One-Pot Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from Garcinia gummi-gutta: Characterisation, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Anti-Cancerous and Photocatalytic Applications.

BACKGROUND: Methods like the bio-synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) using plant extracts have become promising due to their eco-friendly approach. The study aimed to examine the utilization of Garcinia gummi-gutta fruit phytochemicals as agents in the biosynthesis of Ag NPs, evaluation of the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-cancerous properties, as well as the photocatalytic ability of bio-synthesized Ag NPs against Crystal Violet (CV), a triphenylmethane dye. METHODS: The characterization of the physical properties of the Ag NPs synthesized via the green route was done using UV-Vis spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometry (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Zeta potential analysis, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The dye degradation efficiency of CV was determined using synthesized Ag NPs under UV light by analyzing the absorption maximum at 579 nm. The antimicrobial efficacy of Ag NPs against E. coli, S. aureus, Candida tropicalis, and Candida albicans was examined using the broth dilution method. The antioxidant and anti-cancer properties of the synthesized Ag NPs were assessed using the DPPH and MTT assays. RESULTS: The UV analysis revealed that the peak of synthesized Ag NPs was 442 nm. Data from FTIR, XRD, Zeta potential, SEM, and TEM analysis confirmed the formation of nanoparticles. The SEM and TEM analysis identified the presence of spherical nanoparticles with an average size of 29.12 nm and 24.18 nm, respectively. Maximum dye degradation efficiency of CV was observed at 90.08% after 320 min without any silver leaching, confirming the photocatalytic activity of Ag NPs. The bio-efficiency of the treatment was assessed using the Allium cepa root growth inhibition test, toxicity analysis on Vigna radiata, and Brine shrimp lethality assay. CONCLUSIONS: The findings revealed the environmentally friendly nature of green Ag NPs over physical/chemically synthesized Ag NPs. The synthesized Ag NPs can effectively be used in biomedical and photocatalytic applications.

Molecular Insights into Abiotic Stresses in Mango.

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most economically important fruit crops across the world, mainly in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Abiotic stresses are the prominent hindrance that can adversely affect the growth, development, and significant yield loss of mango trees. Understanding the molecular physiological mechanisms underlying abiotic stress responses in mango is highly intricate. Therefore, to gain insights into the molecular basis and to alleviate the abiotic stress responses to enhance the yield in the mere future, the use of high-throughput frontier approaches should be tied along with the baseline investigations. Taking these gaps into account, this comprehensive review mainly speculates to provide detailed mechanisms and impacts on physiological and biochemical alterations in mango under abiotic stress responses. In addition, the review emphasizes the promising omics approaches in unraveling the candidate genes and transcription factors (TFs) responsible for abiotic stresses. Furthermore, this review also summarizes the role of different types of biostimulants in improving the abiotic stress responses in mango. These studies can be undertaken to recognize the roadblocks and avenues for enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in mango cultivars. Potential investigations pointed out the implementation of powerful and essential tools to uncover novel insights and approaches to integrate the existing literature and advancements to decipher the abiotic stress mechanisms in mango. Furthermore, this review serves as a notable pioneer for researchers working on mango stress physiology using integrative approaches.

Integrated Genomic Selection for Accelerating Breeding Programs of Climate-Smart Cereals.

