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Rising awareness about the ecological burden of agricultural by-products and their potential industrial and medicinal applications spurred the research of waste valorization. Egypt is a chief producer of jasmine oils. However, jasmine-dense foliage is an agricultural waste that merits exploitation. Herein, Jasminum grandiflorum leaves were profiled using UPLC-MS, revealing a promising phytochemical composition rich in secoiridoids. A good safety profile was confirmed in vitro on cancerous and normal cell lines and in vivo (LD50>4000mg/kg). The radioprotective effect of 3500 mg/kg jasmine leaves extract against irradiation-induced lung injury was demonstrated. Biochemical analysis indicated that jasmine extract decreased malondialdehyde level and enhanced the endogenous antioxidants GSH-Px, SOD and CAT levels. Jasmine alleviated the inflammatory response by downregulating the expression of COX-2 and iNOS and reducing the inflammatory mediators, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and PGE2. Jasmine leaves offer interesting application prospects that add economic and industrial value to agricultural waste.

Over the last decades, the development of microbial resistance has become an alarming situation. This has urged the search for new antimicrobial strategies. In this context, two Brassicaceae edible plants; Brassica oleracea var. capitata (cabbage) and Brassica rapa subsp. rapa (Turnip) were assessed for their antimicrobial activity against P. aeruginosa and E. coli clinical isolates. Antibiogram analysis was done according to the CLSI 2019 guidelines and proved that both P. aeruginosa and E. coli clinical isolates were multidrug resistant. A green extraction methodology – assisted by microwave and ultrasound- was used to prepare the aqueous extracts. Determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts was also carried out according to the CLSI guidelines. At sub-MIC concentration, cabbage extract showed promising results in the inhibition of quorum sensing mediated virulence determinants of P. aeruginosa. Highest reduction was observed in pyocyanin and rhamnolipid production. Chemical profiling via UPLC-ESI-MS analysis of cabbage extract revealed the presence of different glucosinolates together with iberin and sulforaphane. The in silico docking study was conducted and revealed the ability of sulforaphane and iberin to bind to LasR regulator responsible for quorum sensing in P. aeruginosa. These compounds thus represent potential candidates that can be developed into novel antimicrobial infection control tools.

Fabaceae, the third-largest Angiosperm family, exhibits great morphological diversity with significantly high species diversification rate. Albizia, one of the largest genera of the legume family, possesses high ecological, economical and medicinal application prospects and displays a global distribution. The taxonomic classification among Albizia remains, however, unclear and has been subjected to changes. The resolution of phylogenetic relationships among members of genus Albizia is a priority. Nine Albizia species cultivated in Egypt; Albizia lebbeck, A. julibrissin, A. odoratissima, A. procera, A. anthelmintica, A. guachapele, A. myriophylla, A. richardiana and A. lucida were subjected to molecular classification via DNA fingerprinting techniques viz. Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) and Start Codon Targeted polymorphism (SCoT) using ten primers, five for each technique. The total number of bands produced by ISSR and SCoT primers was 28 and 40, respectively. The percentage of polymorphism varied from 64.28% in ISSR to 67.50% in SCoT analysis. Additionally, chemotaxonomic analysis was implemented based on UV spectroscopic profiling and total phenolic content coupled to unsupervised chemometric tools; Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). Interspecific relationships were confirmed via molecular and phytochemical analyses between A. procera and A. guachapele; A. lebbeck and A. odoratissima; and A. julibrissin and A. lucida. The study reveals that chemotaxonomic data can reflect phylogenetic relationships among examined Albizia species and provides insights to the significance of utilizing the strengths of both molecular taxonomy and chemotaxonomy to resolve phylogenetic relationship among this genus which offers baseline for breeding programs. Future strategies to enrich taxonomic classification among Albizia includes extensive morphological characterization, DNA barcoding techniques and metabolomic profiling.

This paper examines the validity of Euro code (EC2) method for modeling deflection in reinforced concrete one-way slabs. A numerical model which incorporates nonlinear effect due to cracking has been developed. A MATLAB program has been developed to implement the model. The performance of the model has been validated against experimental results in literature. The results show that the model is capable of predicting the deflection of simply supported reinforced concrete one- way slabs. A parametric study has then been carried out to quantify the influence of relevant parameters on slabs deflection. It has been found that most significant factor affecting deflection is the slab thickness.

