Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using ethanolic extract of Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) kunth. Ex. Walp., stem: Characterizations and their gastroprotective effect on ethanol-induced gastritis in rats.

The study presents a significant advancement in drug delivery and therapeutic efficacy through the successful synthesis of Gliricidia sepium(Jacq.) Kunth. ex. Walp., stem zinc oxide nanoparticles(GSS ZnONPs). The phenolic compounds present in Gliricidia sepium stem (GSS) particularly vanillic acid, apegnin-7-O-glucoside, syringic acid, and p-coumaric acid which were identified by HPLC. These compounds shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. GSS ZnONPs demonstrate pronounced gastroprotective effects against ethanol-induced gastritis, evidenced by the reduction in gastric lesions and mucosal injury upon its treatment. Histopathological evaluation and immunohistochemical analysis of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) expression further validate these results, revealing the amelioration of ethanol-induced gastritis and improved gastric tissue condition due to their treatment. Noteworthy is the dose-dependent response of GSS ZnONPs, showcasing their efficacy even at lower doses against ethanol-induced gastritis which is confirmed by different biomarkers. These findings have substantial implications for mitigating dosage-related adverse effects while preserving therapeutic benefits, offering a more favorable treatment approach. This study aims to investigate the potential gastroprotective activity of GSS ZnONPs against gastritis.

LC-HRMS Profiling and Cytotoxic Potential of Actinomycetes Associated with the Red Sea Soft Coral Sarcophyton glaucum: In vitro and In silico Studies.

In the current study, the actinomycetes associated with the red sea-derived soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum were investigated in terms of biological and chemical diversity. Four different media, M1, ISP2, Marine Agar (MA), and Actinomycete isolation agar (AIA) were used for the isolation of three strains of actinomycetes that were identified as Streptomyces sp. UR 25, Micromonospora sp. UR32 and Saccharomonospora sp. UR 19. LC-HRMS analysis was used to investigate the chemical diversity of the isolated actinobacteria. The LC-HRMS data were statistically processed using MetaboAnalyst 5.0 viz to differentiate the extract groups and determine the optimal growth culturing conditions. Multivariate data statistical analysis revealed that the Micromonospora sp. extract cultured on (MA) medium is the most distinctive extract in terms of chemical composition. While, the Streptomyces sp. UR 25 extracts are differ significantly from Micromonospora sp. UR32 and Saccharomonospora sp. UR 19. Biological investigation using in vitro cytotoxic assay for actinobacteria extracts revealed the prominent potentiality of the Streptomyces sp. UR 25 cultured on oligotrophic medium against human hepatoma (HepG2), human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and human colon adenocarcinoma (CACO2) cell lines (IC50 =3.3, 4.2 and 6.8 µg/mL, respectively). SwissTarget Prediction speculated that among the identified compounds, 16-deethyl, indanomycin (8) could have reasonable affinity on HDM2 active site. In this respect, molecular docking study was performed for compound (8) to reveal a substantial affinity on HDM2 active site. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations were carried out at 200 ns for the most active compound (8) compared to the co-crystallized inhibitor DIZ giving deeper information regarding their thermodynamic and dynamic properties as well.

Biosynthesis and Characterization of Aeonium arboreum-Derived Silver Nanoparticles: Antimicrobial Activity, Biofilm Inhibition, Antihemolytic Activity, and In Silico Studies.

Environmentally friendly biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from Aeonium arboreum (L.) Webb & Berthel is reported for the first time. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized using UV-Vis, FTIR, TEM, Zeta potential, and XRD analysis, revealing high stability (-29.1 mV), spherical shape, and an average size of 100 nm. The antimicrobial activity levels of both A. arboreum extract and biosynthesized AgNPs were evaluated against five uropathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans). Both the extract and the AgNPs exhibited significant efficacy, particularly against E. coli, with inhibition zones of 27 mm and 30 mm, respectively. LC-MS analysis tentatively identified 11 secondary metabolites in the extract, including quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, myricetin 3-glucoside, and daphneresinol. In silico docking studies revealed promising binding affinities of these metabolites in relation to key enzymes involved in bacterial folate synthesis (dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS)) and DNA replication (DNA gyrase). These findings demonstrate the potential of A. arboreum-based AgNPs and their associated metabolites as a novel therapeutic approach for combating urinary tract infections. Their antimicrobial, antihemolytic, and antibiofilm properties warrant further investigation.

