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Exploring the Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antibacterial Properties of Green-Synthesized ZnO Nanoparticles Using Juniperusphoenicea L.
Abstract
Algerian Phoenician juniper was a candidate for this work for isolating phytochemicals and manufacturing the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles to explore their biological potentialities. The polyphenolic contents were significantly higher in the aqueous decoction of Juniperus phoenicea L. leaves (AQE-JP). The synthesized nanoparticles were verified using various characterization techniques, including UV-VIS spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray. The study confirmed that a granular hexagonal wurtzite structure was made. Its Crystallite size was 8.04 nm, and its absorption peak was 302 nm, with a band gap energy of 3.20 eV. The results showed that the aqueous decoction (AQE-JP) and ZnO NPs had excellent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. AQE-JP was better at antioxidant tests than ZnO NPs in several assays. These tests included DPPH (IC50 = 71.034 ± 0.340 ug/ml), FRAP (EC50 = 23.67 ± 4.86 ug/ml), and TAC (232.09 ± 1.02 mg Eq AA/g DE). The ZnO-NPs, the other hand, showed vigorous antioxidant activity by stopping β-carotene from turning color in the BCB assay (IC50 = 141.99 ± 1.17 ug/ml). Both ZnO-NPs and AQE-JP were hemo-compatible and effectively prevented egg albumin denaturation. The ZnO NPs were more effective at the higher concentration tested (5 mg/ml), which created inhibition zones that were (16.4 ± 0.32, 10.06 ± 0.09, 13.2 ± 0.14, and 12.2 ± 0.18 mm for Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhimurium respectively). These findings can be further utilized to analyze nano-directed drug delivery systems in silico/in vivo.
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Due to its unique properties and advantageous traits, zinc oxide has garnered significant attention in recent years for the green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO‐NP). This paper is focused on the synthesis of ZnO‐NPs mediated by Adiantum capillus‐veneris L. leaf extract and assesses their potential biological activities. In this study, ZnO‐NP is synthesized using A. capillus‐veneris L. leaf extract. The synthesized nanoparticles are characterized using, UV–vis spectroscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), (SEM) scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectrophotometry. The antibacterial, antifungal, anti‐inflammatory, and antioxidant properties of the formulated ZnO‐NPs are also inspected. The UV–vis, XRD, SEM, EDX, and FTIR confirmed the formation and purity of synthesized ZnO‐NPs. The ZnO‐NPs exhibit efficient antimicrobial potency against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Gram‐positive bacteria, particularly S. aureus, are more susceptible to ZnO‐NPs, with the largest inhibition zone of 32 mm. In contrast, E. coli and P. aeruginosa display smaller inhibition zones of 25 and 27 mm respectively. Anti‐inflammatory tests show that ZnO‐NPs have a significant anti‐inflammatory effect against egg albumin and bovine serum albumin denaturation, possess low toxicity on erythrocytes, and are highly hemocompatible.
The purpose of the research was to determine Juniperus phoenicea L.'s elemental content, antioxidant activity, and phytochemical composition. Phytochemical screening was performed on four plant extracts (water, ethanol, chloroform, and ether). The aqueous and ethanol extracts were also analyzed for their total phenols, total flavonoids, and total antioxidant contents. The levels of macroelements (Na, Mg, Ca) and microelements (Fe, Cu, Zn) in the plant were determined by flame photometry and atomic absorption spectrometry. Moisture, ash, total protein, and total alkaloids were also determined. The results showed that the aqueous and ethanol extracts contained various phytochemicals, such as carbohydrates, proteins, phenols, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, anthocyanins, saponins, and glycosides. The ethanol extract had higher concentrations of most phytochemicals than the aqueous extract, except for carbohydrates and proteins. The chloroform and ether extracts had lower concentrations of phytochemicals than the aqueous and ethanol extracts. The moisture, ash, total protein, and total alkaloid contents of the plant were 13%, 5.52%, 10.78%, and 1.84%, respectively. The total phenol contents, total flavonoid contents, and total antioxidant activity of the ethanol extract were 49.36±5.24 mg/g, 20.61±2.08 mg/g, and 34.82±2.44 mg/g, respectively. The corresponding values for the aqueous extract were 46.26±2.47 mg/g, 14.80±1.12 mg/g, and 37.32±3.29 mg/g, respectively. The order of abundance for macroelements was Ca (26860±950 mg/kg) > Na (1705.4±85 mg/kg) > Mg (944.4±38 mg/kg), whereas for microelements it was Fe (315.4±18 mg/kg) > Cu (55.52±3 mg/kg) > Zn (35.66±2 mg/kg). These results indicate that Juniperus phoenicea L. is a rich source of phytochemicals and elements that may have potential health benefits.
Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising field in pharmaceutical research, involving producing unique nanoscale materials with sizes up to 100 nm via physiochemical and biological approaches. Nowadays more emphasis has been given to eco-friendly techniques for developing nanomaterials to enhance their biological applications and minimize health and environmental risks. With the help of green nanotechnology, a wide range of green metal, metal oxide, and bimetallic nanoparticles with distinct chemical compositions, sizes, and morphologies have been manufactured which are safe, economical, and environment friendly. Due to their biocompatibility and vast potential in biomedical (antibacterial, anticancer, antiviral, analgesic, anticoagulant, biofilm inhibitory activity) and in other fields such as (nanofertilizers, fermentative, food, and bioethanol production, construction field), green metal nanoparticles have garnered significant interest worldwide. The metal precursors combined with natural extracts such as plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria to get potent novel metal, metal oxide, and bimetallic nanoparticles such as Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Zr, Zn, Ni, Pt, Mg, Ti, Pd, Cd, Bi2O3, CeO2, Co3O4, CoFe2O4, CuO, Fe2O3, MgO, NiO, TiO2, ZnO, ZrO2, Ag-Au, Ag-Cr, Ag-Cu, Ag-Zn, Ag-CeO2, Ag-CuO, Ag-SeO2, Ag-TiO2, Ag-ZnO, Cu-Ag, Cu-Mg, Cu-Ni, Pd-Pt, Pt-Ag, ZnO-CuO, ZnO-SeO, ZnO-Se, Se-Zr, and Co-Bi2O3. These plant-mediated green nanoparticles possess excellent antibacterial and anticancer activity when tested against several microorganisms and cancer cell lines. Plants contain essential phytoconstituents (polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides, alkaloids, etc.) compared to other natural sources (bacteria, fungi, and algae) in higher concentration that play a vital role in the development of green metal, metal oxide, and bimetallic nanoparticles because these plant-phytoconstituents act as a reducing, stabilizing, and capping agent and helps in the development of green nanoparticles. After concluding all these findings, this review has been designed for the first time in such a way that it imparts satisfactory knowledge about the antibacterial and anticancer activity of plant-mediated green metal, metal oxide, and bimetallic nanoparticles together, along with antibacterial and anticancer mechanisms. Additionally, it provides information about characterization techniques (UV–vis, FT-IR, DLS, XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, AFM) employed for plant-mediated nanoparticles, biomedical applications, and their role in other industries. Hence, this review provides information about the antibacterial and anticancer activity of various types of plant-mediated green metal, metal oxide, and bimetallic nanoparticles and their versatile application in diverse fields which is not covered in other pieces of literature.
