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The powder of treated watermelon seeds (WST), obtained through hexane extraction, has proven to be a promising adsorbent for the environmentally friendly and cost-effective removal of Basic Yellow 28 (BY28) using adsorption techniques. By optimizing conditions through Central Composite Design (CCD), focusing on key factors such as temperature, adsorbent weight, and dye concentration, we aimed to enhance the efficiency of the adsorption process. Our study assessed the accuracy of the model and regression coefficients through analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results revealed a strong agreement between the predicted values derived from the model and the experimental values for BY28, with a coefficient of determination (R2) equal to 0.92, indicating a high level of reliability and effectiveness of the developed model in predicting the adsorption behavior of BY28 on WST. Under optimal conditions, including a temperature of 35°C, an adsorbent weight of 2.45 g/L, and a dye concentration of 50 mg/L, the adsorption process demonstrated exceptional efficiency. This study highlights the remarkable potential of treated watermelon seeds for the removal of organic pollutants, emphasizing the importance of using sustainable and readily available agricultural materials for environmental remediation, thus contributing to both environmental conservation and cost-effectiveness in wastewater treatment processes.

This study focuses on the potential of treated avocado seed to remove azoic organic dyes (basic yellow 28 and tartrazine). The treated avocado seed was characterized, and batch adsorption studies were carried out to evaluate the effects of several removal dye parameters (contact time, ionic strength, initial concentration, adsorbent dose, and temperature). The adsorption kinetics of the dyes examined showed that the adsorption mechanism on the two selected catalysts followed pseudo-second-order kinetics (R2 > 0.999). The adsorption process of each dye was reported to fit using five non-linear regressions. Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherms described well the adsorption of basic yellow 28, and Freundlich adsorption isotherms described well the adsorption of tartrazine on the Treated Avocado Seed. The results suggested that the maximum amount adsorbed was 49.30 mg/g for basic yellow 28 and 38.43 mg/g for tartrazine and a high removal rate of 89.93% for BY 28 and 93.22% for tartrazine and that a chemical, spontaneous and endothermic process of adsorption occurred. Boyd’s expression demonstrated a mechanism of film diffusion for adsorption. Based on the findings, we suggest the application of activated avocado seeds for the removal of azoic dyes in aqueous solutions.

A series of new quinazolinone derivatives (5a-l) were designed as 3CL protease inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The designed derivatives were efficiently synthesized by S-alkylation/arylation of an intermediate, 6-fluoro-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-mercaptoquinazolin-4(3H)-one and their successful synthesis was established by analytical methods, viz. IR, 1H NMR, & 13C NMR spectroscopy. The in silico inhibitory potential against 3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2 were studied by means of docking and dynamics simulations, and compared with the co-crystallized ligand (VR4) of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. The compounds interacted strongly within the active catalytic dyad (Cys-His) site, thereby anticipated to obstruct the function of 3CLpro of SARS-CoV-2. Compounds 5b, 5c, 5i, 5j and 5l showed efficient binding with protease 3CLpro with XP Gscore of −7.4, −8.3, −7.8, −7.5 and −8.2 respectively. Furthermore, molecular dynamic simulation study of these compounds (5b, 5c, 5i, 5j and 5 l) showed stable interaction over 50 ns production run. Swiss ADME and pkCSM web tools showed favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties and fulfilled the criteria for drug-likeness of these selected studied compounds. The toxicity determination of these selected compounds predicted that some compounds were hepatotoxic, but were not AMES toxic. Compounds 5b, 5c, 5i, 5j and 5 l revealed their inhibitory potential against the SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, and their IC50 values were attained at 1.58, 1.25, 1.97, 0.44 and 2.56 µM, respectively. In addition, these compounds were found to have devoid of any significant cytotoxicity even at a higher concentration of 20 µM against VeroE6 cells. These quinazolinone derivatives showed potent binding and inhibitory potential against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and may emerge as compounds that might act as prospective inhibitors.

