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Abstract Background Camels are bred for their milk, meat, wool and hair, transportation, and their excrement as fuel. The seasonal reproduction of camel bull is accompanied by changes in sexual activity, the morphology, and function of the testes. This study aimed to evaluate the seasonal fluctuations in serum testosterone (T) levels as well as total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the testes of dromedary bulls (Camelus dromedarius) during the rutting and non-rutting seasons. Moreover, the impact of rutting season on the testicular size and histomorphology was also observed. Seventy mature dromedary bulls were divided into a rutting group (n = 35) and a non-rutting group (n = 35). From these bulls, blood samples and testes were collected during the rutting season (October to April) and non-rutting season (May to September) from a local slaughterhouse. Results All parameters changed significantly during rutting and non-rutting periods in camel bulls. The levels of TAC in testes, and serum T were significantly (P

A variety of metabolites produced by marine microorganisms are gaining high value for their significant biological properties. Therefore, the search for active secondary metabolites from marine bacteria against pathogenic microorganisms has become essential for alternative and effective strategies. In this study, Halomonas saccharevitans, a marine-derived bacterium, was cultured and fermented on a liquid medium. The ethyl acetate (EtOAc) crude extract was then fractioned yielded five fractions to study their biological effect. Two fractions had significantly higher activity, i.e., absolute n-hexane against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and absolute methanol (MeOH) against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, with promising MIC values. The time–kill kinetics assay for the very susceptible bacteria against active fractions was also examined. The antifungal assay of the active fractions had the highest activity against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans with the examined variable MFC values. The cytotoxic assay against HepG2 cells showed promising activities, resulting in a 78% inhibition of cell viability. Moreover, the antioxidant activities showed reasonable inhibition values at 21.87 ± 0.85% and 98.25 ± 1.45%, compared to the control. Molecular docking revealed a high affinity between major detected compounds with free binding energies. The active fractions were characterized by the presence of diverse chemically esters, phenolics, essential oils, and other organic compounds detected by GC–MS. In conclusion, H. saccharevitans, derived from the Red Sea, might be useful as an alternative source for the possible production of bioactive substances with a variety of biomedical application.

AbstractPeanut is the most important oil seed in the world and is becoming a valuable source of plant protein and other important functional ingredients. The present study was designed to explore the nutritional, microbiological, and sensorial properties of the functional cookies enriched with defatted peanut cake flour (DPCF). Peanut seeds were roasted in a microwave, and oil was extracted using a mechanical extruder. The leftover peanut cake residues were collected and utilized for the development of cookies. The mechanical grinder was used to grind the peanut cake into flour. Afterward, DPCF was added at different levels (0, 3, 7, 10, and 14%) to prepare functional and therapeutic cookies. The cookies were tested for their biochemical (proximate, mineral, and antioxidant), microbiological (Mold count), physical, and sensorial attributes. The results showed that the mineral content i.e. calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, manganese, phosphorus, and potassium in the wheat and DPCF were 21, 1.21, 23, 0.80, 0.73, 137, 134.62 and 178.5, 3.81, 49.68, 5.28, 4.95, 730, 1266.50 mg/100 g, respectively. The antioxidant profile of functional cookies was found to be best in the T4 (14% peanut cake flour) TPC (4.33 ± 0.08 GAE mg/g) and DPPH (1.11 ± 0.06 AAE mg/g), whereas the Control sample has the lowest TPC (1.04 ± 0.02 GAE mg/g) and DPPH (0.18 ± 0.01 AAE mg/g). The thickness, diameter and spread ratio were 3.94–5.54, 31.09–24.98 and 7.82–5.1 mm, respectively. In conclusion, defatted peanut cake flour (DPCF) is a great option to be added in precise amounts (14% of the total) to fill the nutritional gap in cookies.

