Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C. A. Mey Methanol Extract: Nanoencapsulation by Mini-Emulsion Polymerization and its Release Trend under Simulated Conditions of the Human Body.

In this research, the extract of Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey. was encapsulated using the mini-emulsion polymerization method based on methyl methacrylate polymers with a nanometer size. The encapsulated extract was characterized using different analytical techniques. Furthermore, the loading efficiency and release of the plant extract were examined. FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of an expectational product. The TEM and SEM imaging showed a spherical morphology for the prepared encapsulated extract. The average size of poly-methyl-methacrylate nanoparticles containing Ephedra extract was found to be approximately 47 nm. The extract loading efficiency and encapsulation efficiency test demonstrated a dose-depending behavior on E. intermedia extract for both analyses, which is highly advantageous for traversing biological barriers. The release assay shows a controlled release for the extract at phosphate buffer solution (PBS). A 38 % release was calculated after 36 hours. The results obtained from the present study reveal that encapsulating the plant extract is a suitable alternative to control and increase their medicinal properties.

GC/MS analysis of the hydrodistilled essential oils and volatiles from the aerial parts of Cannabis sativa L.

Cannabis sativa L. has been recognised as a narcotic drug in different parts of the world. The current report deals with the screening of the chemical profiles of the essential oils (EOs) and volatiles obtained from the aerial ports of Cannabis sativa L. (APCS) using classical hydrodistillation (HD), solid phase microextraction (SPME) along with a new technique namely innovative cigarette ignition (Incigig); all in combination with GC/MS. The characterised profiles had considerable differences from quantitative and qualitative points of view, with a high prevalence of non-terpene hydrocarbons for the EO and oxygenated monoterpenes for both volatiles using SPME and Incigig approaches.

Photofixation of N2 to ammonia utilizing Ni@TPP-HPA nanocomposite under visible-light illumination.

The production of ammonia as an important raw material in the chemical, agricultural, and food industries has been always a significant concern. However, conventional ammonia production methods require high energy consumption and costs. The photocatalytic rotes use green light sources and cost-effective photocatalysts to obtain ammonia from water under aerobic conditions and preventing production of greenhouse gases in the environment. To produce an effective heterogeneous catalyst, a new tetraphenylporphyrin-heteropolyacid (TPP-HPA) nanohybrid material is synthesized and loaded onto Ni nanoparticles in this work. Then, FE-SEM, EDS, XRD, and FT-IR analyses were applied to characterize the prepared nanohybrid material Ni@TPP-HPA. After that, the new inorganic-organic nanohybrid photocatalyst was introduced as an effective, environmental friendly, and recyclable mediator for N2 photofixation. The results showed that Ni@TPP-HPA is a good photocatalyst for the N2 fixation reaction and can be easily recycled without losing its activity for at least five runs. The Ni@TPP-HPA nanocomposite demonstrated the maximum ammonia generation by 2760 µmol L-1 g-1 under mild conditions when using methanol as a hole scavenger. Additionally, effects of solvent type, temperature, reaction time, irradiation source, solution pH, and other electron scavengers on the rate of NH4+ production were investigated and discussed.

Novel biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles for multifunctional applications: Electrochemical detection of hydrazine and treatment of gastric cancer.

In this work, an environmentally friendly strategy was used to synthesize gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) using Olea europaea (olive) fruit. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of the synthesized NPs. An Au NPs modified glassy carbon electrode was used to investigate the direct electrochemical oxidation of hydrazine. The suggested hydrazine sensor has good performance, such as a wide linear range (2.5-275 µM), low limit of detection (0.09 µM), notable selectivity and excellent reproducibility (RSD = 2.2%). The in-vitro cytotoxicity of three human cancer cell lines (KATOIII, NCI-N87, and SNU-16) was also explored with various concentrations of Au NPs prepared from olive fruit extract. Bio-synthesized Au NPs were found to have cytotoxic properties against gastric cancer in humans based on MTT assay protocol. The obtained results show that green synthesized Au NPs can be successfully employed in electrochemical sensing and cancer treatment applications.

Screening of the compositions of essential oils and volatiles of Perovskia abrotanoides Karel. along with antioxidant, antibacterial and cytotoxic impacts of its methanol extract.

