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Plants have been seen to possess the potential to be excellent biological matrices to serve as a basis for investigating the presence of promising therapeutic agents for cancer treatment. Several successful anti-cancer medicines - or their analogues - nowadays in use are plant derived and many more are under clinical trials. Under current circumstances, the purpose of this work was to test aqueous and ethanolic extracts of five aromatic and medicinal plants from arid zones on some tumor cell lines. These plants, Cymbopogon schoenanthus (L.) Spreng, Crithmum maritimum (L.) Spreng, Hammada scoparia (Pomel) Iljin, Retama raetam (Forssk.) and Zizyphus lotus (L.) Desf., widely used in Tunisian ethnomedicine, were assessed for their phenolic compounds, antioxidants and anticancer activities in aqueous and ethanol extracts. Total polyphenols, flavonoid and tannin contents were determined colorimetrically and some of these molecules were identified using RP-HPLC. A significant difference on phenolic contents and composition were found among the investigated plants. Cymbopogon schoenanthus was the richest in phenolic compounds (approx. 72%) with quercetine-3-o-rhamnoside (approx. 33%) as main contributor. For all the tested plants, the highest antioxidant capacity was detected in the ethanolic extracts rather than in the aqueous ones. The highest antiproliferative potential was observed for the ethanolic extracts. Hammada scoparia, Retama raetam and Zizyphus lotus exhibited important antiproliferative effect that reached 67% at a 1% extract concentration. Taken together, the present study supports the potential development of chemotherapeutic agents from, at least, four of the five studied Tunisian ethnomedicinal plants.

In this study, we examined the combined effect of moderate salinity (100 mM NaCl) and three phosphorus (P) levels: low, moderate and high (5 µM, 60 µM and 180 µM KH2PO4, respectively) on several physiological parameters in the facultative halophyte Aeluropus littoralis. Our results showed that plants cultivated under low P availability exhibited higher leaf hair and trichome densities, root length, and shoot soluble sugars concentrations. The response of plants to combined salinity and P deficiency was similar to that of plants cultivated under P deficiency only. Furthermore, in the absence of salt, A. littoralis plants reached maximum biomass at 180 µMP. However, in the presence of 100 mM NaCl, plants exhibited maximum growth from 60 µMP which suggests that salt supply decreased P requirements of A. littoralis plants. Moreover, salinity has no significant effect on biomass production, shoot water content and shoot potassium (K+) content when combined with 5 µMP and it significantly decreased gradually these parameters when combined with 60 µMP and 180 µMP. This was associated with higher values of P and K use efficiencies, leaf hair and trichome densities, total polyphenol content, and total antioxidant capacity in plants cultivated under combined effects of salinity and P deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to characterise phenolic compounds of olive flower obtained from Olive tree cultivar Chemlali and to investigate their anticancer effect on MCF-7 cells. Phenolic characterisation was determined using LC/MS-MS. Cytotoxicity of the extract was determined using MTT. Biochemical markers of apoptosis were evaluated by immunoblotting. Our results showed that olive flower contained significant amounts of phenolic compounds mainly flavonoids, secoiridoids and simple phenols. Furthermore, the phenolic extract exerted a significant reduction in MCF-7 cell viability (EC50 values equal to 220.8 μg/ml). Western blot analysis revealed the presence of the cleaved forms of Parp-1. The DAPI staining analysis demonstrated a significant reduction in the number of cells and a considerable change in the morphology of the treated cells. In conclusion, Olea europaea. L flower contained great amounts of different bio-phenols able to reduce the proliferative activity of breast cancer MCF-7 cells by the induction of apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Anisakidosis is caused by the ingestion of raw or undercooked fish or cephalopods containing viable Anisakis larvae. Several natural extracts, oils, essential oils, and their compounds have been tested against Anisakis. In this study the effectiveness of Tunisian olive oil with different spices or plants (cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, laurel, and rosemary) was tested against Anisakis larvae type 1. RESULTS: For the in vitro test, larvae were submerged separately in the oils mentioned above and observed to check viability. Cinnamon oil was the most effective against parasites with lethal time (LT) scores being LT50 = 1.5 days and LT100 = 3 days, followed by rosemary. Laurel, cardamom, and ginger oils were less effective. For the ex vivo experiment, cinnamon, and rosemary oils were tested in anchovy fillets, previously artificially parasitized. Cinnamon was the most effective against parasites (dead after 4 days) as compared to rosemary (7 days). CONCLUSION: The use of cinnamon and rosemary‐flavored olive oil in the industrial marinating process can be considered as an efficient alternative to the freezing process required by European Regulation EC No 853/2004 to devitalize Anisakis. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined effects of NaCl-salinity and phosphorus deficiency on biomass production, nutritional status, and photosynthetic activity were studied in Catapodium rigidum: an annual Poacea with fodder potential. Plants were grown in hydroponic conditions for 55 days under two phosphorus (P) supply: 5 (low) or 180 µmol KH2PO4 (sufficient), in the absence or presence of 100 mM NaCl. Obtained results demonstrated that both salinity and P deficiency treatments applied separately reduced substantially plant growth and CO2 assimilation rate with a more marked impact of salt stress. Salinity has no substantial effect on both shoot P concentrations and phosphorus acquisition efficiency independently of P availability. The highest decrease in plant growth (−91%) was observed in plants simultaneously submitted to both stresses suggesting an additive effect of the two stresses and that P deficiency increased the susceptibility of C. rigidum to salinity. This may be linked to a significant decrease in potassium acquisition (−95%), K/Na selectivity ratio (−73%), stomatal conductance (−66%), CO2 assimilation rate (−64%), and shoot water content (66%). Furthermore, plants cultivated under combined salinity and sufficient P supply displayed higher stomatal conductance, CO2 assimilation rate, K/Na selectivity ratio, and plant growth than plants cultivated under combined effects of salinity and P deficiency. These results suggest that adding P to saline soils could be an alternative for alleviating the negative effects of salinity and may ameliorate salinity tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]