Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Molecular Medicine, Physiology, Biochemistry
20
Scopus Publications
316
Scholar Citations
10
Scholar h-index
11
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Immune system breakdown in SLE: Triggers, Targets and Diagnostics Kriti Varshney, Urvashi Dixit, Sonam Chawla Research Journal of Biotechnology, 2026 Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe autoimmune disease, characterised by multi systemic involvement and affects nearly 3.5 million individuals globally. In India, prevalence of SLE is approximately 3 in 100,000. The present review presents the current understanding pathogenesis and the therapeutic and diagnostic opportunities against SLE. SLE onset is triggered by a complex relationship with environmental, genetic, epigenetic and ecological factors altogether leading to initiation of both natural and acquired immunity leading to self-reactive T and B cell activation. These autoantibodies lead to the immunocomplex formation and deposition in tissues, leading to damage and inflammation. The clinical manifestation of SLE is extensive - varying from mild and self-limiting symptoms to severe organ involvement that can be life-threatening. Its serological and clinical diversity makes diagnosis challenging. Anti-nuclear antibody detection is the gold standard in diagnosing SLE as these antibodies are present in over 95% of patients. Therapeutic regimes include preventing organ damage, achieving remission and boosting the wellbeing of life. Antimalarial drugs, mainly hydroxychloroquine, immunosuppressant drugs such as glucocorticoids, methotrexate etc. are used as the first line of defence in treatment of SLE. Besides the conventional therapeutic interventions, traditional medicine, especially Ayurveda, also proposes SLE to be a disorder of vaat dosha and proposes diverse therapeutic regimes based on purgation and rasayana
PDMD: A Comprehensive Repository of Plants Reported for Skeletal Muscle-related Ailments Aaysha Gupta, Sonam Chawla Current Drug Targets, 2026 Introduction: Medicinal plants and phytocompounds targeting skeletal muscle wasting in humans are under-represented in the majority of databases reporting plant/herb-diseases association. However, a large body of literature exists wherein plant extracts or active pharmaceutical ingredients thereof demonstrate potential benefit in skeletal muscle wasting diseases across model organisms. Underscoring the relevance of a repertoire documenting such medicinal plants, we introduce PDMD (Plants Database for Muscle Wasting Diseases), a manually curated plants database reported for muscle wasting diseases such as cachexia, sarcopenia, muscle atrophy, muscle frailty, impaired muscle regeneration, and muscle fatigue. Methodology: PDMD was developed through systematic manual collection and curation of published studies from PubMed, Science Direct, etc, retrieving literature on plants conferring pharmacological efficacy against muscle wasting across experimental model organisms. Phytochemical and taxonomic information were extracted via tools like ClassyFire, PubChem. To handle the storage of an annotated listing of plants, MS-Excel and MySQL were used. Frontend was designed in Visual Studio Code and HTML/CSS. An Apache/PHP server was used to integrate MS-Excel data and charts. Result and Discussion: PDMD encompasses 206 medicinal plants, 230 API reported across 18 model organisms, offering taxonomical information, phytochemical classes, SMILES structure, geographical distribution, and other bioactivity indications. PDMD is cross-referenced with standard databases such as PubChem and PubMed for enhanced functionality. PDMD highlights overlooked plant-muscle links, bridging ethnopharmacology and botany gaps, and can aid hypothesis generation for novel therapies. Conclusion: PDMD highlights overlooked plant-muscle links, bridging ethnopharmacology and botany gaps, and can aid hypothesis generation. PDMD is freely available at https://www.jiit.ac.in/biotechhighlightes/Research-Databases/PDMD/index.html, and was last updated in September 2025.