The genus Foeniculum is known for its wide ethnobotanical use in the Mediterranean region. Herein, we explored the compositional differences of volatile oils and headspace aroma of Florence fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum (Mill.) Thell.) based on its different organs and various geographical origins via gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sixty-seven volatile components were detected with phenylpropenes and monoterpenes, including trans-anethole, limonene, α-pinene, trans-β-ocimene, fenchyl acetate, and fenchone, as major constituents. Phenylpropenes were dominant in fennel hydro-distilled oils, whereas monoterpenes were dominant in most of the headspace aroma. The infraspecific variability was assessed using the unsupervised multivariate data analysis tools PCA and HCA, resulting in segregate clustering of accessions from different organs and locations with trans-anethole, limonene, trans-β-ocimene, fenchone, myristicin, and apiole as major phytomarkers contributing to this segregation. The antiviral activities of samples against hepatitis A and C viruses were investigated using the plaque reduction assay, HAV 3C proteinase and HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitory assays with a percentage inhibition between 66% and 85% and IC50 values from 1.8 to 26.7 μg mL-1. In silico molecular docking scores in latter enzyme binding pockets revealed key allosteric interactions with trans-β-ocimene and β-fenchyl acetate showing the best Gibb's free energy. Florence fennel exhibited interesting new perspectives for medicinal and industrial applications.

This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition of essential oils isolated from Acca sellowiana (feijoa) leaves and stems and elaborate on their relevance as natural anti-aging, coupled with molecular-docking studies. The isolated oils were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and investigated for inhibitory effects against acetylcholinesterase, β-secretase, collagenase, elastase and tyrosinase. Molecular-modelling study was performed using MOE-Dock program to evaluate binding interactions of major components with the above-mentioned targets. The leaf oil revealed the predominance of caryophyllene oxide (24.3 %), linalool (7.9 %), and spathulenol (6.6 %), while the stem oil was presented by caryophyllene oxide (38.1 %), α-zingiberene (10.1 %) and humulene oxide II (6.0 %). The stem oil expressed superior inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase (IC

This chapter presents various commonly used members of family Apiaceae that are popular and native to the Middle East region and Asia, for various purposes associated to their fragrant properties, medicinal constituents and nutrients. Screening of the antispasmodic potential of seven Apiaceae plants revealed that Cuminum cyminum induces dose-dependent relaxation in guinea pig ileum. The Ajwain fruits are edible and usually used as a spice in India, the Middle East and Asia, and some parts of America. Frozen ajwain leaves exhibited significantly higher antioxidant activity than the fresh ones due to higher lutein content in frozen leaves. Traditional uses for each plant will be presented followed by reported biological activities, then phytochemical content mostly associated with the pharmacological activity of each species will be discussed. Topical application of methanolic extract of Pimpinella anisum stimulated wound healing activity in diabetic rats. In the ancient Egyptian culture and medicine, coriander was considered to have cooling, stimulant, carminative and digestive properties.

Fabaceae, the third-largest Angiosperm family, exhibits great morphological diversity with significantly high species diversification rate. Albizia, one of the largest genera of the legume family, possesses high ecological, economical and medicinal application prospects and displays a global distribution. The taxonomic classification among Albizia remains, however, unclear and has been subjected to changes. The resolution of phylogenetic relationships among members of genus Albizia is a priority. Nine Albizia species cultivated in Egypt; Albizia lebbeck, A. julibrissin, A. odoratissima, A. procera, A. anthelmintica, A. guachapele, A. myriophylla, A. richardiana and A. lucida were subjected to molecular classification via DNA fingerprinting techniques viz. Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) and Start Codon Targeted polymorphism (SCoT) using ten primers, five for each technique. The total number of bands produced by ISSR and SCoT primers was 28 and 40, respectively. The percentage of polymorphism varied from 64.28% in ISSR to 67.50% in SCoT analysis. Additionally, chemotaxonomic analysis was implemented based on UV spectroscopic profiling and total phenolic content coupled to unsupervised chemometric tools; Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). Interspecific relationships were confirmed via molecular and phytochemical analyses between A. procera and A. guachapele; A. lebbeck and A. odoratissima; and A. julibrissin and A. lucida. The study reveals that chemotaxonomic data can reflect phylogenetic relationships among examined Albizia species and provides insights to the significance of utilizing the strengths of both molecular taxonomy and chemotaxonomy to resolve phylogenetic relationship among this genus which offers baseline for breeding programs. Future strategies to enrich taxonomic classification among Albizia includes extensive morphological characterization, DNA barcoding techniques and metabolomic profiling.

