ABSTRACT
Esophageal cancer (EC) is considered one of the most prevalent and aggressive malignancies worldwide, with a variety of molecular alterations thought to contribute to its incidence, development, progression, and invasion. However, the exact underlying mechanism has not been elucidated. Autophagy is a highly conserved degradative and recycling process that can function with a dual role in either the progression or the treatment of EC. Since microRNAs (miRNAs) are described as upstream regulators capable of controlling both oncogenic pathways and autophagic flux, the present study has aimed to review the crosstalk between autophagy and miRNAs and the potential perspective of these mechanisms in EC prevention and treatment.
ABSTRACT
The prevalence of pre-menopausal female infertility is increasing considerably due to various causes such as environmental pollutants, increased administration of chemotherapeutics and radiation exposure, microbial infections, and genetic/epigenetic alterations. However, the current therapeutical strategies remain unfavorite as the disadvantages are strongly challenging. Icariin (ICI) is a phytoestrogen that exerts some promising properties in order to alleviate female infertility. Therefore, the current literature review aimed to evaluate the conducted studies regarding the beneficial impacts of ICI on the female reproductive system and female fecundity. The findings of the present study revealed that ICI is able to modulate the levels of reproductive hormones as it causes a significant decrement in the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) while increasing the levels of estrogen and progesterone. Furthermore, the administration of ICI results in a dramatic alteration in the expression of sex steroidsâ™ receptors, particularly in female reproductive tissues. In addition, preserving ovarian follicular reserve, improving the ovarian and uterine histoarchitecture, elongating the estrous cycle duration, and eventually advancing the female fecundity are other major effects of ICI on the female reproductive system. Despite these desired beneficial properties, the current knowledge appears to be insufficient, hence further investigations, particularly on humans, are encouraged. To the best of our knowledge, this review provides a comprehensive information regarding the beneficial effects of Icariin on female infertility for the firs time.
ABSTRACT
Neurological complications are considered the leading cause of disability and the second cause of death worldwide. Although the most common neurological disorders affecting a large population are Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's diseases (PD), no definitive treatment has been propounded in the clinic. As in recent years, special attention has been paid to medicinal herbal products as one of the ways to meet the challenges of treating diseases. This review study aimed to introduce the naringin neuroprotective effects as an abundant flavonoid in grapes and citrus fruits on the most common neurological disorders, including AD and PD. For this purpose, the specified keywords were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar, and the results were entered into the study after a concise overview. The findings show naringin can confront neurological disorders through several mechanisms such as modulating stress response pathways, preventing apoptosis, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation, excessive chelating amounts of metal ions, thereby improving cognitive impairment and memory loss induced by neurological disorders. However, further studies, particularly on human, are critical for the final confirmation of obtained findings. [GMJ.2022;11:e2337].