Ephedra alata leaf extracts have therapeutic properties and contain various natural compounds known as phytochemicals. This study assessed the phytochemical content and antioxidant effects of a Ephedra alata leaf extract, as well as zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle production. The extract contained phenolic acids, including vanillic acid, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, vanillin and rutin. Its total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were 48.7 ± 0.9 mg.g⁻¹ and 1.7 ± 0.4 mg.g⁻¹, respectively. The extract displayed a DPPH inhibition rate of 70.5%, total antioxidant activity of 49.5 ± 3.4 mg.g⁻¹, and significant antimicrobial activity toward Gram-positive and negative bacteria. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles had spherical shape, crystallite size of 25 nm, particle size between 5 and 30 nm, and bandgap energy of 3.3 eV. In specific conditions (90 min contact time, pH 7, and 25°C), these nanoparticles efficiently photodegraded 87% of methylene blue, suggesting potential applications for sustainable water treatment and pollution control.
Nanotechnology is the most innovative field of the twenty-first century. Worldwide, intensive research is being done to commercialize nano products. Due to their unique or improved physical and chemical properties relative to bulk material, nanomaterials, especially nanoparticles have seen an enormous interest over the past few decades. As environmentally benign alternative nanoparticles are currently being produced “biologically” by means of plant or microorganism-mediated synthesis. Due to its outstanding biocompatibility, affordability, and low toxicity, and cost-effectiveness, ZnO NPs have emerged as one of the most widely used metal oxide nanoparticles in various applications. Interestingly, due to its multiple medical, health, environmental, and economic advantages, the green technique of synthesis employing plant materials has been discovered to be suitable for the production of ZnO nanoparticles. A variety of characterization methods have been used to assess the characteristics of ZnO NPs produced with green strategies, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV–Vis spectroscopy and others. The value of these techniques reveals important information about the structural, morphological, and optical characteristics of ZnO NPs. In order to support future biomedical and other research, this review provides an overview of recent developments in the green synthesis of ZnO NPs with a focus on natural sources such as plants, bacteria, fungi, and algae as well as their characterizations, and various applications, including, antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, photocatalytic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetics, and anti-aging applications.
Abstract
In this study, ZnO@Fe3O4 nanocomposite (NC) was synthesized using a green synthesis method with Mentha pulegium leaf extract. Characterization techniques such as UV-vis, FTIR, SEM, TGA, and XRD were employed to confirm the formation of ZnO@Fe3O4 NC and thermogravimetric analysis to evaluate the breakdown of NC in the presence of heat. XRD analysis showed a crystallite size of about 25.59 nm and SEM images of ZnO@Fe3O4 NC revealed spherical-shaped agglomerated particles. The optical bandgap energy of the ZnO@Fe3O4 NC was estimated to be 2.51 eV for direct bandgap and 1.57 eV for allowable indirect bandgap. Photocatalytic activity of the ZnO@Fe3O4 NC was evaluated for the degradation of Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, and Metronidazole antibiotics under sunlight irradiation, showing degradation efficiencies of 71%, 69%, and 99%, respectively, suggesting the potential of ZnO@Fe3O4 NC for removal of antibiotics from waterways. First-principles theory was employed to establish the adsorption energy (Ead) of the antibiotic species, including Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, and Metronidazole, on the surface of ZnO@Fe3O4 nanocomposite, which was found to be -8.064, -8.791, and -21.385 eV, respectively, indicating strong adsorption. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were conducted to upgrade Fe3O4 nanoparticles to ZnO@Fe3O4 NC to enhance composite efficiency. Leveraging the FDA-approved use of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and their known antiviral activity, our docking experiment demonstrated promising results in the interaction between ZnO@Fe3O4 nanocomposite and the spike protein receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 S Omicron. These findings suggest that ZnO@Fe3O4 nanocomposite could potentially inhibit virus attachment to host cell receptors more stably, providing a promising avenue for further exploration in developing effective medications against SARS-CoV-2.
Green synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) using various plant extracts as reducing and capping agents has gained attention in recent research. The green synthesis of ZnO NPs offers several advantages such as being simple, eco-friendly, safe, cost-effective, and reproducible approach with high stability. Hence, this article provides an overview of zinc metal and ZnO compounds, and traditional chemical and physical synthesis of ZnO NPs with primary focuses on the green synthesis of ZnO NPs. This study discusses various plant extracts used and the proposed mechanisms in the green synthesis of ZnO NPs. Additionally, it explores the cytotoxic mechanisms of the green-synthesized ZnO NPs and addresses the various biomedical applications of ZnO NPs, including antibacterial, anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing. Moreover, the review critically discusses the toxicity of ZnO NPs and emphasizes the need for more toxicological studies to ensure the safety and facilitate the risk assessments and risk management of ZnO NPs. Furthermore, this review underlines the challenges associated with the translation process of ZnO NPs from bench to market, including the complex and time-consuming regulatory approval process for ZnO NPs, which requires a multidisciplinary approach involving scientists, regulators, and manufacturers.
Artemisia absinthium (A. absinthium) leaf extract was successfully used to create zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), and their properties were investigated via several techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis spectroscopy). SEM analysis confirmed the spherical and elliptical shapes of the particles. Three different zinc peaks were observed via EDX at the energies of 1, 8.7, and 9.8 keV, together with a single oxygen peak at 0.5 keV. The XRD analysis identified ZnO NPs as having a hexagonal wurtzite structure, with a particle size that decreased from 24.39 to 18.77 nm, and with an increasing surface area (BET) from 4.003 to 6.032 m2/g for the ZnO (without extract) and green ZnO NPs, respectively. The FTIR analysis confirmed the groups of molecules that were accountable for the stabilization and minimization of the ZnO NPs, which were apparent at 3400 cm. Using UV–Vis spectroscopy, the band-gap energies (Egs) for the green ZnO and ZnO (without extract) NPs were estimated, and the values were 2.65 and 2.79 eV, respectively.
Background
The green synthesis of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs), notably from plants, has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Although the increased popularity use of Cymbopogon citratus as a therapeutic substance, to date, there has not been any research on the chemistry of C. citratus aqueous leaf extract (ALE) or synthesis of ZnO NPs utilizing an extract from it. The ecologically safe ALE of C. citratus was employed in this study as a bio-reducing and capping agent to synthesize ZnO NPs.
Results
The novelty of the current study is the investigation of the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and cytotoxic potencies of biosynthesized ZnO NPs utilizing C. citratus ALE. Zinc acetate dihydrate was used as the precursor and the leaf extract serves as the reducing agent. ZnO NPs from ALE of C. citratus were characterized by the spherical in form by using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and the Scherrer formula was used to calculate the size of the crystalline structure. The presence of numerous functional groups in both the ALE and the NPs is confirmed by FTIR analysis. The highest absorption peak is observed at 370 nm. The stability and particle size of the biosynthesized ZnO NPs are demonstrated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The biosynthesized ZnO NPs exhibited excellent antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 45.67 ± 0.1 μg/mL and exerted interesting anti-inflammatory activity (98.1% ± 0.04) when compared to the standard indomethacin (92.1% ± 0.07) at 1 mg/mL. They also showed anti-microbial activity for both bacterial and fungal which growth rates for both significantly decreased with the increase in ZnO NPs concentration compared to the control. The anticancer activity of biosynthesized ZnO NPs and C. citratus ALE was in vitro tested against seven human cancer cell lines (HCCL) (i.e. H1299, MDA-MB-468, HNO97, HEK, HCT116, HuH7, and HEPG2) compared to normal cells (HSF) using the sulforhodamine-B (SRB) assay. More interestingly, the biosynthesized ZnO NPs displayed remarkable selective cytotoxicity against all tested cancer cell lines without any effect on normal cells. In contrast, the cancer cell lines were not affected by the ALE of C. citratus at any concentrations tested.