Due to consumers growing concerns about synthetic preservatives, essential oils (EOs) come into the focus of pharmaceutical and food applications as natural alternatives because of their inherent antimicrobial activity. However, EOs food applications have been challenged by their strong aroma that adversely affects consumers acceptability. In this study, EOs of Zingiber officinale (ginger), Syzygium aromaticum (clove), and Thymus vulgaris (thyme) were extracted and assessed for their potential use to produce cheese with high degree of microbial safety and sensory acceptability. Phytochemical profiling showed camphene and zingiberene as major constituents in ginger oil, whereas thymol and eugenol represented the chief volatiles in thyme and clove, respectively. The EOs antimicrobial activity against seven strains of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, yeast and mold revealed MIC of 0.001%. Additionally, studied EOs demonstrated interesting safety profile displaying good to very weak cytotoxicity on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) with CC50 6.31–452.95 μg/mL and very low cytotoxicity on normal human lung fibroblasts (WI-38) with CC50 728.94–841.66 μg/mL. Sensory characterization of EOs-fortified laboratory manufactured fresh soft cheese displayed scores significantly higher than control samples (P

Despite their favourable nutritional, agricultural and ecological traits, Lathyrus species are among the under-recognized legume crops meriting further exploitation as nutrient-rich seeds. Holistic chemical characterization of nutrients/anti-nutrients in this genus is an important prerequisite to select high quality seeds for breeding programs. Herein, the chemical composition of 10 Lathyrus species was assessed via GC/MS-based metabolomics. Seventy-nine metabolites were identified comprising fatty acids, sugars, organic acids, and amino acids. Richest in amino-acids, L. annuus appeared the most suited for nutritional use. Furthermore, taxa enriched with fatty acids and sugars (L. pannonicus, L. annuus and L. odoratus) also show high potential as food or fodder. The richness of organic acids in L. sativus and L. tingitanus can override the anti-nutritive effect of phytic acid. Comparison to extant phylogenetic studies of the genus illustrates to what extent infrageneric classification is also reflected by the chemical variation observable via metabolomics, which has not been done before: Segregate sectional clustering among accessions was demonstrated along with several relationships at both infrasectional (e.g. L. sylvestris and L. latifolius) and interspecific level (e.g. L. venetus and L. niger) using multivariate data analysis.

A new ceramide 2S,3R-4E,8E-2-(hexadecanoylamino)-docosa-4,8-diene-1,3-diol (1), along with two known ceramides, namely, 2S,3R-4E,8E-2-(octadecanoylamino)-octadeca-4,8-diene-1,3-diol (2) and 2S,3R-4E-2-(octadecanoylamino)-octadec-4-ene-1-ol (3) were isolated from the chloroform extract of the Egyptian Red Sea soft coral Heteroxenia ghardaqensis. Additionally, cholesterol, cholesterol-3β-acetate, 7β-hydroxy cholesterol, cosanyl octadecanoate, and hexadecanyl octadecanoate were also isolated. The isolated compounds were identified by spectroscopic methods involving 1D, 2D-NMR and ESI-MS. The ceramides (1) and (2) showed moderate cytotoxic activity as growth inhibitors of human hept-G2 cancer cell lines. The protective action of the chloroform extract on cadmium-induced adrenal toxicity was observed by the decrease of the hydropic degeneration in the cortex and normal medulla.

