Bechan Sharma

University of Allahabad · Department of Biochemistry

According to a global estimate, the growing infection by Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) causing development of a dreaded disease i.e., Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been a major health risk resulting into loss of lives of about 25 million people in the last 25 years. The information available on basic biological proces...

Depression is a chronic, devastating, and frequent disease. Clinical studies have shown the association of depression with atrophy as well as degeneration of nerve cells and glial cells, which contribute to the size and function of specific brain regions that regulate the status of the mind including depression. The currently available pharmacother...

The breaking silence between the plant roots and microorganisms in the rhizosphere affects plant growth and physiology by impacting biochemical, molecular, nutritional, and edaphic factors. The components of the root exudates are associated with the microbial population, notably, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). The information accessib...

Reserpine, a bioactive compound isolated from the roots of Rauwolfia serpentine, is known to deplete dopamine, a neurotransmitter. The clinical application of reserpine has been associated to manage hypertension, insanity, insomnia and schizophrenia. However, the usage of reserpine as a drug is restricted because of its ability of inducing excess f...

The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), belongs to emerging and reemerging diseases, which was first identified and reported in Wuhan, China, during December 2019. The genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 was similar to SARS virus, a β-corona virus. The epidemiologicalstudies...

Depression is a psychosomatic disorder. The pharmacological treatment of depression has been based on the pathophysiology of deficiency in monoamines, mainly serotonin and noradrenaline. All approved antidepressants designed to enhance central monoaminergic tone possess many limitations such as 2 to 5 weeks delay in response, a limited clinical eff...

Parthenium hysterophorus possesses certain allelochemicals responsible for their medicinal effects. The presence of oils, polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenes, pseudoguaianolides, and histamines in P. hysterophorus has been shown to exhibit medicinal properties. However, the systematic biomedical properties of this plant are still unexplored. The extra...

Parthenium hysterophorus possesses certain allelochemicals responsible for their medicinal effects. The presence of oils, polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenes, pseudoguaianolides, and histamines in P. hysterophorus has been shown to exhibit medicinal properties.However, the systematic biomedical properties of this plant are still unexplored.The extract...

Introduction: Natural phytochemicals are considered safe to use as therapeutic agents. There is a growing trend toward exploring anticancer effects of crude algal extracts or their active ingredients. Euglena tuba, a microalga, contains excellent antioxidant potential. However, the anticancer property of E. tuba has not been explored. This study i...

Depression is a psychosomatic disorder. The pharmacological treatment of depression has been based on the pathophysiology of deficiency in monoamines, mainly serotonin and noradrenaline. All approved antidepressants designed to enhance central monoaminergic tone possess many limitations such as 2 to 5 weeks delay in response, a limited clinical eff...

Parthenium hysterophorus L. belonging to the family Asteraceae is a noxious weed infesting with allelopathic effect with its less economic value. It poses a serious risk to its surroundings. The presence of oils, polyphenols, flavones, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenes, pseudoguaianolides, and histamines in P. hysterophorus makes it important and ben...

The unique physicochemical properties of nanoparticles (NPs) make them widely used in cosmetics, medicines, food additives, and antibacterial and antiviral compounds. NPs are also used in therapy and diagnostic applications. Depending on their origin, the NPs are commonly classified as naturally occurring and synthetic or anthropogenic NPs. Natural...

Exposure to pesticides can pose a greater threat to multiple organs of nontarget animals. Cartap is a thiocarbamate pesticide, broadly used in agricultural fields. The assessment of neurotoxicity of cartap has not been properly studied in the mammalian systems. The present investigation unveils the toxic effects of cartap in the brain of Wistar rat...

Couroupita guianensis Aubl. is an important medicinal tree. This tree is rich in various phytochemicals, and is therefore used as a potent antioxidant and antibacterial agent. This plant is also used for the treatment of various diseases. Here, we have improved its medicinal usage with the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Couroupi...

The identification and pharmacological validation of plant-based lead compounds for the cure of different diseases including cancer have always been globally strived. In addition to possessing numerous medicinal properties, many of the phytochemicals display antioxidant potential activities. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) causeoxidative stress leadi...

Heavy metals are defined in terms of their atomic weight, chemical properties, density, or specific gravity as compared to water. Heavy metal-mediated neurotoxicity has become an increasingly major health problem, especially since the industrial revolution, effect may be either acute or chronic. The heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and...

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global pandemic. Additionally, the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the patients of Gastric Cancer (GC; the third leading cause of death in the world) pose a great challenge for the health management of the patients. Since there have been...

Euglena, a microalga, has gained a great attention as it contains several bioactive compounds including food supplements, drugs and biofuels. The genus Euglena includes >300 species of unicellular, freshwater flagellates. The objective of this review article concerns the presentation of updated information on pharmacological and therapeutic propert...

Background Cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metals. The prolonged exposure of it can lead to severe alterations and damage in different tissues including blood, liver, kidney and brain. Eugenol, a phenolic compound, is present in various aromatic plants. It acts as a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. The aim of this study was t...

