Two years after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), in December 2019, the first infections were identified in Wuhan city of China. SARS-CoV-2 infection caused a global pandemic and accordingly, 5.41 million deaths worldwide. Hence, developing a safe and efficient vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) seems to be an urgent need. Attempts to produce efficient vaccines inexhaustibly are ongoing. At present time, according to the COVID-19 vaccine tracker and landscape provided by World Health Organization (WHO), there are 161 vaccine candidates in different clinical phases all over the world. In between, protein subunit vaccines are types of vaccines that contain a viral protein like spike protein or its segment as the antigen assumed to elicit humoral and cellular immunity and good protective effects. Previously, this technology of vaccine manufacturing was used in a recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV4). In the present work, we review protein subunit vaccines passing their phase 3 and 4 clinical trials, population participated in these trials, vaccines manufactures, vaccines efficiency and their side effects, and other features of these vaccines.

The liver is a vital metabolic organ for drug and xenobiotic metabolism which is influenced by chemical and natural toxins. Liver injury is associated with systemic oxidative stress, which leads to cellular necrosis, fibrosis, tissue lipid peroxidation, and depletion in glutathione levels. Considering the lack of reliable hepato‐protective drugs in modern medicine, plant‐derived phytoconstituents seem to be a noteworthy option. Naringin is an abundant flavonoid found in citrus fruits with various pharmacological benefits such as antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antiapoptotic, activities. In this review, we summarize available data from recent studies about the hepatoprotective effects of naringin against chemical toxicants and discuss the possible mechanisms of actions.

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BackgroundRecent studies have demonstrated that many nanoparticles have an adverse or toxic effect on the kidney.ObjectiveTo investigate the nephroprotective effect of quercetin (QT) against renal injury induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NTiO2) in rats.MethodsNTiO2-intoxicated rats received 50 mg/kg of NTiO2 for seven days. The QT + NTiO2 group was pretreated with QT for seven days before being administered NTiO2. Uric acid, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen were considered to be biomarkers of nephrotoxicity. Catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and renal levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured to assess the oxidative stress caused by NTiO2.ResultsNTiO2 significantly increased the plasma level of the biomarkers. It also significantly decreased the activities of CAT (P = 0.008) and SOD (P = 0.004), and significantly increased the MDA levels (P = 0.007). NTiO2 caused proximal tubule damage, the accumulation of red blood cells, the infiltration of inflammatory cells, and reduced the glomerular diameters, as well as induced apoptosis in the proximal tubules. Pre-treatment with QT attenuated the histological changes, normalised the plasma biomarkers, suppressed oxidative stress, ameliorated the activities of CAT (P = 0.007) and SOD (P = 0.006), and reduced apoptosis (P < 0.001).ConclusionQT was found to have a potent protective effect against nephrotoxicity induced by NTiO2 in rats. It also reduced apoptosis caused by NTiO2.

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Background and Purpose:Treatment of life-threatening fungal infections caused by Candida species has become a major problem. Candida spp. are the most important causative agents of candidiasis. Allium tripedale is a medicinal plant that has been traditionally used to treat infections. In the present study, we aimed to determine the chemical compounds and antimicrobial activity of hydroalcoholic extract of A. tripedale against different species of Candida.Materials and Methods:Phytochemical analysis was performed to identify the possible bioactive components of this extract by using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The hydroalcoholic extract of A. tripedale were collected. Different concentrations of A. tripedale (50, 25, 12.5, and 6.25 mg/ml) were used to evaluate its antifungal activity against Candida species (C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, and C. krusei) using disk diffusion assay.Results: The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 40 different phytoconstituents with peak area; the major compounds were tetracosane, hexadecanoic acid, 1-eicosanol, 1,2-dihydro-pyrido[3,2,1-kl]phenothiazin-3-one, 2-hexadecen-1-ol, and 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl. Hydroalcoholic extract showed strong antimicrobial activity (inhibition zone ⩾ 20 mm), moderate antimicrobial activity (inhibition zone < 12-20 mm), and no inhibition (zone < 12 mm). In addition, the hydroalcoholic extract exhibited the highest antimicrobial properties against C. albicans strains. Conclusion: A. tripedale extract had a considerable inhibitory effect against various Candida species, but its highest inhibitory effect was against Candid albicans. Further investigations are required to detect the performance of this plant in the treatment of Candida infection.