Browsing by Author "Verma, Harkomal"

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    Bioremediation: A favorable perspective to eliminate heavy metals from polluted soil
    (Elsevier, 2022-09-30T00:00:00) Kaur, Sukhchain; Midha, Tushar; Verma, Harkomal; Muduli, Rasmi Ranjan; Dutta, Oyindril; Saini, Omprakash; Prakash, Richa; Sharma, Sandeep; Mantha, Anil K.; Dhiman, Monisha
    The heavy metal contamination in the environment causes serious risk and long-term lethal effects to all living organisms due to their ability to show toxicity at low concentrations. The bio-magnification of heavy metals in the food chain is a matter of concern for public health. The persistent exposure to heavy metals such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and uranium (U) cause several pathologic conditions in humans by interfering with normal cellular processes. Due to the non-biodegradable nature of these pollutants, they get accumulated for a long time in the soil. The removal of these pollutants by conventional methods is not satisfactory due to the high cost and generation of huge quantities of waste products. Hence, the use of micro-organisms is the most successful approach to remediate heavy metals from the environment due to their efficacy and financial viability. Numerous microorganisms have been employed to diminish the toxic effects of heavy metals. The combination of microorganisms and plants as a bioremediation strategy is another efficient method for heavy metal bioremediation. The chapter will summarize the heavy metal exploitation with a focus on Cd, As, Pb, and Chromium (Cr). It will also describe the various bioremediation techniques which are being used in the removal of these heavy metals from soil. � 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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    Brain Exosomes: Friend or Foe in Alzheimer�s Disease?
    (Springer, 2021-09-30T00:00:00) Kaur, Sharanjot; Verma, Harkomal; Dhiman, Monisha; Tell, Gianluca; Gigli, Gian Luigi; Janes, Francesco; Mantha, Anil K.
    Alzheimer�s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease. It is known to be a multifactorial disease and several causes are associated with its occurrence as well as progression. However, the accumulation of amyloid beta (A?) is widely considered its major pathogenic hallmark. Additionally, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and aging (cellular senescence) are considered as additional hits affecting the disease pathology. Several studies are now suggesting important role of inflammation in AD, which shifts our thought towards the brain�s resident immune cells, microglia, and astrocytes; how they interact with neurons; and how these interactions are affected by intra and extracellular stressful factors. These interactions can be modulated by different mechanisms and pathways, in which exosomes could play an important role. Exosomes are multivesicular bodies secreted by nearly all types of cells. The exosomes secreted by glial cells or neurons affect the interactions and thus the physiology of these cells by transmitting miRNAs, proteins, and lipids. Exosomes can serve as a friend or foe to the neuron function, depending upon the carried signals. Exosomes, from the healthy microenvironment, may assist neuron function and health, whereas, from the stressed microenvironment, they carry oxidative and inflammatory signals to the neurons and thus prove detrimental to the neuronal function. Furthermore, exosomes can cross the blood�brain barrier (BBB), and from the blood plasma they can enter the brain cells and activate microglia and astrocytes. Exosomes can transport A? or Tau, cytokines, miRNAs between the cells, and alter the physiology of recipient cells. They can also assist in A? clearance and regulation of synaptic activity. The exosomes derived from different cells play different roles, and this field is still in its infancy stage. This review advocates exosomes� role as a friend or foe in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in the case of Alzheimer�s disease. � 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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    Brain Exosomes: Friend or Foe in Alzheimer�s Disease?
    (Springer, 2021-09-30T00:00:00) Kaur, Sharanjot; Verma, Harkomal; Dhiman, Monisha; Tell, Gianluca; Gigli, Gian Luigi; Janes, Francesco; Mantha, Anil K.