Background: Endophytic fungi are associated within plant tissues without any harmful effects. They produce a diversity of metabolites and are well known as rich source of bioactive substances. This study aimed to identify fungal isolates from different medicinal plants, evaluate their antioxidant potency and detect components responsible for antioxidant activity. Results: In the present investigation, 4 endophytic fungal isolates were obtained from different medicinal plants Rumex nervosus, Pulicaria crispa and Withania somnifera. Those isolates were characterized as Penicilluim commune, Penicilluim glaucoroseum, Aspergillus flavipes and Fusarium chlamydosporum according to morphological and phylogenetic bases. These strains were propagated on humified rice and their crude ethyl acetate extracts were assayed for their total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant potency against DPPH free radicals. The results showed that the elevated constituent of phenolics was found in P. commune (148.24 mg/g), followed by F. chlamydosporum (124.25 mg/g), while the highest total flavonoids were determined in A. flavipes, followed by F. chlamydosporum, P. glaucoroseum, P. commune, respectively. Moreover, the maximum hydroxyl radical-scavenging assay was IC50 = 2.13 mg/mL exhibited by P. commune, followed by F. chlamydosporum (2.68 mg/mL). Weak antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects were reported by the studied strains against pathogenic isolates and (HepG2) hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. The fungal EtOAc extracts were characterized quantitatively by the incidence of different phenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, as detected by HPLC. Conclusions: Endophytic fungi derived from medicinal plants are a promising candidate for the wide industrial production of antioxidant agents with several useful medical and pharmaceutical applications.How to cite: Hassane A. M. A, Taha T. M, Awad M. F, et al. Radical scavenging potency, HPLC profiling and phylogenetic analysis of endophytic fungi isolated from selected medicinal plants of Saudi Arabia. Electron J Biotechnol 2022;58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2022.05.001

Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of multiple health complications, and it has become a major focus in targeted research fields. As known, black seeds are rich sources of bio-active compounds and widely used to promote human health due to their excellent medicinal and pharmaceutical properties. The present study investigated the antioxidant potency of various black seeds from plants and their derived mycoendophytes, and determined the total phenolic and flavonoid contents in different extracts, followed by characterization of major constituents by HPLC analysis. Finally, in silico docking determined their binding affinities to target myeloperoxidase enzymes. Ten dominant mycoendophytes were isolated from different black seed plants. Three isolates were then selected based on high antiradical potency and further identified by ITS ribosomal gene sequencing. Those isolated were Aspergillus niger TU 62, Chaetomium madrasense AUMC14830, and Rhizopus oryzae AUMC14823. Nigella sativa seeds and their corresponding endophyte A. niger had the highest content of phenolics in their n-butanol extracts (28.50 and 24.43 mg/g), flavonoids (15.02 and 11.45 mg/g), and antioxidant activities (90.48 and 81.48%), respectively, followed by Dodonaea viscosa and Portulaca oleracea along with their mycoendophytic R. oryzae and C. madrasense. Significant positive correlations were found between total phenolics, flavonoids, and the antioxidant activities of different tested extracts. The n-butanol extracts of both black seeds and their derived mycoendophytes showed reasonable IC50 values (0.81–1.44 mg/ml) compared to the control with significant correlations among their phytochemical contents. Overall, seventeen standard phenolics and flavonoids were used, and the compounds were detected in different degrees of existence and concentration in the examined extracts through HPLC analysis. Moreover, the investigation of the molecular simulation results of detected compounds against the myeloperoxidase enzyme revealed that, as a targeted antioxidant, rutin possessed a high affinity (−15.3184 kcal/mol) as an inhibitor. Taken together, the black seeds and their derived mycoendophytes are promising bio-prospects for the broad industrial sector of antioxidants with several valuable potential pharmaceutical and nutritional applications.

