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Dental and Medical Problems 2022Dentistry as a profession should take into account the goals of sustainable development in daily practice and encourage the transition to a green economy. Consumers are... (Review)
Review
Dentistry as a profession should take into account the goals of sustainable development in daily practice and encourage the transition to a green economy. Consumers are becoming more conscious about the impact of self-care products, including toothpastes, on the environment. Organic toothpastes are considered very safe. A broad literature review was conducted to: (i) identify the ingredients in available organic toothpastes; (ii) classify them into active and inactive; and (iii) evaluate each ingredient's purpose and the adverse events that may be associated with its use. A comprehensive list of available organic toothpastes and their ingredients was compiled based on the products from the largest Italian organic supermarket chain (NaturaSì®) that is representative of the European market. Then, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases were searched to identify, classify and evaluate each ingredient. The final sample consisted of 46 organic toothpastes that included 156 ingredients; 139 (89.1%) and 17 (10.9%) were classified as active and inactive, respectively. Overall, 32 (20.5%) ingredients were associated with known adverse events. The results of this study indicate that organic toothpastes are highly biocompatible with oral cavity tissues. Careful product selection may help consumers avoid potential adverse effects that can be caused by ingredients such as polymers (e.g., polyethylene glycol) and carbomers, detergent agents (e.g., sodium lauryl sulfate), and triclosan. The lack of clinical studies should encourage the development of sufficient evidence to provide consumers with recommendations for daily use, based on both efficacy and biocompatibility.
Topics: Dentistry; Detergents; Humans; Polyethylene Glycols; Polymers; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; Toothpastes; Triclosan
PubMed: 36206496
DOI: 10.17219/dmp/146133 -
Aging Aug 2023Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most malignant tumors. The experiments on the application of Anhydroicaritin (AHI), the active ingredient of Bushen Huayu...
BACKGROUND
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most malignant tumors. The experiments on the application of Anhydroicaritin (AHI), the active ingredient of Bushen Huayu Decoction, in HCC treatment remain limited, particularly regarding its molecular mechanism.
METHODS
The TCMSP platform was used for drug ingredient screening. The GeneCards database and DisGeNET database are used to collect liver cancer targets. PPI network construction of active component-target intersection target was completed with string database. The GO and KEGG pathway analyses were performed via bioinformatics analysis. The molecular docking was used to confirm AHI's target proteins. The experiments were performed to validate the effect of AHI on HCC cell and explore the molecular mechanism by western blotting analysis.
RESULTS
Through the intersection, 155 intersection targets are finally obtained. The top 15 active ingredients were quercetin, kaempferol, beta-sitosterol, luteolin, beta-carotene, Stigmasterol, naringenin, formononetin, baicalein, Anhydroicaritin, isorhamnetin, licochalcone, 7-O-methylisomucronulatol, aloe-emodin and 8-O-Methylreyusi. The molecular mocking analysis showed that the four active components (quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin and AHI) and targets had a good binding activity (affinity ≤ 5 kcal/mol). experiments reveled that AHI could suppress tumor proliferation, invasion and metastasis of HCC cells. Further analysis showed that AHI inhibited tumor growth by PI3K/AKT signal pathway in HCC.
CONCLUSIONS
The Bushen Huayu Decoction and its active ingredient AHI could fight HCC. The potential mechanism may be associated with inhibiting the activation of PI3K/AKT signal pathway, which may serve as a potential treatment for HCC therapy.
Topics: Humans; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Kaempferols; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Luteolin; Molecular Docking Simulation; Quercetin; Liver Neoplasms; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 37556351
DOI: 10.18632/aging.204948 -
Frontiers in Nutrition 2023Prediabetes is an intermediate stage in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus characterized by impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance.... (Review)
Review
Prediabetes is an intermediate stage in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus characterized by impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance. Prediabetes generally has no obvious clinical symptoms, and most patients are found in health examinations or due to other diseases. Reactive hypoglycemia may indicate the possibility of early diabetes. Without effective preventive measures, prediabetes can progress to diabetes leading to serious public health problems. Therefore, early diagnosis and intervention are important. Many animal experiments and clinical trials have proven that natural compounds substantially improve glucose metabolism disorder. The active ingredients are mainly alkaloids, polysaccharides, saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids and polyphenols. Their mechanism of action mainly involves improved insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance, inhibited activity of alpha-glucosidase, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory, regulation of gut microbiota and activating of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ. This paper reviews the mechanisms of action of natural compounds on prediabetes and the status of related research.