Conclusions
All the findings confirm that the ZnO NPs biosynthesized in the current work are promising candidates for a variety of biological activities, and as a result, they can be helpful to the medical sector, environmental and agricultural applications.
Graphical Abstract
Plants have been one the most valuable sources of biologically active compounds. This study investigates the chemical composition, as well as the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of methanolic and ethanolic extracts from Juniperus sabina and Ferula communis leaves, grown in Cyprus. Total phenolic and flavonoids content of methanol and ethanol extracts were quantified. Chemical constituents of the leaf extracts were analysed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Mome inositol was the predominant component in the J. Sabina’s extracts. The most dominant component in F. communis ethanolic extract was phytol, while in FCL methanolic extract 1,3,4,5 tetrahydroxycyclohexanecarboxylic acid. Antioxidant activities were evaluated by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging ability. Antioxidant activity results revealed concentration dependent activity for methanolic and ethanolic extracts from the plant leaves. Antibacterial activity of plant extracts was tested against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria using disk diffusion and minimal inhibitory concentration methods. Cytotoxic activity of plant extracts were evaluated on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, where they demonstrated their potential on the viability of both cell lines. The biological activity revealed by plants is due to the bioactive compounds found in the extracts. These bioactive components could be used as anticancer drug candidates.
This research is focused on the estimation of total bioactive contents and the evaluation of in vitro pharmacological activities of crude extracts (petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol) obtained from the species Atractylis cancellata. The antioxidant activity was assessed by three different techniques. The antibacterial activity was determined using the agar disk diffusion assay against five bacterial strains. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by the ovalbumin method. According to the results, A. cancellata extracts are rich in several classes of secondary metabolites, especially steroids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids. In addition, the tested extracts showed very interesting antioxidant activities in DPPH and FRAP assays and important correlation coefficients between the results of antioxidant activities and total phenolic and flavonoid contents were found. Moreover, all the tested extracts displayed an antibacterial effect at least against three bacterial strains. The petroleum ether extract inhibited the growth of all the tested bacteria in a dose-dependent manner except Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and it revealed a strong anti-inflammatory activity (81.77±0.05%). We conclude that A. cancellata could be an important source of natural pharmacological candidates against oxidative stress, inflammatory and microbial diseases.
Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles in nanosized form has acquired great interest in the area of nanomedicine as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative compared to other chemical and physical methods. This study deals with the eco-friendly green synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) utilizing Juniperus phoenicea leaf extract and their characterization. The biosynthesis of TiO2 NPs was completed in 3 h and confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, a strong band at 205.4 nm distinctly revealed the formation of NPs. Transmissions electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed the synthesized TiO2 NPs are spherical in shape, with a diameter in a range of 10–30 nm. The XRD major peak at 27.1° congruent with the (110) lattice plane of tetragonal rutile TiO2 phase. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis revealed synthesized TiO2 NPs average particle size (hydrodynamic diameter) of (74.8 ± 0.649) nm. Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR) revealed the bioactive components present in the leaf extract, which act as reducing and capping agents. The antimicrobial efficacy of synthesized TiO2NPs against, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis (Gram-positive), Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (Gram-negative), Yeast strain (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and fungi (Aspergillus niger, and Penicillium digitatum) assayed by a disc diffusion method. TiO2NPs inhibited all tested strains by mean inhibition zone (MIZ), which ranged from the lowest 15.7 ± 0.45 mm against K. pneumoniae to the highest 30.3 ± 0.25 against Aspergillus niger. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and bactericidal (MBC) values were 20 μL/mL and 40 μL/mL of TiO2NPs were observed against Asp. niger. Moreover, it showed significant inhibitory activity against human ovarian adenocarcinoma cells with IC50 = 50.13 ± 1.65 µg/mL. The findings concluded that biosynthesized TiO2 NPs using Juniperus phoenicea leaf extract can be used in medicine as curative agents according to their in vitro antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activities.
Introduction: The use of pomegranates in Moroccan pharmacopeia is due to their healing and nutritional properties because of their richness in secondary molecules. The following study analyses the composition of the aqueous extract of Punica granatum peel and evaluates in vivo and in vitro antioxidant effects, hemolytic protection, and acute toxicity.
Methods: Quantification of the plant extract was realized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The hemolytic assay was used for erythrocyte protection, while the in vitro antioxidant effect was evaluated by 2, 20-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoneline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and reducing ferric power (RFP) assays. The in-vivo antioxidant activity was tested by measuring levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) in serum. The toxicological study was tested by oral administration of the extract to four groups of mice for 21 days, followed by a histopathological examination of the spleen.
Results: HPLC analysis showed the presence of some phenolic compounds such as coumarin, caffeic, gallic and syringic acids. The IC50 of the antioxidant assays were 254.49 ± 62.17 μg/mL and 40.265 ± 2.9 μg/mL for ABTS and reducing power, respectively. Furthermore, the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay showed the lowest levels at 150 mg/mL concentration. All of the concentrations used for hemolytic protection did not exceed 15% of hemolysis. Moreover, the toxicity test showed no sign of mortality, signs of weakness, or weight loss; also the histopathological examination of the spleen tissues showed the absence of any damage.
Conclusion: The peel extract of P. granatum showed good potential and could be exploited as a natural antioxidant and antihemolytic remedy, leading to the development of new drugs.
Utilization of plant extracts for the synthesis of nanomaterials is a green technology that is safe to the environment. The current study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) was synthesised using the methanolic root bark extract of Cassia sieberiana as capping and stabilizing agents for the first time. The ZnO NPs were then characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–Vis spectroscopy, transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of the nanoparticles were analyzed by egg albumin (EA) denaturation assay and DPPH free radical scavenging assay respectively. The agar well diffusion method was also used to access the antimicrobial activity of the ZnO NPs against S. aureus (gram-positive), E. coli (gram-negative), S. typhi (gram-negative) and C. albicans (yeast). Saponins, anthracenosides, triterpenes and polyphenols were the phytochemicals present in the plant extract. The average particle size (TEM) determined was 12.9 ± 3.1 nm with spherical shapes. ZnO NPs demonstrated good antioxidant activity (IC50 = 0.480 ± 0.018 mg mL⁻¹) and dose-dependently inhibited the heat-induced denaturation of egg albumin (IC50 = 0.676 ± 0.000 mg mL⁻¹). In general, the synthesized ZnO NPs showed a positive anti-microbial activity against the selected microbes. The ZnO NPs showed a significant zone of inhibition for S. typhi (20.0 mm), S. aureus (24.0 mm), whereas the zone of inhibition was less for E. coli (13.7 mm) and C. albicans (11.7 mm) at 25 mg/mL. The green synthesized ZnO NPs may be used as an effective drug delivery system.