Egyptian Jallab (EJ) is a conical candy (light to dark brown), manufactured from a part of sugar cane juice, that is used in the black honey industry. EJ is considered an unrefined sugar or a non-centrifugal form of sugar. The traditional use of Jallab is as candy, but it can also be used for making ice cream, cupcakes, biscuits, and toffee, as well as being used in other food applications. In this study, EJ was used as a sugar substitute in ice cream at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%. Total solids, titratable acidity, pH, protein, ash, fat, specific gravity, weight per gallon, viscosity, color attributes, total antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid contents, as well as microbiological analyses, were tested. The total solids, protein, and ash in the Egyptian Jallab ice cream (EJIC) increased from 39.30, 4.85, and 0.87 to 41.19, 6.36, and 1.42, respectively. The gradual sugar substitution led to a significant increase in specific gravity and weight per gallon in pounds. The lightness (L*) of the ice cream decreased significantly due to the substitution of EJ for sugar. Moreover, there was a significant increase in a* (from 0.147 in control samples to 5.52 in treatment 4, which had 100% EJ). The changes in the b* values of Jallab ice cream samples were significantly increased due to the substitution of EJ for sugar. The control samples had a low value of antioxidant activity (21.53%) when compared with the treatment, which has EJ (88.82, 89.96, 91.98, and 92.14%) for EJIC1, EJIC2, EJIC3, and EJIC4, respectively. The total phenolic contents are 2.07, 3.03, 4.14, and 4.68 fold higher in the treatments with EJ substituted for sugar than in the control samples. Total flavonoid contents increased from 5.73 mg QE g−1 in control samples (TC) to 14.68, 21.54, 30.48, and 34.15 mg QE g−1 in EJIC1, EJIC2, EJIC3, and EJIC4 mg QE g−1 in ice cream samples, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybrid solar smart dryer (HSSD) was established to dry medicinal and aromatic herbs that are sensitive to direct sunlight. This study explores the effectiveness of the HSSD as an indirect solar drying technique in drying lemongrass, thyme, marjoram, and lavender at different temperatures (30, 40, and 50 ± 2 °C), focusing on its ability to retain quality features. The total energy consumption was estimated by values of 27.72 kWh for lemongrass and 43.02 kWh for lavender using HSSD at 50 ± 2 °C. Generally, HSSD showed an improvement in the studied physicochemical quality parameters. The green color retention was with the parameters of 15.60 ± 0.89, −5.28 ± 1.92, −3.89 ± 1.86, and −5.89 ± 2.40 for lemongrass, thyme, marjoram, and lavender samples, respectively. The highest values of the lemon grass, thyme, marjoram, and lavender oil content (1.96, 1.73, 3.40, and 2.76%, respectively) were obtained when the aromatic herbs were dried using the HSSD at 40 °C. This study showcased the effectiveness of solar dryers in preserving the physicochemical properties of lemongrass, thyme, marjoram, and lavender during drying, which could be applied to other food products. HSSD is a promising energy-efficient method that can save 19–36% of energy consumption, reducing the carbon footprint of drying processes and delivering high-quality products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports a facile and eco-friendly method for the green synthesis of platinum and palladium nanoparticles (Pt NPs and Pd NPs) using Peganum harmala seed alkaloid fraction. The ζ-potential of the synthesized Pt NPs, Pd NPs and Pt–Pd NPs were −11.2 ± 0.5, −9.7 ±1.2, and −12.7 ± 2.1 mV; respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the formation of spherical-shaped nanoparticles with smooth margins. The mean diameters of the synthesized Pt NPs, Pd NPs, and Pt–Pd NPs were determined using TEM analysis and were found to be 20.3 ± 1.9, 22.5 ± 5.7, and 33.5 ± 5.4 nm, respectively. The nanoparticles’ bioreduction was confirmed by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and their organic contents were determined by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The Pt–Pd NPs mixture showed more pronounced antioxidant activity of 843.0 ± 60 μM Trolox equivalent (TE)/mg NPs compared to the individual Pt NPs (277.3 ± 13.5 μM TE/mg NPs) and Pd NPs (167.6 ± 4.8 μM TE/mg NPs). Furthermore, the Pt–Pd NPs exhibited significant cytotoxic activities against lung cancer (A549) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells, IC50 of 8.8 and 3.6 µg/mL, respectively; as compared to Pt NPs (IC50 of 10.9 and 6.7 µg/mL, respectively) and Pd NPs (IC50 of 31 and 10.8 µg/mL, respectively and compared to carboplatin (IC50 of 23 and 9.5 µg/mL, respectively). Moreover, molecular docking studies were conducted to explore the possible anticancer and antioxidant mechanisms of the biogenic nanoparticles. Pt NPs, Pd NPs, and their mixture showed inhibitory activity against cysteine proteinase, which supports their high antitumor activity, but moderate antioxidant activity. In conclusion, Pd-Pt NPs mixture prepared using harmala seed alkaloid fraction showed potential as effective antineoplastic agents.

Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) have superior physicochemical properties and great potential in biomedical applications. Eco-friendly and economic approaches for the synthesis of PtNPs have been developed to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional physical and chemical methods. Various biogenic entities have been utilized in the green synthesis of PtNPs, including mainly plant extracts, algae, fungi bacteria, and their biomedical effects were assessed. Other biological derivatives have been used in the synthesis of PtNPs such as egg yolk, sheep milk, honey, and bovine serum albumin protein. The green approaches for the synthesis of PtNPs have reduced the reaction time, the energy required, and offered ambient conditions of fabrication. This review highlights the state-of-the-art methods used for green synthesis of PtNPs, synthesis parameters, and their reported biomedical applications.

