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The anticancer activity of terretonin N (1) and butyrolactone I (2), obtained from the thermophilic fungus Aspergillus terreus TM8, was intensively studied against prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and ovary adenocarcinoma (SKOV3) human cell lines. According to this study, both compounds showed potent cytotoxicity towards ovarian adenocarcinoma cells (SKOV3) with IC50 1.2 and 0.6 μg/mL, respectively. With respect to metastatic prostate cells (PC-3), the two compounds 1 and 2 showed a significantly promising cytotoxicity effect with IC50 of 7.4 and 4.5 μg/mL, respectively. The tested fungal metabolites showed higher rates of early and late apoptosis with little or no necrotic apoptotic pathway in all treated prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) and ovary adenocarcinoma (SKOV3) human cell lines, respectively. The results reported in this study confirmed the promising biological properties of terretonin N (1) and butyrolactone I (2) as anticancer agents via the induction of cellular apoptosis. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which cellular apoptosis is induced in cancer cells.

Blue-green algae, Spirulina platensis is a well-known algal formulation known for its beneficial effects on the growth and development in several types of organisms. Although it is used as a food supplement, it possesses significant toxic effects on growth and development of organisms. This study assessed the positive/negative impacts of S . platensis on almond moth, Cadra cautella (almond moth) that is a serious pest of date fruits and other grains under laboratory conditions. The S . platensis powder were mixed with diet and newly hatched C . cautella larvae were fed. The larvae were observed on alternate days to record the data. The diet was changed once a week. The S . platensis proved very good nutrition supplement at lower dose. Whereas, moderate and high mortality was noted for 5 and 10% formulations, respectively. Moreover, larval span was significantly altered by different formulations and lower formulation (1%) resulted in shorter larval period compared to the rest of the formulations. Although 33% mortality was recorded under 5% S . platensis formulation, however, the larvae which reached to adult stage, copulated, and females laid more eggs. Furthermore, the highest mortality (90%) was observed under 10% S . platensis formulation and a few larvae reached adult stage; thus, no data on pupal period and reproductive traits was recorded for this formulation. These findings proved that S . platensis can be used as nutritional supplement as well as a toxic substance to manage C . cautella in date storage. However, future studies on this are needed to reach concrete conclusions.

Plant-based natural products are increasingly being explored as safer and more sustainable alternatives than synthetic drugs for controlling globally rising chronic health conditions, including inflammation and diabetes. Microbial fermentation has long been used to enhance the value and bioactivity of natural products. In this study, we produced bioactive oligosaccharides from okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) mucilage polysaccharides using a sustainable one-step Pichia kudriavzevii-mediated fermentation approach. The oligosaccharide fractions separated by size-exclusion chromatography primarily contained uronic acids, pentoses, and hexoses. In vitro assays showed that these oligosaccharides possess notable anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic potential. Among the fractions, ODF91 exhibited the strongest membrane-stabilizing activity, providing 92.86% protection of the erythrocyte membrane, comparable to that of the standard anti-inflammatory drug. ODF91, at 200 mg/kg, markedly reduced paw edema by 94.69% in the carrageenan-induced mouse model, supporting preliminary in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. ODF91, at 200 mg/kg, also lowered blood glucose levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice by 86.91%, followed by ODF83 and ODF84, suggesting promising preliminary antihyperglycemic activity. Furthermore, lipid profile parameters significantly improved in diabetic mice after treatment with these oligosaccharides. Collectively, these results suggest that the fermented okra-derived oligosaccharides possess promising anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic properties and highlight microbial fermentation as a scalable strategy for converting underutilized plant polysaccharides into value-added bioactive products.

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) are used in several sectors as antitumor, antimicrobial, and environmental adsorbents. Thus, the present research objective was the production of bacterial-SeNPs as an active and environmentally-friendly antibacterial and adsorbent agents and application into novel nanocomposite filter. From a total of 25 samples (soil, wastewater, and water) obtained from different locations in Egypt, 60 selenium-resistant bacterial isolates were obtained (on a mineral salt medium supplemented with selenium ions). After screening (based on the conversion of selenium from ionic form to nanoform), a superior bacterial isolate for SeNPs formation was obtained and molecular identified as Bacillus pumilus isolate OR431753. The high yield of SeNPs was noted after optimization (glucose as carbon source, pH 9 at 30 °C). The produced SeNPs were characterized as approximately 15 nm-diameter spherical nanoparticles, in addition to the presence of organic substances around these particles like polysaccharides and aromatic amines (protein residues). Also, they have antibacterial activity increased after formation of nanocomposite with nano-chitosan (SeNPs/NCh) against several pathogens. The antibacterial activity (expressed as a diameter of the inhibitory zone) averaged between 2.1 and 4.3, 2.7 and 4.8 cm for SeNPs and SeNPs/NCh, respectively compared with 1.1 to 1.8 cm for Amoxicillin. The produced nanoselenium/chitosan was used as a biofilter to remove mercury (Hg) and AgNPs as model chemicals with serious toxicity and potential pollutant for water bodies in many industries. The new SeNPs/NCh biofilter has proven highly effective in individually removing mercury and AgNPs from their synthetic wastewaters, with an efficiency of up to 99%. Moreover, the removal efficiency of AgNPs stabilized at 99% after treating them with the syringe filter-Se nanocomposite for 4 cycles of treatment (5 min each).