    Alzheimer�s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease. It is known to be a multifactorial disease and several causes are associated with its occurrence as well as progression. However, the accumulation of amyloid beta (A?) is widely considered its major pathogenic hallmark. Additionally, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and aging (cellular senescence) are considered as additional hits affecting the disease pathology. Several studies are now suggesting important role of inflammation in AD, which shifts our thought towards the brain�s resident immune cells, microglia, and astrocytes; how they interact with neurons; and how these interactions are affected by intra and extracellular stressful factors. These interactions can be modulated by different mechanisms and pathways, in which exosomes could play an important role. Exosomes are multivesicular bodies secreted by nearly all types of cells. The exosomes secreted by glial cells or neurons affect the interactions and thus the physiology of these cells by transmitting miRNAs, proteins, and lipids. Exosomes can serve as a friend or foe to the neuron function, depending upon the carried signals. Exosomes, from the healthy microenvironment, may assist neuron function and health, whereas, from the stressed microenvironment, they carry oxidative and inflammatory signals to the neurons and thus prove detrimental to the neuronal function. Furthermore, exosomes can cross the blood�brain barrier (BBB), and from the blood plasma they can enter the brain cells and activate microglia and astrocytes. Exosomes can transport A? or Tau, cytokines, miRNAs between the cells, and alter the physiology of recipient cells. They can also assist in A? clearance and regulation of synaptic activity. The exosomes derived from different cells play different roles, and this field is still in its infancy stage. This review advocates exosomes� role as a friend or foe in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in the case of Alzheimer�s disease. � 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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    Herbal Remedies for Improving Cancer Treatment Through Modulation of Redox Balance
    (Springer Singapore, 2022-09-28T00:00:00) Kaur, Sukhchain; Verma, Harkomal; Kaur, Sharanjot; Singh, Subham; Mantha, Anil K.; Dhiman, Monisha
    The redox modulation induced by oxidative stress is one of the major cause of the metabolic and inflammatory disorders including cancer. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by various sources in the cell shift the redox homeostasis of cells towards more oxidizing or acidic environment. This shift results in the alterations of normal physiologic functioning of biomolecules as well as causes damage to these biomolecules (proteins, lipids, and DNA/RNA). The excessive ROS and redox modulation are the key factors that support growth, progression, and survival of cancer cells. ROS-induced redox modulation further activates pro-tumorigenic cellular pathways for e.g., PI3K/AKT, HIF-1, and MAPK signaling pathways as well as hinders epigenetic signaling. Increasing evidences demonstrate that long-term side effects of anti-cancer chemotherapy are major concern of medical sciences although modern treatments are quite effective. The combination of various herbal formulations with anti-cancer therapy shows improvement in treatment effectiveness in cancer patients. Bioactive compounds present in herbal formulations possess antioxidant and anti-cancer properties that help in the regulation of redox status of cancer cells. The synergetic effects of herbal remedies along with conventional treatment are proven as novel therapeutics in cancer progression management. Clinical studies have shown that broad range of herbs and bioactive compounds from various plants having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties can suppress the carcinogenesis. In this chapter we will discuss the role of various plants such as Glycyrrhiza glabra, Picrorhiza kurroa, Tinospora cordifolia, Curcuma longa, Ocimum sanctum, Viola odorata, and bioactive compound ferulic acid found in various cereals. The chapter will also focus on various mechanisms involved in the modulation of chemo-toxicity and improvement of efficacy of conventional anti-cancer therapies by these plants. � Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.
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    A short review on cross-link between pyruvate kinase (PKM2) and Glioblastoma Multiforme
    (Springer, 2021-03-02T00:00:00) Verma, Harkomal; Cholia, Ravi P.; Kaur, Sharanjot; Dhiman, Monisha; Mantha, Anil K.
    Pyruvate kinase (PK) catalyzes the last irreversible reaction of glycolysis pathway, generating pyruvate and ATP, from Phosphoenol Pyruvate (PEP) and ADP precursors. In mammals, four different tissue-specific isoforms (M1, M2, L and R) of PK exist, which are translated from two genes (PKL and PKR). PKM2 is the highly expressed isoform of PK in cancers, which regulates the aerobic glycolysis via reprogramming cancer cell�s metabolic pathways�to provide an anabolic�advantage to the tumor cells. In addition to the established role of PKM2 in aerobic glycolysis of multiple cancer types, various recent findings have highlighted the non-metabolic functions of PKM2 in brain tumor development. Nuclear PKM2 acts as a co-activator and directly regulates gene transcription. PKM2 dependent transactivation of various oncogenic genes is instrumental in the progression and aggressiveness of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Also, PKM2 acts as a protein kinase in histone modification which regulates gene expression and tumorigenesis. Ongoing research has explored novel regulatory mechanisms of PKM2 and its association in GBM progression. This review enlists and summarizes the metabolic and non-metabolic roles of PKM2 at the cellular level, and its regulatory function highlights the importance of the nuclear functions of PKM2 in GBM progression, and an emerging role of PKM2 as novel cancer therapeutics. � 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.