Zinc oxide is a safe material for humans, with high biocompatibility and negligible cytotoxicity. Interestingly, it shows exceptional antimicrobial activity against bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc., especially when reduced to the nanometer size. As it is easily understandable, thanks to its properties, it is at the forefront of safe antimicrobials in this pandemic era. Besides, in the view of the 2022 European Green Deal announced by the European Commission, even science and nanotechnology are moving towards “greener” approaches to the synthesis of nanoparticles. Among them, biogenic ZnO nanoparticles have been extensively studied for their biological applications and environmental remediation. Plants, algae, fungi, yeast, etc., (which are composed of naturally occurring biomolecules) play, in biogenic processes, an active role in the formation of nanoparticles with distinct shapes and sizes. The present review targets the biogenic synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles, with a specific focus on their bioactive properties and antimicrobial application.
Nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit distinct features compared to traditional physico-chemical synthesis and they have many applications in a wide range of fields of life sciences such as surface coating agents, catalysts, food packaging, corrosion protection, environmental remediation, electronics, biomedical and antimicrobial. Green-synthesized metal NPs, mainly from plant sources, have gained a lot of attention due to their intrinsic characteristics like eco-friendliness, rapidity and cost-effectiveness. In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs have been synthesized employing an aqueous leaf extract of Pelargonium odoratissimum (L.) as a reducing agent; subsequently, the biosynthesized ZnO NPs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Moreover, aqueous plant leaf extract was subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Antioxidant activity of ZnO NPs was assessed by DPPH assay, with varying concentrations of ZnO NPs, which revealed scavenging activity with IC50 = 28.11 μg mL−1. Furthermore, the anti-bacterial efficacy of the green synthesized ZnO NPs against four foodborne pathogenic bacterial strains was examined using the disk diffusion assay, and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 8095), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC10662) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) were found to be the most sensitive against biosynthesized ZnO NPs, whereas the least sensitivity was shown by Bacillus cereus (ATCC 13753). The anti-inflammatory effect was also evaluated for both ZnO NPs and the aqueous leaf extract of P. odoratissimum through the human red blood cells (HRBC) membrane stabilization method (MSM) in vitro models which includes hypotonicity-induced hemolysis. A maximum membrane stabilization of ZnO NPs was found to be 95.6% at a dose of 1000 μg mL−1 compared with the standard indomethacin. The results demonstrated that leaf extract of P. odoratissimum is suitable for synthesizing ZnO NPs, with antioxidant, antibacterial as well as superior anti-inflammatory activity by improving the membrane stability of lysosome cells, which have physiological properties similar to erythrocyte membrane cells and have no hemolytic activity. Overall, this study provides biosynthesized ZnO NPs that can be used as a safe alternative to synthetic substances as well as a potential candidate for antioxidants, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory uses in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries.
Extraction by hydrodistillation and characterization by GC/MS of essential oils from the aerial part of the two species of the Juniperus genus: Juniperus phoenecea and Juniperus oxycedrus, harvested in the province of Tiaret; showed the presence of seventeen compounds in J. oxycedrus oil, the main constituents of which were: hydrocarbon monoterpenes (69.2%), α-pinene (29.1%), β-copaene (19.3%), β-pinene (17.6%), limonene (12.1%), α-fenchene (5.1%). The J. phenecea manifested thirteen components, the main constituents of which were: β-pinene (35.7%), α-pinene (21.3%), β-coepane (8.3%) and p-cymene (6, 6%) and segmaterpinene (3.7%). While the antimicrobial activity of the two essential oils carried out on bacteria referenced (Gram+) and (Gram-); showed good activity on all the bacteria tested, with the exception of the Pseudomonas strain which proved to be very resistant to Juniperus phoeneceae while the Juniperus oxycedrus oil is active on all the bacterial strains tested unlike the strain staphylococcus.
Being multipurpose, relatively safe, and widely favorable for consumption, interest in the essential oils of medicinal plants has been increasing. Essential oil (EO) of Juniperus phoenicea is traditionally used for treatment of several health problems such as diabetes, rheumatism, and cancer that is the second leading cause of death in Jordan. This study aims to collect and chemically analyze EO from Juniperus phoenicea L., from Jordan and to evaluate its cytotoxic and antioxidant activity against human breast cancer cells (T47D), colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (CACO2), and normal human fibroblasts (MRC5). EO was extracted by hydro-distillation and analyzed in a gas chromatograph coupled with a mass spectrometer. Cell viability was assessed using trypan blue, neutral red, and MTT assays, and antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH scavenging activity assay. Chemical composition analysis revealed 23 constituents in the EO, and the amount of α- pinene was the highest (69.71%). The results also revealed that the IC50 values of the viability assays were higher among normal cells compared to the human cancer cell lines, and the viability inhibition was significant at higher concentrations compared to untreated cells. Nevertheless, low antioxidant activity was observed for the oil in the DPPH scavenging activity test. To sum up, this study indicates that Jordanian Juniperus phoenicea EO, albeit unlikely to be an effective antioxidant, is optimistically potential to be utilized in breast and colon cancers treatment due to its preferential cytotoxicity against cancer cells.
Essential oils (EOs) are known for their medicinal properties which are used in different domains. The current study was conducted to characterize the chemical composition and evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial efficiency of EOs from Algerian Juniperus phoenicea L. Leaves and berries of J. phoenicea were collected from five different regions in the northeast of Algeria. EOs were extracted from the various plant samples. The analysis and identification of the components of the leaf-berry combination (Lb) and leaf-only (Lo) EOs were performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial activity of the EOs was tested against seven bacterial strains; two Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) and five Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Klebsiella pneumoniae). To test the antioxidant property of the EOs, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was employed. Forty-six compounds were identified in the Lb and Lo EOs representing 96.8 to 98.2% and 93.5 to 100%, respectively of the total oil composition. The major monoterpenes compounds were α-pinene with percentage composition of 50 to 85.8% and 42.1 to 83.1% in the Lb and Lo EOs, respectively. The EOs exhibited stronger antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive bacteria compared to the Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the Lo EOs showed less significant antioxidant activity in the DPPH radical scavenging assay compared to the Lb EOs for each studied variety. These findings support some of the traditional uses of this plant in food preservation by the Algerian people and also validate its use for protection against infectious diseases.
This study aimed to synthesize ZnNPs using S. oleracea and evaluate their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial capacities. The nanoparticles were characterized by using analytical techniques. Antioxidant activity of SpE-ZnNPs was studied done FRAP assay also the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities of both Spinach and SpE-ZnO-NPs were investigated. Moreover, in vivo acute toxicity testing of nanoparticles was carried up. Obtain results show that the monodispersed SpE-ZnNPs were hexagonal, crystallite, pure (90%) with a high quality (PDI = 0.07) and an average size ranging 13.05 ± 3.52 nm. On the other hand, zinc nanoparticles and Spinach possessed the reducing capacity with IC50 (20.03 μg/ml and 175.16 μg/ml) respectively and the anti-inflammatory ability with IC50 (39.05 μg/ml and 36.71 μg/ml) respectively. The SpE-ZnNPs and Spinach exhibited antimicrobial activities, with the highest activity observed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (200μg/mL). In this study, the toxicity test showed no mortality and slight behavioral changes up to 70 mg/kg of ZnNPs in Wistar rats. We concluded that Spinacea oleracea L has potential properties as biocatalyst stabilizers for ZnNPs synthesis and SpE-ZnNPs exhibited good activity as a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial agent. Further in vivo studies are needed to explore them as good therapeutic agents.