Rapidly rising population and climate changes are two critical issues that require immediate action to achieve sustainable development goals. The rising population is posing increased demand for food, thereby pushing for an acceleration in agricultural production. Furthermore, increased anthropogenic activities have resulted in environmental pollution such as water pollution and soil degradation as well as alterations in the composition and concentration of environmental gases. These changes are affecting not only biodiversity loss but also affecting the physio-biochemical processes of crop plants, resulting in a stress-induced decline in crop yield. To overcome such problems and ensure the supply of food material, consistent efforts are being made to develop strategies and techniques to increase crop yield and to enhance tolerance toward climate-induced stress. Plant breeding evolved after domestication and initially remained dependent on phenotype-based selection for crop improvement. But it has grown through cytological and biochemical methods, and the newer contemporary methods are based on DNA-marker-based strategies that help in the selection of agronomically useful traits. These are now supported by high-end molecular biology tools like PCR, high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping, data from crop morpho-physiology, statistical tools, bioinformatics, and machine learning. After establishing its worth in animal breeding, genomic selection (GS), an improved variant of marker-assisted selection (MAS), has made its way into crop-breeding programs as a powerful selection tool. To develop novel breeding programs as well as innovative marker-based models for genetic evaluation, GS makes use of molecular genetic markers. GS can amend complex traits like yield as well as shorten the breeding period, making it advantageous over pedigree breeding and marker-assisted selection (MAS). It reduces the time and resources that are required for plant breeding while allowing for an increased genetic gain of complex attributes. It has been taken to new heights by integrating innovative and advanced technologies such as speed breeding, machine learning, and environmental/weather data to further harness the GS potential, an approach known as integrated genomic selection (IGS). This review highlights the IGS strategies, procedures, integrated approaches, and associated emerging issues, with a special emphasis on cereal crops. In this domain, efforts have been taken to highlight the potential of this cutting-edge innovation to develop climate-smart crops that can endure abiotic stresses with the motive of keeping production and quality at par with the global food demand.

Negative Impacts of Arsenic on Plants and Mitigation Strategies.

Arsenic (As) is a metalloid prevalent mainly in soil and water. The presence of As above permissible levels becomes toxic and detrimental to living organisms, therefore, making it a significant global concern. Humans can absorb As through drinking polluted water and consuming As-contaminated food material grown in soil having As problems. Since human beings are mobile organisms, they can use clean uncontaminated water and food found through various channels or switch from an As-contaminated area to a clean area; but plants are sessile and obtain As along with essential minerals and water through roots that make them more susceptible to arsenic poisoning and consequent stress. Arsenic and phosphorus have many similarities in terms of their physical and chemical characteristics, and they commonly compete to cause physiological anomalies in biological systems that contribute to further stress. Initial indicators of arsenic's propensity to induce toxicity in plants are a decrease in yield and a loss in plant biomass. This is accompanied by considerable physiological alterations; including instant oxidative surge; followed by essential biomolecule oxidation. These variables ultimately result in cell permeability and an electrolyte imbalance. In addition, arsenic disturbs the nucleic acids, the transcription process, and the essential enzymes engaged with the plant system's primary metabolic pathways. To lessen As absorption by plants, a variety of mitigation strategies have been proposed which include agronomic practices, plant breeding, genetic manipulation, computer-aided modeling, biochemical techniques, and the altering of human approaches regarding consumption and pollution, and in these ways, increased awareness may be generated. These mitigation strategies will further help in ensuring good health, food security, and environmental sustainability. This article summarises the nature of the impact of arsenic on plants, the physio-biochemical mechanisms evolved to cope with As stress, and the mitigation measures that can be employed to eliminate the negative effects of As.

Diversity of Medicinal Plants Used by the Local Communities of the Coastal Plateau of Safi Province (Morocco).

Traditional herbal medicine is still used for basic healthcare by a significant portion of the population in developing countries. This study aimed to explore the medicinal plant's diversity and to document related traditional knowledge in the Safi region of Morocco. We used semi-structured questionnaires to interview 222 informants living in the study area. To perform data analysis, we used quantitative indices like use value (UV), family use value (FUV), fidelity level (FL), the relative popularity level (RPL), rank of order priority (ROP), and informant consensus factor (ICF). We reported the ethnomedicinal uses of 144 medicinal plants belonging to 64 families. According to the findings, the dominating families were Lamiaceae (17 taxa), Asteraceae (15 taxa), and Apiaceae (12 taxa). The most commonly utilized plant part (48%) was leaves. The decoction was reported as the main preparation method (42%). Highly cited plant species were Marrubium vulgare (UV = 0.56), Salvia rosmarinus Spenn. (UV = 0.47), Thymus serpyllum (UV = 0.32), and Dysphania ambrosioides (UV = 0.29). Papaveraceae (FUV = 0.26), and Urticaceae (FUV= 0.23), Geraniaceae (FUV = 0.17), Oleaceae (FUV = 0.17), Lamiaceae (FUV = 0.17) had the highest family use-values. Gastrointestinal disorders (88%), respiratory diseases (85%), and anemia (66%) have the greatest ICF values. This study reveals the indigenous people's reliance on plant-derived traditional medicine to prevent, alleviate, and treat a broad range of health concerns. Our findings will provide a scientific basis for ethnomedicinal legacy conservation and further scientific investigations aimed at new natural bioactive molecules discovery.