Functional relevance of piRNA-PIWI axis in cancers: diagnostic and therapeutic avenues Narendra Kumar Sharma, Sonam Chawla, Nitya Tiwari, Kavita R, Shefali Gulliya, Pawan Kumar Maurya, Tikam Chand Dakal Cell Cycle, 2026 epigenetic mechanisms, modulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. Dysregulated piRNA-PIWI axis is implicated across cancer types - breast, colorectal, genitourinary, etc., and correlates with tumor progression and poor patient outcomes. Notably, piRNAs influence cancer stem cell maintenance, contributing to tumor aggressiveness and therapeutic resistance. We also highlight the significant diagnostic and prognostic potential of piRNAs (e.g. piRNA-823) due to their unique expression profiles in cancerous tissues potentially contributing to early detection and disease monitoring. Additionally, noninvasive detection of piRNAs in extracellular vesicles offers promise for liquid biopsy applications, enabling real-time monitoring of cancer progression and treatment response. On the therapeutic front, piRNA-PIWI protein axis offers innovative avenues - modulating piRNA expression or restoring normal PIWI function can limit tumor growth, metastasis, etc. Despite cumulative evidence supporting their role in cancer, challenges remain in translating piRNA research into clinical practice (lack of standardized protocols, effective therapeutic strategies). Ongoing studies into elucidating molecular implications of piRNA-PIWI axis are crucial for tapping this axis for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Understanding Cellular Senescence and Senotherapeutics for Nutri-geriatric Solutions Sonam Chawla, Sanjukta Bhattacharya, Aaysha Gupta Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal, 2025 Senescence is a hallmark of the natural ageing process across species. It is an irreversible arrest of the cells in a non-dividing state, restricting completion of cell cycle. Increased number of senescent cells is associated with declining health span. The switching between a normal cell to a senescent cell is governed by diverse factors, such as activation of DNA damage response, telomere attrition, raised redox imbalance etc. The senescent cells are detected through increased molecular markers of cell cycle arrest, chromatin remodeling indicators, lipofuscin, increased autophagic flux, and increase activity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase. A hyper secretory inflammatory response referred as Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP) is also attained. SASP contributes to low grade chronic inflammation in elderly and contributes to pathophysiology of most geriatric diseases. Cellular senescence can be managed by inclusion of dietary entities that can clear senescent cells (senolytic action), rein the SASP response (senomorphic action) or facilitate re-entry to cell cycle (senoreversal). This scoping review presents the current understanding of cellular senescence activation and detection and compiles the findings from studies wherein dietary components - bioactive polysacchrides, peptides and proteins, fatty acids, lipids and probiotic formulations, that are reported to provide nutrition as well as confer an anti-senescent advantage.
Telomerase Activators from the lens of Ayurveda: A review Sonam Chawla Journal of Ayurveda and Holistic Medicine, 2025 Increasing population of elderly across the globe has recognised the need for science backed interventions and regimens to aid healthy ageing. Ayurveda has recognised dhatu kshaya as a key component contributing to jara or geriatric disposition due to decline in composition and functioning of tissues and organs. Ayurveda backed telomere activators are a promising strategy to identify molecules/rasayanas that can preserve the telomeric ends and hence prevent activation of senescence, genome instability etc correlating positively with higher rates of ageing. The present review narrates the state-of-the-art herbal formulations/rasyanas/bioactive compounds that have demonstrated telomerase activator action in vitro/in vivo/clinically. Namely - Phyllanthus emblica (Amlaki rasayna), Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Centella asiatica (Mandukaparni), Astragalus membranaceus, Punica granatum, and Spirulina platensis have been reviewed as telomere activators. The review bridges the ancient science of Ayurveda with modern day telomere biology to put forth innovative anti-ageing solutions.
Nutraceutical Mediated AMPK Activation: Prospects and Molecular Executors Aaysha Gupta, Sonam Chawla Nutraceuticals Inspiring the Contemporary Therapy for Lifestyle Diseases, 2024 AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) is an enzyme of high importance and its vital roles consist of cell metabolic pathway modulation and protection against metabolic stress like oxidative stress, maintenance of homoeostasis of cellular energy, activation in energy deficits, and has functions in autophagy and cell polarity. Various studies have indicated a long list of naturally occurring chemicals that can be sourced from our diet such as naringenin, resveratrol, astaxanthin, Fucoxanthin, Vitamin D3, curcumin, berberine, capsaicin, quercetin, etc., show ameliorating effects in numerous disorders such as obesity and related diseases, inflammation, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, bone diseases, neurodegenerative diseases via activation of AMPK. This results that AMPK is highly associated with nutraceutical disease combat. The present chapter will discuss how nutraceutical strategies regulate AMPK, how different molecules combat diseases via AMPK activation, and how it provides therapeutic prospects in the future.