In the present report, a combination of classical and advanced methods, namely classical hydrodistillation (HD) and solvent free microwave extraction (SFME) have been used for the extraction of essential oils from flowers, leaves and stems of Perovskia abrotanoides Karel. as an endemic plant to Golestan Province, Iran. The volatile fractions from the same plant organs have been separated using a solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibre and characterised using a GC/MS apparatus. Moreover, oxygenated monoterpenes, for example, 1,8-cineole and borneol were found as the most constituent components of the majority of the characterised profiles. Accordingly, for flowers, leaves and stems of P. abrotanoides Karel., the relevant quantities were HD: 12.0 and 12.4, 24.0 and 17.9, 12.9 and 16.8%; SFME: 15.6 and 15.2, 20.5 and 16.2, 13.5 and 14.7%; SPME: 20.9 and 5.2, 25.5 and 9.9, 26.4 and 8.5%, respectively. Total phenolic content (TPC: 52.02 mg GAE/g), total flavonoids content (TFC: 98.46 mg QE/g) as well as antioxidant and antibacterial effects of the extract from the aerial parts of this species have been also evaluated. The cytotoxicity of Perovskia abrotanoides Karel. MeOH extract has been tested against HUVECs cell line. Moreover, our study on the in vitro anti-bladder carcinoma demonstrated that the plant extract reduced the viability of malignant bladder cell line, in a dose dependent way.

A new formulation of Ni/Zn bi-metallic nanocomposite and evaluation of its applications for pollution removal, photocatalytic, electrochemical sensing, and anti-breast cancer.

Nanocomposites have gained attention due to their variety of applications in different fields. In this research, we have reported a green synthesis of a bi-metallic nanocomposite of nickel and zinc using an aqueous extract of Citrus sinensis in the presence of chitosan (Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan). The nanocomposite was characterized using different techniques. We have examined various applications for Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan. The NPs were manufactured in spherical morphology with a particle range size of 17.34-90.51 nm. Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan showed an acceptable ability to remove dyes of Congo red and methyl orange from an aqueous solution after 80 min furthermore, it uptaking the drug mefenamic acid from a solution. Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan also exhibited great photocatalytic activity in synthesizing benzimidazole using benzyl alcohol and o-phenylenediamine. Ni/Zn@orange/chitosan was found as a potent electrochemical sensor to determine glucose. In the molecular and cellular section of the current research, the cells with composite nanoparticles were studied by MTT way about the anti-breast adenocarcinoma potentials malignant cell lines. The IC50 of composite nanoparticles were 320, 460, 328, 500, 325, 379, 350, and 396 µg/mL concering RBA, NMU, SK-BR-3, CAMA-1, MCF7, AU565, MDA-MB-468, and Hs 281.T breast adenocarcinoma cell lines, respectively. The results revealed the newly synthesized nanocomposite is a potent photocatalyst, dye pollution removal agent, and an acceptable new drug to treat breast cancer.

Characterization of essential oils and volatiles from the aerial parts of Mentha pulegium L. (Lamiaceae) using microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) in combination with GC-MS.

Herein, the chemical profiles of the essential oils and volatiles obtained from the aerial parts of Mentha pulegium L. (Lamiaceae) are reported respectively using microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) approaches associated to gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) quantification. Using MAHD-GC-MS and HS-SPME-GC-MS techniques, 30 and 28 constituents were screened in the essential oils and volatiles of M. pulegium L. aerial parts with high prevalence of oxygenated monoterpenes and non-terpene hydrocarbons, respectively. Accordingly, in the characterized chemical profiles, carvone was found to constitute about 56.0% of the oil using the former technique (MAHD), whereas oleic acid (20.1%), carvone (17.7%) along with limonene (16.1%) were found as the major constituent components of the volatile profile using the latter approach (SPME). The two methods might be used in combination to obtain a wider set of information about the chemical composition of one specific plant sample.

An overview of the genus Aloysia Paláu (Verbenaceae): Essential oil composition, ethnobotany and biological activities.

Aloysia Paláu is an important herbal genus from the Verbenaceae family and possesses numerous remedial properties in the folk medicine of Asian, European, and, in particular, South American countries. Only a few reports have discussed some phytochemical characteristics associated with Aloysia species. Right the lack of an exhaustive report prompted us to organize this review article. Accordingly, besides the ethnobotanical knowledge of Aloysia species, their essential oil profiles, phytochemistry of the polar isolated fractions, and the relevant biological activities are discussed in detail.[Formula: see text].