The Enhanced Affinity of WRKY Reinforces Drought Tolerance in Solanum lycopersicum L.: An Innovative Bioinformatics Study.

In the scenario of global climate change, understanding how plants respond to drought is critical for developing future crops that face restricted water resources. This present study focuses on the role of WRKY transcription factors on drought tolerance in tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L., which is a significant vegetable crop. WRKY transcription factors are a group of proteins that regulate a wild range of growth and developmental processes in plants such as seed germination and dormancy and the stress response. These transcription factors are defined by the presence of a DNA-binding domain, namely, the WRKY domain. It is well-known that WRKY transcription factors can interact with a variety of proteins and therefore control downstream activities. It aims to simulate the effect of curcumin, a bioactive compound with regulatory capacity, on the protein-protein interaction events by WRKY transcription factors with an emphasis on drought stress. It was found that curcumin binds to WRKY with an energy of -11.43 kcal/mol with inhibitory concentration (Ki) 0.12 mM and has the potential to improve fruit quality and reinforce drought tolerance of S. lycopersicum, according to the results based on bioinformatics tools. The root means square deviation (RMSD) of the C-α, the backbone of 2AYD with ligand coupled complex, displayed a very stable structure with just a little variation of 1.89 Å. MD simulation trajectory of Cα atoms of 2AYD bound to Curcumin revealed more un-ordered orientation in PC1 and PC10 modes and more toward negative correlation from the initial 400 frames during PCA. Establishing the binding energies of the ligand-target interaction is essential in order to characterize the compound's binding affinity to the drought transcription factor. We think we have identified a phyto-agent called curcumin that has the potential to enhance the drought tolerance. Compared to the part of the mismatch repair-base technique that can be used to fix drought related genes, curcumin performed better in a drop-in crop yield over time, and it was suggested that curcumin is a potential candidate factor for improving drought tolerance in tomatoes, and it needs future validation by experiments in laboratory and field.

Antioxidant Activity and Inhibition of Carbohydrate Digestive Enzymes Activities of Artemisia campestris L.