Since ancient times, essential oils from medicinal plants have supplied a huge repository of secondary metabolites. Genus Callistemon, Myrtaceae, was described to have nematicidal, antithrombotic, antistaphylococcal, antioxidant, and insecticidal activities. In this study we investigate the chemical composition of essential oils from the leaves and the flowers of C. macropunctatus (Dum.Cours.) Court and Callistemon subulatus (Cheel) from two geographical locations: Australia and Egypt. GC MS analysis identified a total of sixty-one volatile components and showed that the major constituents were 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, α-terpineol, limonene and α-phellandrene in the leaves and α-pinene, 1,8-cineole, α-phellandrene, limonene and α-terpineol in the flowers of Callistemon species. To discriminate the oil complexity within factors as location, plant parts and species, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were employed. Furthermore, the cytotoxic effect of the oil samples was assayed against the human liver cancer cell line HepG2 to reveal a potent anticancer potential with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ranging from 1.76 μg/mL to 13.41 μg/mL. To gain insight into the cellular mechanism of the cytotoxic activity, Callistemon volatile oils’ activities on topoisomerases I-β and II-β were explored, which demonstrated significant enzyme inhibition with IC50 values as low as 819.6 ng/mL. Molecular in-silico docking study of the major oil components within the active binding site of the human topoisomerases I-β and II-β was conducted. α-terpineol showed promising alkyl interactions in the binding pockets of topoisomerase I B and II B, with a docking Gibb’s free energy values of -27.0913 and -26.6478 kcal/mol, respectively. Whereas it bounded to Arg503 and four nucleotide regions deoxyadenosine DA12, deoxythymidine DT9, deoxyguanosine DG13, deoxycytidine DC8 in the topoisomerase II-β enzyme pocket, it interacted with Topo I-β enzyme through hydrophobic alkyl and Pi-alkyl binding interactions with DA12, DG13 and Arg503. Furthermore, the oxygen in the hydroxyl group showed two additional non-covalent bonds: a conventional hydrogen bond with Asp533 and water hydrogen bond with a water molecule in the vicinity of the binding surface. This research highlights the future possibility of having Callistemon subulatus as a potential natural drug for treatment of liver cancer.

International audience; More than 40 years after its discovery, artemisinin has become the most promising antimalarial agent. However, no intravenous formulation is available due to its poor aqueous solubility. Here, we report the preparation, characterization, and in vitro and in vivo biological evaluation of biodegradable albumin-bound artemisinin nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were prepared by a combination of a bottom-up and a top-down processes and characterized by different spectroscopic techniques. The preparation process was optimized to develop a nanoformulation with the smallest possible diameter and good homogeneity suitable for intravenous injection enabling direct contact of artemisinin with infected erythrocytes. Chemically and physically stable artemisinin nanoparticles were obtained with excellent entrapment efficiency. In in vitro experiments, the artemisinin nanoformulation was interestingly more effective than non-formulated artemisinin. In Plasmodiumm falciparum-infected 'humanized' mice, the nanoparticles proved to be highly effective with 96% parasitemia inhibition at 10mg/kg/day, prolonging mean survival time without recrudescence. This nanoparticulate albumin-bound system allows the intravenous administration of artemisinin for the first time without harsh organic solvents or cosolvents with 100% bioavailability.

International audience; Leaf extracts of Cassia roxburghii DC., prepared in petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and methanol/water (70:30, v/v), were evaluated as antioxidant, pro-oxidant, anti-infectious, and cytotoxic agents. The major metabolite of each extract was identified by chromatographic and spectroscopic means. The redox properties were assessed with a battery of assays, which revealed that the ethyl acetate extract demonstrated an interesting scavenging activity of DPPH and superoxide radicals and an ascorbic acid-like pro-oxidant activity. All the tested extracts showed moderate antiplasmodial activity against a chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum, by possible disruption of parasite fine redox balance. Cytotoxicity was evaluated against a human breast cancer cell line. The antimicrobial activities of the extracts were estimated against representative bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus hirae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli) and fungal species (Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger). The ethylacetate extract possessed the highest redox properties and exhibited the highest antiplasmodial activity; there was no correlation between antibacterial activity and the redox properties of the extracts.

Background: Stem cell therapy was suggested to improve the quality of life to patients of UC through its powerful immunomodulatory effects and its ability to stimulate regeneration of intestinal mucosa. Aim of the work: To evaluate autologous bone marrow stem cells transplantation as a treatment option for cases of active ulcerative colitis in comparison with the conventional treatment, and to evaluate its safety and feasibility. Patients and methods: 10 patients of active ulcerative colitis were intravenously injected with autologous bone marrow mononuclear layer containing stem cell and continued on their conventional treatment. Clinical, laboratory and endoscopic assessment of disease severity were done before and after 3 months after SCT. Results: There was statistically significant improvement in the number of diarrheal motions, heart rate, ESR, CRP, disease extent and severity after SCT with p value0.026, 0.009, 0.006, 0.012, 0.038 respectively with no recorded side effects or complications. Conclusion: Bone marrow stem Cell transplantation for patients of ulcerative colitis is a safe and feasible procedure. It can improve the quality of life of the patients as well as the disease activity assessed by clinical assessment, laboratory tests, endoscopic extent and severity.