The influence of the removal of carbonates on the ceramic properties made of Moroccan red clay as a main material and tea waste as pore-forming agent, has been investigated. ATD-TG, dilatometry, dimensional changes, weight loss, water absorption, open porosity, bulk density, flexural and indirect tensile strengths were assessed at different firing temperatures within the range of 900–1150 °C. SEM was used to evaluate the microstructures of the fired samples, while XRD was used to study the phase evolution. At varying firing temperatures, the materials which contains the carbonate (CC) exhibit greater weight loss, water absorption, and porosity compared to the materials without carbonate (NCC). On the other hand, NCC materials has greater mechanical strength than that CC materials. The microstructural analysis conducted through SEM revealed distinct changes in the fired samples when comparing observations at 1100 °C to those at 900 and 1000 °C. At 1100 °C, there was a noticeable increase in particle contacts and layered structures, which can be attributed to the presence of dehydroxylated clay minerals (illite and chlorite), quartz particles, and pores formed during firing. Subsequently, at 1150 °C/ 2 h, further alterations in the microstructures were observed due to a higher degree of vitrification in the fired samples. This resulted in material consolidation, interparticle and neck contacts, leading to the formation of vitrified bridges. Firing has resulted in the formation of closed and open pores of varying sizes, in the vitrified structures associated with anorthite, hematite, and quartz, a thin crystal precipitation of small particles was observed. This alteration in microstructure made it possible to conclude that the flexural and indirect tensile strength increased during firing, reaching its pinnacle at 1150 °C. As a result of the firing process, the ceramic supports underwent heightened sintering, leading to a gradual decline in open porosity. The present inquiry proved to be intriguing as it led to a deeper understanding of the utilization of Moroccan red clay as a ceramic’s raw material.

In wastewater treatment, the application of ceramic membranes has gained significant attention due to their potential for highly effective filtration. These membranes are typically produced using methods such as spin coating, dip-coating, and spray coating. However, these techniques have limitations when applied to large-scale industrial applications due to their high cost, time consuming process, and difficulty of control. Moreover, obtaining a complete and uniform coating typically requires several attempts. This research demonstrates the highly effective treatment of tannery wastewater using cost-effective porous ceramic membranes, by incorporating bio-based materials, such as tea waste, as porosifying additives into the main material, which is Moroccan red clay. Various analytical techniques, including X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TDA-TG), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and the Archimedes principle test, were used to investigate the properties of these ceramic membranes. The impact of the pore-forming agents on the membranes physical and mechanical properties, such as open porosity, bulk density, average pore diameter, flexural and indirect tensile strength, was evaluated. Filtration tests demonstrated effective removal of turbidity, suspended matter and chemical oxygen demand from the wastewater. The optimized membrane exhibited a permeability of 1249 L/h.m2.bar and turbidity removal efficiencies of 99.76% for seawater and 99.16% for tannery wastewater.

Quinazolinone and isoxazoline systems have attracted much attention due to their interesting pharmacological properties. The association of these two pharmacophores in a single hybrid structure can boost the biological activity or bring a new one. Inspired by this new paradigm, in the present work we report the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of new quinazolinone–isoxazoline hybrids. The target compounds were obtained via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of arylnitriloxides and N-allylquinazolinone. The synthesized compounds were characterized using spectroscopic techniques such as IR, 1D NMR (1H and 13C), 2D NMR (COSY and HSQC), and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The spectral data show that this reaction leads only to the 3,5-disubstituted isoxazoline regioisomer, and that the observed regiochemistry is not affected by the nature of the substituents in the phenyl ring of the dipole. In addition, a theoretical study was performed using density functional theory (DFT) to support the experimental results in regard to the regiochemistry of the studied reactions. The computational mechanistic study was in good agreement with the experimental data.

In this paper, we focused on the green synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles via an ecofriendly process using Citrus limon extract. Several analytical techniques were used to characterize the prepared samples: X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectrons spectroscopy (XPS). XRD diffractograms revealed an anatase crystal structure of TiO2. SEM analysis showed the presence of particles with nanometric sizes, and the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra confirmed the presence of the synthesized nanoparticles. The antibacterial activity of the green prepared TiO2 nanoparticles was assessed. Additionally, the antibacterial efficiency of the green prepared TiO2 nanoparticles was compared with TiO2 nanoparticles prepared via a chemical process. The results prove the efficacy of this ecofriendly process. This method can be used for the rapid and environmentally friendly biosynthesis of stable titanium oxide nanoparticles. This work is a contribution to the valorization of bio-sources for the synthesis of titanium dioxide crystals using Citrus limon fruit extract and tetrabutile titanate as a precursor.

In this study, cobalt composite immobilized on polysulfone fibrous network nanoparticles (CCPSF NPs) were synthesized in a controllable and one-step way under microwave-assisted conditions. The structure of CCPSF NPs was characterized by SEM images (for morphology and size distribution), TGA (for thermal stability), BET technique (for the specific surface area), FT-IR spectroscopy (for relation group characterization), and XRD patterns (for crystal size). The oxidation of the primary and secondary alcohols to aldehyde and ketone was investigated using synthesized CCPSF NPs under solvent-free microwave-assisted conditions, and high oxidizing activity was observed. In addition to oxidation properties, the anticancer activity of the synthesized CCPSF NPs in breast cancer was evaluated by the MTT method , and significant results were obtained.