BACKGROUND: Carbohydrate digestive enzymes play a major role in the management of the postprandial hyperglycemia. A chronic hyperglycemia can lead to serious health problems due to excessive production of several reactive oxygen species. Therefore, the inhibition of carbohydrate digestive enzyme and the use of antioxidant natural product can be an important strategy to control the glycaemia level and prevent against the complication of diabetes. AIM: The study aims to perform a phytochemical analysis, antioxidant activity, inhibitory effect on α -amylase, α -glucosidase (in vitro and in vivo) and the intestinal glucose absorption in Wistar rats of Artemisia campestris aqueous extract (AcAE) and hydro-ethanolic extract (AcEE). RESULTS: The test of total phenolic content, show that the AcAE has the highest quantity of polyphenol (44.65 ± 0.54 µ g GAE/mg extract) compared to the AcEE (31.7 ± 0.53 µ g GAE/mg extract) significantly. The amount of flavonoid and condensed tannins content in AcAE is 24.41 ± 3.57 µ g QrE/mg extract, 14.31 ± 5.26 µ g CE/mg respectively. The AcAE has also exhibit a great antioxidant activity in DPPH-scavenging and Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) compared to AcEE with an IC 50 = 0.355 ± 0.057 mg/mL and IC 50 = 0.269 ± 0.025 mg/mL. However, in a ß -carotene bleaching assay the AcEE has the highest effect with an IC 50 = 0.319 ± 0.097 mg/mL. The both extract of Artemisia campestris L. (250 mg/kg) decreased postprandial hyperglycemia in the normal and alloxane diabetic rats in a very significant manner after starch or sucrose administration as an α -amylase and α -glucosidase substrate respectively. This result is confirmed in vitro by a remarkable inhibitory effect on α -amylase digestive enzymes by an IC 50 = 1.259 ± 0.128 mg/mL and IC 50 = 0.602 ± 0.072 mg/mL receptively for AcAE and AcEE. For the α -glucosidase enzyme, the both extracts significantly inhibit α -glucosidase activity compared to the control and they are almost similar to each other. Using a jejunum perfusion technique (in situ), Artemisia campestris L. decrease the intestinal D-glucose absorption activity significantly compared to the control and comparable to the Phlorizin used as a positive control by an amount of glucose absorbed equal a 6.53 ± 0.57, 5.34 ± 0.64 and 4.71 ± 0.24 mg/10 cm/h, for AcAE, AcEE and Phlorizin respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that the Artemisia campestris L. has highest phenolic content, antioxidant activity and demonstrated a postprandial anti-hyperglycemic effect via the inhibiting of the carbohydrate digestive enzyme ( α -amylase and α -glucosidase) and the intestinal glucose absorption.

Naturally-Occurring Bioactives in Oral Cancer: Preclinical and Clinical Studies, Bottlenecks and Future Directions.

Oral cancer (OC) is the eighth most common cancer, particularly prevalent in developing countries. Current treatment includes a multidisciplinary approach, involving chemo, radio, and immunotherapy and surgery, which depends on cancer stage and location. As a result of the side effects of currently available drugs, there has been an increasing interest in the search for naturally-occurring bioactives for treating all types of cancer, including OC. Thus, this comprehensive review aims to give a holistic view on OC incidence and impact, while highlights the preclinical and clinical studies related to the use of medicinal plants for OC prevention and the recent developments in bioactive synthetic analogs towards OC management. Chemoprophylactic therapies connect the use of natural and/or synthetic molecules to suppress, inhibit or revert the transformation of oral epithelial dysplasia (DOK) into oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Novel searches have underlined the promising role of plant extracts and phytochemical compounds, such as curcumin, green tea extract, resveratrol, isothiocyanates, lycopene or genistein against this malignancy. However, poor bioavailability and lack of in vivo and clinical studies and complex pharmacokinetic profiles limit their huge potential of application. However, recent nanotechnological and related advances have shown to be promising in improving the bioavailability, absorption and efficacy of such compounds.

Multi-Omics and Integrative Approach towards Understanding Salinity Tolerance in Rice: A Review.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants are simultaneously encountered by environmental stressors, most importantly salinity stress. Salinity is the major hurdle that can negatively impact growth and crop yield. Understanding the salt stress and its associated complex trait mechanisms for enhancing salt tolerance in rice plants would ensure future food security. The main aim of this review is to provide insights and impacts of molecular-physiological responses, biochemical alterations, and plant hormonal signal transduction pathways in rice under saline stress. Furthermore, the review highlights the emerging breakthrough in multi-omics and computational biology in identifying the saline stress-responsive candidate genes and transcription factors (TFs). In addition, the review also summarizes the biotechnological tools, genetic engineering, breeding, and agricultural practicing factors that can be implemented to realize the bottlenecks and opportunities to enhance salt tolerance and develop salinity tolerant rice varieties. Future studies pinpointed the augmentation of powerful tools to dissect the salinity stress-related novel players, reveal in-depth mechanisms and ways to incorporate the available literature, and recent advancements to throw more light on salinity responsive transduction pathways in plants. Particularly, this review unravels the whole picture of salinity stress tolerance in rice by expanding knowledge that focuses on molecular aspects.

