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A amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque formation in the brain is known to be the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which affects the behavior, memory, and cognitive ability in humans. The brain starts undergoing changes several years before the actual appearance of the symptoms. Nanotechnology could prove to be an alternative strategy for treating the disease effectively. It encompasses the diagnosis as well as the therapeutic aspect using validated biomarkers and nano-based drug delivery systems, respectively. A nano-based therapy may provide an alternate strategy, wherein one targets the protofibrillar amyloid-β (Aβ) structures, and this is followed by their disaggregation as random coils. Conventional/routine drug therapies are inefficient in crossing the blood-brain barrier; however, this hurdle can be overcome with the aid of nanoparticles. The present review highlights the various challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of AD. Meticulous and collaborative research using nanotherapeutic systems could provide remarkable breakthroughs in the early-stage diagnosis and therapy of AD.

A proteome-wide study of the virus kingdom based on 1.713 million protein sequences from 19,128 virus proteomes was conducted to construct an overall proteome map of the virus kingdom. Viral proteomes encode an average of 386.214 amino acids per protein with the variation in the number of protein-coding sequences being host-specific. The proteomes of viruses of fungi hosts (882.464) encoded the greatest number of amino acids, while the viral proteome of bacterial host (210.912) encoded the smallest number of amino acids. Viral proteomes were found to have a host-specific amino acid composition. Leu (8.556%) was the most abundant and Trp (1.274%) the least abundant amino acid in the collective proteome of viruses. Viruses were found to exhibit a host-dependent molecular weight and isoelectric point of encoded proteins. The isoelectric point (pI) of viral proteins was found in the acidic range, having an average pI of 6.89. However, the pI of viral proteins of algal (pI 7.08) and vertebrate (pI 7.09) hosts was in the basic range. The virtual 2D map of the viral proteome from different hosts exhibited host-dependent modalities. The virus proteome from algal hosts and archaea exhibited a bimodal distribution of molecular weight and pI, while the virus proteome of bacterial host exhibited a trimodal distribution, and the virus proteome of fungal, human, land plants, invertebrate, protozoa, and vertebrate hosts exhibited a unimodal distribution.

Mushrooms have remained an eternal part of traditional cuisines due to their beneficial health potential and have long been recognized as a folk medicine for their broad spectrum of nutraceuticals, as well as therapeutic and prophylactic uses. Nowadays, they have been extensively investigated to explain the chemical nature and mechanisms of action of their biomedicine and nutraceuticals capacity. Mushrooms belong to the astounding dominion of Fungi and are known as a macrofungus. Significant health benefits of mushrooms, including antiviral, antibacterial, anti-parasitic, antifungal, wound healing, anticancer, immunomodulating, antioxidant, radical scavenging, detoxification, hepatoprotective cardiovascular, anti-hypercholesterolemia, and anti-diabetic effects, etc., have been reported around the globe and have attracted significant interests of its further exploration in commercial sectors. They can function as functional foods, help in the treatment and therapeutic interventions of sub-optimal health states, and prevent some consequences of life-threatening diseases. Mushrooms mainly contained low and high molecular weight polysaccharides, fatty acids, lectins, and glucans responsible for their therapeutic action. Due to the large varieties of mushrooms present, it becomes challenging to identify chemical components present in them and their beneficial action. This article highlights such therapeutic activities with their active ingredients for mushrooms.

Eosinophils are the major inflammatory cells which play a crucial role in the development of allergic and non-allergic asthma phenotypes. Eosinophilic asthma is the most heterogeneous phenotype where activated eosinophils are reported to be significantly associated with asthma severity. Activated eosinophils display an array of cell adhesion molecules that not only act as an activation marker, suitable for assessing severity, but also secrete several tissue factors, cytokines and chemokines which modulate the clinical severity. Eosinophil activations are also strictly associated with activation of other hetero cellular populations like neutrophils, macrophages, mast cells, and platelets which culminate in the onset and progression of abnormal phenotypes such as bronchoconstriction, allergic response, fibrosis instigated by tissue inflammation, epithelial injury, and oxidative stress. During the activated state, eosinophils release several potent toxic signaling molecules such as major basic proteins, eosinophil peroxidase, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and lipid mediators, rendering tissue damage and subsequently leading to allergic manifestation. The tissue mediators render a more complex manifestation of a severe phenotype by activating prominent signaling cross-talk. Here, in the current review with the help of search engines of PubMed, Medline, etc, we have tried to shed light and explore some of the potent determinants regulating eosinophil activation leading to asthma phenotype.

The present study reports on biogenic-synthesised silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) derived by treating Ag ions with an extract of Cassia fistula leaf, a popular Indian medicinal plant found in natural habitation. The progress of biogenic synthesis was monitored time to time using a ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The effect of phytochemicals present in C. fistula including flavonoids, tannins, phenolic compounds and alkaloids on the homogeneous growth of AgNPs was investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The dynamic light scattering studies have revealed an average size and surface Zeta potential of the NPs as, -39.5 nm and -21.6 mV, respectively. The potential antibacterial and antifungal activities of the AgNPs were evaluated against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida kruseii and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Moreover, their strong antioxidant capability was determined by radical scavenging methods (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil assay). Furthermore, the AgNPs displayed an effective cytotoxicity against A-431 skin cancer cell line by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, with the inhibitory concentration (IC50) predicted as, 92.2 ± 1.2 μg/ml. The biogenically derived AgNPs could find immense scope as antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer agents apart from their potential use in chemical sensors and translational medicine.

In the present study the microbial biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by secondary metabolites of Streptomyces sp. SS2 in an eco-friendly approach has been reported. The Streptomyces sp. SS2 was isolated from the soil sediment of Similipal Biosphere Reserve. The identification of this strain was determined by phenotypical characteristics (morphological and biochemical) and molecular characterization method using 16 s rDNA sequencing. The morphological study was also done by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. The preliminary characterization of biosynthesized silver nanoparticle was carried out using UV–Vis spectrum analysis, which showed an absorption peak at 420 nm corresponding to plasmon absorption of silver. The average size and charge (zeta potential) of the particles were found to be 67.95 ± 18.52 nm and −17.7 ± 5.30 mV, respectively. The functional groups were identified by FTIR studies and their morphology (round and spherical shape) was determined by scanning electron microscopy. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (MTCC 1089), Bacillus subtilis (MTCC 7164), Staphylococcus epidermis (MTCC 3615), Vibrio cholerae (MTCC 3904) and Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 1144). These biotechnological approaches of synthesis of nanoparticles can direct a new path in biomaterial sciences and enrich biomedical applications.

The present study demonstrates an economical and eco-friendly method for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the wild mushroom Ganoderma sessiliforme. The synthesis of AgNPs was confirmed and the products characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis was performed to identify the viable biomolecules involved in the capping and active stabilization of AgNPs. Moreover, the average sizes and morphologies of AgNPs were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The potential impacts of AgNPs on food safety and control were evaluated by the antimicrobial activity of the synthesized AgNPs against common food-borne bacteria, namely, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus faecalis, Listeria innocua and Micrococcus luteus. The results of this study revealed that the synthesized AgNPs can be used to control the growth of food-borne pathogens and have potential application in the food packaging industry. Moreover, the AgNPs were evaluated for antioxidant activity (DPPH), for biocompatibility (L-929, normal fibroblast cells), and for cytotoxic effects on human breast adenosarcoma cells (MCF-7 & MDA-MB231) to highlight their potential for use in a variety of bio-applications.