Abstract Background Juniperus Phoenicea (JP) and Calicotome Villosa (CV) are used by Jordanian populations as herbal remedies in traditional medicine. Herein, the phytochemical contents of their methanolic extracts were analyzed and their antioxidant as well as in vitro anti- β-Galactosidase activities were evaluated; their effect on β-Galactosidase enzyme kinetics was evaluated and the thermodynamic of the enzyme was determined. Methods The antioxidant activity of JP and CV crude methanolic extracts was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl,2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays; however, the effect of the plants’ crude extracts on β-Galactosidase activity and kinetics was evaluated in vitro. Moreover, total phenolic, flavonoids, and flavonols content in plants’ extracts were determined and expressed in Gallic acid equivalent (mg GAE/g dry extract) or rutin equivalent (mg RE/g dry extract). Results Phytochemical screening of the crude extracts of JP and CV leaves revealed the presence of phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, anthraquinones, and glycosides. Flavonoids and flavonols contents were significantly higher in JP than in CV (p
Due to their versatile applications, ZnONPs have been formulated by several approaches, including green chemistry methods. In the current study, convenient and economically viable ZnONPs were produced using Elaeagnus angustifolia (EA) leaf extracts. The phytochemicals from E. angustifolia L. are believed to serve as a non-toxic source of reducing and stabilizing agents. The physical and chemical properties of ZnONPs were investigated employing varying analytical techniques (UV, XRD, FT-IR, EDX, SEM, TEM, DLS and Raman). Strong UV-vis absorption at 399 nm was observed for green ZnONPs. TEM, SEM and XRD analyses determined the nanoscale size, morphology and crystalline structure of ZnONPs, respectively. The ZnONPs were substantiated by evaluation using HepG2 (IC50: 21.7 µg/mL) and HUH7 (IC50: 29.8 µg/mL) cancer cell lines and displayed potential anticancer activities. The MTT cytotoxicity assay was conducted using Leishmania tropica “KWH23” (promastigotes: IC50, 24.9 µg/mL; and amastigotes: IC50, 32.83 µg/mL). ZnONPs exhibited excellent antimicrobial potencies against five different bacterial and fungal species via the disc-diffusion method, and their MIC values were calculated. ZnONPs were found to be biocompatible using human erythrocytes and macrophages. Free radical scavenging tests revealed excellent antioxidant activities. Enzyme inhibition assays were performed and revealed excellent potential. These findings suggested that EA@ZnONPs have potential applications and could be used as a promising candidate for clinical development.
This study assessed the antimicrobial efficacy of synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles produced using aqueous extracts of pomegranate leaves and flowers designated ZnO-NPs-PL, ZnO-NPs-PF. In the study, oxides of zinc were successfully employed to fabricate nanoparticles using extracts from leaves and flowers of pomegranate (Punica granatum). The nanoparticles obtained were characterized spectroscopically. X-ray diffractive analysis (XRD) revealed the elemental components and nature of the synthesized particles. The fabricated zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO-NPs) showed a crystalline structure. The morphology of the nanoparticles as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was unevenly spherical and the functional groups involved in stabilization, reduction and capping were confirmed using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) Spectroscopy. Confirmation of the nanoparticles by UV–Vis analysis showed absorption bands of 284 and 357 nm for pomegranate leaf and flower extract, respectively, mediated ZnO-NPs. Evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy of the fabricated nanoparticles showed that ZnO-NPs were effective against all selected pathogenic strains, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Salmonella diarizonae, Salmonella typhi, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Moraxella catarrhalis, Aeromonas hydrophila and Listeria monocytogenes, used in the analysis. The effectiveness of these nanoparticles could be linked to their sizes and shapes as obtained using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Our reports revealed that increasing the concentration of the nanoparticles resulted in an increase in the antibacterial activity exerted by the nanoparticles, thus suggesting that both ZnO-NPs can effectively be used as alternative antibacterial agents. Further research is required to assess their mechanisms of action and toxicity.
Background: This experiment is conducted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of Piper chaba roots.
Methods: The in-vitro anti-inflammatory activity of Piper chaba was carried out by human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization method which includes heat-induced hemolysis and hypotonicity- induced hemolysis and also by another method of egg albumin denaturation assay.
Results: Anti-inflammatory activity study of crude ethanolic extract was performed using heat induced membrane stabilization method, hypo-tonicity induced HRBC membrane stabilization method and egg albumin denaturation method. Crude ethanolic extracts of P. chaba showed promising in vitro anti-inflammatory activity in a concentration dependent manner. Using acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) as standard drug and was compared with ethanolic extract to determine anti-inflammatory activity. Heat induced anti-inflammatory test revealed that crude ethanolic extract of P. chaba (500 μg/ml) and positive control ASA(500 μg/ml) have 52.667% and 78% respectively, hypo tonicity induced anti- inflammatory test showed 35.67% and 59% inhibition of red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis. Egg albumin denaturation method also evaluated that crude ethanolic extract (1000 μg/ml) and ASA (1000 μg/ml) showed 60% and 97.12% inhibition of egg albumin denaturation.
Conclusion: The plant of P. chaba of the genus Piper possesses promising anti-inflammatory activities.
The aim of the study is to evaluate the anti-tyrosinase activity of different aqueous extracts obtained from pomegranate juice processing by-products. External pomegranate peels of two certified cultivars (Akko and Wonderful), were extracted using only water as the extraction solvent. A traditional decoction and a pulsed ultrasound-assisted extraction (PUAE), both 10 min long, were performed and compared. All the aqueous extracts proved to be rich in bioactive compounds. In particular, the total phenolic content (TPC) ranged from 148 to 237 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g of dried peels (DW), the radical-scavenging ability (RSA) ranged from 307 to 472 mg ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/g DW, the free ellagic acid content (EA) ranged from 49 to 94 µg/mL, and the ellagitannins (ETs) ranged from 242 to 340 µg/mL. For both cultivars, PUAE extracts had higher ET content and a lower EC50, while the decoctions had slightly higher TPC, RSA, and free EA amounts. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted the direct correlation between the ET content and the tyrosinase enzyme inhibition (lower values of EC50). These findings suggest the potential use of both these natural extracts as low-cost lightening and/or anti-browning ingredients exploitable in several formulations (e.g., cosmetics) or extemporarily usable.
Current study reports a simple and one-pot synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using an aqueous extract of Solanum torvum and evaluation of its toxicological profile (0.5% w/w and 1.0% w/w) in Wistar albino rats with respect to the biochemical index. The nanoparticles were characterized using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction technique. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential of synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed to know the average size and stability of particles. Synthesized nanoparticles were stable, discreet, and mostly spherical, and size of particles was within the nanometre range. Biochemical markers of hepatic and renal functions were measured. Zinc oxide nanoparticles significantly decreased serum uric acid level (p < 0.001) in a dose-dependent manner, while the serum alkaline phosphatase level was increased at the two test doses. The level of alanine transaminase was increased after exposure for 28 days (p < 0.05). This study concludes that biogenic zinc oxide nanoparticles-infused hydrogel applied dermatologically could affect hepatic and renal performance in rats, and there was an observed cumulative toxicological effect with time of exposure.
