Adv Biol (Weinh)
August 2023
COVID-19 disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has led to enormous morbidity and mortality worldwide. After gaining entry into the human host, the virus initially infects the upper and lower respiratory tract, subsequently invading multiple organs, including the pancreas. While on one hand, diabetes mellitus (DM) is a significant risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection and associated death, recent reports have shown the onset of DM in COVID-19-recovered patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other metabolic disorders are often silent and go unnoticed in patients because of the lack of suitable prognostic and diagnostic markers. The current therapeutic regimens available for managing T2DM do not reverse diabetes; instead, they delay the progression of diabetes. Their efficacy (in principle) may be significantly improved if implemented at earlier stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) or amylin, a neuroendocrine peptide hormone, is known to misfold and form amyloidogenic aggregates that have been observed in the pancreas of 90% subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Under normal physiological conditions, hIAPP is co-stored and co-secreted with insulin; however, under chronic hyperglycemic conditions associated with T2DM, the overexpression of hIAPP occurs that has been associated with the formation of amyloid deposits; as well as the death and dysfunction of pancreatic β-islets in T2DM. Hitherto, various biophysical and structural studies have shown that during this process of aggregation, the peptide conformation changes from random structure to helix, then to β-sheet, subsequently to cross β-sheets, which finally form left-handed helical aggregates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnnona reticulata Linn. (Common name: Bullock's-heart) (Annonaceae family) is a semi-evergreen and small deciduous tree. The extracts of various parts of Annona reticulata L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCalotropis procera (family: Asclepiadaceae) contains cardiac glycosides which are cytotoxic to cancer cells. The extracts of C. procera have been reported to be cytotoxic to many cancer cell lines and this is the first report against the human skin melanoma cells (SK-MEL-2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF