Nanotechnology-based fungal detection and treatment: current status and future perspective.

Fungal infections impose a significant impact on global health and encompass major expenditures in medical treatments. Human mycoses, a fungal co-infection associated with SARS-CoV-2, is caused by opportunistic fungal pathogens and is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Recently, there is increasing threat about spread of antimicrobial resistance in fungus, mostly in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections are associated with several issues, including tedious and non-selective detection methods, the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, severe side effects, and ineffective drug delivery. Thus, a rapid and sensitive diagnostic method and a high-efficacy and low-toxicity therapeutic approach are needed. Nanomedicine has emerged as a viable option for overcoming these limitations. Due to the unique physicochemical and optical properties of nanomaterials and newer biosensing techniques, nanodiagnostics play an important role in the accurate and prompt differentiation and detection of fungal diseases. Additionally, nano-based drug delivery techniques can increase drug permeability, reduce adverse effects, and extend systemic circulation time and drug half-life. This review paper is aimed at highlighting recent, promising, and unique trends in nanotechnology to design and develop diagnostics and treatment methods for fungal diseases.

Challenges and Opportunities of Metal Chelation Therapy in Trace Metals Overload-Induced Alzheimer's Disease.

Essential trace metals like zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) play an important physiological role in the metabolomics and healthy functioning of body organs, including the brain. However, abnormal accumulation of trace metals in the brain and dyshomeostasis in the different regions of the brain have emerged as contributing factors in neuronal degeneration, Aß aggregation, and Tau formation. The link between these essential trace metal ions and the risk of AD has been widely studied, although the conclusions have been ambiguous. Despite the absence of evidence for any clinical benefit, therapeutic chelation is still hypothesized to be a therapeutic option for AD. Furthermore, the parameters like bioavailability, ability to cross the BBB, and chelation specificity must be taken into consideration while selecting a suitable chelation therapy. The data in this review summarizes that the primary intervention in AD is brain metal homeostasis along with brain metal scavenging. This review evaluates the impact of different trace metals (Cu, Zn, Fe) on normal brain functioning and their association with neurodegeneration in AD. Also, it investigates the therapeutic potential of metal chelators in the management of AD. An extensive literature search was carried out on the "Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar" to investigate the effect of trace elements in neurological impairment and the role of metal chelators in AD. In addition, the current review highlights the advantages and limitations of chelation therapies and the difficulties involved in developing selective metal chelation therapy in AD patients.

Therapeutic and Industrial Applications of Curdlan With Overview on Its Recent Patents.

Curdlan is an exopolysaccharide, which is composed of glucose linked with ß-(1,3)-glycosidic bond and is produced by bacteria, such as Alcaligenes spp., Agrobacterium spp., Paenibacillus spp., Rhizobium spp., Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida spp., and fungal sources like Aureobasidium pullulan, Poria cocos, etc. Curdlan has been utilized in the food and pharmaceutical industries for its prebiotic, viscosifying, and water-holding properties for decades. Recently, the usefulness of curdlan has been further explored by the pharmaceutical industry for its potential therapeutic applications. Curdlan has exhibited immunoregulatory and antitumor activity in preclinical settings. It was observed that curdlan can prevent the proliferation of malarial merozoites in vivo; therefore, it may be considered as a promising therapy for the treatment of end-stage malaria. In addition, curdlan has demonstrated potent antiviral effects against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Aedes aegypti virus. It has been suggested that the virucidal properties of curdlans should be extended further for other deadly viruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19). The prebiotic property of curdlan would confer beneficial effects on the host by promoting the growth of healthy microbiota in the gut and consequently help to reduce gastrointestinal disorders. Therefore, curdlan can be employed in the manufacture of prebiotics for the management of various gastrointestinal dysbiosis problems. Studies on the mechanism of action of curdlan-induced suppression in microbial and tumor cells at the cellular and molecular levels would not only enhance our understanding regarding the therapeutic effectiveness of curdlan but also help in the discovery of new drugs and dietary supplements. The primary focus of this review is to highlight the therapeutic interventions of curdlan as an anticancer, anti-malaria, antiviral, and antibacterial agent in humans. In addition, our review provides the latest information about the chemistry and biosynthesis of curdlan and its applications for making novel dairy products, functional foods, and nutraceuticals and also details about the recent patents of curdlan and its derivatives.