International audience; We recently showed that the indolone-N-oxides can be promising candidates for the treatment of chloroquine-resistant malaria. However, the in vivo assays have been hampered by the very poor aqueous solubility of these compounds resulting in poor and variable activity. Here, we describe the preparation, characterization and in vivo evaluation of biodegradable albumin-bound indolone-N-oxide nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were prepared by precipitation followed by high-pressure homogenization and characterized by photon correlation spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray powder diffraction. The process was optimized to yield nanoparticles of controllable diameter with narrow size distribution suitable for intravenous administration, which guarantees direct drug contact with parasitized erythrocytes. Stable nanoparticles showed greatly enhanced dissolution rate (complete drug release within 30 min compared to 1.5% of pure drug) preserving the rapid antimalarial activity. The formulation achieved complete cure of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice at 25mg/kg with parasitemia inhibition (99.1%) comparable to that of artesunate and chloroquine and was remarkably more effective in prolonging survival time and inhibiting recrudescence. In 'humanized' mice infected with Plasmodium falciparum, the same dose proved to be highly effective: with parasitemia reduced by 97.5% and the mean survival time prolonged. This formulation can help advance the preclinical trials of indolone-N-oxides. Albumin-bound nanoparticles represent a new strategic approach to use this most abundant plasma protein to target malaria-infected erythrocytes.

International audience; Three new spermidine alkaloids and two known compounds were isolated from the leaves of Androya decaryi. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of their spectroscopic data (NMR and mass spectrometry), by X-Ray diffraction and by comparison with literature values. Evaluation of the in vitro antiplamosdial properties of the isolated compounds revealed they did not possess any significant activity.

The binding affinity of human serum albumin (HSA) to three antimalarial indolone-N-oxide derivatives, INODs, was investigated under simulated physiological conditions using fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with UV-vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Analysis of fluorescence quenching data of HSA by these compounds at different temperatures using Stern-Volmer and Lineweaver-Burk methods revealed the formation of a ground state indolone-HSA complex with binding affinities of the order 10(4) M(-1). The thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS, calculated at different temperatures, indicated that the binding reaction was endothermic and hydrophobic interactions play a major role in this association. The conformational changes of HSA were investigated qualitatively using synchronous fluorescence and quantitatively using CD. Site marker competitive experiments showed that the binding process took place primarily at site I (subdomain IIA) of HSA. The number of binding sites and the apparent binding constants were also studied in the presence of different ions.

International audience; Bioreducible indolone-N-oxides have demonstrated their potent antimalarial activities with, however, a short half-life. The deox-ygenated analogues, 2-aryl-3H-indol-3-ones, a reduced chemical form obtained by synthesis, have similar antiplasmodial prop-erties against the blood stages of Plasmodium falciparumin vitro, with, however, a low aqueous solubility in vivo. Albumin-based nanosuspensions were used to solubilize these new compounds to conduct experiments in vivo using the P. berghei ANKA mu-rine model to determine the antimalarial activity of the most active derivative of this deoxygenated series, the 5-methoxy-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3H-indol-3-one (IND-1). Results were compared with its oxygenated analogue tested in the same conditions. Albumin-based nano-suspensions were prepared by precipitation, high-pressure homogenization and lyophilisation to yield nanoparticles of controlled diameter (350 nm) and polydispersity index (0.223) suitable for intravenous administration. The efficacy of IND-1, free and formulated in albumin-based nanosuspensions, was evaluated on a murine model infected with P. berghei ANKA. Assays revealed that the nanoformulation is much more potent (ED50 7.3 mg/kg/day, ip) than the non-formulated IND-1 (ED50 49.5 mg/kg/day, ip). Moreover, the albumin-based formulated nanosuspensions of IND-1 showed 100 % parasite-mia inhibition when administered iv and ip at 50 and 100 mg/kg/day, respectively. This inhibition was not reached with the clas-sical solvent/cosolvent methods. In conclusion, the albumin-based nanosuspensions of 2-aryl-3H-indol-3-ones greatly enhanced their antimalarial activities in vivo with a 7-fold decrease of the ED50 on ip administration compared to the free compound. How-ever, the reduction of the NO moiety did not significantly improve in vivo properties of the IND-1 compound compared, in the same conditions, to the INOD-1 compound.