Profiling of the essential oil compositions from the flowers and leaves of Tanacetum fisherae Aitch. & Hemsl., an endemic plant in Kerman province, Iran.

Tanacetum fisherae Aitch. & Hemsl. is an endemic plant growing wild in some brackish regions of Iran. Since there are not enough reports concerning the quantitative and qualitative analyses of its essential oil, it was decided to characterise the respective water-distilled oils obtained from the flowers and leaves of this medicinal plant. Characterisation of the corresponding essential oil profiles revealed that in both of the analysed oils, oxygenated monoterpenes constituted most of the chemical profiles. In this sense, the most prevailing natural compounds in the flower oils were cis-p-2-menthen-1-ol (11.2%), trans-p-2-menthen-1-ol (10.7%), trans-piperitol (7.8%), 1,8-cineole (6.1%), cis-piperitol (3.8%), α-terpineol (3.7%) and terpinene-4-ol (2.1%), whereas the main constituent components of the leaves oils were, respectively, 1,8-cineole (16.7%), cis-p-2-menthen-1-ol (14.6%), trans-p-2-menthen-1-ol (10.4%), trans-piperitol (12.8%), α-terpineol (5.4%), cis-piperitol (2.9%), borneol (2.7%), and terpinene-4-ol (2.1%). In addition, the second rank of natural compound constituting groups was due to oxygenated sesquiterpenes, as well.[Formula: see text].

The Genus Haplophyllum Juss.: Phytochemistry and Bioactivities-A Review.

Herein, a comprehensive review is given focusing on the chemical profiles of the essential oils (EOs), non-volatile compounds, ethnobotany, and biological activities of different Haplophyllum (Rutaceae family) species. To gather the relevant data, all the scientific databases, including Scopus, ISI-WOS (Institute of Scientific Information-Web of Science), and PubMed and highly esteemed publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, Taylor and Francis, etc., were systematically retrieved and reviewed. A wide array of valuable groups of natural compounds, e.g., terpenoids, coumarins, alkaloids, lignans, flavonoids, and organic acids have been isolated and subsequently characterized in different organic extracts of a number of Haplophyllum species. In addition, some remarkable antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cytotoxic, antileishmanial, and antialgal effects as well as promising remedial therapeutic properties have been well-documented for some species of the genus Haplophyllum.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Condition Medium Loaded on PCL Nanofibrous Scaffold Promoted Nerve Regeneration After Sciatic Nerve Transection in Male Rats.

Nowadays, researchers pay a vast deal of attention to neural tissue regeneration due to its tremendous effect on the patient's life. There are many strategies, from using conventional autologous nerve grafts to the newly developed methods for reconstructing damaged nerves. Among the various therapeutic methods, incorporating highly potent biomolecules and growth factors, the damaged nerve site would promote nerve regeneration. The aim was to examine the efficiency of a mesenchymal stem cell condition medium (MSC-CM) loaded on a 3D-polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold as a nerve conduit in an axotomy rat model. Twenty-four mature male rats were classified into four groups: controls (the animals of this group were intact), axotomy (10 mm piece of the nerve was removed), axotomy (10-mm piece of the nerve was removed) + scaffold, and axotomy (10-mm piece of the nerve was removed) + MSC-CM-loaded scaffold. We followed up nerve motor function using a sciatic function index and electromyography activity of the gastrocnemius muscle. At 12 weeks post axotomy, sciatic nerve and dorsal root ganglion specimens and L4 and L5 spinal cord segments were separated from the rats and were analyzed by stereological, immunohistochemistry, and RT-PCR procedures. The rats of the axotomy group presented the expected gross locomotor deficit. Stereological parameters, immunohistochemistry of GFAP, and gene expression of S100, NGF, and BDNF were significantly enhanced in the CM-loaded scaffold group compared with the axotomy group. The most observed similarity was noted between the results of the control group and the CM-loaded scaffold group. Our results support the potential applicability of MSC-CM-loaded PCL nanofibrous scaffold to treat peripheral nerve injury (PNI).

Antidiabetic effect of Sophora pachycarpa seeds extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice: a statistical evaluation.

