Cancer is a serious health problem and the second leading cause of death around the globe. Present review is an attempt to provide utmost information based on ethno-pharmacological and toxicological aspects of anti-cancer plants of the world. A total of 276 articles published in English journals and containing maximum ethnomedicinal information were reviewed using several data sources such as; Google scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and floras of different countries. A total of 199 anti-cancer plants were recorded in present review and results indicated that traditional medicines are mostly being use in developing countries for cancer treatment. Traditionally and scientifically skin and breast cancer types gained more focus. Seventy plants were reportedly analyzed for in-vitro activities while 32 plants were having in-vivo reports. Twenty nine pure compounds (mostly phenolic) were reportedly isolated from anti-cancer plants and tested against different cancer cell lines. Inspite having better efficiency of ethnomedicines as compared to synthetic drugs, several plants have also shown toxic effects on living system. Therefore, we invite researchers attention to carry out detailed ethno-pharmacological and toxicological studies on un-explored anti-cancer plants in order to provide reliable knowledge to the patients and develop novel anti-cancer drugs.

Medicinal mushroom Ganoderma sp. is considered to be a key source for the production of therapeutic agents. Our current review indicates that a limited number (<19%; 79 out of >430) of isolated compounds have been tested and known to be active against several microorganisms and parasites. In this review, we aim to summarise all the antimicrobial and anti-parasitic works on Ganoderma sp. displayed on web of science, google scholar and endnote X7 from 1932 to August 2016. We further present and discuss the structure of active compounds against microorganisms and parasites. In addition, we also discuss the possible further research to identify lead compounds from Ganoderma sp. as a novel strategy to combat the potential global emergence of bad bugs and parasites.

As part of our search for new cytotoxic and antimicrobial natural products from endolichenic fungi, 19 compounds including 1 new 10-member lactone (2), 1 new polyacetylene glycoside (3), 1 new brasilane-type sesquiterpenoid glycoside (4), and 2 isobenzofuran-1(3H)-one derivatives (5 and 6) were isolated from the solid culture of the endolichenic fungus Hypoxylon fuscum. Their structures were unambiguously elucidated by NMR spectroscopic data, MS, ECD (electronic circular dichroism) calculation, and chemical methods. The cytotoxic effects on K562, SW480, and HEPG2 cell lines and the antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans were assessed. Compounds 1, 2, and 5 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against K562, SW480, and HEPG2 cell lines while compounds 1, 9, and 11 displayed weak antibacterial activity against S. aureus.

Unprecedented and unforeseen highly infectious Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a significant public health concern for most of the countries worldwide, including Nepal, and it is spreading rapidly. Undoubtedly, every nation has taken maximum initiative measures to break the transmission chain of the virus. This review presents a retrospective analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, analyzing the actions taken by the Government of Nepal (GoN) to inform future decisions. Data used in this article were extracted from relevant reports and websites of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) of Nepal and the WHO. As of January 22, 2021, the highest numbers of cases were reported in the megacity of the hilly region, Kathmandu district (population = 1,744,240), and Bagmati province. The cured and death rates of the disease among the tested population are ~98.00 and ~0.74%, respectively. Higher numbers of infected cases were observed in the age group 21–30, with an overall male to female death ratio of 2.33. With suggestions and recommendations from high-level coordination committees and experts, GoN has enacted several measures: promoting universal personal protection, physical distancing, localized lockdowns, travel restrictions, isolation, and selective quarantine. In addition, GoN formulated and distributed several guidelines/protocols for managing COVID-19 patients and vaccination programs. Despite robust preventive efforts by GoN, pandemic scenario in Nepal is, yet, to be controlled completely. This review could be helpful for the current and future effective outbreak preparedness, responses, and management of the pandemic situations and prepare necessary strategies, especially in countries with similar socio-cultural and economic status.

Two new arborinane-type triterpenes, myrotheols A (1) and B (2), two new arborinane-type glycosides, myrothesides C (3) and D (4), together with four known diterpenes (5 – 8) were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the endolichenic fungus Myrothecium inundatum. The structures of new compounds 1 – 4 were elucidated by NMR and MS analyses. The absolute configuration of 1 was assigned by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiment. Compounds 3 and 4 represent the first two natural 4-O-methyl-α-D-mannosides. Compounds 1 – 8 exhibited cytotoxicity against K562 and RKO human cancer cell lines.

Three highly modified indole alkaloids, versicoamides F-H (1-3), together with seven known alkaloids (4-10) were isolated from the fungus Aspergillus tennesseensis. The structures of new compounds were determined by analysis of the NMR and MS spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were assigned by single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. Compounds 1 and 2 showed weak antiproliferative activity against the H460 cell line. Compounds 1-3 represent a new class of natural product hybrids with new chemical skeletons.

Three new bisabolane sesquiterpenoid esters, aspertenols A-B (1-3), and six known compounds (4-9) were isolated from the fungus Aspergillus tennesseensis. The structures of new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis. The cytotoxicities of 1-9 against A549, K562, and ASPC cell lines were tested by using the CCK8 method. Compounds 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9 showed inhibition on K562 cell line with IC values in the range from 16.6 to 72.7 μM. Compounds 1, 4, and 9 showed moderate inhibitory activity against A549 with IC of 43.5, 70.2, and 61.1 μM, respectively.

Ergosterol derivatives exhibited copious promising biological activities. The fungus Gyromitra esculenta is widely distributed in Europe and North America. In order to examine the chemical properties of Gyromitra esculenta, a phytochemical study has been preceded and resulted in the isolation of the steroid, ergosta-5, 22-dien-3β-ol (brassicasterol), from its methanol extract. The complete identification and absolute configuration of the isolated compound have been established by X-ray structural analysis to be (22E, 24R)-24-methylcholesta-5, 22-dien-3beta-ol. The reported cytotoxicity and the great structural similarity of the isolated compound with the cocrystallized ligand of the aromatase enzyme inspired us to run molecular docking studies against that protein. Ergosta-5, 22-dien-3β-ol occupied the target protein with a binding mode almost the same as the cocrystallized ligand and a binding affinity of −33.55 kcal/mol, which was better than that of the cocrystallized ligand (−22.61 kcal/mol). This promising result encouraged us to conduct in silico ADMET and toxicity studies of ergosta-5, 22-dien-3β-ol against 6 models, and the results expected the likeness of the isolated compound to be a drug. In conclusion, ergosta-5, 22-dien-3β-ol has been isolated from Gyromitra esculenta, identified by X-ray structural analysis, and exhibited promising in silico activities against aromatase enzyme.