There are more than 30 species of Glycyrrhiza genus extensively spread worldwide. It was the most prescribed herb in Ancient Egyptian, Roman, Greek, East China, and the West from the Former Han era. There are various beneficial effects of licorice root extracts, such as treating throat infections, tuberculosis, respiratory, liver diseases, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immunodeficiency. On the other hand, traditional medicines are getting the attraction to treat many diseases. Therefore, it is vital to screen the medicinal plants to find the potential of new compounds to treat chronic diseases such as respiratory, cardiovascular, anticancer, hepatoprotective, etc. This work comprehensively reviews ethnopharmacological uses, phytochemistry, biological activities, clinical evidence, and the toxicology of licorice, which will serve as a resource for future clinical and fundamental studies. An attempt has been made to establish the pharmacological effect of licorice in different diseases. In addition, the focus of this review article is on the molecular mechanism of licorice extracts and their four flavonoids (isoliquiritigenin, liquiritigenin, lichalocone, and glabridin) pharmacologic activities. Licorice could be a natural alternative for current therapy to exterminate new emerging disorders with mild side effects. This review will provide systematic insights into this ancient drug for further development and clinical use.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in Wuhan city in December 2019, and became a grave global concern due to its highly infectious nature. The Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus-2, with its predecessors (i.e., MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV) belong to the family of Coronaviridae. Reportedly, COVID-19 has infected 344,710,576 people around the globe and killed nearly 5,598,511 persons in the short span of two years. On November 24, 2021, B.1.1.529 strain, later named Omicron, was classified as a Variant of Concern (VOC). SARS-CoV-2 has continuously undergone a series of unprecedented mutations and evolved to exhibit varying characteristics. These mutations have largely occurred in the spike (S) protein (site for antibody binding), which attribute high infectivity and transmissibility characteristics to the Omicron strain. Although many studies have attempted to understand this new challenge in the COVID-19 strains race, there is still a lot to be demystified. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to summarize the structural or virologic characteristics, burden, and epidemiology of the Omicron variant and its potential to evade the immune response.

End 2019, the zoonotic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), named COVID-19 for coronavirus disease 2019, is the third adaptation of a contagious virus following the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in 2002, SARS-CoV, and the Middle East respiratory syndrome virus in 2012, MERS-CoV. COVID-19 is highly infectious and virulent compared to previous outbreaks. We review sources, contagious routes, preventive measures, pandemic, outbreak, epidemiology of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 from 2002 to 2020 using a Medline search. We discuss the chronology of the three coronaviruses, the vulnerability of healthcare workers, coronaviruses on surface and in wastewater, diagnostics and cures, and measures to prevent spreading.

Tamarix aphylla is a well-known species of the genus Tamarix. T. aphylla (Tamaricaceae) is a perennial tree in Asia, the Middle East, and Central Africa. It is used as a carminative diuretic in tuberculosis, leprosy, and hepatitis. Various pharmacological properties have been shown by T. aphylla, such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, anticholinesterase, and wound-healing activity. However, T. aphylla has not received much attention for its secondary metabolites and bioactive constituents. Research has shown that this plant has hidden potential that needs to be explored. This review aims to cover botanical classification, geographical distribution, taxonomy, ethnobotanical uses, and the phytochemical compounds found in T. aphylla. The toxicology and pharmacological effects of T. aphylla are also discussed. We examined various scholarly resources to gather information on T. aphylla, including Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Link, PubMed, and Web of Science. The finding of this work validates a connection between T. aphylla in conventional medicine and its antidiabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, antifungal, anticholinesterase, and other biological effects. T. aphylla’s entire plant (such as bark, leaves, fruits) and root extracts have been used to treat hypertension, stomach discomfort, hair loss, cough and asthma, abscesses, wounds, rheumatism, jaundice, fever, tuberculosis, and gum and tooth infection. The phytochemical screening revealed that noticeably all extracts were devoid of alkaloids, followed by the presence of tannins. In addition, different parts have revealed the existence of steroids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and byproducts of gallic acid and ellagic acid. T. aphylla has shown many valuable activities against different diseases and supports its traditional uses. Therefore, high-quality preclinical research and well-designated clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy and safety of this plant in humans.

Background and Objectives: The elicitation of a host’s immune–inflammatory responses to overcome oral bacterial biofilm challenges is mediated by numerous cytokines. We explored the role of three such cytokines, viz. interleukin (IL)-17, 18 and 21, by measuring their levels in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of Indian individuals with healthy gingiva, chronic gingivitis, or chronic periodontitis. Materials and Method: Ninety systemically healthy individuals were enrolled in the study on the basis of predefined criteria and were categorized into three groups of 30 participants each. Groups A, B and C were composed of a control group with healthy gingiva, subjects with chronic gingivitis and subjects with chronic periodontitis, respectively. The periodontal disease status was assessed on the basis of a subject’s gingival index, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment loss and radiographic evidence of bone loss. After the complete history-taking and identification of gingival sulcus/pocket depth areas for GCF collection, a sample was collected from each subject in all groups for an estimation of the cytokine levels using ELISA. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v 21.0. Intergroup comparisons were conducted using a post hoc Tukey’s test. A value of p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The mean IL-17, 18 and 21 concentrations in pg/mL was the greatest for Group C (99.67 ± 18.85, 144.61 ± 20.83 and 69.67 ± 12.46, respectively), followed by Group B (19.27 ± 2.78, 22.27 ± 2.43 and 22.74 ± 1.43, respectively) and finally by Group A (healthy control; 11.56 ± 0.99, 17.94 ± 1.24 and 12.83 ± 1.21 respectively). A statistically significant difference in the mean concentrations of two interleukins (IL-17 and IL-18) was observed between Groups A and C and also between Groups B and C. A statistically significant difference in the mean concentrations of IL-21 was observed between Groups B and C. Conclusions: Within the limitations of the present study, the findings revealed that the GCF levels of IL-17, IL-18 and IL-21 rose and correlated well with the severity of the disease. Thus, these cytokines present in GCF have the potential to be considered as biomarkers for periodontal tissue destruction. IL-21 in particular appears to be a promising biomarker for differentiating between gingivitis and periodontitis.