Undoubtedly, identification of the chemical composition of organic extracts or secondary metabolites of plant materials and evaluation of their potential bioactivity are among the main objectives of natural products-based investigations. In the present study, we report the chemical composition and antidiabetic activity of Sophora pachycarpa (Family Fabaceae) seeds extract (SPE) for the first time. First, the plant seeds were macerated in ethanol. The extract was subjected to analysis on a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system to identify the chemical composition. In vivo assay was run to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of the extract. Forty mice were divided into four groups, namely healthy mice, untreated diabetic mice, diabetic mice treated with metformin and diabetic mice treated with SPE. The antidiabetic activity of SPE was analyzed using three statistical methods, namely analysis of variance, K-means, and principal component analysis. According to GC-MS analysis, alkaloids of sophoridine, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and n-hexadecanoic acid were among the most abundant constituent components of SPE. The extract also exhibited a notable antidiabetic activity and remarkably decreased the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) enzymes. The statistical analyses revealed there are no significant differences between the ability of SPE and metformin in the regulation of fasting blood sugar level and liver enzymes (ALP, SGPT, and SGOT). A quinolizidine alkaloid, namely sophoridine, along with fatty acids, viz oleic, linoleic, and n-hexadecanoic acid, were characterized as the major compounds in S. tachycardia seeds extract. The plant extract was also found as a potent agent to reduce blood glucose and liver enzymes.

HPLC phenolic profile and induction of apoptosis by Linum usitatissimum extract in LNCaP cells by caspase3 and Bax pathways.

Linum usitatissimum is a candidate as a remedy to treat prostate problems in some folklore medicines. In this study, we have reported the phenolic and flavonoid constituents, antioxidant activity, and potential of the plant extract against prostate cancer cells. The phenolic and flavonoid compound profile of the extract were established using HPLC analysis. While the total phenolic and flavonoid content (TPC and TFC) were analyzed using classic methods. The antioxidant activity of the extract was also evaluated. MTT assay and flow cytometry technique was used to evaluate antiproliferation activity and induction apoptosis of the plant extract on prostate cancer cells of LNCaP. We also evaluated the gene expression of Bax and caspase-3 using the real-time qPCR assay. HPLC result revealed that L. usitatissimum extract (LUE) was rich in phenolic acids such as gallic, ferulic, and vanillic acid with the amount of 3.56, 2.12, 1.24 µg/g extract respectively. 383.4 mg GAE/g and 47.1 mgRuE/g were calculated for total phenolic and flavonoid content. LUE exhibited radical scavenging activity with IC50 = 19.3 ± 1.1 µg/mL. LUE chelated ferrous ions with IC50 = 121.1 ± 1.3 µg/mL. LUE showed anti-proliferative activity on LNCaP cells with the IC50 values of 8.3, 6.3, and 5.4 µg/mL after 24, 48, and 72 h treatment. LUE also increased cell mortality by inducing apoptosis (15.3-29.8%). The real-time qPCR results exhibited an increase in gene expression of Bax and caspase-3. Our in vitro study demonstrates that L. usitatissimum can be considered as an effective agent to inhibit the growth and invasion the human prostate cancer cells.

Retraction Note: Novel green synthesis and antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anticholinergics, and wound healing properties of cobalt nanoparticles containing Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam leaves extract.

Editor's Note: this Article has been retracted; the Retraction Note is available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-71843-9.

Novel green synthesis and antioxidant, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anticholinergics, and wound healing properties of cobalt nanoparticles containing Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam leaves extract.