PubMed: 38099180
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1301129 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2022The increasing and widespread application of antibacterial drugs makes antibiotic resistance a prominent and growing concern in clinical practice. The emergence of... (Review)
Review
The increasing and widespread application of antibacterial drugs makes antibiotic resistance a prominent and growing concern in clinical practice. The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria presents a global threat. However, the development and use of novel antibacterial agents involves time-consuming and costly challenges that may lead to yet further drug resistance. More recently, researchers have turned to traditional Chinese medicine to stem the rise of antibiotic resistance in pathogens. Many studies have shown traditional Chinese medicines to have significant bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects, with the advantage of low drug resistance. Some of which when combined with antibiotics, have also demonstrated antibacterial activity by synergistic effect. Traditional Chinese medicine has a variety of active components, including flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, and quinones, which can inhibit the growth of drug-resistant bacteria and be used in combination with a variety of antibiotics to treat various drug-resistant bacterial infections. We reviewed the interaction between the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. At present, flavonoids and alkaloids are the active ingredients that have been most widely studied, with significant synergistic activity demonstrated when used in combination with antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria. The reviewed studies show that traditional Chinese medicine and its active ingredients have antimicrobial activity on antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which may enhance the susceptibility of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, potentially reduce the required dosage of antibacterial agents and the rate of drug resistance. Our results provide direction for finding and developing alternative methods to counteract drug-resistant bacteria, offering a new therapeutic strategy for tackling antibiotic resistance.
PubMed: 35721131
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.837907 -
International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2022A functional food is a kind of food with special physiological effects that can improve health status or reduce illness. However, the active ingredients in functional... (Review)
Review
A functional food is a kind of food with special physiological effects that can improve health status or reduce illness. However, the active ingredients in functional foods are usually very low due to the instability and easy degradation of some nutrients. Therefore, improving the utilization rate of the effective ingredients in functional food has become the key problem. Nanomaterials have been widely used and studied in many fields due to their small size effect, high specific surface area, high target activity, and other characteristics. Therefore, it is a feasible method to process and modify functional food using nanotechnology. In this review, we summarize the nanoparticle delivery system and the food nanotechnology in the field of functional food. We also summarize and prospect the application, basic principle, and latest development of nano-functional food and put forward corresponding views.
Topics: Nanotechnology; Nanostructures; Functional Food; Nanoparticles; Food Technology
PubMed: 36613678
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010234 -
Journal of Insect Science (Online) Nov 2023Pesticide applications are often made as tank mixes containing multiple pesticide products and may include spray adjuvants to enhance pesticidal activities. The primary... (Review)
Review
Pesticide applications are often made as tank mixes containing multiple pesticide products and may include spray adjuvants to enhance pesticidal activities. The primary aim of adjuvant products is to increase the spreading and sticking of spray droplets and to increase the penetration of active ingredients through the cuticles of leaves or targeted pests, which can reduce the amount of active ingredient needed for effective pest control. Adjuvants are made up of compounds drawn from the "inert ingredient" list maintained by EPA but are identified as "principal functioning agents" when used in adjuvant products. These inert compounds do not undergo the same testing and risk assessment process that is required of pesticide active ingredients and generally have no mitigation measures that prevent application onto crops during bloom at times of day when bees are foraging. Honey bees (Apis mellifera;Hymenoptera:Apidae) are at an increased risk of exposure to adjuvant tank mixtures while providing agricultural pollination services. Colony losses attributed to pesticide applications thought to have low risk to honey bees have been reported, highlighting the need to better understand the toxicity of adjuvants included in pesticide tank mixtures. This review summarizes current literature on the risks posed to honey bees by agricultural adjuvants and tank mix combinations of adjuvants with pesticides. Based on the current state of knowledge, we make recommendations to pesticide applicators, product manufacturers, regulatory agencies, and researchers regarding adjuvant toxicity to honey bees with the goal of reducing risks that adjuvants pose to honey bees and other beneficial insects.