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    A short review on cross-link between pyruvate kinase (PKM2) and Glioblastoma Multiforme
    (Springer, 2021-03-02T00:00:00) Verma, Harkomal; Cholia, Ravi P.; Kaur, Sharanjot; Dhiman, Monisha; Mantha, Anil K.
    Pyruvate kinase (PK) catalyzes the last irreversible reaction of glycolysis pathway, generating pyruvate and ATP, from Phosphoenol Pyruvate (PEP) and ADP precursors. In mammals, four different tissue-specific isoforms (M1, M2, L and R) of PK exist, which are translated from two genes (PKL and PKR). PKM2 is the highly expressed isoform of PK in cancers, which regulates the aerobic glycolysis via reprogramming cancer cell�s metabolic pathways�to provide an anabolic�advantage to the tumor cells. In addition to the established role of PKM2 in aerobic glycolysis of multiple cancer types, various recent findings have highlighted the non-metabolic functions of PKM2 in brain tumor development. Nuclear PKM2 acts as a co-activator and directly regulates gene transcription. PKM2 dependent transactivation of various oncogenic genes is instrumental in the progression and aggressiveness of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Also, PKM2 acts as a protein kinase in histone modification which regulates gene expression and tumorigenesis. Ongoing research has explored novel regulatory mechanisms of PKM2 and its association in GBM progression. This review enlists and summarizes the metabolic and non-metabolic roles of PKM2 at the cellular level, and its regulatory function highlights the importance of the nuclear functions of PKM2 in GBM progression, and an emerging role of PKM2 as novel cancer therapeutics. � 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.
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    Understanding the multifaceted role of miRNAs in Alzheimer�s disease pathology
    (Springer, 2023-07-28T00:00:00) Kaur, Sharanjot; Verma, Harkomal; Kaur, Sukhchain; Gangwar, Prabhakar; Yadav, Anuradha; Yadav, Bharti; Rao, Rashmi; Dhiman, Monisha; Mantha, Anil Kumar
    Small non-coding RNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by binding to mRNA and mediating its degradation or inhibiting translation. Since miRNAs can regulate the expression of several genes, they have multiple roles to play in biological processes and human diseases. The majority of miRNAs are known to be expressed in the brain and are involved in synaptic functions, thus marking their presence and role in major neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer�s disease (AD). In AD, amyloid beta (A?) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are known to be the major hallmarks. The clearance of A? and tau is known to be associated with miRNA dysregulation. In addition, the ?-site APP cleaving enzyme (BACE 1), which cleaves APP to form A?, is also found to be regulated by miRNAs, thus directly affecting A? accumulation. Growing evidences suggest that neuroinflammation can be an initial event in AD pathology, and miRNAs have been linked with the regulation of neuroinflammation. Inflammatory disorders have also been associated with AD pathology, and exosomes associated with miRNAs are known to regulate brain inflammation, suggesting for the role of systemic miRNAs in AD pathology. Several miRNAs have been related in AD, years before the clinical symptoms appear, most of which are associated with regulating the cell cycle, immune system, stress responses, cellular senescence, nerve growth factor (NGF)�signaling, and synaptic regulation. Phytochemicals, especially polyphenols, alter the expression of various miRNAs by binding to miRNAs or binding to the transcriptional activators of miRNAs, thus control/alter various metabolic pathways. Awing to the sundry biological processes being regulated by miRNAs in the brain and regulation of expression of miRNAs via phytochemicals, miRNAs and the regulatory bioactive phytochemicals can serve as therapeutic agents in the treatment and management of AD. � 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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    Understanding the multifaceted role of miRNAs in Alzheimer�s disease pathology
    (Springer, 2023-07-28T00:00:00) Kaur, Sharanjot; Verma, Harkomal; Kaur, Sukhchain; Gangwar, Prabhakar; Yadav, Anuradha; Yadav, Bharti; Rao, Rashmi; Dhiman, Monisha; Mantha, Anil Kumar