The aim of the experiment was a green synthesis of cobalt nanoparticles from the aqueous extract of Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam (CoNPs) and assessment of their cytotoxicity, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, and cutaneous wound healing properties. The synthesized CoNPs were characterized using different techniques including UV-Vis., FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). According to the XRD analysis, 28.19 nm was measured for the crystal size of NPs. TEM and SEM images exhibited a uniform spherical morphology and average diameters of 29.08 nm for the biosynthesized nanoparticles. Agar diffusion tests were done to determine the antibacterial and antifungal characteristics. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were specified by macro-broth dilution assay. CoNPs indicated higher antibacterial and antifungal effects than many standard antibiotics (p ≤ 0.01). Also, CoNPs prevented the growth of all bacteria at 2-4 mg/mL concentrations and removed them at 2-8 mg/mL concentrations (p ≤ 0.01). In the case of antifungal effects of CoNPs, they inhibited the growth of all fungi at 1-4 mg/mL concentrations and destroyed them at 2-16 mg/mL concentrations (p ≤ 0.01). The synthesized CoNPs had great cell viability dose-dependently and indicated this method was nontoxic. DPPH free radical scavenging test was done to assess the antioxidant potentials, which revealed similar antioxidant potentials for CoNPs and butylated hydroxytoluene. In vivo experiment, after creating the cutaneous wound, the rats were randomly divided into six groups: untreated control, treatment with Eucerin basal ointment, treatment with 3% tetracycline ointment, treatment with 0.2% Co(NO3)2 ointment, treatment with 0.2% Z. clinopodioides ointment, and treatment with 0.2% CoNPs ointment. These groups were treated for 10 days. For histopathological and biochemical analysis of the healing trend, a 3 × 3 cm section was prepared from all dermal thicknesses at day 10. Use of CoNPs ointment in the treatment groups substantially raised (p ≤ 0.01) the wound contracture, hydroxyl proline, hexosamine, hexuronic acid, fibrocyte, and fibrocytes/fibroblast rate and remarkably decreased (p ≤ 0.01) the wound area, total cells, neutrophil, and lymphocyte compared to other groups. In conclusion, CoNPs can be used as a medical supplement owing to their non-cytotoxic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and cutaneous wound healing effects. Additionally, the novel nanoparticles (Co(NO3)2 and CoNPs) were good inhibitors of the α-glycosidase, and cholinesterase enzymes.

Chemical composition, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity of essential oils from Etlingera sayapensis A.D. Poulsen & Ibrahim.

OBJECTIVE: To report the chemical composition and bioactivity (including antioxidant and antimicrobial activity) of essential oils from the rhizomes, stems, and leaves of Etlingera sayapensis (E. sayapensis) A.D. Poulsen & Ibrahim for the first time. METHODS: First, the essential oils were obtained using a Clevenger-type apparatus. Then, the essential oils compositions were identified by chromatography methods including GC-FID and GC-MS. For the next step, DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA), ß-carotene bleaching (BCB), and ferrous ion chelating ability (FIC) were chosen to evaluate the essential oils antioxidant activity. Finally, disc diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration method (MIC) was applied to investigate antimicrobial activity of the rhizomes and leaves oils of E. sayapensis against 18 microorganisms. RESULTS: All of the oils contained oxygenated monoterpenes (leaves: 74.18%, stems: 75.60%, and rhizome: 54.61%), The essential oil obtained from leaves contained high amount of carvone (21.38%), cis-carveol (13.49%); The rhizomes oil was rich in linalool formate (25.47%), eugenol (11.84%); and the stems oil was dominated by α-terpineol (39.86%), linalool formate (30.55%). The leaves oil represented the highest ability in all of the antioxidant activity tests. For antimicrobial activity, the rhizome oil presented more active when compared to leaves oil against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thuringiensis, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Proteus mirabilis, Shigella sonnei, Serratia marcescens, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Candida albicans, and Candida parapsilosis. CONCLUSIONS: The most components of the essential oils belong to oxygenated monoterpenes. Linalool formate, carvone, and α-terpineol are found as the most abundant compounds in the oils of the different parts of E. sayapensis. The rhizomes oil can prevent the growth of wide spectrum microorganisms; however, the oils are not highly potent in antioxidant assays.

Benzyl and methyl fatty hydroxamic acids based on palm kernel oil as chelating agent for liquid-liquid iron(III) extraction.

Liquid-liquid iron(III) extraction was investigated using benzyl fatty hydroxamic acids (BFHAs) and methyl fatty hydroxamic acids (MFHAs) as chelating agents through the formation of iron(III) methyl fatty hydroxamate (Fe-MFHs) or iron(III) benzyl fatty hydroxamate (Fe-BFHs) in the organic phase. The results obtained under optimized conditions, showed that the chelating agents in hexane extract iron(III) at pH 1.9 were realized effectively with a high percentage of extraction (97.2% and 98.1% for MFHAs and BFHAs, respectively). The presence of a large amount of Mg(II), Ni(II), Al(III), Mn(II) and Co(II) ions did affect the iron(III) extraction. Finally stripping studies for recovering iron(III) from organic phase (Fe-MFHs or Fe-BFHs dissolved in hexane) were carried out at various concentrations of HCl, HNO(3) and H(2)SO(4). The results showed that the desired acid for recovery of iron(III) was 5 M HCl and quantitative recovery of iron(III) was achieved from Fe(III)-MFHs and Fe(III)-BFHs solutions in hexane containing 5 mg/L of Fe(III).