Promising Cytotoxic butenolides from the Soybean endophytic fungus Aspergillus terreus: a combined molecular docking and in-vitro studies.

AIM: This study aimed to use one strain many compounds approach (OSMAC) to investigate the cytotoxic potential of Aspergillus terreus associated with soybean versus several cancer cell lines, by means of in-silico and in vitro approaches. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fermentation of the isolated strain was done on five media. The derived extracts were investigated for their inhibitory activities against three human cancer cell lines; mammary gland breast cancer (MCF-7), colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) using MTT Assay. The fungal mycelia fermented in Modified Potato Dextrose Broth (MPDB) was the most cytotoxic extract against HepG2, MCF-7, and Caco-2 cell lines with IC50 4.2 ± 0.13, 5.9 ± 0.013 and 7.3 ± 0.004 µg mL-1, respectively. MPDB extract was scaled up resulting in the isolation of six metabolites; three fatty acids (1, 2, and 4), one sterol (3) and two butenolides (5 and 6) by column chromatography. The isolated compounds (1-6) were screened through a molecular docking approach for their binding aptitude to various active sites. butyrolactone-I (5) revealed a significant interaction within the CDK2 active site, while aspulvinone E (6) showed promising binding affinity to FLT3 and EGFR active sites that was confirmed by in vitro CDK2, FLT3 and EGFR inhibitory activity. Finally, the in vitro cytotoxic activities of butyrolactone-I (5) and aspulvinone E (6) revealed the antiproliferative activity of butyrolactone-I (5), against HepG2 cell line (IC50 = 17.85 ± 0.32 µM). CONCLUSION: Molecular docking analysis and in vitro assays suggested the CDK2/A2 inhibitory potential of butyrolactone-I (5) in addition to the promising interaction abilities of aspulvinone E (6) with EGFR and FLT3 active sites as a possible mechanism of their biological activities.

Integration of LC/MS, NMR and Molecular Docking for Profiling of Bioactive Diterpenes from Euphorbia mauritanica L. with in Vitro Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity.

In spite of tremendous efforts exerted in the management of COVID-19, the absence of specific treatments and the prevalence of delayed and long-term complications termed post-COVID syndrome still urged all concerned researchers to develop a potent inhibitor of SARS-Cov-2. The hydromethanolic extracts of different parts of E. mauritanica were in vitro screened for anti-SARS-Cov-2 activity. Then, using an integrated strategy of LC/MS/MS, molecular networking and NMR, the chemical profile of the active extract was determined. To determine the optimum target for these compounds, docking experiments of the active extract's identified compounds were conducted at several viral targets. The leaves extract showed the best inhibitory effect with IC50 8.231±0.04 µg/ml. The jatrophane diterpenes were provisionally annotated as the primary metabolites of the bioactive leaves extract based on multiplex of LC/MS/MS, molecular network, and NMR. In silico studies revealed the potentiality of the compounds in the most active extract to 3CLpro, where compound 20 showed the best binding affinity. Further attention should be paid to the isolation of various jatrophane diterpenes from Euphorbia and evaluating their effects on SARS-Cov-2 and its molecular targets.

Prevalence of Diterpenes in Essential Oil of Euphorbia mauritanica L.: Detailed Chemical Profile, Antioxidant, Cytotoxic and Phytotoxic Activities.

