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The Anabasis aphylla L. aerial parts was harvested from five different populations located in Golestan National Park, Iran. The phenolic content and antioxidant potencies of the ethanolic extracts were measured using the Folin–Ciocalteu and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) methods, respectively. Moreover, the effects of two factors soil electrical conductivity and soil acidity on phenolic content and antioxidant properties of the extracts were evaluated. Consequently, no significant difference between different populations of Anabasis aphylla L. in terms of total phenol content was detected; however, a significant difference was observed between the electrical conductivity of the soil samples. The studied factors showed no significant correlation between the electrical conductivity and soil acidity with the total phenol and antioxidant effect, although a negative correlation between total phenol and IC50 (–0.81) was identified. In conclusion, the present study the effect of two factors of soil acidity and electrical conductivity on the amount of total phenol is not confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The zinc oxide‐silver oxide nanocomposite (ZnO.Ag2O3 particles) was prepared by using an aqueous plant extract of Haplophyllum obtusifolium for the first time. Powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transforms spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were applied to analyze the structure, functional groups, morphology, and purity of the prepared nanocomposite. PXRD revealed the formulation of ZnO.Ag2O3 for the particles. The investigation of functional groups has demonstrated the presence of some carbonated impurities along with absorbed water in the composition of the ZnO.Ag2O3 nanocomposite. Morphologically, particles have formed a petal‐like shape with different sizes. The EDX analysis also confirmed the composition of the prepared sample and the presence of 4.78% silver in the formula. Additionally, the TEM analysis revealed spherical and rectangular shapes with a particle size of 80.43 ± 46.73 nm. Moreover, the ZnO.Ag2O3 particles were used against cancer cells, which has shown synthesized NCs have a toxic effect against liver cancer cells in a concentration and time‐dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) is a medicinal and aromatic plant species from Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) and has been extensively used to treat digestive and pulmonary diseases. This plant is relatively sensitive to salinity. To investigate the effect of salinity stress at levels of 0, 40, and 80 mM NaCl in combination with 0 and 5% v/v vermicompost mixed with soil on the growth as well as the physiological and biochemical traits of two fennel landraces planted in Urmia and Shiraz areas, a factorial experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design in three replications under greenhouse conditions. The plants were sampled in the flowering stage eleven weeks after cultivation. As the results showed, vermicompost treatment together with salinity stress could enhance the growth traits of the plants, such as the length and dry weight of shoots; leaf area and dry weight of roots; photosynthetic pigments, i.e., chlorophylls and carotenoids; membrane stability index; relative water content, soluble sugar, soluble protein, proline, total phenol, and anthocyanin in the shoots; mineral elements, i.e., phosphate, nitrate, zinc, molybdenum, magnesium, and iron in the shoots; and potassium and calcium in the shoots and roots. The interaction of vermicompost and salinity also decreased the aldehydes, total flavonoids, activity of catalase enzyme and shoot starch, soluble sugar and root proline, and sodium content of both shoots and roots. In a comparison of the two studied fennel landraces, the Shiraz landrace emerged to be less affected by salinity stress. In saline conditions, vermicompost caused a change in the physiological and biochemical parameters of both fennel landraces and improved their growth. The improvement in the growth conditions in the Urmia landrace was more obvious due to the use of vermicompost. Using vermicompost plus 40 mM NaCl salinity, the dry weight of the shoot and leaf surface of the Urmia landrace increased by about 3 and 2.5 times, respectively, and under 80 mM NaCl, the dry weight of the shoot and leaf surface increased by 2.7 and 1.2 times compared to the control. According to the experiments, it seems that vermicompost can limit the harmful effects of salinity on fennel plants by affecting photosynthetic pigments, osmolytes, phenolic compounds, antioxidants, the stability of membranes, and the availability of water and essential minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibition of cholinesterase (ChE) activity has been long considered as the main diagnostic method of organophosphate (OP) and carbamate pesticides poisoning; however, it has been shown that ChE activity may also be altered due to exposure to other non‐organophosphorus toxicants and variety of different medical conditions. Hence, to avoid misdiagnosis, we aimed to systematically review available documents to look for additional biomarkers of OP and carbamate poisoning. The electronic databases in addition to Google scholar were searched for eligible articles on March 2022 using "organophosphate," "carbamate," and "biomarker" including all their similar terms. After collecting the relevant documents, the