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Objective: This study aimed at the evaluation of anti antiproliferative activity of Lonicera nummularifolia, Lilium ledebourii, Campsis radicans and Parthenocissus quinquefolia extracts. Materials and Methods: The extract was taken from the fresh leaves and bulbs of the plants by maceration method in the dark. After separating the solvent, the remaining dry matter was added to the culture medium containing G292, A431 and KB cancer and HGF-1 normal cells. Cytotoxicity tests, as well as cell cycle and apoptosis tests were performed on cells treated with dry substances and untreated cells. Finally, the most effective extract was separated into fractions by preparative HPLC and the effective fraction was characterized by Triple-Quad LC/MS connected to the UHPLC system.Results: All extracts significantly enhanced cell death rate in the three cancer cell lines more than the HGF-1 line. The Methanolic extract of L. ledebourii bulbs exhibited considerable efficacy on apoptosis induction in the cancer cell lines. It seems that the mode of action for L. ledebourii methanolic extract is mediated through increased BID/MAPK14 expression and decreased MDM2/BCL2/MYC expression, which led to activation of the p53 protein-induced apoptosis. It was also determined that the effective fraction of L. ledebourii methanolic extract consists of substances such as caffeic acid, ferulic acid, coumarin acid, catechin and apigenin.Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that L. ledebourii is a promising source of bioactive compounds with anticancer properties.

In this research, we investigated the impact of drought stress on secondary metabolite production in cumin plants and the associated transcriptional changes in biosynthetic genes. Drought stress induced a significant increase in the levels of beta-carotene, lycopene, terpenes, anthocyanin, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and alkaloids, indicating an adaptive metabolic shift in response to adverse conditions. Concurrently, there was an upregulation in the expression of key biosynthetic genes, including Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), 3-deoxy-7-phosphoheptulonate synthase (DAHP synthase), Deoxy xylose phosphate reductase (DXS), 3‑hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), and Geranyl diphosphate synthase (GPPS), which corroborated the metabolite findings. Notably, while most secondary metabolites exhibited an increasing trend under drought stress, flavonoids displayed a disproportionate elevation, even as there was an overall decrease in phenolic compounds and other metabolites. This observation suggests the potential activation of alternative flavonoid synthesis pathways or the conversion of phenolic compounds to flavonoids during stress. Strong correlations were identified between the expression of biosynthetic genes and their respective metabolite concentrations, underscoring the central role of transcriptional regulation in secondary metabolite synthesis during drought stress. Collectively, our results provide a comprehensive understanding of the transcriptional and metabolic adaptations of cumin plants when exposed to drought stress. Such insights can be pivotal in designing drought-resilient crops, with significant implications for food security amidst escalating climatic challenges.

Spherical mesoporous silica MCM-41 was synthesized for adsorptive removal of sulfur compounds from fossil fuels using 1mM solution of dibenzothiophene (DBT) in dodecane as model oil. The prepared silica adsorbent has been characterized by nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis as well as Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), and transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) methods. Results showed that the prepared mesoporous adsorbent has ordered pore structures with surface area of 1106 m2/g and mean pore diameter of 3.54 nm. SEM micrographs indicated that prepared mesoporous silica (MCM-41) has spherical morphology with the narrow size distribution in the range of 200-300 nm. Hexagonal structure of pores has also been confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy and SAXS pattern. High performance liquid chromatography analysis has also been utilized to study the kinetics of the DBT adsorption from dodecane solution by means of the synthesized silica. Results showed that 0.03 g/mL of mesoporous silica has capability to adsorb more than 42% of DBT (a sulfur containing compound) from dodecane solution. The improvement of mass transfer via adsorption DBT by the prepared nanosorbent is an efficient method for enhancement of biodesulfurization kinetic.