Plants belonging to Euphorbia L. genus are considered very interesting from a medicinal point of view due to their diverse metabolites and bioactivities. The essential oil (EO) of Euphorbia mauritanica L. is not studied up to date. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the chemical profile of this EO and evaluate its antioxidant, cytotoxic, and allelopathic potentialities. The EO was extracted from the whole plant via hydrodistillation and then, analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The correlation of E. mauritanica with the other Euphorbia plants was established using chemometric analysis. The antioxidant activity was determined based on scavenging of the free radical, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). The anti-proliferation of the EO on the Hep G2 and MCF-7 cells was evaluated. Finally the allelopathic activity of the EO was assessed against the two noxious weeds, Dactyloctenium aegyptium and Urospermum picroides. Forty-one compounds were identified using GC/MS analysis, with an abundance of terpenoids (91.54 %) that were categorized into mono- (30.75 %), sesqui- (15.23 %), and diterpenes (45.56 %). Interestingly, the results revealed the preponderance of diterpenoid constituents although they are rarely found in the EOs of the plant kingdom. The major compounds were (3E)-cembrene A (18.66 %), verticiol (17.05 %), limonene (7.91 %), eucalyptol (7.26 %), α-pinene (5.61 %), neo-cembrene A (3.52 %), kaur-16-ene (3.24 %), and cembrene (3.09 %). The EO showed moderate antioxidant activity where it attained IC50 values of 83.34 and 64.21 µg mL-1 for DPPH and ABTS compared to 23.01 and 19.23 µg mL-1 for ascorbic acid as standard, respectively. The EO exhibited very weak cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 and Hep G2 cells. The EO showed significant allelopathic activities against the weeds D. aegyptium and U. picroides in a concentration-dependent manner. EO was found more effective against U. picroides than D. aegyptium with IC50 values of 0.79, 0.45, and 0.67 mg mL-1 and 1.17, 0.55, and 1.08 mg mL-1 for germination, root, and shoot growth, respectively. Due to the high content of diterpenes in E. mauritanica, further study is recommended for more characterization of pure forms of the identified diterpenes as well as evaluating their bioactivity either solely or synergistically.

Bioactive Brominated Oxindole Alkaloids from the Red Sea Sponge Callyspongia siphonella.

In the present study, LC-HRESIMS-assisted dereplication along with bioactivity-guided isolation led to targeting two brominated oxindole alkaloids (compounds 1 and 2) which probably play a key role in the previously reported antibacterial, antibiofilm, and cytotoxicity of Callyspongia siphonella crude extracts. Both metabolites showed potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 8 and 4 µg/mL) and Bacillus subtilis (MIC = 16 and 4 µg/mL), respectively. Furthermore, they displayed moderate biofilm inhibitory activity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (49.32% and 41.76% inhibition, respectively), and moderate in vitro antitrypanosomal activity (13.47 and 10.27 µM, respectively). In addition, they revealed a strong cytotoxic effect toward different human cancer cell lines, supposedly through induction of necrosis. This study sheds light on the possible role of these metabolites (compounds 1 and 2) in keeping fouling organisms away from the sponge outer surface, and the possible applications of these defensive molecules in the development of new anti-infective agents.

Epigenetic Modifiers Induce Bioactive Phenolic Metabolites in the Marine-Derived Fungus Penicillium brevicompactum.

Fungi usually contain gene clusters that are silent or cryptic under normal laboratory culture conditions. These cryptic genes could be expressed for a wide variety of bioactive compounds. One of the recent approaches to induce production of such cryptic fungal metabolites is to use histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitors. In the present study, the cultures of the marine-derived fungus Penicillium brevicompactum treated with nicotinamide and sodium butyrate were found to produce a lot of phenolic compounds. Nicotinamide treatment resulted in the isolation and identification of nine compounds 1⁻9. Sodium butyrate also enhanced the productivity of anthranilic acid (10) and ergosterol peroxide (11). The antioxidant as well as the antiproliferative activities of each metabolite were determined. Syringic acid (4), sinapic acid (5), and acetosyringone (6) exhibited potent in vitro free radical scavenging, (IC50 20 to 30 µg/mL) and antiproliferative activities (IC50 1.14 to 1.71 µM) against HepG2 cancer cell line. Furthermore, a pharmacophore model of the active compounds was generated to build up a structure-activity relationship.