data were extracted and described qualitatively. In total, data of 66 articles from 51 human and 15 animal studies were extracted. Findings demonstrated that enzymes such as β‐glucuronidase, neuropathy target esterase, amylase, and lipase, in addition to hematological indicators such as CBC, CRP, lactate dehydrogenase, and CPK have high sensitivity and accuracy in the diagnosis of OP poisoning. Findings suggest that using various markers for diagnosis of OP intoxication is helpful for appropriate management, and early identifying the patients at risk of death. The suggested biomarkers also help to avoid misdiagnosis of OP poisoning with other similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared via a 'green' procedure using an aqueous extract of Handelia trichophylla. The formation of AgNPs was confirmed by its light brown colour. The AgNPs were formed in silver nitrate (1 mM) via a bioreduction process in spherically shaped NPs with a mean diameter in the range of 20–50 nm. Moreover, the green synthesized AgNPs seemed to demonstrate a higher antibacterial activity against human pathogenic bacteria. In addition, the in vitro cytotoxicity effect of biosynthesized AgNPs was also investigated, which was detected to be up to 15.62 μg ml–1 in the treated Neuro2A cells. Low toxicity and high antibacterial activity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles can be utilized in different biological, biomedical and industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been biosynthesised through the extracts of Ribes khorassanicum fruits, which served as the reducing agents and capping agents. Biosynthesised AgNPs have been found to be ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption spectra since they have displayed one surface plasmon resonance peak at 438 nm, attesting the formation of spherical NPs. These particles have been characterised by UV–vis, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analysis. The formation of AgNPs at 1.0 mM concentration of AgNO3 has resulted in NPs that contained mean diameters in a range of 20–40 nm. The green‐synthesised AgNPs have demonstrated high antibacterial effect against pathogenic bacteria (i.e. Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Biosynthesising metal NPs through plant extracts can serve as the facile and eco‐friendly alternative for chemical and/or physical methods that are utilised for large‐scale nanometal fabrication in various medical and industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salvia leriifolia Benth. (Lamiaceae) is an endangered medicinal plant with hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Many of the beneficial effects of Salvia spp. are attributed to the phenolic compounds. In the present study, an efficient procedure has been developed for establishment of cell suspension culture of S. leriifolia as a strategy to obtain an in vitro phenolic acids producing cell line for the first time. The effect of growth regulators and various concentrations of sucrose have been analyzed, to optimize biomass growth and phenolic acids production. The callus used for this purpose was obtained from leaves of 15-day-old in vitro seedlings, on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with different hormone balances including benzylaminopurine (BAP) and indole butyric acid (IBA); 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and kinetin (KIN); naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and BAP. Modified MS medium supplemented with 5 mg/L BAP and 5 mg/L NAA was the optimal condition for callus formation with the highest induction rate (100%), the best callus growth and the highest phenolic acids content. No callus induction was observed in combinations of IBA and BAP. Cell suspension cultures were established by transferring 0.5 g of callus to 30 mL liquid MS medium supplemented with 5 mg/L BAP and 5 mg/L NAA. Dynamics of phenolic acids production has been investigated during the growth cycle of the suspension cultures. The maximum content of caffeic acid and salvianolic acid B were observed on the 15th day of the cultivation cycle while the highest amount of rosmarinic acid was observed on the first day. In response to various sucrose concentrations, cell cultures with 40 g/L sucrose not only produced the highest dry biomass but also the highest induction of caffeic acid and salvianolic acid B. The highest amount of rosmarinic acid was observed in media containing 50 g/L sucrose. These prepared cell suspension cultures provided a useful system for further enhanced production of phenolic acids at a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were synthesized through a facile and 'green' method, which uses the aqueous shoots extract of Rheum turkestanicum at room temperature. The formation of Ag-NPs was indicated by observing the change in solution color, turning from light brown to dark brown. The synthesized Ag-NPs were characterized with different instrumental tools such as UV-vis, XRD, FESEM, EDAX, FTIR, and TEM. The formation of Ag-NPs at 1.0 mM concentration of silver nitrate resulted in nanoparticles with spherical shapes and a mean diameter of 26 nm. In addition, the biosynthesized Ag-NPs were found to illustrate stronger antibacterial activities against human pathogenic bacteria. From the results and observations, this method can be applied for large-scale preparations of other noble metals regarding various medical and industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]