The current study aimed to evaluate the hydrolysis of whole fat milk (WFM) and sweet whey (SW) using β-galactosidase (β-gal) after covalent immobilization onto activated alginate/tea waste (Alg/TW) beads as a novel carrier. The optimum temperature for free and Alg/TW/β-gal was 40 °C and the ideal pH was 7.0. However, Alg/TW/β-gal displayed better stabilities at high temperatures and a wide pH range. Additionally, the value of K m and V max for Alg/TW/β-gal was higher than the free enzyme. The Alg/TW/β-gal showed better residual activity (78.6 %) after 90 storage days at 4 °C. The reusability of Alg/TW/β-gal was very good as it conserved its full activity after 15 consecutive cycles and conserved 93 % of its initial activity after 10 cycles with ONPG (O -nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside) and lactose as a substrate, respectively. The impact of Alg/TW/β-gal on WFM and SW using HPLC analysis revealed a remarkable decrease in lactose concentration and increase of glucose and galactose concentrations. The SW exhibited higher degree of lactose hydrolysis (97.3 %) compared to WFM (62.4 %). Besides, SW had a prominent increase in total phenolic content (96.8 mg/L) compared to WFM (54.3 mg/L). The antioxidant activity had increased after enzyme treatment in both WFM and SW. The GC–MS analysis for volatile compounds identified twenty-five flavour constituents. Finally, Alg/TW/β-gal has a potential application for obtaining healthy, acceptable, and commercial dairy products of low lactose. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical reactivity of 3-[(E)-3-(dimethylamino)-2-propenoyl]-4-hydroxy-1-methy-2(1H)-quinolinone (1) towards some phosphorus reagents was studied. The enaminone 1 was cyclized into pyranoquinolinylphosphonate 2 via treatment with diethyl phosphite in basic medium. However, its reaction with triethoxy phosphonoacetate gave the substituted oxopyranylphosphonate 3. Using the same reaction conditions, both thioxopyridinylphosphonate 4 and oxopyranylphosphonate 5 were produced via a reaction of enaminone 1 with both diethyl 2-amino-2-thioxoethylphosphonate and diethyl vinylphosphonate, respectively, in low yields. In addition, the two novel oxopyridinylphosphonates 6 and 7 were obtained by treatment of enaminone 1 with a diethyl cyanomethylphosphonate reagent. Two oaxathiaphosphininyl derivatives, 8 and 9, were obtained by treatment of the enaminone 1 with O, O-diethyl dithiophosphoric acid under different reaction conditions. Diazaphosphininyl 11 and oxazaphosphininyl 12 derivatives were obtained in excellent yields using a P-phenylphosphonic diamide reagent under different reaction conditions. The treatment of the enaminone 1 with phosphorus pentasulfide produced the non-phosphorylated product thioxothiopyranoquinolinone 13. Finally, the enaminone was turned into oxathiaphosphininyl 14 using Lawesson's reagent. The possible reaction mechanisms of the formation of these products were discussed. The structures of newly isolated products were established by elemental analysis and spectral tools. The compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have shifted the attention from the synthetic bioactive compounds to the naturally existing ones for the purpose of novel therapeutic agent(s). Such studies focused on the bioactive compounds from natural sources. The bioactive compounds from natural sources, which are developed in living systems, are supposed to be more biological friendly than synthesized ones, making them excellent therapeutic candidates for further discovery of drugs. Cancer is one of the leading deaths causes worldwide associated with uncontrolled proliferating cells. Chemotherapy is one of the first line treatment debulking surgery for many tumors. Hence, investigating the natural resources like plant and animal tissues to find out anti-cancer agents shows long standing interest for many researchers worldwide. In this study, we reviewed literatures for the medicinal uses of some Arecaceae family members with focus on their potentials as the anti-proliferating and/or cytotoxic agents, and further, making them a good source for potential anti-cancer agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antioxidant and antimicrobial wound dressings are the most favorable for acute and chronic wounds treatment. Herein, we formulated a multifunctional polyelectrolyte wound dressing membrane on the basis of chitosan (Ch) and hyaluronan (HA) enhanced by phosphatidylcholine dihydroquercetin (PCDQ). Physicochemical properties and microstructures of fabricated films were investigated adopting Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Furthermore, water uptakes, wettability profiles, surface roughness, and mechanical characteristics of the developed membranes were studied. The developed wound dressing revealed free radical scavenging potency, hemocompatibility with a tendency to enhance blood clotting. Furthermore, incorporation of PCDQ significantly promoted the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of