Chitin and chitosan are abundant unique sources of biologically-fixed nitrogen mainly derived from residues of the fishery productive chain. Their high potential as nitrogen-based highly added-value platform molecules is still largely unexploited and a catalytic way for their valorization would be strongly desirable within a biorefinery concept. Here we report our results obtained with a series of heterogeneous catalysts in the depolymerization of chitosan and chitin to acetylglucosamine. Copper catalysts supported on SiO2, SiO2–Al2O3, SiO2-ZrO2, ZrO2 and the corresponding bare oxides/mixed oxides were tested, together with a sulfated zirconia system (ZrO2-SO3H) that revealed to be extremely selective towards glucosamine, both for chitosan and chitin, thus giving pretty high yields with respect to the values reported so far (44% and 21%, respectively). The use of a heterogeneous catalyst alone, without the need of any additives or the combination with a mineral acid, makes these results remarkable.

In this study, the corrosion performance of carbon steel samples in 0.5 M sulfuric acid by the addition of novel inhibitors, 200 ppm of (25% and 50%) titanium dioxide nanoparticles in benzalkonium chloride, was thoroughly investigated. Gravimetric measurements, cyclic and linear potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and hydrogen collection by water displacement evaluated inhibition performance. Analogously, TiO2/ILB (50%), TiO2/ILB (75%), and ILB inhibitors enhanced corrosion protection with over 80% inhibition efficiency in electrochemical tests. In addition, weight loss and hydrogen collection measurements reached comparable results. According to potentiodynamic polarization curves, inhibitors exhibited dual behavior, but cathodic protection was more predominant. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to examine the surface morphology before and after immersion using corrosion tests. The correlation between electronic properties and inhibition efficiencies of tilted inhibitors was determined by simple linear regression. Electronic properties were calculated for neutral and protonated forms using a polarizable continuum model by the DFT method at the B3LYP/6-311+G (d, p) level of theory. The active adsorbed sites of HM1-HM3 on the metal surface were determined by analyzing their corresponding electrostatic surface potentials (ESP). Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to illustrate the most conceivable adsorption configuration between the inhibitors and metal surfaces.

Biosynthetic procedure is the best alternative to the preparation of nonmaterials as the challenges faced by the scientist from the last few decades. Present research reports cost-effective, inexpensive eco-friendly synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using a methanolic extract of fruits peel agro-waste. X-ray diffraction spectrum of identified TiO2NPs found noncrystalline in nature. Fourier transform infrared showed O–H, C = O, C–O, and C–H functional groups present in the fruit peel involved in the biosynthesis of TiO2NPs. The prominent peak at 1708, 1720 and 1700 cm−1 observed in the spectrum attributed to O–Ti–O stretching in Plum, Kiwi and Peach mediated TiO2NPs. The SEM images of all three TiO2NPs revealed cylindrical in shape. The size of TiO2NPs synthesized from Plum, Kiwi and Peach were found to be 47.1 and 63.2, 54.1 and 85.1 and 200 nm, respectively. All the TiO2NPs exhibited size- and dose-dependent antibacterial and antioxidant activities.

The aim of the study was to develop and evaluate the Ginkgo biloba nanocomplex gel (GKNG) as a long-acting formulation for the wound healing potential. Pharmaceutical analysis showed an average particle size of 450.14 ± 36.06 nm for GKNG, zeta potential +0.012 ± 0.003 mV, and encapsulation efficiency 91 ± 1.8%. The rheological analysis also showed the optimum diffusion rate and viscosity needed for topical drug delivery. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis further confirmed the success of GKNG. The in vivo study showed increments in the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and a lower level of lipid peroxidation (MDA) after GKNG treatment. The GKNG group showed upregulations in collagen type I, as alpha 1 collagen (COL1A1), and collagen type IV, as alpha 1 collagen (COL4A1). Furthermore, the in vivo study showed increments in hydroxyproline, epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) after the GKNG. Additionally, GKNG effectively increased the wound contraction compared to GK gel and sodium alginate (SA) gel. Based on the in vitro and in vivo evaluation, GKNG effectively accelerated wound healing by modulation of antioxidant enzymes, collagens, angiogenic factors, and TGF-β1.

An eco-friendly and efficient method was developed for the preparation of a new series of sulfur-containing quinolinthiones. Compounds 6a–o were synthesized from 4-methyl-2-thiocoumarin and arylhydrazides using water as a solvent under microwave irradiation. Some noteworthy features of our novel method are its cleanliness, short reaction time and high conversion rate, and the reaction proceeds (profiles) using a simple procedure. All of the prepared compounds were screened for their antibacterial efficacy in vitro using the disc diffusion method against bacterial strains. Compound (6j) showed the greatest potency with a 16 and 19 mm inhibition zone against Klebsiella pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively.

