Mutations in SARS-CoV-2: Insights on structure, variants, vaccines, and biomedical interventions.

COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic caused by SARS-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Less than a year after the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, many vaccines have arrived on the market with innovative technologies in the field of vaccinology. Based on the use of messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding the Spike SARS-Cov-2 protein or on the use of recombinant adenovirus vectors enabling the gene encoding the Spike protein to be introduced into our cells, these strategies make it possible to envisage the vaccination in a new light with tools that are more scalable than the vaccine strategies used so far. Faced with the appearance of new variants, which will gradually take precedence over the strain at the origin of the pandemic, these new strategies will allow a much faster update of vaccines to fight against these new variants, some of which may escape neutralization by vaccine antibodies. However, only a vaccination policy based on rapid and massive vaccination of the population but requiring a supply of sufficient doses could make it possible to combat the emergence of these variants. Indeed, the greater the number of infected individuals, the faster the virus multiplies, with an increased risk of the emergence of variants in these RNA viruses. This review will discuss SARS-CoV-2 pathophysiology and evolution approaches in altered transmission platforms and emphasize the different mutations and how they influence the virus characteristics. Also, this article summarizes the common vaccines and the implication of the mutations and genetic variety of SARS-CoV-2 on the COVID-19 biomedical arbitrations.

Natural therapeutics and nutraceuticals for lung diseases: Traditional significance, phytochemistry, and pharmacology.

BACKGROUND: Lung diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), infections like influenza, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), asthma and pneumonia lung cancer (LC) are common causes of sickness and death worldwide due to their remoteness, cold and harsh climatic conditions, and inaccessible health care facilities. PURPOSE: Many drugs have already been proposed for the treatment of lung diseases. Few of them are in clinical trials and have the potential to cure infectious diseases. Plant extracts or herbal products have been extensively used as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Indian Ayurveda. Moreover, it has been involved in the inhibition of certain genes/protiens effects to promote regulation of signaling pathways. Natural remedies have been scientifically proven with remarkable bioactivities and are considered a cheap and safe source for lung disease. METHODS: This comprehensive review highlighted the literature about traditional plants and their metabolites with their applications for the treatment of lung diseases through experimental models in humans. Natural drugs information and mode of mechanism have been studied through the literature retrieved by Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Scopus and Medline PubMed resources against lung diseases. RESULTS: In vitro, in vivo and computational studies have been explained for natural metabolites derived from plants (like flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids) against different types of lung diseases. Probiotics have also been biologically active therapeutics against cancer, anti-inflammation, antiplatelet, antiviral, and antioxidants associated with lung diseases. CONCLUSION: The results of the mentioned natural metabolites repurposed for different lung diseases especially for SARS-CoV-2 should be evaluated more by advance computational applications, experimental models in the biological system, also need to be validated by clinical trials so that we may be able to retrieve potential drugs for most challenging lung diseases especially SARS-CoV-2.

Coenzyme Q10 supplementation mitigates piroxicam-induced oxidative injury and apoptotic pathways in the stomach, liver, and kidney.

Piroxicam (PM) is an oxicam-NSAID commonly recommended for various pain and associated inflammatory disorders. However, it is reported to have a gastric and hepato-renal toxic effect. Therefore, the current research was planned to investigate the possible mechanisms behind the mitigating action of the coenzyme (CoQ10), a natural, free radical scavenger, against PM tissue injury. Rats were assigned to five equal groups; Control, CoQ10 (10 mg/kg, orally), PM (7 mg/kg, i.p.), CoQ + PM L, and CoQ + PM H group. After 28 days, PM provoked severe gastric ulceration and marked liver and kidney damage indicated by an elevated gastric ulcer index and considerable alteration in liver and kidney biochemical tests. The toxic effects might be attributed to mitochondrial dysfunction and excess generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as indicated by enhanced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels along with decreased reduced-glutathione (GSH) levels and catalase (CAT) activity. Apoptotic cell death also was demonstrated by increased regulation of activated caspase-3 in the stomach, liver, and kidney tissues. Interestingly, external supplementation of CoQ10 attenuated the PM-inflicted deleterious oxidative harm and apoptosis. This ameliorative action was ascribed to the free radical scavenging activity of CoQ10.