In present times cancer is among one of the deadliest diseases of the world. Mutations in DNA lead to uncontrolled cell growth and cell proliferation resulting in cancer. Lung cancer not only contributes to an estimated 1.2 million deaths per year but is also known to have the lowest 5-year survival rate. Genomic mutations severely affect the signa...

Copper chrome arsenate (CCA) water-borne solution used to be widely used to make timber highly resistant to pests and fungi, in particular, wood products designed for outdoor use. Nowadays, CCA is a restricted chemical product in most countries, since potential environmental and health risks were reported due to dermal contact with CCA residues fro...

Conifers have long been recognized for their therapeutic potential in different disorders. Alkaloids, terpenes and polyphenols are the most abundant naturally occurring phytochemicals in these plants. Here, we provide an overview of the phytochemistry and related commercial products obtained from conifers. The pharmacological actions of different p...

Background Depression is a most common mental disorder. The symptoms of depression include loss of energy, changes in appetite, more or less sleep, anxiety, low concentration, uncertainty, restlessness, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or despair, and thoughts of self-harm or suicide. In order to provide safe, efficient and cost-effective medicati...

Carissa carandas L. is traditionally used as antibacterial medicine and accumulates many antioxidant phytochemicals. Here, we expand this traditional usage with the green biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) achieved using a Carissa carandas L. leaf extract as a reducing and capping agent. The green synthesis of AgNPs reaction was carried o...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is the key component of the replication or transcription machinery of coronavirus. Therefore SARS-CoV-2-RdRp has been chosen as an important target for the development of antivi...

The present study has focused on the evaluation of the maximum amount of flyash (FA) utilization augmentation in the acidic soil (pH 6.1) with the manure during the growth performance and impact of toxic heavy metals under the pot experiment. The 15 days pre-incubated 40% FA treated combination (T16) significantly (P < 0.05) influenced growth perfo...

Precise monitoring of the enzyme activity by a suitable modulator is one of the very fundamental aspects of drug designing that provides the opportunity to overcome the challenges of several diseases. Herein, inhibition of human Topoisomerase IIα enzyme which serves as a potential target site for several anti-cancer drugs is demonstrated by using u...

Background: Citrus limon, a Mediterranean-grown citrus species of plants belonging to the Rutaceae family, occupies a place of an impressive range of food and medicinal uses with considerable value in the economy of the fruit of the country. Citrus fruits are economically important with a large-scale production of both the fresh fruits and industr...

As the currently available therapies for HIV-1 have high costs and are associated with the appearance of multi-drug resistant HIV-1 strains, the Indian traditional medicine system Ayurveda may provide useful alternatives. In this study, we screened the inhibitory activities of various extracts of five Indian plants for inhibitory effects on HIV-1 r...

Background Aloe barbadensis (Miller) is one of the most used medicinal herbs in the world since antiquity due to its valuable application as pharmacological properties. The species of A. vera are widely distributed and cultivated throughout the world. Objective This review article aims to present an account of information on phytochemistry, pharma...

Objectives Human exposure to heavy metals and pesticides is a worldwide major health problem. These environmental pollutants have been considered as the most neurotoxic agents and responsible to causing neurological toxicity. Plant-based therapeutic supplement may be used in the event of toxicity. Citrus limon contains several useful bioactive ingr...

Arsenic, mercury and lead are the environmental toxicants which exert their toxic effects through binding with certain proteins including their structures and functions. The toxicity of these heavy metal results is associated to its interaction with the metalloenzymes. They replace the essential metals required for normal biochemical functions of e...

Aloe vera has been the most useful medicinal herb in the world since ancient times due to its vast biological effects. The presence of high content of bioactive compounds make Aloe vera a promising complementary and alternative agent in disease prevention. The effectiveness of A. vera-based medicines against pesticide toxicity has never been evalua...

Essential oils (EOs) are regarded as alternative therapeutic agents for many diseases. In phytotherapy research areas, it is now well reported that conifers are the rich source of EOs. This review aims to update information on the biological sources and the best extraction processes of the significant constituents along with the traditional and the...

The phytochemicals are endowed with antioxidant activities because of the presence of plentiful polyphenols and many other phytochemicals. However, some recent reports have suggested that phytochemicals from certain plant species exhibit DNA damaging properties mainly due to presence of alkaloids. In the present study, pBR322, Salmonella typhi DNA,...

Since the origination of human society, natural products and their derivatives especially obtained from medicinal plants have been used for the advantage of mankind due to their precious therapeutic potential. In Indian Ayurveda, different types of plant-based products have been used to cure several human diseases without any significant side effec...

Phytochemicals with discrete bioactivities toward animal biochemistry and metabolism are being widely examined for their ability to provide health benefits. It is important to establish the scientific rationale to defend their use in foods, as potential nutritionally active ingredients. Phytochemicals contain an abundant number of alkaloids, flavon...

Nanotechnology is an emerging field in the area of interdisciplinary research. Nanoparticle research is inevitable today due to its wide applications. So many chemical and physical methods have been used for nanoparticles synthesis. Many of these methods exert huge adverse environmental effects, need technical expertise, and high cost. Therefore, t...

