Occurrence of organophosphorus esters in outdoor air fine particulate matter and comprehensive assessment of human exposure: A global systematic review.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are widely used in various industrial items, including plastics, textiles, construction materials, electronics, and auto parts. Several studies have investigated the concentration of OPE compounds in the air, where different compounds have been measured. This systematic review aims to investigate and summarize the relationship between exposure concentrations of OPEs in outdoor air and health risk for different OPE compounds, and correlations between OPE compounds in emission sources. PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from January 2000 to September 2021 to identify relevant research. The quality of the studies was assessed using the OHAT risk of bias tool. Spearman's correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to analyze the results and correlation between OPE compounds. A total of 7669 manuscripts were found from the search in 5 databases. Finally, 46 studies were included in the systematic review. According to the median concentrations in the studies that were included, Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) (25%), trimethylphenyl phosphate(TMPP) (19%), Tri-iso-butyl phosphate (TiBP) (12%), Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) (9%) and Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) (8%) had the greatest concentrations of OPEs overall. The cumulative contribution of the two main factors, F1 and F2, from the principal component analysis (PCA) results is 49.81%. The EDI value for the compounds is TCEP > TCIPP > TiBP > TMPP > 2-Ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP) > TPHP > Tri(2-Ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) > Tri-m-cresyl phosphate (mTCP) > Tris(1, 3-dichloro-isopropyl) phosphate (TDCPP) > Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP). The total amount of non-carcinogenic risk (HQ) was for children > infants > adults. The highest value of HQ was for TCEP, TCIPP, and TMPP, respectively. The highest carcinogenic risk value was for TCEP and TMPP.

Rosmarinus officinalis essential oils from Morocco: new advances on extraction, GC/MS analysis, and antioxidant activity.

The essential oils (EOs) of Rosmarinus officinalis (Ro) are from two cities located in the eastern region of Morocco (Taourirt and Jerrada) were extracted using the steam distillation method in two cooperatives, namely "Belahssan" and "Beni Yaala Zkara", respectively. The chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS), in which 1,8-cineole (53.6%), α-pinene (12.3%), and camphor (9.6%) represented the major compounds for essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis from Taourirt (RoEOT). While, 1,8-cineole (42.3%), α-pinene (11.6%), and camphor (10.5%) were predominant in that of Jerada Rosmarinus officinalis (RoEOJ). The antioxidant activity of the two essential oils was assessed using, the free radical scavenging activity against the DPPH•, the ferric reducing power assay (FRAP), and the ß-carotene bleaching technique.

In vitro α-amylase and hemoglobin glycation inhibitory potential of Nigella sativa essential oil, and molecular docking studies of its principal components.

Nigella sativa is plant that is endowed with various pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antidiabetic, and immunostimulant. This study aims to investigate the antidiabetic activity of the N. sativa essential oil on two key enzymes the α-amylase and hemoglobin glycation. After the extraction procedure, the N. sativa essential oil, were subject to qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis using GC/MS, for the identification of the different bioactive compounds. This was followed by an evaluation of the in vitro inhibition capacity of the α-amylase and the hemoglobin glycation. Finally, a molecular docking study was conducted to determine the bioactive compounds responsible for the antidiabetic activity. The extracted essential oil showed the presence of different bioactive compounds including α-phellandrene (29.6%), ß-cymene (23.8%), 4-caranol (9.7%), thymol (7%). The N. sativa essential oil was found to be endowed with an antiradical scavenging activity with an IC50 of (7.81 ± 0.08 mg/ml), and to have a ferric reducing activity with an IC50 value of (7.53 ± 0.11 mg/ml). The IC50 value for the α-amylase inhibitory activity was 0.809 mg/ml, indicating an inhibitory impact of the enzyme. The IC50 value for the N. sativa essential oil's hemoglobin antiglycation activity was 0.093 mg/ml. For most predominating phytochemicals present in the N. sativa essential oil, molecular docking studies against human pancreatic α-amylase and human hemoglobin enzymes revealed that these compounds can serve as lead molecules to develop new antidiabetic compounds.

Loaded n-Hydroxyapatite/SSG 3D Scaffolds as a Drug Delivery System of Nigella sativa Fractions for the Management of Local Antibacterial Infections.

As a result of their close similarities to the inorganic mineral components of human bone, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (n-HAp) are widely used in biomedical applications and for the elaboration of biocompatible scaffold drug delivery systems for bone tissue engineering. In this context, a new efficient and economic procedure was used for the consolidation of n-HAp in the presence of various Nigella sativa (NS) fractions at a near-room temperature. The research conducted in the present study focuses on the physicochemical properties of loaded n-HAp 3D scaffolds by NS fractions and the in vitro antibacterial activity against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 27853), and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 700603) bacteria. In order to better understand the effect of the inserted fractions on the HAp molecular structure, the elaborated samples were subject to Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopic analyses. In addition, the morphological investigation by scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the loaded n-HAp 3D scaffolds demonstrated the presence of a porous structure, which is generally required in stimulating bone regeneration. Furthermore, the fabricated 3D composites exhibited significant antibacterial activity against all tested bacteria. Indeed, MIC values ranging from 5 mg/mL to 20 mg/mL were found for the HAp-Ethanol fraction (HAp-Et) and HAp-Hexane fraction (HAp-Hex), while the HAp-Aqueous fraction (HAp-Aq) and HAp-Methanol fraction (HAp-Me) showed values between 20 mg/mL and 30 mg/mL on the different strains. These results suggest that the HAp-NS scaffolds were effective as a drug delivery system and have very promising applications in bone tissue engineering.