Topics: Bees; Animals; Pesticides; Hymenoptera; Agriculture; Risk Assessment; Pollination; Insecticides
PubMed: 38055940
DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iead100 -
Pest Management Science Jan 2021To guarantee sustainability and progress, the agrochemical industry is faced with several major challenges. Currently, loss of active ingredients due to consumer... (Review)
Review
To guarantee sustainability and progress, the agrochemical industry is faced with several major challenges. Currently, loss of active ingredients due to consumer perception, changing grower needs and ever-changing regulatory requirements is far higher than the number being introduced into the market. Therefore, there is a need to develop new products that can provide improved efficacy, selectivity and favorable environmental profiles. Strategies to achieve these goals are the search for acaricides and insecticides with new modes of action, or the discovery of novel molecules with activity on the most attractive target sites having resistance breaking properties against pest species. In this context, the introduction of halogen atoms or asymmetric centers into an active ingredient remains an important tool to modulate their properties, but so too is the pro-pesticide concept. This review gives an overview of agrochemicals launched over the past 8 years, reflects new insights into known mechanisms of action, and describes the status and outlook for acaricide and insecticide discovery.
Topics: Acaricides; Agrochemicals; Halogens; Insecticide Resistance; Insecticides; Pesticides
PubMed: 32926594
DOI: 10.1002/ps.6084 -
Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2022Hydroxyapatite, Ca(PO)(OH), is a biomimetic active ingredient, which is used in commercial oral care products such as toothpastes and mouthwashes worldwide. Clinical... (Review)
Review
Hydroxyapatite, Ca(PO)(OH), is a biomimetic active ingredient, which is used in commercial oral care products such as toothpastes and mouthwashes worldwide. Clinical studies (in vivo) as well as in situ and in vitro studies have shown the preventive effects of hydroxyapatite in various field of oral care. In some products, hydroxyapatite is combined with other active ingredients, to achieve an additional antibacterial effect or to promote gum health. This review analyzes the efficacy of six selected natural and nature-inspired ingredients that are commonly used together with hydroxyapatite. These additional actives are either antibacterial (lactoferrin, xylitol, and zinc) or promote gum health (allantoin, bisabolol, and hyaluronic acid). A systematic literature search was performed, and all studies found on each ingredient were analyzed. In summary, all analyzed ingredients mentioned in this review are well described in scientific studies on their beneficial effect for oral health and can be used to expand the preventive effect of hydroxyapatite in oral care products.
PubMed: 36546950
DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics7040250 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2023Microbial fermentation has been widely used to improve the quality and functional composition of food and edibles; however, the approach has rarely been applied to...
Microbial fermentation has been widely used to improve the quality and functional composition of food and edibles; however, the approach has rarely been applied to traditional Chinese medicines. In this study, to understand the effect of microbial fermentation on the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines, we used and to ferment the traditional Chinese medicine, fruit (COF), and determined the levels of active ingredients using HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography). According to the results, both and substantially increased the amount of gallic acid in the COF culture broth after fermentation; however, the two species of bacteria had no effect on the loganin content. Moreover, the fermentation reduced the contents of ursolic acid and oleanolic acid in the COF broth, whereas the fermentation did not. This study contributes to a better understanding of the mechanism by which microbial fermentation alters the active ingredient levels of traditional Chinese medicines, and suggests that fermentation may potentially improve their functional ingredients.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Bifidobacterium bifidum; Cornus; Fruit; Fermentation
PubMed: 36770698
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031032 -
Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and... 2024The success of universal coverage depends on ensuring that patients have access to medicine. Encouraging local production of medicines in developing countries can...
The success of universal coverage depends on ensuring that patients have access to medicine. Encouraging local production of medicines in developing countries can provide better access to medicines. In addition to determining the quality of pharmaceutical goods, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) also determine their cost. According to market forecasts, the active pharmaceutical ingredients market is expected to increase from USD 193.15 billion in 2023 to USD 285.29 billion by 2028. Pakistan largely depends on India and China for its Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient requirements. It was feared that a shortage of medicines would result from Pakistan's government suspending all trade with India on August 9, 2019. To improve health security in Pakistan, the Government of Pakistan has introduced an API promotion Policy in 2022. Financial and non-financial incentives have helped many countries develop their API industries like China, India, and Bangladesh. The current domestic API market of Pakistan is around 150 million $. After the introduction of the policy, the existing units are increasing their capacity while eight new API units are in the process of establishment. Through local production of APIs and intermediates, Pakistan can improve its health security by learning from the experiences of neighbouring countries, especially China.
PubMed: 38444526
DOI: 10.1080/20523211.2024.2323683