Advancing Vaccine Strategies against Candida Infections: Exploring New Frontiers Gurpreet Kaur, Sonam Chawla, Piyush Kumar, Ritu Singh Vaccines, 2023 Candida albicans, along with several non-albicans Candida species, comprise a prominent fungal pathogen in humans, leading to candidiasis in various organs. The global impact of candidiasis in terms of disease burden, suffering, and fatalities is alarmingly high, making it a pressing global healthcare concern. Current treatment options rely on antifungal drugs such as azoles, polyenes, and echinocandins but are delimited due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains and associated adverse effects. The current review highlights the striking absence of a licensed antifungal vaccine for human use and the urgent need to shift our focus toward developing an anti-Candida vaccine. A number of factors affect the development of vaccines against fungal infections, including the host, intraspecies and interspecies antigenic variations, and hence, a lack of commercial interest. In addition, individuals with a high risk of fungal infection tend to be immunocompromised, so they are less likely to respond to inactivated or subunit whole organisms. Therefore, it is pertinent to discover newer and novel alternative strategies to develop safe and effective vaccines against fungal infections. This review article provides an overview of current vaccination strategies (live attenuated, whole-cell killed, subunit, conjugate, and oral vaccine), including their preclinical and clinical data on efficacy and safety. We also discuss the mechanisms of immune protection against candidiasis, including the role of innate and adaptive immunity and potential biomarkers of protection. Challenges, solutions, and future directions in vaccine development, namely, exploring novel adjuvants, harnessing the trained immunity, and utilizing immunoinformatics approaches for vaccine design and development, are also discussed. This review concludes with a summary of key findings, their implications for clinical practice and public health, and a call to action for continued investment in candidiasis vaccine research.
Use of smart nanomaterials in food packaging Nikita Singh, Smriti Gaur, Sonam Chawla, Sachidanand Singh, Azamal Husen Advances in Smart Nanomaterials and their Applications, 2023
Recent investigations on protective mechanisms of flavonoids against sarcopenia Ishita Pandey, Srishti Vashishtha, Sonam Chawla Phytopharmaceuticals and Biotechnology of Herbal Plants, 2022 Sarcopenia is an age-related decline in muscle mass and strength. With a high prevalence—10% of the elderly suffer from sarcopenia globally—urgent initiatives are warranted to manage and cope with sarcopenia. The recommended therapeutic regimens include exercise therapy, hormone replacement and nutraceutical interventions, individually or in combination. Plant flavonoids have diverse biological activities central to sarcopenia management—anti-inflammatory, regenerative, antioxidant—and are thus under various investigational studies to establish their key role in promoting muscle health. The present review discusses the recently reported mechanism-based pre-clinical and clinical studies investigating the myoprotective nature of flavonoids in sarcopenia.
Recent perspectives on the medicinal potential of plant-based adaptogens Kajal Pandey, Manvi Arora, Sonam Chawla Phytopharmaceuticals and Biotechnology of Herbal Plants, 2022 Traditional medicine, Indian and otherwise, can give numerous accounts of plant-based adaptogens: agents that can trigger a shield of non-specific resistance against chemical/biological/physical stressors, allowing molecular and physiological adaptations to survive under stress. The plant-based adaptogen can be a purified natural compound or an herbal extract, conferring the previously listed benefits. Historically, Panax ginseng and Withania somnifera have numerous endorsements as adaptogens in various stressors; however, in recent times, the arena of adaptogens has expanded to include adaptogens against a wide range of stressors—drug-induced toxicity, immunomodulators, exposure to cold/hypoxic environments, neuro-preservative and cognition boosting, etc. The new adaptogens conferring the enlisted benefits, such as Bacopa monnieri, Emblica officinalis, Ginkgo biloba, Rhodiola rosea, Cordyceps sinensis, Glycyrrhiza glabra, and Tinospora cordifolia are discussed in this chapter in terms of their adaptogenic effects, reported molecular mechanisms and their commercial form available in the market.