The branches of Juniperus phoenicea harvested in the Bechar region, contain (2.004%) of essential oils extracted by steam distillation, they show a density of (0.91) and an optical rotation of (+19.74°). Phytochemical tests reveal the presence of chemical compounds, including coumarins, reducing compounds, sterols and steroids, saponins, starch, tannins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and anthracénosides. The activity of the essential oils of Juniperus phoenicea a is tested on seven bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (yellow), Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (green) and two fungal strains: Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus ochraceus. Allowed to claim that it has an inhibitory power vis-à-vis all microorganisms tested despite their Gram, mold proved to be more vulnerable than bacteria. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentration shows a value of (8μl / ml) for mold and (22.2μl / ml) for the bacteria.
Berries and branches essential oil of Juniperus phoenicea were obtained by electromagnetic induction heating assisted extraction and by hydrodistillation with a yield varied from (1.2±0.3 to 2.4±0.7%) and from (0.6±0.1% to 1.1±0.1%), respectively. forty eight compounds were identified representing (97.2–99.7%) of the oil. α-Pinene (40.3−67.8%) and δ-3-carene (13.5–26.8%) were the main compounds in berries and branches essential oils. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by three means: inhibition of 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical, reducing power and β-Carotene/linoleic acid bleaching. The antioxidant activity of essential oils showed IC50 ranging from 67.6±1.02 μg/mL to 131.5±0.8 μg/mL for berries and from 98±1.25 μg/mL to 166.8±0.29 μg/mL for the branches. Berries oil show more potent antioxidant activity compared to branches. This result is supported by the three methods investigated in this work.
Punica granatum L. is a plant widely used in traditional Algerian medicine to treat digestive, inflammatory and
painful diseases. The objective of the present study was to determine the phenolic, flavonoids, anthocyanin,
hydrolyzable & condensed tannins, proanthocyanidin contents and to evaluate in vivo the anti-inflammatory
activity of the methanolic and aqueous extracts of the peel of Punica granatum fruit. Doses of 250 and 500
mg/kg of methanolic and aqueous extracts were administered orally in carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice,
using Diclofenac (50 mg/kg) as a standard drug. Increases in paw diameter were measured for 6 hours at a 1-
hour interval. After that, the mice were scarified and the inflamed paw tissue was removed and subjected to
histopathological study. The results of the methanolic (ME) and aqueous (AE) extracts showed a significant
inhibition (*** p <0.001) of the mouse paw edema in a dose-dependent manner after 6 hours of carrageenan
injection, compared to the control group. The percentages of edema inhibition of methanolic and aqueous
extracts at a dose of 500 mg/kg were 80.72% and 51.94%, respectively, after six hours. These results were
confirmed by the histological study, thus showing the presence of a less intense inflammatory infiltrate
compared to the control group where the inflammation was more pronounced thus proving that carrageenin did
induce an inflammatory reaction. This study revealed that peel extracts of Punica granatum have significant
anti-inflammatory activity, which could be explained by the presence of a large amount of phenolic compounds.
Ulcer is one of the most common health problems in Tunisia and rest of the world. Ulcer is characterized by the sore in the
gastrointestinal tract. Medicinal plant chemicals show the better compatibility with the human body than the synthetic chemical drug. As
herbal medicines are considered as safe for the treatment of illness with lesser adverse effects, economical, effective and relatively less
toxic, extensive research is carried out in search for potent antiulcer agents of plant origin. Many of Tunisian medicinal plants have been
experimentally validated. A comprehensive review was conducted to amass information from scientific journal articles about Tunisian
medicinal plants used for the treatment of ulcer.
Nanotechnology deals with the production and usage of material with nanoscale dimension. Nanoscale dimension provides nanoparticles a large surface area to volume ratio and thus very specific properties. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) had been in recent studies due to its large bandwidth and high exciton binding energy and it has potential applications like antibacterial, antifungal, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antioxidant and optic properties. Due to the large rate of toxic chemicals and extreme environment employed in the physical and chemical production of these NPs, green methods employing the use of plants, fungus, bacteria, and algae have been adopted. This review is a comprehensive study of the synthesis and characterization methods used for the green synthesis of ZnO NPs using different biological sources.
Objective.The aim of this work is to study and compare the antioxidant properties and phenolic contents of aqueous leaf extracts of Juniperus thurifera, Juniperus oxycedrus, Juniperus Phoenicea, and Tetraclinis articulata from Morocco. Methods. Antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging ability, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Also the total phenolic and flavonoids contents of the extracts were determined spectrophotometrically. Results. All the extracts showed interesting antioxidant activities compared to the standard antioxidants (butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), quercetin, and Trolox).The aqueous extract of Juniperus oxycedrus showed the highest antioxidant activity as measured by DPPH, TEAC, and FRAP assays with IC50 values of 17.91 ± 0.37 𝜇g/mL, 19.80 ± 0.55 𝜇g/mL, and 24.23 ± 0.07 𝜇g/mL, respectively. The strong correlation observed between antioxidant capacities and their total phenolic contents indicated that phenolic compounds were a major contributor to antioxidant properties of these plants extracts. Conclusion.These results suggest that the aqueous extracts of Juniperus thurifera, Juniperus oxycedrus, Juniperus phoenicea, and Tetraclinis articulata can constitute a promising new source of natural compounds with antioxidants ability.
Juniperus phoenicea L. is a widespread species throughout the Mediterranean Region. In Jordan, it is well known by its uses in traditional medicine, some of them already validated scientifically. This review aims to compile the information available in the literature about this species in Jordan. A state of knowledge of the taxonomy and ecology, as well as, the chemical composition of essential oils and other extracts, uses in traditional medicine, biological activities and cytotoxicity are referred under the perspective of its potential industrial use.
In this study Antioxidant activity was performed by DPPH (1, 1diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) radical scavenging method for different extracts of aerial parts like leaves and flowers of Ageratum conyzoides Linn. plant species which showed that alcoholic extract of leaves of this plant on higher concentration possess better antioxidant potential when compare to reference standard ascorbic acid. They exhibited strong antioxidant DPPH radical scavenging activity with IC50 value of 9.3 and 24.8 µg/ml for ascorbic acid and alcoholic leaves extract respectively. The absorbance for reducing power was found to be 0.0390, 0.0989 for ascorbic acid and alcoholic leaves extract respectively. The strongest antioxidant activity of ethanol extract could be due to the presence of flavonoids and phenols.
Samples of groundnut seeds were collected from stores and examined for their associated mycoflora and insects. Fifteen species of fungi were identified by blotter method and 12 species of fungi by agar plate method. In vitro volatile constituents extracted in the form of essential oils from 32 plant species were evaluated against the dominant fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. The 2 commercial fungicides was assessed for their antifungal activity against allisolated fungi. The oil of Cuminumcyminum (Apiaceae) exhibited the greatest toxicity.
The oil was found to be fungicidal and thermostable at its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 400 ppm. The oil was characterized by the determination of its various physico-chemical properties. In vivo studies depict that the oil as seed dressing agent and as a fumigant was able to preserve the groundnut food seeds completely for 6 months at 0.50 and 0.76 mL in containers of 500 mL capacity holding 400 g seeds with minimal changes in organoleptic behavior of food seeds during storage. It did not exhibit any adverse effect on seed germination, seedling growth and general health and morphology of plants. GC and GC-MS analysis of the oil revealed recognition of p-mentha-1, 4-dien-7-al (27.4%), γ-terpinene (12.8%), β-pinene (11.4%) and cuminaldehyde (16.1%) as major compounds.