Phenolic content and anti-hyperglycemic activity of pecan cultivars from Egypt.

CONTEXT: Pecans are commonly used nuts with important health benefits such as anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects. OBJECTIVE: A comparative investigation of the antihyperglycemic and total phenolic content of the leaves and shells of four pecan cultivars growing in Egypt was carried out. The selected cultivars (cv.) were Carya illinoinensis Wangneh. K. Koch. cv. Wichita, cv. WesternSchely, cv. Cherokee, and cv. Sioux family Juglandaceae. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the leaves and shells of pecan cultivars were carried out using Folin-Ciocalteu's and aluminum chloride assays, respectively. Moreover, HPLC profiling of phenolic and flavonoid contents was carried out using RP-HPLC-UV. In addition, in vivo anti-hyperglycemic activity of the ethanolic extracts (125 mg/kg bw, p.o.) of C. illinoinensis cultivars was carried out using streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in Sprague-Dawley rats for 4 weeks. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Phenolic contents were higher in shells than leaves in all studied cultivars, while flavonoids were higher in leaves. Leaves and shells of cv. Sioux showed the highest phenolics (251.7 µg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g), and flavonoid contents (103.27 µg rutin equivalent (RE)/g and 210.67 µg quercetin equivalent (QE)/g), respectively. The HPLC profiling of C. illinoinensis cultivars resulted in the identification of eight flavonoids (five of these compounds are identified for the first time from pecan), and 15 phenolic acids (six are identified for the first time from pecan). Leaves of cv. Sioux revealed the most potent decrease in blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c%) (194.9 mg/dl and 6.52%, respectively), among other tested cultivars. Moreover, leaves of cv. Sioux significantly elevated serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and reduced glutathione (GSH) (0.33 mMol/l and 30.68 mg/dl, respectively), and significantly suppressed the markers of both lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, MDA) and protein oxidation (protein carbonyl, PC) (14.25 µmol/ml and 3.18 nmol/mg protein, respectively). CONCLUSION: Different pecan cultivars showed significant variation in its phenolic and flavonoid contents and consequently their antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic effects.

Metabolomic profiling of Medicago sativa-derived fungal endophytes and evaluation of their biological activities.

This study aimed to discover the potential of Medicago sativa-derived fungal endophytes as a prospective source of bioactive metabolites. In the present study, three different strains of fungal endophyte Aspergillus terreus were isolated from leaves L, roots T and stems St of Medicago sativa to explore their biological and chemical diversity. These isolated fungi were exposed to different fermentation conditions by adding various chemical elicitors to their solid fermentation media. According to LC-HRESIMS-based metabolomics and multivariate analysis, each chemical treatment had a different effect on the chemical profiles of the fungi. Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) proposed several compounds with anticancer action against MCF-7 (a human breast cancer cell line) and MDA-MB-231 (a human epithelial breast cancer cell line).

Genus Carissa L.: a newly explored sustainable source of virulence inhibitors: a mini review.

Misuse of antibiotics led to the world wide spread of antimicrobial resistance threatening human lives. The notable resistance of bacterial cells to antibiotics and immune system is the difficulty associated with biofilm-linked illnesses. Natural products from plant origin with antibiofilm activity could provide more therapeutic activity with fewer adverse effects. Carissa L. is a potential drug candidate that can be considered as an agro-food waste sustainable virulence inhibitor source. This mini-review sheds light on recent studies dealing with the anti-virulence potential of Carissa species and its different mechanisms of action. The traced articles revealed that Carissa species exhibited potent antibiofilm, anti-quorum sensing, hyaluronidase inhibitory and anti-adhesion potentials, in addition to violacein, and swimming motility inhibition activities. Ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, and methyl oleanate are the main phytoconstituents of Carissa with claimed virulence inhibitory potentials. Carissa species are safe, valuable, and effective anti-virulence drugs suppressing pathogenicity when compared to conventional antibiotics.

Eliciting Callus Cultures for the Production of Cytotoxic Polyphenolics from Maesa indica Roxb. Sweet.