Carbon nanomaterials in drug and gene delivery potential: focus on fungal infections P Kumar, R Singh, G Kaur, S Chawla Carbon-based nanomaterials: Synthesis, agricultural, biomedical, and … , 2024 2024 Citations: 7
Nutraceutical Mediated AMPK Activation: Prospects and Molecular Executors A Gupta, S Chawla Nutraceuticals Inspiring the Contemporary Therapy for Lifestyle Diseases … , 2024 2024
Grass and Their Waste Products for Nanoparticles Synthesis and Applications (981-99-3435-5_14) SC Anurag Tiwari, Kajal Pandey, Sachidanand Singh Nanomaterials from Agricultural and Horticultural Products 1, 261-271 , 2023 2023
Smart nanotechnology in pathological hypoxia: an innovative avenue for a clinical hurdle S Chawla, A Gupta, M Bhardwaj, S Singh, A Husen Smart Nanomaterials Targeting Pathological Hypoxia, 1-10 , 2023 2023 Citations: 2
Redox responsive smart nanomaterials to tackle hypoxia associated oxidative damage and inflammatory mediators using phytocompounds N Khare, M Bhardwaj, S Chawla, R Praveen, S Singh Smart Nanomaterials Targeting Pathological Hypoxia, 313-325 , 2023 2023 Citations: 4
Smart nanomaterials targeting pathological hypoxia S Chawla, S Singh, A Husen Springer , 2023 2023 Citations: 32
Use of smart nanomaterials in food packaging N Singh, S Gaur, S Chawla, S Singh, A Husen Advances in smart nanomaterials and their applications, 233-245 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
Recent Investigations on Protective Mechanisms of Flavonoids against Sarcopenia I Pandey, S Vashishtha, S Chawla Phytopharmaceuticals and Biotechnology of Herbal Plants, 141-155 , 2022 2022
Recent Perspectives on the Medicinal Potential of Plant-Based Adaptogens K Pandey, M Arora, S Chawla Phytopharmaceuticals and Biotechnology of Herbal Plants, 267-279 , 2022 2022
Natural sources and encapsulating materials for probiotics delivery systems: Recent applications and challenges in functional food development S Singh, R Gupta, S Chawla, P Gauba, M Singh, RK Tiwari, S Upadhyay, ... Frontiers in Nutrition 9, 971784 , 2022 2022 Citations: 74
A comparative study of in‐vitro and in‐silico anti‐candidal activity and GC–MS profiles of snow mountain garlic vs. normal garlic B Kaur, N Kumar, S Chawla, D Sharma, S Korpole, R Sharma, MK Patel, ... Journal of applied microbiology 133 (3), 1308-1321 , 2022 2022 Citations: 10
Preparing for the perpetual challenges of pandemics of coronavirus infections with special focus on SARS-CoV-2 S Chawla, SK Saxena Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis … , 2020 2020 Citations: 8
Preventive preclinical efficacy of intravenously administered sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in strengthening hypoxia adaptive responses to acute and sub-chronic hypobaric hypoxia S Chawla, B Rahar, R Tulswani, S Saxena European Journal of Pharmacology 870, 172877 , 2020 2020 Citations: 17
Acute hypobaric hypoxia-mediated biochemical/metabolic shuffling and differential modulation of S1PR-SphK in cardiac and skeletal muscles B Rahar, S Chawla, R Tulswani, S Saxena High Altitude Medicine & Biology 20 (1), 78-88 , 2019 2019 Citations: 5
Sphingosine-1-phosphate pretreatment amends hypoxia-induced metabolic dysfunction and impairment of myogenic potential in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts by stimulating … B Rahar, S Chawla, S Pandey, AN Bhatt, S Saxena The Journal of Physiological Sciences 68 (2), 137-151 , 2018 2018 Citations: 13
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Natural sources and encapsulating materials for probiotics delivery systems: Recent applications and challenges in functional food development S Singh, R Gupta, S Chawla, P Gauba, M Singh, RK Tiwari, S Upadhyay, ... Frontiers in Nutrition 9, 971784 , 2022 2022 Citations: 74