Oil of lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) was extracted and one of its component obtained by TLC were tested for hemolytic activity, ATPase inhibitory activity and Cell viability assessment by MTT assay using MCF-7 cell lines. The results showed that at concentrations of less than 0. 08 μg/mL the TLC extract showed no hemolysis. ATPase activity inhibition assay indicated that at concentrations above 0. 125ug/mL there was no significant change in inhibitory activity of the ATPase and MTT assay using MCF-7 cell lines showed that there was no cytotoxic effect at concentrations below 0. 2ug/mL. © 2015, International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Research. All Rights Reserved.
Juniperus phoenicea is a tree of the Cupressaceae family that is popularly known in the south of Tunisia
because of its wide application in herbal medicine, including the use of its leaves to treat many diseases such
as diarrhea, rheumatism, and intestinal disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ulceroprotective
and antioxidant activity of essential oil extracted from the leaves of J. phoenicea (EOJp) against hydrogen
chloride (HCl)/ethanol-induced ulcers in rats. The antiulcer activities of 50, 75 and 100 mg/kg body weight
(b.w.) EOJp were investigated on 0.3 M HCl/ethanol-induced ulcers in rats. The essential oil yield was 0.69%
with 48 compounds; α-pinene was the principal component (20.24%). In vivo pretreatment with EOJp given
orally provided dose-dependent protection against HCl/ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Furthermore,
pretreatment with EOJp significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increased the activities
of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). The activity of the antiulcerogenic
EOJp could be from synergistic antioxidant and anti-secretory effects. Oral use of EOJp has
excellent preventive effects on induced gastric ulcers comparable to those of the proton pump inhibitor (PPI)
omeprazole.
Key words Juniperus phoenicea; essential oil; hydrogen chloride (HCl)-induced ulcer; ethanol-induced
ulcer; antioxidant; antiulcer effect
This study reports the successful green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) utilizing an aqueous leaf extract of Olea europea L. The biogenic ZnO NPs were dreied at 100 °C and calcined at 450 °C. Their nanoscale dimensions were confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealing a size range of 40–60 nm, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirming a hexagonal structure for both calcination processes. The ZnO particle size increased from 18.79 nm at 100 °C to 25.04 nm at 450 °C. The successful eco-friendly synthesis of ZnO NPs was further validated by FT-IR spectroscopy, which identified functional groups on the particle surface. Importantly, the ZnO NPs demonstrated remarkable efficiency in degrading Cephalexin, achieving a degradation rate of 95% for ZnO (100 °C) and 98% for ZnO (450 °C).The corresponding rate constants were determined to be 0.0334 min− 1 and 0.0250 min− 1, respectively. Treatment with ZnO NPs at varying temperatures (100ºC and 450 ºC) exhibited inhibitory effects on the growth and reproduction of E. coli and S. typhimurium cells. The observed antibacterial activity is attributed to ZnO NPs, with potential mechanisms involving damage to bacterial cell membranes, extrusion of cytoplasmic contents, and the release of antimicrobial ions (Zn2+) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). B. cereus and S. aureus cells treated with 200 µg/ml ZnO at different temperatures revealed varying growth patterns, indicating that ZnO non calcined (dried at 100 ºC) exhibited higher growth inhibition potential compared to ZnO (450 ºC).
An aqueous leaf extract of Ziziphus spina-Christi is used to synthesize manganese oxide nanoparticles (MnO2 NPs) and zinc-coated manganese oxide nanoparticles (Zn/Mn2O4 NC). The study aims to investigate the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of MnO2 NPs and Zn/Mn2O4 NC in relation to the azo dyes methylene blue (MB), m-Toluidine (mT), and P-Toluidine (pT). X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) confirmed the crystalline nature of the biosynthesized MnO2 NPs and Zn/Mn2O4, revealing their respective crystallite sizes to be approximately 14.65 nm and 22.97 nm. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images demonstrated that the MnO2 NPs exhibit a tetragonal and spherical shape, while the Zn/Mn2O4 particles possess a spherical shape. UV-vis spectroscopy measurements indicated that the MnO2 NPs and Zn/Mn2O4 exhibit indirect bandgaps with energy values of 1.46 eV and 1.14 eV, respectively. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis revealed the presence of organic compounds containing C=O and –OH groups, such as carbohydrates, phenolic acids, tannins, and flavonoids derived from Ziziphus spina-Christi, suggesting a high likelihood of stability for the biosynthetic MnO2 and Zn/Mn2O4 materials. Interestingly, the photocatalytic degradation of the biosynthetic MnO2 and Zn/Mn2O4 provided good efficacy against the Methylene Blue (MB), m-Toluidine (mT), and P-Toluidine (pT) where the Zn/Mn2O4 exhibit an excellent degradation were 99.2, 99.8 and 98.4% after 75 min. The biosynthetic MnO2 NPs and Zn/Mn2O4 NCs resulting from using aqueous ZSCLE were cost-effective and eco-friendly, and the decoration of MnO2 NPs by Zn improved their effectiveness.
The major goal of this study was to fabricate ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) via chemical and biological routes to evaluate and compare their physiochemical behavior (size and morphology) and biological potentials. The synthesized NPs were confirmed via various spectroscopy and imagining techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, HPLC and SEM. The characterized NPs were then assessed for various in vitro biological applications. Furthermore, apoptotic potential was investigated using HepG2 cell lines by evaluating various signature markers of apoptosis including mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen/nitrogen (ROS/RNS) production, peroxidases and pro-apoptotic caspase 3 activation. Crystalline, hexagonal structured NPs with an average crystalline size distribution of 32 nm and 23 nm was obtained. Both green-mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles (G-ZnO NPs) and chemically derived NPs (C-ZnO NPs) exhibited high antioxidant, moderate enzyme inhibition, antibacterial and cytotoxicity potential. However, G-ZnO NPs exhibited excellent DPPH (80.1% ± 1.3%), TPC (97 ± 1.22 µgAAE/mg), TRP (94.5 ± 1.48 µgAAE/mg), lipase inhibition (82%), urease inhibition (81.3%), and α-amylase inhibition (18.9%) activity as compared to C-ZnO NPs. Both G-ZnO NPs and C-ZnO NPs showed good antimicrobial potential, however, effect of G-ZnO NPs was more potent than counter C-ZnO NPs. Results from apoptotic assays revealed that G-ZnO NPs showed excellent apoptotic potential in contrast to C-ZnO NPs. Overall results suggested that green route-mediated ZnO NPs exhibits excellent biological potential and could be used for future biomedical applications especially in antimicrobial and cancer therapeutics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever study on Boerhavia diffusa linn-mediated biosynthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and evaluation of their biological activities.
Many plants are used in traditional medicine because they contain several molecules endowed with therapeutic activities. For this purpose, and in the framework of valorisation of the Algerian flora, our objective consists of the study of the chemical composition of two vegetable sources pushing for the spontaneous state in the region of Béchar (R. officinalis L. And J. phoenicea L.), and evaluation of the antibacterial activity by determination of the mini-mum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts on a set of pathogenic bacteria that are taken from the operating theater (EPH Tourabi Boudjamaa, Béchar, Algeria). The methanol/water (80:20, v/v) for 24h extracts were sub-jected to various phytochemical tests for the colorimetric assay, other frac-tions of methanol/water (80:20, v/v), acetone/water (80:20, v/v), and hot distilled water were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity (Disk diffusion and microdilution methods) against airborne pathogenic microorganisms. Phenolics compound contents in various extracts of R. officinalis and J. phoenecea are 2.12±0.14 and 2.64±0.2 mg GAE/g DW, respectively. The re-sults for flavonoids vary between 4.89±0.39 and 6.09±0,35 mg CE/g DW also respectively. For E. coli, the methanol/water extract of J. phoenecea has a stronger effect with a maximum inhibition of 19 mm in diameter, and 12 mm for for Gram positive (S. aureus). And with a low antibacterial effect of the extract of R. officinalis. The results we obtained in this study reveal the sensi-tivity of the various airborne microorganisms collected from operating thea-ters confirming the effectiveness of the methanol / water extracts of the various plants used especially of J. phoenecea.