Maesa indica Roxb. Sweet is a shrub known for its richness in secondary metabolites. A callus culture protocol was established to enhance its chemical profile. Sixteen elicitation culture treatments were evaluated, and we confirmed that the treatment of 200 mg/L polyethylene glycol (4000) coupled with exposure to 30 W UV irradiation for 60 min (PEG4) resulted in the highest total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, which were 4.1 and 4.9 times those of the plant ethanolic extract and 4.9 and 4.8 times those of a control sample, respectively. The phenolic compounds in the different treatments were identified qualitatively and quantitatively using the LC-ESI-MS/MS-MRM technique. Molecular docking studies of the phenolic compounds were conducted using MOE software and revealed that rutin showed the highest binding affinity toward the anti-cancer target (p38α MAPK). The cytotoxicity of the ME and PEG 4 treatment was tested against colon, breast, prostate, lung, and liver cell lines using an MTT assay. The highest cytotoxic effect of PEG4 was against prostate cancer with an IC50 value of 25.5 µg/mL. Hence, this study showed enhanced secondary metabolite accumulation and identified the phenolic compounds in the 16 treatments. The cytotoxicity assay highlighted the possible cytotoxic effect of the PEG4 treatment, and we recommend further investigations into its activity.

Phytochemical Elucidation and Effect of Maesa indica (Roxb.) Sweet on Alleviation of Potassium Dichromate-Induced Pulmonary Damage in Rats.

Maesa indica (Roxb.) Sweet is one of the well-known traditionally-used Indian plants. This plant is rich in secondary metabolites like phenolic acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, and carbohydrates. It contains numerous therapeutically active compounds like palmitic acid, chrysophanol, glyceryl palmitate, stigmasterol, ß-sitosterol, dodecane, maesaquinone, quercetin 3-rhaminoside, rutin, chlorogenic acid, catechin, quercetin, nitrendipine, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl octadeca-9,12-dienoate, kiritiquinon, and ß-thujone. The Maesa indica plant has been reported to have many biological properties including antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-angiogenic, anti-leishmanial, antioxidant, radical scavenging, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-coronavirus effects. One purpose of the current study was to investigate the leaves' metabolome via Triple-Time-of-Flight-Liquid-Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (T-TOF LC/MS/MS) to identify the chemical constituents of the Maesa indica ethanolic extract (ME). Another purpose of this study was to explore the protective effect of ME against potassium dichromate (PD)-induced pulmonary damage in rats. Rats were assigned randomly into four experimental groups. Two different doses of the plant extract, (25 and 50 mg/kg), were administered orally for seven consecutive days before PD instillation injection. Results of our study revealed that ME enhanced cellular redox status as it decreased lipid peroxidation marker, MDA and elevated reduced glutathione (GSH). In addition, ME upregulated the cytoprotective signaling pathway PI3K/AKT. Moreover, ME administration ameliorated histopathological anomalies induced by PD. Several identified metabolites, such as chlorogenic acid, quercetin, apigenin, kaempferol, luteolin, and rutin, had previously indicated lung-protective effects, possibly through an antioxidant effect and inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators. In conclusion, our results indicated that ME possesses lung-protective effects, which may be the result of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Comparative metabolomics analysis of Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis Swingle and Limonia acidissima Linn. Fruits and leaves cultivated in Egypt in context to their antiviral effects.

A comprehensive study of fruits and leaves extracts of Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis Swingle and Limonia acidissima L. family Rutaceae was accomplished to investigate their antiviral activity along with their zinc oxide nanoparticles formulation (ZnONPs) against the avian influenza H5N1 virus. A thorough comparative phytochemical investigation of C. medica and L.acidissima leaves and fruits was performed using UPLC-QTOF-MS-MS. Antiviral effects further aided by molecular docking proved the highly significant potential of using C. medica and L.acidissima extracts as medicinal agents. Antiviral potency is ascendingly arranged as L. acidissima leaves (LAL) > L. acidissima fruits (LAF) > C. medica leaves (CML) at 160 µg. Nano formulation of LAF has the most splendid antiviral upshot. The metabolomic profiling of CMF and LAL revealed the detection of 48 & 74 chromatographic peaks respectively. Docking simulation against five essential proteins in survival and replication of the influenza virus revealed that flavonoid di-glycosides (hesperidin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, and kaempferol-7-neohesperidoside) have shown great affinity toward the five investigated proteins and achieved docking scores which approached or even exceeded that achieved by the native ligands. Hesperidin has demonstrated the best binding affinity toward neuraminidase (NA), haemagglutinin (HA), and polymerase protein PB2 (-10.675, -8.131, and -10.046 kcal/mol respectively. We propose using prepared crude methanol extracts of both plants as an antiviral agent.