Physiology of high-altitude acclimatization S Chawla, S Saxena Resonance 19 (6), 538-548 , 2014 2014 Citations: 38
Smart nanomaterials targeting pathological hypoxia S Chawla, S Singh, A Husen Springer , 2023 2023 Citations: 32
S1P prophylaxis mitigates acute hypobaric hypoxia‐induced molecular, biochemical, and metabolic disturbances: A preclinical report S Chawla, B Rahar, S Saxena IUBMB life 68 (5), 365-375 , 2016 2016 Citations: 21
Exogenous Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Boosts Acclimatization in Rats Exposed to Acute Hypobaric Hypoxia: Assessment of Haematological and Metabolic Effects SS Sonam Chawla, Babita Rahar, Mrinalini Singh, Anju PLOS One (10.1371/journal.pone.0098025) 9 (6), e98025 , 2014 2014 Citations: 19
Preventive preclinical efficacy of intravenously administered sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in strengthening hypoxia adaptive responses to acute and sub-chronic hypobaric hypoxia S Chawla, B Rahar, R Tulswani, S Saxena European Journal of Pharmacology 870, 172877 , 2020 2020 Citations: 17
Exogenous sphingosine 1-phosphate protects murine splenocytes against hypoxia-induced injury S Chawla, C Sahni, R Tulsawani, M Singh, D Saraswat, A Bansal, ... Lipids 49 (2), 191-202 , 2014 2014 Citations: 14
Sphingosine-1-phosphate pretreatment amends hypoxia-induced metabolic dysfunction and impairment of myogenic potential in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts by stimulating … B Rahar, S Chawla, S Pandey, AN Bhatt, S Saxena The Journal of Physiological Sciences 68 (2), 137-151 , 2018 2018 Citations: 13
A comparative study of in‐vitro and in‐silico anti‐candidal activity and GC–MS profiles of snow mountain garlic vs. normal garlic B Kaur, N Kumar, S Chawla, D Sharma, S Korpole, R Sharma, MK Patel, ... Journal of applied microbiology 133 (3), 1308-1321 , 2022 2022 Citations: 10
Red palm oil-health benefits and their molecular executors S Chawla, S Saxena Int J Bioassay 2, 1223-1231 , 2013 2013 Citations: 10
Use of smart nanomaterials in food packaging N Singh, S Gaur, S Chawla, S Singh, A Husen Advances in smart nanomaterials and their applications, 233-245 , 2023 2023 Citations: 8
Preparing for the perpetual challenges of pandemics of coronavirus infections with special focus on SARS-CoV-2 S Chawla, SK Saxena Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis … , 2020 2020 Citations: 8
Carbon nanomaterials in drug and gene delivery potential: focus on fungal infections P Kumar, R Singh, G Kaur, S Chawla Carbon-based nanomaterials: Synthesis, agricultural, biomedical, and … , 2024 2024 Citations: 7
Acute hypobaric hypoxia-mediated biochemical/metabolic shuffling and differential modulation of S1PR-SphK in cardiac and skeletal muscles B Rahar, S Chawla, R Tulswani, S Saxena High Altitude Medicine & Biology 20 (1), 78-88 , 2019 2019 Citations: 5
Redox responsive smart nanomaterials to tackle hypoxia associated oxidative damage and inflammatory mediators using phytocompounds N Khare, M Bhardwaj, S Chawla, R Praveen, S Singh Smart Nanomaterials Targeting Pathological Hypoxia, 313-325 , 2023 2023 Citations: 4
Differential modulation of S1PR (1–5) and specific activities of SphK and nSMase in pulmonary and cerebral tissues of rats exposed to hypobaric hypoxia S Chawla, S Saxena Lipids 50 (1), 39-48 , 2015 2015 Citations: 4
Smart nanotechnology in pathological hypoxia: an innovative avenue for a clinical hurdle S Chawla, A Gupta, M Bhardwaj, S Singh, A Husen Smart Nanomaterials Targeting Pathological Hypoxia, 1-10 , 2023 2023 Citations: 2
Type 2 diabetes in the wake of insulin resistance: Molecular etiology and therapeutics S Chawla, D Gupta, A Tiwari J Pharm Res 4 (4) , 2011 2011 Citations: 2
PDMD: A Comprehensive Repository of Plants Reported for Skeletal Muscle-related Ailments A Gupta, S Chawla Current Drug Targets , 2026 2026