Nanorods of zinc oxide photocatalyst are fabricated through a facile microwave-assisted hydrothermal method as a green preparation process in comparison with the conventional hydrothermal method. The influence of the preparation method on the morphological, structural, and optical properties of the prepared materials is investigated. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanorod is tested against the degradation of some dyes and pharmaceuticals under the solar simulator. XRD data showed that ZnO NRs exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite phase. Photoluminescence of ZnO-S2 revealed a noticeable separation of photo-generated charged carriers and delaying their recombination. The bandgaps of samples ZnO-S1 and ZnO-S2 are calculated by using UV-DRS spectroscopic measurements and found to be 3.22 and 2.96 eV, respectively. All results confirmed that the microwave-assisted hydrothermal method is a more effective and green preparation process than hydrothermal one for ZnO nanorods production. It is found that samples prepared by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method (ZnO-S2) showed a higher degradation rate for MB than that prepared by hydrothermal one (ZnO-S1). Microwave-assisted ZnO-S2 showed complete degradation of other different dyes; Acid red, Remazol red, and Rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated sunlight indicating non-selectivity of photocatalytic activity for ZnO nanorods. However, the analgesic pharmaceuticals and antibiotics compounds are completely degraded over microwave-assisted ZnO-S2 after 90 min of light irradiation. Furthermore, it is found that the degradation activity of prepared ZnO nanorods fitted with the first-order kinetic. As well, the result displayed that inorganic ions hinder the photocatalytic degradation of dyes with the following the order; phosphate ions > chloride ions > sulfate ions ≈ nitrate ions.
Silver and iron nanoparticles was synthesized, characterized and investigated for biological screening using alcoholic blumea eriantha DC plant extract. Equal amount of plant extract was mixed and incubated with silver nitrate and ferric chloride to obtain silver and iron nanoparticles respectively. Formation of silver and iron nanoparticles was confirmed by using UV, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, X-ray diffraction, and TEM. The anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic activities of the synthesized nanoparticles were determined by using standard protocols. MCF-7 cells were treated with selected concentrations of extract and prepared nanoparticles. It was observed that the synthesized nanoparticles were spherical in shape with an average particle size of 50 nm. The results of the studies revealed that the synthesized nanoparticles exhibited effective antioxidant, antibacterial and cytotoxic activity. The cell viability was measured for 50 hours after the addition of selected concentration of nanoparticles. The inhibition rate of silver nanoparticles was observed to be 15.45, 20.25 and 28.16 % against concentration 25, 50 and 100 μg mL⁻¹ respectively. DPPI staining and Annexin V FITC assay results indicated that silver nanoparticle induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells as compared with control. Therefore, it may open up a new avenue for anticancer therapies that needs further research.
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are gaining interest due to their multifunctional properties and desirable biological activities. The present study reports the formulation and characterization of ZnO NPs using an aqueous extract of dry onion peels (Allium cepa L) and further investigates their photocatalytic, in vitro antipathogenic activity and cytotoxicity against human lung cancer A549 cell line. The results of XRD analysis showed the presence of nine intense peaks indicating the crystallized hexagonal phase of ZnO NPs with a size of about 35 nm. Field-emission scanning electron micrographs and the results of EDS showed the hexagonal morphological feature, and the presence of zinc and oxygen in phytogenically synthesized ZnO NPs. The synthesized ZnO NPs showed potent catalytic activity in the degradation of organic dyes (crystal violet and methylene blue). The formulated ZnO NPs indicated a significant bactericidal activity against Bacillus sp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerea, Corynebacterium sp., and Salmonella sp. that are common foodborne pathogens. In this study, the obtained IC50 concentration of 51.25 μg/mL exhibits significant anticancer activity against A549 cells than other tested concentrations because of the release of zinc ions, which induce the cell apoptosis. Furthermore, studies on cell cycle validate that ZnO NPs arrest the cell cycle at the sub-G1 phase of A549 cells. These results suggest the utility of phytogenic ZnO NPs for various biomedical applications.
Inflammation plays a very important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases like atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and cancer. Lack of anti-inflammatory drugs and vectors provokes the need for developing new molecules for the management of inflammatory disorders. Nanotechnology has emerged as a wonderful research area in the past decade owing to its enhanced properties than bulk counterparts. This paper discusses the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO NPs) and various characterization tools employed to comprehend the physiochemical properties of nanoparticles. ZnO NPs interaction with cells and its pharmacokinetic behavior inside the cells has also been discussed. The anti-inflammatory activity of ZnO NPs has been elucidated with the mechanism-based approach. A concise literature review has been included which summarizes the size, shape of ZnO NPs and the inflammatory model used for analyzing the anti-inflammatory activity of ZnO NPs. ZnO NPs potential offering towards anti-inflammatory activity like stable nature, selective targeting has been discussed briefly. The present study highlights the potential of ZnO NPs as an anti-inflammatory drug molecule or a vector for drug delivery.
Ulcer is one of the most common health problems in Tunisia and rest of the world. Ulcer is characterized by the sore in the
gastrointestinal tract. Medicinal plant chemicals show the better compatibility with the human body than the synthetic chemical drug. As
herbal medicines are considered as safe for the treatment of illness with lesser adverse effects, economical, effective and relatively less
toxic, extensive research is carried out in search for potent antiulcer agents of plant origin. Many of Tunisian medicinal plants have been
experimentally validated. A comprehensive review was conducted to amass information from scientific journal articles about Tunisian
medicinal plants used for the treatment of ulcer.
The essential oils of Juniperus phoenicea L. from Algeria were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Concerning their chemical composition, 74, 61 and 72 volatile compounds were identified from fresh leaves, dried leaves and berries, representing 88.8%, 91.3% and 94.7% of the total composition, respectively. The main monoterpene in the oils of fresh leaves, dried leaves and berries was a-pinene (29.6% / 55.9% / 56.6%), accompanied by lesser amounts of the sesquiterpenes β-caryophyllene (2.6% / 1.6% /1.2%) and germacrene D (2.01% / 1.7% / 1.5%), respectively. Antibacterial activity of J. phoenicea essential oils was tested against one Gram-negative and four Gram-positive bacterial strains and the yeast Candida albicans, responsible for nosocomial infections. As references, 14 antibiotics and 5 antifungal agents were evaluated. The berry essential oil was ineffective against all but two of the strains tested, whereas the essential oil of dried leaves significantly inhibited all strains but Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which turned out to be the most resistant strain overall. However, Escherichia coli was the most susceptible to the essential oils tested. The essential oil of dry leaves was highly active against Candida albicans, outclassing even the standard antifungal substances. These promising results could substantiate the use of essential oils in the treatment of hospital-acquired infections.