Elicitation for activation of the actinomycete genome's cryptic secondary metabolite gene clusters.

This review summarizes the recent advances in the elicitation approaches used to activate the actinomycete genome's cryptic secondary metabolite gene clusters and shows the diversity of natural products obtained by various elicitation methods up to June 2022, such as co-cultivation of actinomycetes with actinomycetes, other non-actinomycete bacteria, fungi, cell-derived components, and/or algae. Chemical elicitation and molecular elicitation as transcription factor decoys, engineering regulatory genes, the promoter replacement strategy, global regulatory genes, and reporter-guided mutant selection were also reported. For researchers interested in this field, this review serves as a valuable resource for the latest studies and references.

Nephthea sp. inhibits biofilm, DNA gyrase, HSP90, and DHFR: in vitro, in silico, and pharmacokinetics studies.

This study attempts to identify and assess a novel marine-derived antibiofilm agent. The antibacterial activity of n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and butanol fractions from the crude extract of soft coral Nephthea sp. was evaluated against six microorganisms.Ethyl acetate fraction considered the most effective one against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Candida, investigated potential biofilm inhibition against the tested strains. Seventeen secondary metabolites were identified using (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS) responsible for these biological activities of the active fraction. Additionally, a molecular docking study showed free binding energy of -7.5 kcal/mol; Azamial A had the highest binding affinity for the DNA gyrase enzyme, while Sinularectin had -8.3 and -7.6 kcal/mol for the DHFR and HSP90 enzymes, respectively. Moreover, pharmacokinetics and (ADME) studies for Azamial A and Sinularectin were performed. Finally, results were confirmed by the in vitro enzymatic inhibitory effect of ethyl acetate fraction suggested in the in-silico study.

Metabolic profiling and biological activity of two Livistona species: L. chinensis and L. australis.

Livistona is a genus of family Arecaceae and widely grown in tropical areas. The phytochemical analysis of the leaves and fruits of two Livistona species, L. chinensis and L. australis were carried out using UPLC/MS and determination of the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, in addition to the isolation and identification of five phenolic compounds and one fatty acid from L. australis fruits. The total phenolic compounds varied from 19.72 to 78.87 mg GAE g-1 dry plant, while the total flavonoid contents were in the range of 4.82-17.75 mg RE g-1 dry plant. The UPLC/MS analysis of the two species led to the characterization of forty-four metabolites belonging mainly to the different classes of flavonoids and phenolic acids, while the compounds isolated from L. australis fruits were identified as gallic acid, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid, hyperoside, quercetin 3-O-α-d-arabinopyranoside and dodecanoic acid. The in vitro biological evaluation of L. australis leaves and fruits were estimated as anticholinesterase, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) potentiation and anti-diabetic through measuring the capacity of the extracts to inhibit dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP-IV). The results revealed that the leaves showed remarkable anticholinesterase and antidiabetic activity compared to fruits with IC50 values of 65.55 ± 3.75 ng mL-1 and 90.8 ± 4.48 ng mL-1, respectively. In the TERT enzyme assay, the leaves extract triggered a 1.49-fold increase in telomerase activity. This work showed that the Livistona species are a good source for flavonoids and phenolics, which play an important role in anti-aging and the treatment of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and Alzheimer's.

A new firewall in the fight against breast cancer: in-vitro and in-silico studies correlating chemistry to apoptotic activity of Otostegia fruticosa.