Ch/HA/PCDQ. Moreover, Ch/HA/PCDQ films exhibited cellular compatibility towards mouse fibroblast cells. The capability of Ch/HA/PCDQ to promote wound healing was evaluated using adult Wistar albino female rats. The in vivo findings demonstrated that Ch/HA/PCDQ films significantly ameliorated mouse full-thickness wounds as evidenced by a reduction in the wound area. Moreover, histological examinations of wounds dressed with Ch/HA/PCDQ illustrated a prominent re-epithelialization compared with wounds handled with the cotton gauze and Ch/HA dressings, exposing the efficiency of PCDQ. These findings emphasized that a Ch/HA/PCDQ membrane has outstanding potential for wound healing and skin regeneration. • A novel chitosan/hyaluronan/phosphatidylcholine dihydroquercetin membrane was fabricated and characterized. • The Ch/HA/PCDQ dressing demonstrated antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory competency. • The developed Ch/HA/PCDQ membrane exposed salient hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. • A significant improvement in the wound healing was perceived by Ch/HA/PCDQ dressing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel chromenyl α-aminophosphonic acid 4 and dialkyl chromenyl phosphonate 6 have been obtained. In addition, some novel types of chromene fused with phosphorus heterocycles such as chromeno[4,3-c][1,2]azaphospholes 5 and 7, chromeno[2,3-d][1,3,2]diazaphosphinine 8 and 1,2-oxaphosphinino[3,4-c]pyridine 10 have been synthesized. The methodology depended on treatment of 2-imino-2H-chromene-3-carboxamide (1) with some phosphorus esters. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Among the synthesized compounds, compound 5 exhibited the most antioxidant activity with IC50 = 2.8 μg/mL in comparison with ascorbic acid as standard antioxidant. Also, compound 5 had significant cytotoxic effects against four cancer cell lines. Its IC50 values ranged between 4.96 and 7.44 μg/mL in comparison to doxorubicin (IC50 = 0.426–0.493 μg/mL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel 1,3,4,2-oxadiazaphosphepino[6,7-c]quinolinones3–5, 9, and11have been synthesized from treatment of 4-hydroxy-1-methyl-3-[1-(2-phenylhydrazinylidene)ethyl]quinolin-2(1H)-one (2) with some phosphorus sulfides, diethyl phosphite and phenyl phosphonic dichloride, respectively, in dry dioxane. Also, reaction of hydrazone2with tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphite under the same reaction conditions gave pyrazolo[3,4:4′,3′]quinolino[5,1-c][1,4,2]oxazaphosphinine10. However, when hydrazone2was treated with phosphonic acid, phosphorus tribromide or phosphorus oxychloride, 3,5-dimethyl-1-phenyl-1,5-dihydro-4H-pyrazolo[4,3-c]quinolin-4-one (7) was isolated in all cases. The compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant activities. Among the synthesized compounds, 1,3,4,2-oxadiazaphosphepino[6,7-c]quinolinone-2-sulfide5and its analogue 2-oxide11exhibited higher antioxidant activities than the standard antioxidant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Acrylamide is a toxic compound generated under oxidative stress arising from intracellular ROS production and induced toxicity. It is frequently used in industry and generated through the heating of tobacco and foods high in carbohydrates. The exact mechanism of its toxicity is still unclear. In this study, an extract of the peels of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), a nutritious and visually appealing fruit with a diverse bioactive profile, was examined for its potential anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. A total of 40 adult male Wistar rats were allocated into four groups of 10 rats each: Group 1 was a negative-control group (CNT) and received normal saline; Group 2 was a positive-control acrylamide group and received acrylamide orally at a dose of 20 mg/kg/bw; in Group 3, the rats were supplemented with pomegranate-peel extract (P.P; 150 mg/kg/bw) orally on a daily basis for 3 weeks, administered simultaneously with the acrylamide treatment described for Group 2; Group 4 was a protective group, and the animals received the pomegranate-peel extract and acrylamide as stated for Groups 2 and 3, with the pomegranate-peel extract (P.P. extract) administered 1 week earlier than the acrylamide. The results indicate that acrylamide exposure increased the serum levels of AST, ALT, creatinine, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6 in an extraordinary manner. In addition, it increased the lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde (MDA) and simultaneously weakened antioxidant biomarker activities (SOD, GSH, and catalase) and reduced the levels of interleukin-10. The pomegranate-peel extract was shown to reduce the inflammatory blood markers of interleukin-1 beta and IL-6. Glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and interleukin-10 were all significantly elevated in comparison to the acrylamide-treatment group as a result of the significant reduction in MDA