Aim: In view of the strong immunomodulatory and antiviral activity of andrographolide and its derivative, the present study aimed to investigate the binding a nities of andrographolide and its derivative 14deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide with 3 major targets of COVID-19 i.e. 3CLpro, PLpro and spike protein followed by their gene-set enrichment analysis with special reference to immune modulation. Materials and methods: SMILES of the compounds were retrieved from DigepPred database and the proteins identi ed were queried in STRING to evaluate the protein-protein interaction and modulated pathways were identi ed concerning the KEGG database. Drug-likeness and ADMET pro les were evaluated using MolSoft and admet SAR 2.0, respectively. Molecular docking was carried using autodock 4.0. Results: Andrographolide and 14-Deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide were predicted to have a high binding a nity with papain-like protease i.e.-6.7 kcal/mol and-6.5 kcal/mol, respectively while they interact with equal binding energies with 3clpro (-6.8 kcal/mol) and spike protein (-6.9 kcal/mol). Network pharmacology analysis revealed that both compounds modulated the immune system through the regulation of chemokine signaling pathway, Rap1 signaling pathway, Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, MAPK signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, Rassignaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, and Natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Although the 14deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide scored higher drug-likeness character, it showed less potency to interaction with targeted proteins of COVID-19. Conclusion: The study suggests the strong interaction of the andrographolide and its derivative 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide against target proteins associated with COVID-19. Further, network pharmacology analysis elucidated the different pathways of immunomodulation. However, clinical research should be conducted to con rm the current ndings.

Determination of antioxidant/capacity in the dietary, food, drugs, and biological samples is an interesting approach for testing the safety of these compounds and for drug development. Investigating the google searching engines for the words (measurement + antioxidant + capacity) yielded more than 20 million results, which makes it very difficult to follow. Therefore, collecting the common methods to measure the antioxidant activity/capacity in the food products and biological samples will reduce the burden for both the students and researchers. Nowadays, it is widely accepted that a plant-based diet with a high intake of dietary sources such as vegetables, fruits, and other nutrient-rich plant foods may decrease the effect of oxidative stress-related diseases. In this review article, we have provided the most recent advances in the most common in vitro methods used for evaluating the antioxidant potential of numerous food products, plant extracts, and biological fluids. We have also provided detailed procedures on how to perform them and analyze the results. This review article shall be a comprehensive reference for all techniques used in this area.

Vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic public health problem worldwide. It is common in the Middle East and is more severe in women. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess vitamin D deficiency and associated risk factors in women living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured in 166 women aged 30–65 years. Socio-demographic, lifestyle and health status characteristics, as well as intake of selected dietary supplements, were collected. Weight and height were measured. Vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL) was reported in 60.2% of participants. Mean of serum 25(OH)D was 20.7 ng/mL. Older age and taking the supplements of vitamin D, multi-vitamins or calcium were identified as factors that associated with a lower risk of hypovitaminosis D. A national strategy is needed to control a hypovitaminosis D crisis in Saudi Arabia. This could be accomplished by raising public awareness regarding vitamin D, regulating and enhancing vitamin D fortification and supplementation and screening vitamin D status among women at high risk.