An efficient and ecofriendly method for the synthesis of disubstituted 5-aminopyrimidines from vinyl azides and urea or thiourea was developed. This reaction proceeds under microwave irradiation conditions in the presence of water as a solvent. The remarkable features of this new protocol are high conversion, short reaction times, cleaner reaction profiles and straightforward procedure.

The aim of this study was to prepare and evaluate α-mangostin-loaded polymeric nanoparticle gel (α-MNG-PLGA) formulation to enhance α-mangostin delivery in an epidermal carcinoma. The poly (D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) were developed using the emulsion–diffusion–evaporation technique with a 3-level 3-factor Box–Behnken design. The NPs were characterized and evaluated for particle size distribution, zeta potential (mV), drug release, and skin permeation. The formulated PLGA NPs were converted into a preformed carbopol gel base and were further evaluated for texture analysis, the cytotoxic effect of PLGA NPs against B16-F10 melanoma cells, and in vitro radical scavenging activity. The nanoscale particles were spherical, consistent, and average in size (168.06 ± 17.02 nm), with an entrapment efficiency (EE) of 84.26 ± 8.23% and a zeta potential of −25.3 ± 7.1 mV. Their drug release percentages in phosphate-buffered solution (PBS) at pH 7.4 and pH 6.5 were 87.07 ± 6.95% and 89.50 ± 9.50%, respectively. The release of α-MNG from NPs in vitro demonstrated that the biphasic release system, namely, immediate release in the initial phase, was accompanied by sustained drug release. The texture study of the developed α-MNG-PLGA NPs gel revealed its characteristics, including viscosity, hardness, consistency, and cohesiveness. The drug flux from α-MNG-PLGA NPs gel and α-MNG gel was 79.32 ± 7.91 and 16.88 ± 7.18 µg/cm2/h in 24 h, respectively. The confocal study showed that α-MNG-PLGA NPs penetrated up to 230.02 µm deep into the skin layer compared to 15.21 µm by dye solution. MTT assay and radical scavenging potential indicated that α-MNG-PLGA NPs gel had a significant cytotoxic effect and antioxidant effect compared to α-MNG gel (p < 0.05). Thus, using the developed α-MNG-PLGA in treating skin cancer could be a promising approach.

Pain is a common distress in chronic inflammatory diseases, and etoricoxib (ETB) is frequently used in its management. It possesses fewer adverse effects when compared with other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In the present study, ETB-loaded nanoemulsion (ETB-NE) was formulated and optimized. Eucalyptus oil, Tween 20, and PEG 200 were chosen as the oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant, respectively. The formulation was optimized using the Box–Behnken design. The optimized ETB-NE contained oil, Smix, and water in concentrations of 11.5, 38, and 50% respectively. It had droplet size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential values of 179.6 ± 4.21 nm, 0.373 ± 0.02, and −10.9 ± 1.01 mV, respectively. The optimized ETB-NE sample passed the thermodynamic stability and dispersibility tests. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the spherical morphology of the NE droplets. The ETB-NE showed a biphasic drug release pattern and released 85.3 ± 1.8% of ETB at 12 h. The ETB-NE was formulated into nanoemulsion gel (NEG) by using 1% carbopol 934. ETB-NEG was characterized for pH, viscosity, drug content, and percentage entrapment efficiency. During in vitro permeation studies, the apparent permeability coefficient value was 0.072 cm−2 h−1 for ETB-NEG, while it was only 0.047 cm−2 h−1 for the ETB gel. The skin histopathology study results confirmed that the ETB-NEG formulation was non-irritant and safe for topical use. The maximum possible analgesia observed for ETB-NEG was significantly high (p < 0.05) with a value of 47.09% after 60 min. Similarly, a formalin-induced acute inflammatory pain study in rats also demonstrated higher analgesia for the ETB-NEG, with % inhibition values of 37.37 ± 5.9 and 51.95 ± 4.4 in the acute and late phases, respectively. Further, ETB-NEG showed 78.4 ± 3.5% inhibition at 8 h in the in vivo anti-inflammatory testing by rat paw edema method. The ETB-NEG was found to enhance the in vivo analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of ETB. The study results could stimulate further studies in this area for establishing a clinically successful NEG formulation of ETB.

Animal-bone-meal-supported palladium (0) was prepared and used as catalyst in the Suzuki coupling reaction in water, under sunlight as an alternative source of energy. This palladium has showed a high catalytic activity than tetrakis(triphenylphosphine) palladium (Pd(PPh3)4) in the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction (the reaction of 4-halogenopyridopyrimidine with boronic acids) in water via sunlight as the light source, with no addition of ligands. This green method affords heteroaryls with excellent yields in comparison with the classical method using tetrakis(triphenylphosphine) palladium. The green catalyst did not show any significant loss of activity, even when used up to five times.