Depression characterized as a mental disorder occupies the fourth position in the list of frequent global brain-related diseases. It is believed to occupy the second position in that list by 2030. Depression has been defined in terms of neurological disorders adversely influencing the physiological activities as well as functions of the brain. The...

Background Citrus limon (lemon) belongs to the Rutaceae family and has great therapeutic applications. The chemical ingredients of C. limon have been used in the formulation of several ethnic herbal medicines. The application of antibiotics has shown the development of drug resistance in antibacterial drugs. Due to the drug-resistant nature of micr...

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a strong chemical agent used in the industry for preparing chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants, semi-conductors and petrol additives, pesticides, fertilizers, and other agricultural chemicals. Although banned in 1970 in consumer products, a great number of them containing carbon tetrachloride are still available. However,...

Polyacetylenes (PA) are commonly present in nature but intense in specific taxa and are chemically and biologically active molecules. PA are more common in higher plants and ca. 2000 different polyacetylenes have been isolated from higher plants and fungi. PA are frequently recovered from the essential oils from plants. PA can be isolated and chara...

The telomeres existing at the end of the eukaryotic chromosome, play an important role in localization, pairing of homologous chromosomes during cell division and synapsis formation, while telomerase is involved in maintenance of the telomere length. The application of antiHIV-1 molecules particularly NRTIs have been shown to interfere with telomer...

Ethnomedicinal values of Sapindus spp. is also documented in the ancient medical literature. Peoples are using its leaf, fruits and seeds for their primary health care from the very beginning. Powdered form of seeds has been used for the cure of dental caries, arthritis, constipation, nausea and common cold. Ayurvedic literature also documented the...

Plant tissue culture is an elementary and capable technique of biotechnology. Plant biotechnology started with the origin of plant tissue culture. Plant tissue culture also serves as a valuable tool to study the cell physiology and metabolism of plants and is applicable for the different innovative areas of applied plant science, plant biotechnolog...

Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary area of research taking advantage of central techniques used in various disciplines like biological sciences, chemistry, physics and engineering. Nanotechnology develops a novel strategy to operate minute particles resulting in the production of nanoparticles (NPs). Nanotechnology deals with the synthesis, dev...

Plants can be considered as rich and renewable biochemical factory. Plants are primary source of medicine and primary health care. Ayurveda, a traditional medicine system, is totally based on the compounds that isolated from plants. A number of phytochemicals is extractable and used as raw material/intermediates for numerous scientific research and...

Trees are most important parts of the earth. Since ancient period, a single plant has been used for many purposes: such as wood of a tree can be used for making the shelter, can be used as tools, fruits can be used as food material, flowers can be used for decoration, seeds can be used as beads and button, etc. Plants are also producing a variety o...

Sapindus species belongs to the Sapindaceae family. Sapindus is medium-to-large size, deciduous tree and few species of Sapindus exist as shrub too. This tree is an important forest tree species. Sapindus is commonly known as soapberry and soapnut because the fruits are acting as natural detergent and are used to make soap. All the species have som...

Environmental hazard is growing more and more due to the indiscriminate and frequently deliberate release of harmful substances. Use of chemicals in industrial processes including nuclear experiments, agricultural practices, and various aspects of our daily lives resulted into the release of potential hazardous chemicals into the environment either...

This review illustrates recent advances in the investigations of natural antimalarial drugs and, their efficacy and modes of action with special reference to quinine and artemisinin. Owing to the high prevalence and severity, malaria is a major health challenge for the world. The ancient literature indicates the application of medicinal plants for...

Asthma is one of the allergic diseases caused by multiple factors such as host genetic factors, allergens, pollutants in the air, obesity, increase in eosinophils, and infections in the respiratory tract. The antiasthmatics include a wide range of drugs including steroids based compounds, leukotriene modifiers, long-acting β2-adrenoreceptor agonist...

Background Carissa carandas L. is a well-known wild fruit plant distributed through-out the India and also present in other countries. The fruits are rich in nutrients and minerals. A number of medicinally important phytochemicals such as carrisone, carindone, carandinol, lupeol, scopoletin, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, myo-inositol, β-amyrin, Des-n...

Keywords: Environmental Factors; Oxidative Stress; DNA Damage; Phytochemicals; Antioxidants DNA of all the living organisms is normally stable. The genomic DNA gets damaged due to its continuous exposure to numerous environmental factors including toxicants resulting into development of diverse heritable syndromes which are transferred from one gen...

Plants have always occupied a prominent position in the life of every living being. Plants are the primary source of food, shelter and medicines. The global inclination toward herbal medicine has advanced the expansion of plant-based pharmaceutical industries to a vast extent. The production of traditional medicine at global market has been estimat...

Depression being a psychological disorder is known to cause morbidity and mortality of the concerned individual globally. According to an estimate from the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 57 million people equivalent to about 18% of the global population are suffering from depression in India. There are several known factors responsible for...

Keywords: Antimalarial Agent; Quinine; Artemisinin; Medicinal Plant; Natural Compounds; In-Silico Approach This review illustrates recent advances in the investigations of natural antimalarial drugs and, their efficacy and modes of action with special reference to quinine and artemisinin. Owing to the high prevalence and severity, malaria is a majo...