ObjectiveRegular physical activity is essential for lifelong optimal health. Contrarily, physical inactivity is linked with risk for many chronic diseases. This study was conducted to evaluate the physical activity levels and factors associated with physical inactivity among a multi-ethnic population of young men living in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study involving 3,600 young men (20–35 years) living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sociodemographic and physical activity data were collected from subjects by face-to-face interviews. Physical activity characteristics were evaluated by using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Weight and height were measured following standardized methods, then body mass index was calculated.ResultsPhysical inactivity was reported among 24.9% of study subjects. The lowest and highest rates of physical inactivity were reported among subjects from the Philippines (14.0%) and Saudi Arabia (41.5%), respectively. There is a high variation in daily minutes spent on physical activities related to work, transport, recreation, vigorous and moderate-intensity physical activities and sedentary behaviors among study participants based on their nationalities. Nationality, increasing age, longer residency period in Saudi Arabia, living within a family household, having a high education level, earning a high monthly income, and increasing body mass index were significantly associated with a higher risk of physical inactivity among the study participants.ConclusionPhysical inactivity prevalence is relatively high among a multi-ethnic population of young men living in Saudi Arabia. The findings confirmed notable disparities in the physical activity characteristics among participants from different countries living in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: This study investigated physical activity levels and factors related to physical inactivity in a multi-ethnic population of middle-aged men living in Saudi Arabia.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 1,800 men aged 36–59 years old from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia participated. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess the physical activity levels. The weight and height were measured and used to calculate the body mass index.Results: Among all participants, 35.3% are physically inactive. The participants with the lowest and highest rates of physical inactivity were from the Philippines (15.5%) and Saudi Arabia (57.8%), respectively. This study suggests that the risk of physical inactivity among participants is positively or negatively affected by various factors, including nationality, residency period in Saudi Arabia, living with/without family, education level, monthly income, and body mass index.Conclusion: The prevalence of physical inactivity is relatively high among middle-aged men in Saudi Arabia. The findings revealed significant differences in physical activity levels based on nationality, other sociodemographic variables and body weight status.

The aim was to develop nutritious drinks using date nectar with the two most popular Saudi date cultivars (Khalas and Sukkari) and spirulina at different substitution rates. The date puree was prepared with different concentrations of pectin enzymes. The approximate composition, microbiological quality, sugars, vitamins, and minerals of date puree and spirulina, as well as the contaminants, physical properties, fatty acids, and phytopigments of spirulina were evaluated. Chemical composition and sensory properties of the developed date drinks were also assessed. The results showed that spirulina is safe, free from contaminants and heavy metals, and appeared to contain appreciable amounts of essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and phytopigments. The microbiological loads of date puree and spirulina were very low, and there were no pathogenic microbes were found. Spirulina contained higher amounts of total solids, ash, protein, minerals, fiber, fat, and vitamins, than date puree, indicating its suitability as a rich source of nutrients for food fortification. In both date types, treatment of puree with 400 ppm enzyme yielded nectar with higher scores in all sensory attributes, indicating that this is a suitable concentration to yield acceptable juice amounts. The substitution of date nectar with 10% spirulina gave the highest scores for sensory attributes; consequently, this concentration was used for the formulation of functional nectar from date nectar and spirulina. Incorporation of 10% spirulina in date nectars showed a significant increase in the contents of total solids, protein, essential amino acids, ash, fat, sugars, carotenoids, and chlorophyll in the date nectars, thereby improving its nutritional and health properties.

Background Iron deficiency is known to be the most common nutritional disorder. About 30% of the world’s population is iron deficient (ID). Women are more likely to be exposed to anemia than men, which is an epidemic public health problem. Objective A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of anemia and associated risk factors among non-pregnant women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods Non-pregnant women (n = 250) aged 20–65 years were involved in this study. Sociodemographic, nutritional status, menstrual history, anthropometric and haematological properties were calculated. Anaemia proxies including haemoglobin (HB), serum ferritin (IDA), Haematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were determined as well as BMI. Results The respondents were varied according to demographic factors and according to anemia proxies, the majority of them suffered from anemia. The Student’s t -test analysis showed that the average daily food intake was lower than that of the dietary requirement intake (DRI). Correlation and logistic regression analysis between sociodemographic factors and anemia proxies revealed that most of such factors significantly and negatively affected anemia proxies. Moreover, the correlation of daily food intake and anemia proxies showed that the nutrients responsible for the improvement of anemia proxies were not taken in sufficient amount as indicated by a significant and positive correlation. Conclusion In conclusion, various factors including demographic factors, daily food intake appeared to be associated with anemia proxies, which are the most important risk factor for anemia among non-pregnant women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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