Maitrali Relekar

Apart from ATP generation, mitochondria are involved in a wide range of functions, making them one of the most prominent organelles of the human cell. Mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in the pathophysiology of several diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic disorders. This makes it a target for a variety of therapeutics for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. The use of nanoparticles to target mitochondria has significant importance in modern times because they provide promising ways to deliver drug payloads to the mitochondria by overcoming challenges, such as low solubility and poor bioavailability, and also resolve the issues of the poor biodistribution of drugs and pharmacokinetics with increased specificity. This review assesses nanoparticle-based drug-delivery systems, such as liposomes, DQAsome, MITO-Porters, micelles, polymeric and metal nanocarriers, as well as quantum dots, as mitochondria-targeted strategies and discusses them as a treatment for mitochondrial disorders.

Wheat is one of the most consumed foods in the world. Although it is extremely nutrient rich for us humans, some of us have great difficulties in completely digesting its protein subunits. This review aims to understand the onset of Celiac Disease and its association with several other auto-immune diseases. The gliadin molecule, undigested in the small intestine, over time, ruptures the villi lining of the intestinal wall and enters the bloodstream which in turn activates the body's immune response. In some patients with the presence of HLA DQ2/DQ8 genes, this immune response results in Celiac Disease. Notably, researchers over the past several decades have found several links between Celiac Disease and multiple auto-immune diseases. Diabetes is one such auto-immune disease which has shown multiple associations with Celiac Disease. Similarly, in this review paper, we are critically analyzing the association of Celiac Disease with some of the most common autoimmune diseases namely Type-1 Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Autism and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. In this paper, we have shown a clear correlation of celiac disease with several other auto-immune diseases. Further study is needed to understand the bidirectional association of Celiac Disease with different auto-immune diseases.

Comparative molecular docking and vixualization analysis of the human thrombin with the SARS CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein and the human ACE-2 receptors is of interest. The data shows that residues spanning positions 30-41 in the ACE-2 have interaction with the spike glycoprotein (UniProt ID: Q9BYF1). Results also shows that thrombin binds with SER494 in the spike protein, and GLU37 in the ACE2 receptor. SER494 in the viral receptor-binding domain provides support for hotspot-353 reported elsewhere. These preliminary data provide insights for further probe.