Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive drug abused by millions of users worldwide, thus becoming a global health concern with limited management options. The inefficiency of existing treatment methods has driven research into understanding the mechanisms underlying METH-induced disorders and finding effective treatments. This study aims to understand the complex interactions of the gastrointestinal–immune–nervous systems following an acute METH dose administration as one of the potential underlying molecular mechanisms concentrating on the impact of METH abuse on gut permeability. Findings showed a decreased expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and EpCAm in intestinal tissue and the presence of FABP-1 in sera of METH treated mice suggests intestinal wall disruption. The increased presence of CD45+ immune cells in the intestinal wall further confirms gut wall inflammation/disruption. In the brain, the expression of inflammatory markers Ccl2, Cxcl1, IL-1β, TMEM119, and the presence of albumin were higher in METH mice compared to shams, suggesting METH-induced blood–brain barrier disruption. In the spleen, cellular and gene changes are also noted. In addition, mice treated with an acute dose of METH showed anxious behavior in dark and light, open field, and elevated maze tests compared to sham controls. The findings on METH-induced inflammation and anxiety may provide opportunities to develop effective treatments for METH addiction in the future.

Thus far, in 2021, 219 countries with over 175 million people have been infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA virus, and is the causal agent for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Due to the urgency of the situation, virtual screening as a computational modeling method offers a fast and effective modality of identifying drugs that may be effective against SARS-CoV-2. There has been an overwhelming abundance of molecular docking against SARS-CoV-2 in the last year. Due to the massive volume of computational studies, this systematic review has been created to evaluate and summarize the findings of existing studies. Herein, we report on computational articles of drugs which target, (1) viral protease, (2) Spike protein-ACE 2 interaction, (3) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and (4) other proteins and nonstructural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Based on the studies presented, there are 55 identified natural or drug compounds with potential anti-viral activity. The next step is to show anti-viral activity in vitro and translation to determine effectiveness into human clinical trials.