    Small non-coding RNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression by binding to mRNA and mediating its degradation or inhibiting translation. Since miRNAs can regulate the expression of several genes, they have multiple roles to play in biological processes and human diseases. The majority of miRNAs are known to be expressed in the brain and are involved in synaptic functions, thus marking their presence and role in major neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer�s disease (AD). In AD, amyloid beta (A?) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are known to be the major hallmarks. The clearance of A? and tau is known to be associated with miRNA dysregulation. In addition, the ?-site APP cleaving enzyme (BACE 1), which cleaves APP to form A?, is also found to be regulated by miRNAs, thus directly affecting A? accumulation. Growing evidences suggest that neuroinflammation can be an initial event in AD pathology, and miRNAs have been linked with the regulation of neuroinflammation. Inflammatory disorders have also been associated with AD pathology, and exosomes associated with miRNAs are known to regulate brain inflammation, suggesting for the role of systemic miRNAs in AD pathology. Several miRNAs have been related in AD, years before the clinical symptoms appear, most of which are associated with regulating the cell cycle, immune system, stress responses, cellular senescence, nerve growth factor (NGF)�signaling, and synaptic regulation. Phytochemicals, especially polyphenols, alter the expression of various miRNAs by binding to miRNAs or binding to the transcriptional activators of miRNAs, thus control/alter various metabolic pathways. Awing to the sundry biological processes being regulated by miRNAs in the brain and regulation of expression of miRNAs via phytochemicals, miRNAs and the regulatory bioactive phytochemicals can serve as therapeutic agents in the treatment and management of AD. � 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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    Understanding the neuronal synapse and challenges associated with the mitochondrial dysfunction in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease
    (Elsevier B.V., 2023-09-13T00:00:00) Verma, Harkomal; Gangwar, Prabhakar; Yadav, Anuradha; Yadav, Bharti; Rao, Rashmi; Kaur, Sharanjot; Kumar, Puneet; Dhiman, Monisha; Taglialatela, Giulio; Mantha, Anil Kumar
    Synaptic mitochondria are crucial for maintaining synaptic activity due to their high energy requirements, substantial calcium (Ca2+) fluctuation, and neurotransmitter release at the synapse. To provide a continuous energy supply, neurons use special mechanisms to transport and distribute healthy mitochondria to the synapse while eliminating the damaged mitochondria from the synapse. Along the neuron, mitochondrial membrane potential (?) gradient exists and is highest in the somal region. Lower ? in the synaptic region renders mitochondria more vulnerable to oxidative stress-mediated damage. Secondly, mitochondria become susceptible to the release of cytochrome c, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is not shielded from the reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the histone proteins (unlike nuclear DNA), leading to activation of caspases and pronounced oxidative DNA base damage, which ultimately causes synaptic loss. Both synaptic mitochondrial dysfunction and synaptic failure are crucial factors responsible for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, amyloid beta (A?) and hyper-phosphorylated Tau, the two leading players of AD, exaggerate the disease-like pathological conditions by reducing the mitochondrial trafficking, blocking the bi-directional transport at the synapse, enhancing the mitochondrial fission via activating the mitochondrial fission proteins, enhancing the swelling of mitochondria by increasing the influx of water through mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening, as well as reduced ATP production by blocking the activity of complex I and complex IV. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is also associated with decline in cognitive ability caused by synaptic degradation. This review summarizes the challenges associated with the synaptic mitochondrial dysfunction linked to AD and MCI and the role of phytochemicals in restoring the synaptic activity and rendering neuroprotection in AD. � 2023 Elsevier B.V. and Mitochondria Research Society. All rights reserved.