as salinity, water deficits, temperature extremes, floods, radiation, and metal toxicity. To overcome these challenges, breeding programs seek to improve methods and techniques. Gene editing by Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-CRISPR/Cas-is a versatile tool for editing in all layers of the central dogma with focus on the development of cultivars of plants resistant or tolerant to multiple biotic or abiotic stresses. This systematic review (SR) brings new contributions to the study of the use of CRISPR/Cas in gene editing for tolerance to abiotic stress in plants. Articles deposited in different electronic databases, using a search and predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, were evaluated. This SR demonstrates that the CRISPR/Cas system has been applied to several plant species to promote tolerance to the main abiotic stresses. Among the most studied crops are rice and , an important staple food for the population, and a model plant in genetics/biotechnology, respectively, and more recently tomato, whose number of studies has increased since 2021. Most studies were conducted in Asia, specifically in China. The Cas9 enzyme is used in most articles, and only Cas12a is used as an additional gene editing tool in plants. Ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) have emerged as a DNA-free strategy for genome editing without exogenous DNA. This SR also identifies several genes edited by CRISPR/Cas, and it also shows that plant responses to stress factors are mediated by many complex-signaling pathways. In addition, the quality of the articles included in this SR was validated by a risk of bias analysis. The information gathered in this SR helps to understand the current state of CRISPR/Cas in the editing of genes and noncoding sequences, which plays a key role in the regulation of various biological processes and the tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, with potential for use in plant genetic improvement programs.
PubMed: 36679018
DOI: 10.3390/plants12020305 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2023The C4 grass pearl millet is one of the most drought tolerant cereals and is primarily grown in marginal areas where annual rainfall is low and intermittent. It was...
The C4 grass pearl millet is one of the most drought tolerant cereals and is primarily grown in marginal areas where annual rainfall is low and intermittent. It was domesticated in sub-Saharan Africa, and several studies have found that it uses a combination of morphological and physiological traits to successfully resist drought. This review explores the short term and long-term responses of pearl millet that enables it to either tolerate, avoid, escape, or recover from drought stress. The response to short term drought reveals fine tuning of osmotic adjustment, stomatal conductance, and ROS scavenging ability, along with ABA and ethylene transduction. Equally important are longer term developmental plasticity in tillering, root development, leaf adaptations and flowering time that can both help avoid the worst water stress and recover some of the yield losses asynchronous tiller production. We examine genes related to drought resistance that were identified through individual transcriptomic studies and through our combined analysis of previous studies. From the combined analysis, we found 94 genes that were differentially expressed in both vegetative and reproductive stages under drought stress. Among them is a tight cluster of genes that are directly related to biotic and abiotic stress, as well as carbon metabolism, and hormonal pathways. We suggest that knowledge of gene expression patterns in tiller buds, inflorescences and rooting tips will be important for understanding the growth responses of pearl millet and the trade-offs at play in the response of this crop to drought. Much remains to be learnt about how pearl millet's unique combination of genetic and physiological mechanisms allow it to achieve such high drought tolerance, and the answers to be found may well be useful for crops other than just pearl millet.
PubMed: 36844091
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1059574 -
Veterinary Research Forum : An... 2023The purpose of this review was to assess the use of plant essential oils and extracts (PEOE) in the development of antimicrobial edible films for dairy application... (Review)
Review
The purpose of this review was to assess the use of plant essential oils and extracts (PEOE) in the development of antimicrobial edible films for dairy application through a systematic review and meta-analysis. All studies published in multiple databases were explored via PRISMA protocol on November 1, 2022. According to the results, the interquartile range of pathogen reduction potential of essential oil (EO) in dairy products, irrespective of EO, film and product type, was 0.10 - 4.70 log CFU g per % concentration. The findings from 38 articles indicate that among all EOs or their compounds, Boiss in protein film, thyme in protein film, Boiss EO in protein film, -cinnamaldehyde in carbohydrate film and lemongrass EO in protein film had extraordinary pathogen reduction potential on important foodborne pathogens. In the case of plant extract, fish gelatin film with extract, whey protein isolate film loaded with oregano EO and carboxymethyl cellulose film with clove EOs had the highest antimicrobial effect on mesophilic bacteria (9.50 log CFU g per % concentration), yeast-mold (2.63 log CFU g per % concentration) and mesophilic/ psychrophilic counts (> 9.06 log CFU g per % concentration), respectively. is the primary species of interest; whereas, mesophiles and mold-yeast populations were the most investigated microbiota/mycobiota in cheese with PEOE-incorporated film. In light of these findings, the choice of PEOE at appropriate concentrations with the selection of appropriate edible film may improve the safety, sensory, and shelf life of dairy products.
PubMed: 37181858
DOI: 10.30466/vrf.2022.1986122.3730 -
The Plant Journal : For Cell and... Mar 2023High yield and stress resistance are the major prerequisites for successful crop cultivation, and can be achieved by modifying plant architecture. Evolutionarily... (Review)
Review
High yield and stress resistance are the major prerequisites for successful crop cultivation, and can be achieved by modifying plant architecture. Evolutionarily conserved growth-regulating factors (GRFs) control the growth of different tissues and organs of plants. Here, we provide a systematic overview of the expression patterns of GRF genes and the structural features of GRF proteins in different plant species. Moreover, we illustrate the conserved and divergent roles of GRFs, microRNA396 (miR396), and GRF-interacting factors (GIFs) in leaf, root, and flower development. We also describe the molecular networks involving the miR396-GRF-GIF module, and illustrate how this module coordinates with different signaling molecules and transcriptional regulators to control development of different plant species. GRFs promote leaf growth, accelerate grain filling, and increase grain size and weight. We also provide some molecular insight into how coordination between GRFs and other signaling modules enhances crop productivity; for instance, how the GRF-DELLA interaction confers yield-enhancing dwarfism while increasing grain yield. Finally, we discuss how the GRF-GIF chimera substantially improves plant transformation efficiency by accelerating shoot formation. Overall, we systematically review the conserved and divergent roles of GRFs and the miR396-GRF-GIF module in growth regulation, and also provide insights into how GRFs can be utilized to improve the productivity and nutrient content of crop plants.
Topics: Plants, Genetically Modified; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; MicroRNAs; Plant Development; Plant Leaves; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
PubMed: 36582168
DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16090 -
Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 2022Gomes is a fruit and medicinal tree species native to South America, which in Brazil is considered of potential economic value and priority for research and... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Gomes is a fruit and medicinal tree species native to South America, which in Brazil is considered of potential economic value and priority for research and development. We present a map of the state-of-art, including articles, patents, and molecular data of the species to identify perspectives for future research. The annual scientific production, intellectual, social, and conceptual structure were evaluated, along with the number of patent deposits, components of the plant used, countries of deposit, international classification and assignees, and the accessibility of available molecular data. Brazil has the most significant publications (306) between 1992 and 2020. Technological products (29) have been developed from different tissues of the plant. Most of the articles and patents were developed by researchers from public universities from different regions of Brazil. The molecular data are sequences of nucleotides (164) and proteins (236) of the chloroplast genome and are described to identify the species as DNA barcodes and proteins involved in photosynthesis. The compilation and report of scientific, technological, and molecular information in the present review allowed the identification of new perspectives of research to be developed based on the gaps in knowledge regarding the species and perspectives for the definition of future research.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10722-021-01319-w.
PubMed: 35068695
DOI: 10.1007/s10722-021-01319-w