Oroxylin A: A Promising Flavonoid for Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases.

There have been magnificent advancements in the understanding of molecular mechanisms of chronic diseases over the past several years, but these diseases continue to be a considerable cause of death worldwide. Most of the approved medications available for the prevention and treatment of these diseases target only a single gene/protein/pathway and are known to cause severe side effects and are less effective than they are anticipated. Consequently, the development of finer therapeutics that outshine the existing ones is far-reaching. Natural compounds have enormous applications in curbing several disastrous and fatal diseases. Oroxylin A (OA) is a flavonoid obtained from the plants Oroxylum indicum, Scutellaria baicalensis, and S. lateriflora, which have distinctive pharmacological properties. OA modulates the important signaling pathways, including NF-κB, MAPK, ERK1/2, Wnt/ß-catenin, PTEN/PI3K/Akt, and signaling molecules, such as TNF-α, TGF-ß, MMPs, VEGF, interleukins, Bcl-2, caspases, HIF-1α, EMT proteins, Nrf-2, etc., which play a pivotal role in the molecular mechanism of chronic diseases. Overwhelming pieces of evidence expound on the anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-cancer potentials of this flavonoid, which makes it an engrossing compound for research. Numerous preclinical and clinical studies also displayed the promising potential of OA against cancer, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, neurological disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, etc. Therefore, the current review focuses on delineating the role of OA in combating different chronic diseases and highlighting the intrinsic molecular mechanisms of its action.

Transcriptomics, Cheminformatics, and Systems Pharmacology Strategies Unveil the Potential Bioactives to Combat COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a viral disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is becoming a global threat again because of the higher transmission rate and lack of proper therapeutics as well as the rapid mutations in the genetic pattern of SARS-CoV-2. Despite vaccinations, the prevalence and recurrence of this infection are still on the rise, which urges the identification of potential global therapeutics for a complete cure. Plant-based alternative medicine is becoming popular worldwide because of its higher efficiency and minimal side effects. Yet, identifying the potential medicinal plants and formulating a plant-based medicine is still a bottleneck. Hence, in this study, the systems pharmacology, transcriptomics, and cheminformatics approaches were employed to uncover the multi-targeted mechanisms and to screen the potential phytocompounds from significant medicinal plants to treat COVID-19. These approaches have identified 30 unique COVID-19 human immune genes targeted by the 25 phytocompounds present in four selected ethnobotanical plants. Differential and co-expression profiling and pathway enrichment analyses delineate the molecular signaling and immune functional regulations of the COVID-19 unique genes. In addition, the credibility of these compounds was analyzed by the pharmacological features. The current holistic finding is the first to explore whether the identified potential bioactives could reform into a drug candidate to treat COVID-19. Furthermore, the molecular docking analysis was employed to identify the important bioactive compounds; thus, an ultimately significant medicinal plant was also determined. However, further laboratory evaluation and clinical validation are required to determine the efficiency of a therapeutic formulation against COVID-19.

Synthesis of ginsenoside Rb1-imprinted magnetic polymer nanoparticles for the extraction and cellular delivery of therapeutic ginsenosides.

Background: Panax ginseng (ginseng) is a traditional medicine that is reported to have cardioprotective effects; ginsenosides are the major bioactive compounds in the ginseng root. Methods: Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) nanoparticles might be useful for both the extraction of the targeted (imprinted) molecules, and for the delivery of those molecules to cells. In this work, plant growth regulators were used to enhance the adventitious rooting of ginseng root callus; imprinted polymeric particles were synthesized for the extraction of ginsenoside Rb1 from root extracts, and then employed for subsequent particle-mediated delivery to cardiomyocytes to mitigate hypoxia/reoxygenation injury. Results: These synthesized composite nanoparticles were first characterized by their specific surface area, adsorption capacity, and magnetization, and then used for the extraction of ginsenoside Rb1 from a crude extract of ginseng roots. The ginsenoside-loaded MMIPs were then shown to have protective effects on mitochondrial membrane potential and cellular viability for H9c2 cells treated with CoCl2 to mimic hypoxia injury. The protective effect of the ginsenosides was assessed by staining with JC-1 dye to monitor the mitochondrial membrane potential. Conclusion: MMIPs can play a dual role in both the extraction and cellular delivery of therapeutic ginsenosides.

