Cancer remains a major global health concern, with breast cancer being particularly challenging. To address this, new therapeutic strategies are being explored, including natural alternatives. Seaweeds, rich in bioactive compounds, have gained attention for their therapeutic potential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeaweed-derived bioactive substances such as polysaccharides have proven to be effective chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive agents. Laminarin and alginate antioxidant properties aid in the prevention of cancer through dynamic modulation of critical intracellular signaling pathways via apoptosis which produce low cytotoxicity and potential chemotherapeutic effects. Understanding the effects of laminarin and alginate on human cancer cells and their molecular roles in cell death pathways can help to develop a novel chemoprevention strategy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe current situation involves an increase in interest in nanotechnology, in particular the ways in which it can be applied in the commercial and medical fields. However, traditional methods of synthesizing nanoparticles have some drawbacks, including the generation of harmful byproducts, high energy consumption, and cost. As a result, researchers have shifted their focus to "green" nanoparticle synthesis to circumvent these drawbacks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe marine dinoflagellate is known to form harmful algal blooms (HABs) and produces saxitoxin (STX) and its derivatives (STXs) that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in humans. Cell growth and cellular metabolism are affected by environmental conditions, including nutrients, temperature, light, and the salinity of aquatic systems. Abiotic factors not only engage in photosynthesis, but also modulate the production of toxic secondary metabolites, such as STXs, in dinoflagellates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToday's era and lifestyle have led to a quick rise in cases of diabetes. Diabetes mellitus (DM) has risen to the top of the list of serious diseases and stems from different health disorders. Human pancreatic alpha-amylase (HPA) enzyme plays a critical role in the digestion of carbohydrates, and inhibitors of alpha-amylase have been investigated as a way to slow the absorption of carbohydrates and reduce postprandial (after meal) hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGreen nanotechnology provides efficient solutions for converting biological systems to green approaches through nanomaterial synthesis and thus preventing any associated toxicity. Green nanoparticle (NP) synthesis involves the use of biological sources for synthesis of metallic NPs for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications in an eco-friendly and comparatively economical manner. Nanotechnology is a promising technology with a wide range of pharmaceutical applications in the modern world because it provides a higher surface area (SA) to volume (Vol) ratio.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer is one of the most worldwide spread diseases and causes maximum death. Treatment of cancer depends on the host immune system and the type of drugs. The inefficiency of conventional cancer treatments as a result of drug resistance, nontargeted delivery, and chemotherapy-related negative side effects has caused bioactive phytochemicals to come into focus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ineffectiveness of traditional cancer therapies due to drug resistance, nontargeted delivery, and chemotherapy-associated adverse side effects has shifted attention to bioactive phytochemicals. Consequently, research efforts toward screening and identification of natural compounds with anticancer properties have increased in recent years. Marine seaweed-derived bioactive compounds, such as polyphenolic compounds, have exhibited anticancer properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarrageenans are a family of natural linear sulfated polysaccharides derived from red seaweeds and used as a common food additive. Carrageenan's properties, impact on health, and aesthetic benefits have all been studied for a long time; however, the mechanisms are still unclear. In pharmaceutical aspects, carrageenan displayed potential antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties in both in vivo and in vitro action.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeaweed-derived bioactive compounds are regularly employed to treat human diseases. Sulfated polysaccharides are potent chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive medications since it has been discovered. They have exhibited anti-cancer properties by enhancing immunity and driving apoptosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeaweeds are high in bioactive chemicals frequently used to treat human illnesses. Porphyran is a polysaccharide found in the red seaweeds of the genus Porphyra. Porphyran has been discovered to have immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory activity, and anti-cancer effects via boosting immunity and targeting important apoptotic molecules, making them potential chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroalgae are continually exposed to heavy metals and metalloids (HMMs), which stifles their development and reproduction due to the resulting physiological and metabolic abnormalities, leading to lower crop productivity. They must thus change their way of adapting to survive in such a hostile environment without sacrificing their healthy growth, development, reproductive capacity, or survival. The mode of adaptation involves a complex relationship of signalling cascades that govern gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, which consequently produces altered but adapted biochemical and physiochemical parameters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Radiation hazards are accountable for extensive damage in the biological system and acts as a public health burden. Owing to the rapid increasing in radiation technology, both Ionizing radiation (IR) from natural and man made source poses detrimental outcome to public health. IR releases free radicals which induces oxidative stress and deleterious biological damage by modulating radiation induced signalling intermediates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytoplankton are photosynthetic microorganisms in aquatic environments that produce many bioactive substances. However, some of them are toxic to aquatic organisms via filter-feeding and are even poisonous to humans through the food chain. Human poisoning from these substances and their serious long-term consequences have resulted in several health threats, including cancer, skin disorders, and other diseases, which have been frequently documented.