Breast cancer is the most devastating disease for women. There is a great demand for new sources to treat this disease. Medicinal plants are an indispensable source of bioactive compounds with wide range of pharmacological activities. In-vitro cytotoxic activity of Otostegia fruticosa methanolic extract against human breast cancer was studied using MCF-7 cell line. The extract showed mildly potent activity (IC50 = 51 ± 9.836 µg/mL) in comparison to the standard anticancer doxorubicin (IC50 = 7.467 ± 1.05 µg/mL). Potential compounds responsible for activity have been identified using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) module on the major compounds detected by HPLC-MS/MS technique against estrogen alpha receptor (ERα+: PDB ID 2JF9). 3,5-di-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, hyperoside and rutin showed similar binding and antagonistic interaction with the estrogen alpha receptor as tamoxifen in several poses. The retrieved results confirm that we can add this plant to a powerful arsenal that combats this insidious disease.

Phytochemical Profiling and Antiviral Activity of Green Sustainable Nanoparticles Derived from Maesa indica (Roxb.) Sweet against Human Coronavirus 229E.

Plant secondary metabolites are key components for new, safe and effective drugs. Ethanolic extract of Maesa indica Roxb. Sweet (ME) aerial parts were used for biosynthesis of sustainable green zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) with an average particle size 6.80 ± 1.47 nm and zeta potential -19.7 mV. Both transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction assay confirmed the hexagonal shape of ZnO NPs. Phenolic ingredients in ME were identified using LC-ESI-MS/MS-MRM revealing the identification of chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, coumaric acid, vanillin, naringenin, quercetin, ellagic acid, 3.4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, methyl gallate, kaempferol, ferulic acid, syringic acid, and luteolin. The major compound was chlorogenic acid at concentration of 1803.84 µg/g. The antiviral activity of ME, ZnO NPs, and combination of ME with ZnO NPs against coronavirus 229E were investigated. ZnO NPs had superior antiviral effect against coronavirus 229E than ME while their combination showed the highest anti-coronavirus 229E effect, with 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of 5.23 ± 0.18 µg/mL and 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) of 138.49 ± 0.26 µg/mL while the selectivity index (SI) was 26.47. The current study highlighted the possible novel anti-coronavirus 229E activity of green ZnO NPs synthesized from Maesa indica. More studies are needed to further investigate this antiviral activity to be utilized in future biomedical and environmental applications.

Pectin Nanoparticle-Loaded Soft Coral Nephthea sp. Extract as In Situ Gel Enhances Chronic Wound Healing: In Vitro, In Vivo, and In Silico Studies.

This study shed light for the first time on the in vivo diabetic wound healing potential activity of natural marine soft coral polymeric nanoparticle in situ gel using an excision wound model. A Nephthea sp. methanol-methylene chloride extract loaded with pectin nanoparticles (LPNs) was created. For the preparation of in situ gel, ion-gelation techniques, the entrapment efficiency, the particle size, the polydispersity index, the zeta potential, the in-vitro drug release, and a transmission electron microscope were used and the best formula was selected. Using (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS), 27 secondary metabolites responsible for extract biological activity were identified. Isolation and identification of arachidic acid, oleic acid, nervonic acid, and bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) of Nephthea sp. was firstly reported here using NMR and mass spectral analyses. Moreover, LPN in situ gel has the best effects on regulating the proinflammatory cytokines (NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß) that were detected on days 7 and 15. The results were confirmed with an in vitro enzymatic inhibitory effect of the extract against glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3) and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), with IC50 values of 0.178 ± 0.009 and 0.258 ± 0.011 µg/mL, respectively. The molecular docking study showed a free binding energy of -9.6 kcal/mol for chabrolosteroid E, with the highest binding affinity for the enzyme (GSK-3), while isogosterone B had -7.8 kcal/mol for the enzyme (MMP-1). A pharmacokinetics study for chabrolohydroxybenzoquinone F and isogosterone B was performed, and it predicted the mode of action of wound healing activity.