Global Integrated Genomic and Transcriptomic Analyses of MYB Transcription Factor Superfamily in C3 Model Plant Oryza sativa (L.) Unravel Potential Candidates Involved in Abiotic Stress Signaling.

Plant transcription factors (TFs) are significant players in transcriptional regulations, signal transduction, and constitute an integral part of signaling networks. MYB TFs are major TF superfamilies that play pivotal roles in regulation of transcriptional reprogramming, physiological processes, and abiotic stress (AbS) responses. To explore the understanding of MYB TFs, genome and transcriptome-wide identification was performed in the C3 model plant, Oryza sativa (OsMYB). This study retrieved 114 OsMYB TFs that were computationally analyzed for their expression profiling, gene organization, cis-acting elements, and physicochemical properties. Based on the microarray datasets, six OsMYB genes which were sorted out and identified by a differential expression pattern were noted in various tissues. Systematic expression profiling of OsMYB TFs showed their meta-differential expression of different AbS treatments, spatio-temporal gene expression of various tissues and their growth in the field, and gene expression profiling in responses to phytohormones. In addition, the circular ideogram of OsMYB genes in related C4 grass plants conferred the gene synteny. Protein-protein interactions of these genes revealed the molecular crosstalk of OsMYB TFs. Transcriptional analysis (qPCR) of six OsMYB players in response to drought and salinity stress suggested the involvement in individual and combined AbS responses. To decipher how these OsMYB play functional roles in AbS dynamics, further research is a prerequisite.

Orchid Biochemistry 2.0.

In the Special Issue entitled "Orchid Biochemistry", researchers explored the biochemistry and molecular mechanisms of pigment formation, flower scent, bioactive compounds, plant-microbial interaction, as well as aspects of biotechnology, and these studies have greatly enriched the understanding in the field of orchid biology [...].

The Antispasmodic Effect of Warionia saharae Essential Oil in Experimental Models and its Mechanism of Action.

With several medicinal and aromatic species, the Asteraceae family is one of the largest angiosperm families. The genus Warionia is represented in this family by only one species, Warionia saharae. In Moroccan traditional medicine, this species is widely used to treat gastrointestinal problems. Essential oil of this plant (EoWs) was studied for possible myorelaxant and antispasmodic activities to rationalize some of the traditional uses. In this investigation, hydrodistillation was used to obtain the essential oil from the aerial part of the dry plant extract (EoWs), which was then analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The major compounds identified in the EoWs are nerolidyl acetate (21.44%), ß-Eudesmol (19.47%), linalool (16.48%), 1-terpinene-4-ol (10.93%), and cineole (5.34%). EoWs is relatively safe in the case of acute intake up to 2 g/kg body weight of albino mice. The effect of EoWs on intestinal relaxation was investigated using rabbit and rat jejunal smooth muscle. We have noticed that EoWs produce a myorelaxation on basal rabbit jejunum's contractions in a concentration-dependent manner with a maximal effect at 30 µg/mL. This myorelaxation was not dependent on adrenergic receptors. When the rat jejunums were pre-contracted with 25 mM KCl or 10 µM Carbachol (CCh), EoWs had an antispasmodic action with an IC50 values of 15.76 ± 0.37 and 12.04 ± 0.30 µg/mL, respectively. Preliminary results showed that it is probable that our plant might act directly through the NO and guanylate cyclase signaling pathway and on muscarinic but not nicotinic receptors. The results reveal that the Essential oil of W. saharae appears to have an impact on intestinal relaxation in vitro conditions. This finding lends credence to the traditional usage of this plant to treat intestinal disorders.