levels induced by the P.P extract. In addition, the pomegranate-peel extract normalized the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1), and caspase-3 levels, with a significant upregulation of the mRNA expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), nuclear factor erythroid 2 (Nrf2), and Bcl-2. Therefore, these data reveal that pomegranate peel has anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, free-radical-scavenging, and powerful antioxidant activity that protects against acrylamide toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermented oat by probiotics has an increasing interest due to its high nutritional value and several health benefits. It may be produced as a good alternative to avoid the drawbacks of dairy products such as lactose intolerance and casein allergy in cow's milk. This review is focused on the effects of probiotic-fermentation on the nutritional value and anti-nutritional factors of oat seeds. The strategies for improving oat fermentation by probiotics were discussed. Also, the current review presents the potential food applications and health benefits of fermented oat. Moreover, the safety issues of probiotic-fermented oat as well as the suggestions to prevent these issues were summarized. Fermentation by probiotics improves the antioxidant activity and phenolic content, increases the levels and bioavailability of vitamins and minerals, enhances protein digestibility, and decreases the anti-nutritional factors of oat. The addition of prebiotics such as inulin and isoflavones promotes the growth and survival of probiotics in probiotic-fermented oat. Also, the combination of probiotic-fermentation with other effective techniques such as high-intensity ultrasound improved the quality properties and health benefits of probiotic-fermented oat. Probiotic-fermented oat showed many potential biological activities such as antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial activities. Also, these fermented foods can be used for many food applications such as the production of synbiotic beverages, synbiotic microcapsules, oat-based non-dairy yogurt, and gluten-free fermented foods. However, probiotic-fermented oat products may have potential hazards related to food safety, including foodborne pathogens and mycotoxins due to production under unhygienic conditions. • Prebiotics, germination, and ultrasound improve the probiotic-fermentation of oat. • Probiotic-fermentation decreases the phytate content of oat. • Probiotic-fermented oat has many potential food applications. • Probiotic-fermented oat exhibits many health benefits. • Safety issues of probiotic-fermented oat were summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports a facile and eco-friendly method for the green synthesis of platinum and palladium nanoparticles (Pt NPs and Pd NPs) using Peganum harmala seed alkaloid fraction. The ζ-potential of the synthesized Pt NPs, Pd NPs and Pt–Pd NPs were −11.2 ± 0.5, −9.7 ±1.2, and −12.7 ± 2.1 mV; respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the formation of spherical-shaped nanoparticles with smooth margins. The mean diameters of the synthesized Pt NPs, Pd NPs, and Pt–Pd NPs were determined using TEM analysis and were found to be 20.3 ± 1.9, 22.5 ± 5.7, and 33.5 ± 5.4 nm, respectively. The nanoparticles' bioreduction was confirmed by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and their organic contents were determined by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The Pt–Pd NPs mixture showed more pronounced antioxidant activity of 843.0 ± 60 μM Trolox equivalent (TE)/mg NPs compared to the individual Pt NPs (277.3 ± 13.5 μM TE/mg NPs) and Pd NPs (167.6 ± 4.8 μM TE/mg NPs). Furthermore, the Pt–Pd NPs exhibited significant cytotoxic activities against lung cancer (A549) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells, IC50 of 8.8 and 3.6 µg/mL, respectively; as compared to Pt NPs (IC50 of 10.9 and 6.7 µg/mL, respectively) and Pd NPs (IC50 of 31 and 10.8 µg/mL, respectively and compared to carboplatin (IC50 of 23 and 9.5 µg/mL, respectively). Moreover, molecular docking studies were conducted to explore the possible anticancer and antioxidant mechanisms of the biogenic nanoparticles. Pt NPs, Pd NPs, and their mixture showed inhibitory activity against cysteine proteinase, which supports their high antitumor activity, but moderate antioxidant activity. In conclusion, Pd-Pt NPs mixture prepared using harmala seed alkaloid fraction showed potential as effective antineoplastic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress alters photosynthetic components and the antioxidant scavenging system, negatively affecting plant growth and development. Plants overcome heat stress damage through an integrated network involving enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. This study aimed to assess physiological and biochemical responses in contrasting thermo-tolerant wheat varieties exposed to 25 °C (control) and 35 °C (heat stress), during the seedling