Chemical Composition Analysis Using HPLC-UV/GC-MS and Inhibitory Activity of Different Nigella sativa Fractions on Pancreatic α-Amylase and Intestinal Glucose Absorption.

Nigella sativa (NS) is a well-known plant for its various benefits and multiuse in traditional medicine. This study is aimed at investigating the chemical composition of the different NS fractions by using GC-MS for the esterified fatty acids or HPLC-UV for organic fraction and at evaluating the inhibitory effect on pancreatic α-amylase (in vitro, in vivo) and intestinal glucose absorption. Among all the investigated fractions, it was shown that they are rich with different molecules of great interest. The n-hexane fraction was characterized by the presence of linoleic acid (44.65%), palmitic acid (16.32%), stearic acid (14.60%), and thymoquinone (8.7%), while among the identified peaks in EtOH fraction we found catechin (89.03 mg/100 g DW), rutin (6.46 mg/100 g DW), and kaempferol (0.032 mg/100 g DW). The MeOH fraction was distinguished with the presence of gallic acid (19.91 mg/100 g DW), catechin (13.79 mg/100 g DW), and rutin (21.07 mg/100 g DW). Finally, the aqueous fraction was marked by the existence of different molecules; among them, we mention salicylic acid (32.26 mg/100 g DW), rutin (21.46 mg/100 g DW), and vanillic acid (3.81 mg/100 g DW). Concerning the inhibitory effect on pancreatic α-amylase, it was found that in the in vitro study, the best IC50 registered were those of EtOH (0.25 mg/ml), MeOH (0.10 mg/ml), aqueous (0.031 mg/ml), and n-hexane fraction (0.76 mg/ml), while in the in vivo study an important inhibition of α-amylase in normal and diabetic rats was observed. Finally, the percentage of intestinal glucose absorption was evaluated for all tested extracts and it was ranging from 24.82 to 60.12%. The results of the present study showed that the NS seed fractions exert an interesting inhibitory effect of α-amylase and intestinal glucose absorption activity which could be associated with the existent bioactive compounds. Indeed, these compounds can be used as antidiabetic agents because of their nontoxic effect and high efficacy.

Molecular Composition and Antibacterial Effect of Five Essential Oils Extracted from Nigella sativa L. Seeds against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria: A Comparative Study.

Nigella sativa L. (NS) and its volatile compounds are well known for their broad spectrum of effects. This study aimed to investigate the variability of the chemical composition and the in vitro antibacterial activity of five essential oils (Eos) originated from Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, India, and France. These five samples were grown under different edaphic and climatic conditions. The agar diffusion method and microdilution method in 96-well plates were used to test the sensitivity of multidrug-resistant strains clinically isolated from patients (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii), for the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration and bactericidal concentration. Among all the investigated Eos, the monoterpenes were highly present in the chemical composition. Moroccan, Saudi Arabian, and Syrian seeds were characterized by the presence α-phellandrene (20.03-30.54%), ß-cymene (12.31-23.82 %), and 4-caranol (9.77-14.27%). The Indian seeds were rich with 4-caranol (18.81%), ß-cymene (14.22%), α-phellandrene (10.58%), and ß-chamigrene (9.54%), while France NS was rich with estragole (20.22%) and D-limonene (14.63%). The minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal concentration (MBC) obtained for the four Eos (with the exception of France because of the low yield) tested were ranging from 3 to 40 µl/ml. Gram-positive (+) bacteria were slightly sensitive to the Eos tested than the Gram-negative (-) bacteria. The results of this study showed that the Eos of NS seeds show interesting antibacterial activity which could be associated to the existence of different bioactive compounds. Indeed, these compounds can be used for preventive or curative purposes in the face of the noncontrolled emergence of resistance to antibiotics.

Nigella sativa L. Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activities: A Review (2019-2021).

Medicinal and aromatic plants are mainly characterized by the presence of different bioactive compounds which exhibit various therapeutic activities. In order to investigate the different pharmacological properties of different Nigella sativa extracts, a multitude of research articles published in the period between 2019 and 2021 were obtained from different databases (Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, and Web of Science), and then explored and analyzed. The analysis of the collected articles allows us to classify the phytochemicals and the pharmacological activities through their underlying molecular mechanisms, as well as to explore the pharmacological activities exhibited by several identified compounds in Nigella sativa which allow a better understanding, and better elucidation, of the bioactive compounds responsible for the pharmacological effects. Also shown are the existence of other bioactive compounds that are still unexplored and could be of great interest. This review could be taken as a guide for future studies in the field.