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe increasing drug resistance of infectious microorganisms is considered a primary concern of global health care. The screening and identification of natural compounds with antibacterial properties have gained immense popularity in recent times. It has previously been shown that several bioactive compounds derived from marine algae exhibit antibacterial activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroalgae are natural biotic models for exploring the genotoxic effect of heavy metals, irradiation, other external stimuli and the toxicant elimination. The effective removal of heavy metals from the aquatic environment using microalgae has gained considerable attention. However, limited research was carried out on cadmum toxicity in microalgae and their use as bio-accumulants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs a significant public health hazard with several drug side effects during medical treatment, searching for novel therapeutic natural medicines is promising. Sulfated polysaccharides from algae, such as fucoidan, have been discovered to have a variety of medical applications, including antibacterial and immunomodulatory properties. The review emphasized on the utilization of fucoidan as an antiviral agent against viral infections by inhibiting their attachment and replication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytoplankton are prominent organisms that contain numerous bioactive substances and secondary metabolites, including toxins, which can be valuable to pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and biotechnological industries. Studies on toxins produced by phytoplankton such as cyanobacteria, diatoms, and dinoflagellates have become more prevalent in recent years and have sparked much interest in this field of research. Because of their richness and complexity, they have great potential as medicinal remedies and biological exploratory probes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCOVID-19-a severe acute respiratory syndrome disease caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-has recently attracted global attention, due to its devastating impact, to the point of being declared a pandemic. The search for new natural therapeutic drugs is mandatory, as the screening of already-known antiviral drugs so far has led to poor results. Several species of marine algae have been reported as sources of bioactive metabolites with potential antiviral and immunomodulatory activities, among others.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIonizing radiation results in extensive damage to biological systems. The massive amount of ionizing radiation from nuclear accidents, radiation therapy (RT), space exploration, and the nuclear battlefield leads to damage to biological systems. Radiation injuries, such as inflammation, fibrosis, and atrophy, are characterized by genomic instability, apoptosis, necrosis, and oncogenic transformation, mediated by the activation or inhibition of specific signaling pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Epidemiological studies has revealed that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables could lower the risk of certain cancers. In this setting, natural polyphenols are potent anticancer bioactive compounds to overcome the non-target specificity, undesirable cytotoxicity and high cost of treatment cancer chemotherapy.
Purpose: The review focuses on diverse classifications of the chemical diversity of dietary polyphenol and their molecular targets, modes of action, as well as preclinical and clinical applications in cancer prevention.
Despite the advancement in prognosis, diagnosis and treatment, cancer has emerged as the second leading cause of disease-associated death across the globe. With the remarkable application of synthetic drugs in cancer therapy and the onset of therapy-associated adverse effects, dietary phytochemicals have been materialized as potent anti-cancer drugs owing to their antioxidant, apoptosis and autophagy modulating activities. With dynamic regulation of apoptosis and autophagy in association with cell cycle regulation, inhibition in cellular proliferation, invasion and migration, dietary phytochemicals have emerged as potent anti-cancer pharmacophores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe global incidence of cancer and cancer-related mortality is expected to rise in recent years despite advancements in cancer diagnosis and therapeutics. Increasing evidences of decrypting molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression have commanded the tremendous development of synthetic anticancer drugs. With limitations in the current conventional cancer therapeutic approaches, the non-nutritive dietary phytochemicals have emerged as potent modulators of apoptosis and autophagy associated key signaling pathways in various cancer cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMarine algae are a promising source of potent bioactive agents against oxidative stress, diabetes, and inflammation. However, the possible therapeutic effects of many algal metabolites have not been exploited yet. In this regard, we explored the therapeutic potential of extracts obtained from methanol, ethanol, and hexane, in contrasting oxidative stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn addition to cancer and diabetes, inflammatory and ROS-related diseases represent one of the major health problems worldwide. Currently, several synthetic drugs are used to reduce oxidative stress; nevertheless, these approaches often have side effects. Therefore, to overcome these issues, the search for alternative therapies has gained importance in recent times.
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