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Bombax ceiba, an ethnomedically useful plant belonging to the Bombacaceae family, is traditionally used to treat various ailments. With the increase of interest in herbal remedies globally, it is imperative to scientifically validate the phytochemical profiling to ensure therapeutic utility and safety. The present study was designed to comprehensively analyze the phytochemical composition of Bombax ceiba seeds oil to provide evidence for its medicinal uses. The recommended standard Soxhlet extraction method was used to isolate the oil from the seeds. Its chemical profile, physicochemical parameters and antioxidant potential were characterized. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 31 diverse phytoconstituents including vital terpenoids, ketones, esters, alcohols, aliphatic acids, and other compounds in minor quantities which are known to possess wide pharmaceutical applications. The key unsaturated fatty acids identified with nutritional and therapeutic benefits were oleic, linoleic, palmitoleic, arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids. The high iodine value of 67.832g I/100g indicates a high degree of unsaturation. Although the DPPH assay showed minimal antioxidant activity, the myriad of bioactive components confers significant pharmacological utility to Bombax ceiba seeds oil. By providing in-depth phytochemical insights, this research work validates this oil's traditional and other medicinal uses, which can be further explored for newer ethnomedicine development.

Mustard (Brassica campestris L.) is a major oilseed crop that plays a crucial role in agriculture. Nevertheless, a number of abiotic factors, drought in particular, significantly reduce its production. Phenylalanine (PA) is a significant and efficacious amino acid in alleviating the adverse impacts of abiotic stressors, such as drought. Thus, the current experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of PA application (0 and 100 mg/L) on brassica varieties i.e., Faisal (V1) and Rachna (V2) under drought stress (50% field capacity). Drought stress reduced the shoot length (18 and 17%), root length (12.1 and 12.3%), total chlorophyll contents (47 and 45%), and biological yield (21 and 26%) of both varieties (V1 and V2), respectively. Foliar application of PA helped overcome drought-induced losses and enhanced shoot length (20 and 21%), total chlorophyll contents (46 and 58%), and biological yield (19 and 22%), whereas reducing the oxidative activities of H 2 O 2 (18 and 19%), MDA concentration (21 and 24%), and electrolyte leakage (19 and 21%) in both varieties (V1 and V2). Antioxidant activities, i.e., CAT, SOD, and POD, were further enhanced under PA treatment by 25, 11, and 14% in V1 and 31, 17, and 24% in V2. Overall findings suggest that exogenous PA treatment reduced the drought-induced oxidative damage and improved the yield, and ionic contents of mustard plants grown in pots. It should be emphasized, however, that studies examining the impacts of PA on open-field-grown brassica crops are still in their early stages, thus more work is needed in this area., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)