The application of germination models in economic crop management makes them extremely useful for predicting seed germination. Hence, we examined the effect of varying water potentials (Ψs; 0. − 0.3, − 0.6, − 0.9, − 1.2 MPa) and temperatures (Ts; 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 °C) on maize germination and enzymatic antioxidant mechanism. We observed that varying Ts and Ψs significantly influenced germination percentage (GP) and germination rate (GR), and other germination parameters, including germination rate index (GRI), germination index (GI), mean germination index (MGI), mean germination time (MGT), coefficient of the velocity of germination (CVG), and germination energy (GE) ( p  ≤ 0.01). Maximum (87.60) and minimum (55.20) hydro-time constant (θH) were reported at 35 °C and 20 °C, respectively. In addition, base water potential at 50 percentiles was highest at 30 °C (15.84 MPa) and lowest at 20 °C (15.46 MPa). Furthermore, the optimal, low, and ceiling T (To, Tb and Tc, respectively) were determined as 30 °C, 20 °C and 40 °C, respectively. The highest θT1 and θT2 were reported at 40 °C (0 MPa) and 20 °C (− 0.9 MPa), respectively. HTT has a higher value (R2 = 0.43 at 40 °C) at sub-optimal than supra-optimal temperatures (R2 = 0.41 at 40 °C). Antioxidant enzymes, including peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), increased with decreasing Ψs. In contrast, CAT and POD were higher at 20 °C and 40 °C but declined at 25, 30, and 35 °C. The APX and GPX remained unchanged at 20, 25, 30, and 40 °C but declined at 35 °C. Thus, maintaining enzymatic activity is a protective mechanism against oxidative stress. A decline in germination characteristics may result from energy diverting to anti-stress tools (antioxidant enzymes) necessary for eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS) to reduce salinity-induced oxidative damage. The parameters examined in this study are easily applicable to simulation models of Z. mays L. germination under extreme environmental conditions characterized by water deficits and temperature fluctuations.

Introduction: Vegetable waste has numerous essential values and can be used for various purposes. Unfortunately, it is often discarded worldwide due to a lack of awareness regarding its nutritional and practical significance. Even the nutrient- rich peels of fruits and vegetables are commonly wasted, despite their numerous useful applications. Utilizing vegetable waste to produce silver nanoparticles through green synthesis is an advantageous, economical, and environmentally friendly method for producing valuable products while addressing waste management concerns. The main emphasis of this study was to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by using vegetable waste from Solanum tuberosum (potato) and Coriander sativum (coriander). Methods: The stems of Coriander sativum and peels of Solanum tuberosum were used as extracts for the synthesis of AgNPs. The characterization of the synthesized AgNPs involved UV-spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The phytochemical analysis was performed to analyze antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antitumor, antioxidant, alpha-amylase, and protein inhibition activities. Results: The change in the color of the reaction mixture from yellowish green to brown following the addition of extracts to the silver nitrate solution confirmed nanoparticle synthesis. UV analysis has shown peaks in the range of 300-400nm. SEM confirmed the spherical and agglomerated morphology and size of 64nm for potato peel and 70nm for coriander stem. XRD confirmed the crystalline structure of silver nanoparticles. The phytochemical assays confirmed that silver nanoparticles had higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents. The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles showed promising antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antitumor, and antioxidant properties and significant alpha-amylase and protein inhibition activities in comparison with the crude extracts. Conclusion: The bioactivity of the plant suggests that it could be a suitable option for therapeutic purposes. This study demonstrates a potential method for sustainable nanoparticle synthesis and the therapeutic applications of AgNPs derived from vegetable waste. By utilizing the potential of vegetable waste, we can contribute to both environmental sustainability and the development of innovative, valuable products in fields such as medicine, agriculture, and materials science. These findings encourage further research on agricultural byproducts, promoting environmentally friendly and economically advantageous research and development efforts. Keywords: silver nanoparticles, vegetable waste, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, Coriander sativum, Solanum tuberosum

H5N1 virus (H5N1V) is highly contagious among birds and it was first detected in humans in 1997 during a poultry outbreak in Hong Kong. As the mechanism of its pathogenesis inside the host is still lacking, in this in-silico study we hypothesized that H5N1V might create miRNAs, which could target the genes associated with host cellular regulatory pathways, thus provide persistent refuge to the virus. Using bioinformatics approaches, several H5N1V produced putative miRNAs as well as the host genes targeted by these miRNAs were found. Functional enrichment analysis of targeted genes revealed their involvement in many biological pathways that facilitate their host pathogenesis. Eventually, the microarray dataset (GSE28166) was analyzed to validate the altered expression level of target genes and found the genes involved in protein binding and adaptive immune responses. This study presents novel miRNAs and their targeted genes, which upon experimental validation could facilitate in developing new therapeutics against H5N1V infection.

Nitrogenous (N) fertilizers are widely applied in agriculture for improving crop yield. However, significant quantity of chemically-applied N is lost leading to low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Therefore, two laboratory incubation studies were designed to evaluate the effects of different coating agents [no coating, neem ( Azadrichta indica ) oil coating and potassium ammonium phosphate (PAP) coating) on urea hydrolysis and nitrification under varying temperatures (25, 35 and 40 °C) and moisture regimes (30, 60 and 90% of field capacity). Results revealed that the NH 4 + and NO 3 − concentrations increased both with temperature and moisture levels. Using the organic-coated neem oil coated urea (NOCU) significantly reduced the release of NH 4 + and NO 3 − . Thereafter, a field experiment was conducted to explore the best coating agent [N 0 , 100% conventional urea, 75, 50 and 25% of recommended neem oil coated urea (NOCU)] using irrigated (Akbar-2019) and rainfed (Barani-2017) wheat cultivars. Even the reduced rates (50%) of the recommended NOCU performed at par to 100% recommended uncoated urea fertilizers. Application of 1% NOCU @ 75% of the recommended urea resulted in maximum grain yield (3.65 Mg ha − 1 ), N in roots (0.87%), N in straw (0.85%) and N in grains (1.07%) in irrigated wheat variety (Akbar-2019). Thus, using 1% neem oil coated urea @ 75% of the recommended uncoated urea has the potential to enhance the growth, yield, N uptake and NUE in wheat effectively under both rain fed and irrigated conditions.

Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies, characterized by complex molecular alterations that drive its progression. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying UCEC is crucial for developing effective diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategies. Immune-related genes, such as COL1A1, ITGB1, THY1, and PDGFRA, have been implicated in various cancers, but their roles in UCEC remain underexplored. In this study, we investigate the roles of these genes in the development and progression of UCEC. Using both in silico and in vitro approaches, we found that these genes were dysregulated in UCEC. Our results revealed the downregulation of COL1A1, ITGB1, THY1, and PDGFRA in UCEC compared to normal tissues. Further, promoter methylation analysis showed increased methylation of these genes in UCEC. Survival analysis highlighted their potential as prognostic markers, with lower expression linked to poor patient survival. Additionally, genetic alteration analysis demonstrated mutations in these genes across UCEC patients. Our results also showed that overexpression of COL1A1 in KLE and HEC-1B cells significantly reduced cell proliferation, colony formation, and migration, indicating that COL1A1 overexpression impacts critical cellular behaviors in UCEC. Finally, we explored the therapeutic potential of targeting these genes, suggesting that they may offer valuable insights for personalized treatment strategies in UCEC. This study identifies COL1A1, ITGB1, THY1, and PDGFRA as crucial regulators of UCEC progression, with altered expression linked to tumor behavior and patient survival. Overexpression of COL1A1 impaired cell proliferation, colony formation, and migration. Future research should focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of these genes, exploring their therapeutic targeting in preclinical models, and validating their clinical potential as biomarkers in larger patient cohorts to improve treatment strategies for UCEC.

Background Thyroid cancer, characterized by significant genetic and epigenetic alterations, remains a critical focus of molecular oncology. This study investigates eight key genes (BRAF, EIF1 AX, FOXE1, KRAS, PDGFRA, PIK3 CA, PTEN, and TERT) that are deregulated in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and their roles in thyroid cancer. Methods Cell culture, nucleic acid extraction, RT-qPCR, bisulfite sequencing, and various in silico tools and databases. Results Expression analysis using RT-qPCR revealed significant ( p -value < 0.05) down-regulation of BRAF, EIF1 AX, FOXE1, KRAS, PDGFRA, PIK3 CA, PTEN, and TERT genes in thyroid cancer cell lines compared to controls, with ROC curves indicating high diagnostic accuracy (AUC 0.93–0.99). Bisulfite sequencing demonstrated increased promoter methylation across all eight genes in cancerous samples, suggesting epigenetic silencing as a regulatory mechanism. Validation through UALCAN, OncoDB, and HPA confirmed reduced gene and protein expression in additional thyroid cancer cohorts. Genetic alteration analysis via cBioPortal showed prevalent BRAF mutations, whereas other genes exhibited fewer alterations. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis linked lower expression of BRAF and PIK3 CA to poorer overall survival. Correlation studies using TISIDB and TISCH2 databases highlighted associations between gene expression and immune modulation, revealing significant correlations with immune cell infiltration and diverse immune subtypes. Moreover, miRNA-mRNA network analysis identified hsa-mir- 628 - 5p as a critical regulator targeting these genes. The impact of BRAF overexpression on SW579 cells was assessed through various functional assays. Overexpression of BRAF resulted in reduced cell proliferation, colony formation, and wound healing, which may reflect context-dependent effects. While BRAF is typically oncogenic, its overexpression may lead to cellular stress or negative feedback mechanisms that impair these processes. Conclusion This comprehensive analysis elucidates the complex regulatory landscape of these genes in thyroid cancer, emphasizing the significant role of epigenetic modifications and providing insights into potential diagnostic and therapeutic avenues.