An Updated Review on The Properties of Melissa officinalis L.: Not Exclusively Anti-anxiety.

Melissa officinalis L. is a plant of the Lamiaceae family known in numerous countries for its medicinal activities. This plant has been used since ancient times to treat different disorders, including gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, psychological conditions. M. officinalis contains several phytochemicals such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and many others at the basis of its pharmacological activities. Indeed, the plant can have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, antinociceptive effects. Given its consolidated use, M. officinalis has also been experimented with clinical settings, demonstrating interesting properties against different human diseases, such as anxiety, sleeping difficulties, palpitation, hypertension, depression, dementia, infantile colic, bruxism, metabolic problems, Alzheimer's disease, and sexual disorders. As for any natural compound, drug, or plant extract, also M. officinalis can have adverse effects, even though the reported events are very rare and the plant can be considered substantially safe. This review has been prepared with a specific research strategy, interrogating different databases with the keyword M. officinalis. Moreover, this work analyzes the properties of this plant updating currently available literature, with a special emphasis on human studies.

Comprehensive computational analysis reveals H5N1 influenza virus-encoded miRNAs and host-specific targets associated with antiviral immune responses and protein binding.

H5N1 virus (H5N1V) is highly contagious among birds and it was first detected in humans in 1997 during a poultry outbreak in Hong Kong. As the mechanism of its pathogenesis inside the host is still lacking, in this in-silico study we hypothesized that H5N1V might create miRNAs, which could target the genes associated with host cellular regulatory pathways, thus provide persistent refuge to the virus. Using bioinformatics approaches, several H5N1V produced putative miRNAs as well as the host genes targeted by these miRNAs were found. Functional enrichment analysis of targeted genes revealed their involvement in many biological pathways that facilitate their host pathogenesis. Eventually, the microarray dataset (GSE28166) was analyzed to validate the altered expression level of target genes and found the genes involved in protein binding and adaptive immune responses. This study presents novel miRNAs and their targeted genes, which upon experimental validation could facilitate in developing new therapeutics against H5N1V infection.

Selenium Nanoparticles (Se-NPs) Alleviates Salinity Damages and Improves Phytochemical Characteristics of Pineapple Mint (Mentha suaveolens Ehrh.).

The present study examined the effects of foliar spray of selenium nanoparticles (0, 10 and 20 mg/L) on the yield, phytochemicals and essential oil content and composition of pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens Ehrh.) under salinity stress (0, 30, 60 and 90 mM NaCl). Obtained results demonstrated that severe salinity stress reduced the fresh weight (FW) and plant height (PH) by 16.40% and 19.10%, respectively compared with normal growth condition. On the other hands, under sever salinity stress relative water content (RWC) and chlorophyll index were reduced by 18.05% and 3.50%, respectively. Interestingly, selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs; 10 mg/L) application improved the pineapple mint growth. Based on GC-FID and GC-MS analysis, 19 compounds were identified in pineapple mint essential oil. Foliar application of Se-NPs and salinity did not change the essential oil content of pineapple mint, however, the essential oil compounds were significantly affected by salinity and Se-NPs- applications. Foliar application of Se-NPs- had a significant effect on piperitenone oxide, limonene, jasmone, viridiflorol and ß-myrsene under different salinity levels. The highest percentage of piperitenone oxide (79.4%) as the major essential oil component was recorded in the no salinity treatment by applying 10 mg/L of nanoparticle. Interestingly, application of 10 mg L-1 Se-NPs- under 60 mM NaCl increased the piperitenone oxide content by 9.1% compared with non-sprayed plants. Finally, the obtained results demonstrated that foliar application of Se-NPs (10 mg L-1) can improve the pineapple mint growth and secondary metabolites profile under saline conditions.