stage. Our results revealed a substantial decrease in the photosynthetic pigments, carotenoids, anthocyanin content, and increased membrane injury index, malondialdehyde, methylglyoxal (MG), H2O2 contents and lipoxygenase activity compared to non-stress wheat seedlings. The heat-tolerant variety BARI Gom 26 ("BG26") maintained higher cellular homeostasis compared to the heat susceptible variety Pavon 76 ("Pavon"), perpetuated by higher accumulation of proline, glycine betaine, ascorbate-glutathione cycle associated enzymes, reduced glutathione and ascorbate concentration in plant cells. Significantly lower levels of MG detoxification and antioxidant activities and ascorbate-glutathione cycle-related enzymatic activities lead to increased susceptibility in variety "Pavon". Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis revealed that variety "BG26" possess a combination of biochemical responses tailoring antioxidant activities that induced a higher level of tolerance. Taken together, our results provide a pipeline for establishing a trade-off between antioxidant capacity and heat tolerance to facilitate functional genomics and translational research to unravel underlying mechanisms to better adapt wheat to heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) have superior physicochemical properties and great potential in biomedical applications. Eco-friendly and economic approaches for the synthesis of PtNPs have been developed to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional physical and chemical methods. Various biogenic entities have been utilized in the green synthesis of PtNPs, including mainly plant extracts, algae, fungi bacteria, and their biomedical effects were assessed. Other biological derivatives have been used in the synthesis of PtNPs such as egg yolk, sheep milk, honey, and bovine serum albumin protein. The green approaches for the synthesis of PtNPs have reduced the reaction time, the energy required, and offered ambient conditions of fabrication. This review highlights the state-of-the-art methods used for green synthesis of PtNPs, synthesis parameters, and their reported biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to synthesize a functionalized chitosan by coupling the amine groups of chitosan with 2,4,6-Trimethoxybenzaldehyde, producing a chitosan Schiff base (Cs-TMB). The development of Cs-TMB was verified employing FT-IR, 1H NMR, the electronic spectrum, and elemental analysis. Antioxidant assays exhibited significant ameliorations of Cs-TMB, reporting scavenging activities of 69.67 ± 3.48 % and 39.65 ± 1.98 % for ABTS•+ and DPPH, respectively, while native chitosan showed scavenging ratios of 22.69 ± 1.13 % and 8.24 ± 0.4.1 % toward ABTS•+ and DPPH, respectively. Besides, Cs-TMB exerted significant antibacterial activity up to 90 % with remarkable bactericidal capacity against virulent gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria compared to the original chitosan. Furthermore, Cs-TMB exhibited a safe profile against normal fibroblast cells (HFB4). Interestingly, flow cytometric analysis showed that Cs-TMB demonstrated prominent anticancer properties of 52.35 ± 2.99 % against human skin cancer cells (A375), compared to 10.66 ± 0.55 % for Cs-treated cells. Moreover, Python and PyMOL in-house scripts were used to predict the interaction of Cs-TMB with the adenosine A1 receptor and visualized as a protein-ligand system submerged in a lipid membrane. Overall, these findings accentuate that Cs-TMB could be a favorable representative for wound dressing formulations and skin cancer treatment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the chitosan backbone was functionalized with 2,2′,4,4′-tetrahydroxybenzophenone by Schiff base, bonding the molecules into the repeating amine groups. The use of 1H NMR, FT-IR, and UV–Vis analyses provided compelling evidence of the structure of the newly developed derivatives. The deacetylation degree was calculated to be 75.35 %, and the degree of substitution was 5.53 % according to elemental analysis. The thermal analysis of samples using TGA demonstrated that CS-THB derivatives are more stable than chitosan itself. SEM was used to investigate the change in surface morphology. The improvement of the biological properties of chitosan was investigated in terms of its antibacterial activity against pathogenic antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The antioxidant properties showed an improvement in activity compared to chitosan by two times against ABTS radicals and four times against DPPH radicals. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory properties were investigated using normal skin cells (HBF4) and WBCs. Quantum chemistry calculations revealed that combining polyphenol with chitosan makes it more effective as an antioxidant than either chitosan or polyphenol alone. Our findings suggest that the new chitosan Schiff base derivative could be utilized for tissue regeneration applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]