No abstract

No abstract

Autoimmune and infectious diseases are the major public health issues and have gained great attention in the last few years for the search of new agents with therapeutic benefits on the host immune functions. In recent years, natural products (NPs) have been studied broadly for their multi-targeted activities under pathological conditions. Interestingly, several attempts have been made to outline the immunomodulatory properties of NPs. Research on in-vitro and in-vivo models have shown the immunomodulatory activity of NPs, is due to their antiinflammatory property, induction of phagocytosis and immune cells stimulation activity. Moreover, studies on humans have suggested that phytomedicines reduce inflammation and could provide appropriate benefits either in single form or complex combinations with other agents preventing disease progression, subsequently enhancing the efficacy of treatment to combat multiple malignancies.However, the exact mechanism of immunomodulation is far from clear, warranting more detailed investigations on their effectiveness. Nevertheless, the reduction of inflammatory cascades is considered as a prime protective mechanism in a number of inflammation regulated autoimmune diseases. Altogether, this review will discuss the biological activities of plant-derived secondary metabolites, such as polyphenols, alkaloids, saponins, polysaccharides and so forth, against various diseases and their potential use as an immunomodulatory agent under pathological conditions.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a devastating interstitial lung disease resulting from indefinite causes with very few limited, those too ineffective therapeutic options. Earlier evidence reported inflammation and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) are the major threats in PF. The present study was aimed to examine the anti‐fibrotic activity of silibinin (SB) in PF. PF was induced by administering oropharyngeal 1.5 mg/mice silica on day 1, followed by treatment with and without oral SB for 14 days. Lung injury was assessed by x‐ray analysis on day 14 and all the animals were sacrificed on day 15. The results showed that silica remarkably altered the histoarchitecture and induced the expression of inflammatory components in BALF and pulmonary tissue. Immunoblotting investigation quantified the expression of TGF‐β, p‐smad2/3, collagen‐I, fibronectin, and α‐SMA in the pulmonary tissue. To this end, treatment with SB alleviated inflammatory components, including IL‐1β, IL‐6, and TNF‐α in the fibrotic tissue. Moreover, SB harnessed the tissue architecture, improved diffusive scattering of x‐ray signals, and modulated epithelial‐mesenchymal phenotypic alterations, including TGF‐β, p‐smad2/3, and collagen‐I. Altogether, the significant reduction of inflammatory signaling, collagen deposition, and epithelial‐mesenchymal transdifferentiation by SB suggested that it could be used as a potential therapeutic candidate to treat pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract