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Lake Mariout is one of the polluted coastal marine ecosystems in Egypt which is considered to be a reservoir of serious effluents from different anthropogenic activities. Such selective pressure enforces indigenous microbial populations to acquire new advantageous themes. Thus, in this study, two Streptomyces strains were screened, from Lake Mariout’s sediment for bioreduction of 5 mM AgNO3. Both strains were identified molecularly; their biochemical and physiological characterization revealed their ability to secrete bioactive metabolites with antagonistic activity. The cultural and incubation conditions influencing AgNPs productivity were evaluated. Subsequently, the physicochemical properties of the biofabricated AgNPs were pursued. UV-Vis spectroscopy detected surface plasmon resonance at range 458–422 nm. XRD indicated crystalline, pure, face-centered cubic AgNPs; EDX demonstrated strong silver signal at 3.5 keV. Besides, FT-IR and TGA analysis unveiled self-stabilization and functionalization of AgNPs by bioorganic molecules. However, electron microscopy micrographs depicted numerous uniform spherical AgNPs (1.17–13.3 nm). Potent bactericidal and fungicide activity were recorded by zone of inhibition assay at 50 μg/mL. Further, the antibiofilm activity was exerted in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the conjugation of AgNPs with the crude bioactive metabolites of both bionanofactories ameliorated the antimicrobial potency, reflecting a synergistic efficiency versus examined pathogens (free-living and biofilm).

Silver nanoparticles are widely synthesized for various applications, including antimicrobial coatings, biomedical devices, and others. Traditional silver nanoparticle synthesis methods often rely on hazardous reducing agents, which pose risks to both human health and the environment. Using polymers like polyvinylpyrrolidone as both reducing and stabilizing agents eliminates the need for additional chemical reducing agents. The pH was adjusted with NaOH to facilitate reduction by PVP, aligning with environmentally benign chemistry principles. While PVP is widely used as a stabilizer, its potential as a reducing agent and the influence of its molecular weight and concentration on nanoparticle synthesis remain insufficiently explored. This study provides new insights into the role of molecular weight of polyvinylpyrrolidone on synthesis, size, stability and antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles. The findings of this study suggest a complex interplay between molecular weight and concentration of the PVP on the synthesis and shape of the silver nanoparticles. The silver nanoparticles were synthesized at pH 11 for all the PVPs except PVP 1300 K. At pH 9, low molecular weight PVP, such as PVP 10 K and PVP 40 K were able to synthesize silver nanoparticles. Synthesis by PVP360 yielded a significant proportion of nonspherical or anisotropic nanoparticles (triangular and hexagonal) as confirmed by TEM. Nanoparticle suspensions demonstrated good stability up to 6 months. The antimicrobial efficacy of the particles was strongly dependent on the concentration of the PVP, while molecular weight did not impact the size of the inhibition zone in the well diffusion test. The higher concentration of PVP reduced the leaching or diffusion of the silver ions, leading to a reduced size of inhibition zones.

Industrial wastewater is one of the most widespread sources of water pollution that cause increasing problems with heavy metals and dyes, which at the same time implies the find of sustainable and cost-effective treatment solutions. The current research was centred on the use of activated sludge that is obtained from the natural wastewater to remove both methylene blue (MB) dye and lead (Pb) ions from contaminated water. The SEM, EDS, FTIR, BET, XRD, and TGA analysis were used to characterize the structure and function of the activated sludge. The effect of pH, contact time, initial concentration, and sludge dosage on the removal efficiency was studied using the batch experiments. The activated sludge was most efficient at pH 6, 120 min contact time with 2 g/L sludge dosage. The steps of adsorption process have been best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, in which physical attachment was found to be the major route. The results of isotherm studies showed that the best fitting model for the adsorption data was the Langmuir model, with the maximum adsorption capacities of 78.6 mg/g for MB and 52.3 mg/g for Pb. The sludge also showed appreciable regeneration, with over 80% of the adsorption capacity left after it had completed the fifth cycle. The findings thus put forward the idea of using naturally occurring activated sludge from wastewater as a sustainable, low-cost, and efficient biosorbent for the treatment of water polluted with dyes and heavy metals.

Using a green freeze gelation and genipin crosslinking technique, chitosan (C), kaolinite (K), cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were combined to create CK–CNF–Fe cryogel beads, a novel magnetic composite. Freeze gelation was used to create the beads, which were then cross linked using genipin, a non-toxic natural cross linker, and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were included in situ. The addition of genipin guarantees the material’s safe application in wastewater treatment while also enhancing its eco-friendliness. With an average pore width of about 11 μm, an average bead diameter of 1.7 mm, and a specific surface area of 230 m² g⁻¹, the beads displayed a macroporous three dimensional structure. The maximum adsorption capacity was 812 mg g⁻¹ at pH 7 and 298 K in batch adsorption studies using Methylene Blue (MB, 150 mg L⁻¹), which fit the Langmuir isotherm model (R² > 0.995). 95% equilibrium absorption was reached in 22 min, and adsorption proceeded according to pseudo second order kinetics (k₂ = 0.016 g mg⁻¹ min⁻¹). Using a 0.3 T magnet, the beads’ great magnetic responsiveness (saturation magnetization, Mₛ = 20 emu g⁻¹) allowed for > 99% recovery in less than 35 s. >90% dye desorption during regeneration at pH 2 was made possible by the pH-responsive swelling behavior, which ranged from 500% (pH 3) to 880% (pH 10). Surprisingly, after six adsorption desorption cycles, the beads retained more than 90% of their adsorption effectiveness. These results highlight CK–CNF–Fe cryogel beads as eco-friendly, high performance, and magnetically retrievable adsorbents with excellent reusability for sustainable wastewater treatment.

The uncontrolled release of lead (Pb 2+ ) into water bodies presents a major risk to both environmental integrity and human health, owing to its high toxicity, long-term stability, and tendency to accumulate in living organisms. Addressing this challenge, the present study reports the synthesis of a novel, eco-compatible bioinorganic composite—Chitosan–Tannic Acid@MIL-101(Cr) (CS-TA@MIL-101)—designed for efficient Pb 2+ adsorption from aqueous media. The composite integrates the high surface area of MIL-101(Cr) with the functional versatility of chitosan and tannic acid via in situ self-assembly. Characterization by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TGA, and BET confirmed the formation of a stable, hierarchically porous material with a surface area of 884.8 ± 3.6 m²/g, pore volume of 0.58 ± 0.02 cm 3 /g, and dual micro-/mesoporosity. Batch experiments demonstrated a maximum Pb²⁺ adsorption capacity of 317.6 ± 1.9 mg/g and removal efficiency of 98.88 ± 0.7%. Kinetic data fit both nonlinear and linear pseudo-second-order (PSO) models with R 2  = 0.998/0.997 and RMSE = 0.78/1.03, indicating a chemisorption mechanism. Isothermal studies followed the Langmuir model with R 2  = 0.999/0.998 and RMSE = 0.93/1.08, suggesting monolayer adsorption. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed spontaneous and endothermic behavior (ΔH° = 85.84 ± 2.74 kJ/mol). After undergoing six regeneration cycles, the composite maintained an efficiency of 90.24 ± 0.6%, highlighting its strong reusability and suitability for long-term, eco-friendly water purification efforts.

Jellyfish venom is a rich source of bioactive proteins and peptides with various biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor effects. However, the anti-proliferative activity of the crude extract of Rhopilema nomadica jellyfish venom has not been examined yet. The present study aimed at the investigation of the in vitro effect of R. nomadica venom on liver cancer cells (HepG2), breast cancer cells (MDA-MB231), human normal fibroblast (HFB4), and human normal lung cells (WI-38) proliferation by using MTT assay. The apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells was investigated using Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining-based flow cytometry analysis, western blot analysis, and DNA fragmentation assays. R. nomadica venom displayed significant dose-dependent cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells after 48 h of treatment with IC50 value of 50 μg/mL and higher toxicity (3:5-fold change) against MDA-MB231, HFB4, and WI-38 cells. R. nomadica venom showed a prominent increase of apoptosis as revealed by cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, upregulation of p53, BAX, and caspase-3 proteins, and the down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and DNA fragmentation. These findings suggest that R. nomadica venom induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first scientific evidence demonstrating the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of R. nomadica jellyfish venom.

The objective of this paper is to confine piperine, a poor oral bioavailable herbal drug into bile salt based nano vesicles for improving its aqueous solubility, hence, its therapeutic activity. Piperine-loaded bilosomes were fabricated adopting thin film hydration technique according to 3 2 .2 1 full factorial design to investigate the impact of different formulation variables on the characters of bilosomes: entrapment efficiency (EE%), particle size, and % of drug released post 8 h (Q8hr). The selected optimum formula was F2 (enclosing 1% bile salt, brij72 as a surfactant, and ratio of surfactant:cholesterol was 9:1) with desirability value 0.801, exhibiting high EE% (97.2 ± 0.8%) nanosized spherical vesicles (220.2 ± 20.5 nm) and Q8hr (88.2%±5.6). The superiority of the optimized formula (F2) over the drug suspension was revealed via ex vivo permeation study, also pharmacokinetic study denoted to the boosted oral bioavailability of piperine-loaded bilosome compared to piperine suspension. Moreover, antiviral activity and safety margin of F2 was significantly higher than that of the drug suspension. The ability of piperine to interact with the key amino acids in the receptor binding domain 4L3N as indicated by its docking configuration, rationalized its observed activity. Furthermore, F2 significantly reduce oxidant markers, inflammatory cytokines in MERS-CoV-infected mice. Hence, bilosomes can be considered as a carrier of choice for piperine with potential antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offer sustainable means to enhance crop resilience under environmental stress, including heavy metal toxicity. Understanding their role in mitigating such stresses is vital for advancing biotechnological strategies aimed at food security and sustainable agriculture. A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effects of single and/or combined application of different levels [10 and 20 ppm] of Serratia marcescens and Pseudomonas fluorescens on Cd accumulation, morpho-physio-biochemical attributes of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) exposed to severe Cd stress [0 (without Cd stress), and 100 µM)]. The research outcomes indicated that elevated levels of Cd stress in the soil significantly ( p  ≤ 0.05) decreased plant growth and biomass, photosynthetic pigments, and gas exchange attributes. However, Cd stress also induced oxidative stress in the plants by increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), which also induced increased compounds of various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and also the gene expression and sugar content. Furthermore, a significant ( p  ≤ 0.05) increase in proline metabolism, the ascorbate–glutathione (AsA–GSH) cycle were observed. Although, the application of S . marcescens and P . fluorescens showed a significant ( p  ≤ 0.05) increase in plant growth and biomass, gas exchange characteristics, enzymatic and non-enzymatic compounds, and their gene expression and also decreased oxidative stress. In addition, the application of S . marcescens and P . fluorescens enhanced cellular fractionation and decreased the proline metabolism and AsA–GSH cycle in O . sativa plants. Research findings, therefore, suggest that the application of S . marcescens and P . fluorescens can ameliorate Cd toxicity in O . sativa , resulting in improved plant growth and composition under metal stress, as depicted by balanced antioxidant defense mechanism. Graphical Abstract

A new series of hybrid molecules containing cinnamic acid and 2-quinolinone derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their structures were confirmed by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass analyses. All the synthesized hybrid molecules were assessed for their in vitro antiproliferative activity against more than one cancer cell lines. Compound 3-(3,5-dibromo-7,8-dihydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoquinolin-1(2H)-ylamino)-3-phenylacrylic acid (5a) with IC50 = 1.89 μM against HCT-116 was proved to the most potent compound in this study, as compared to standard drug staurosporin. DNA flow cytometry assay of compound 5a revealed G2/M phase arrest and pre-G1 apoptosis. Annexin V-FITC showed that the percentage of early and late apoptosis was increased. The results of topoisomerase enzyme inhibition activity showed that the hybrid molecule 5a displays potent inhibitory activity compared with control.