Enhancement of antidermatophytic activities of Citrullus colocynthis Schrad collected from different ecological habitats in Egypt using fluconazole

Background: Citrullus colocynthis L. (C. colocynthis) is commonly known as colocynth. It belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae that is frequently used in alternative medicine in the north of Africa. The aim of the study: the present research was undertaken to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antibacterial potentials of C. colocynthis seed extract. Material and methods: the chemical composition of C. colocynthis seed organic extract was characterized using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant property was carried out using both β-carotene bleaching and DPPH assays. The antibacterial effect was effectuated using the agar disc diffusion method. The antiproliferative activity vs. human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29) and human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MDA MB 231) were carried by WST-1 test. The chemical analysis showed the presence of interesting potentially bioactive compounds. The studied plant extract exhibited antioxidant potential with IC50 value of 2. 22 mg/mL (β-carotene bleaching) and 8.98 ± 0.619 mg/mL (DPPH). Concerning the antiproliferative activity, the seed extract was effective in MDA-MB-231 and HT-29 cancer cells with IC50 values 86.89 ± 3.395 and 242.1 ± 17.9 μg/mL, respectively, whilst the extract of Citrullus colocynthis seeds was non-toxic in healthy human dermal fibroblasts. Regarding the antibacterial test, the extract was effective in Gram-positive bacteria only. Conclusion: The outcome of this research indicated that the extracts from C. colocynthis seeds may compose a promising source with interesting compounds that can be used to fight cancer, free radicals damage, and bacterial infections.

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Investigation of Seeds and Peels of Citrullus colocynthis as Efficient Natural Adsorbent for Methylene Blue Dye

Processes ◽

10.3390/pr9081279 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 1279

Author(s):

Wafa Mohammed Alghamdi ◽

Ines El Mannoubi

Keyword(s):

Methylene Blue ◽

Kinetic Model ◽

Langmuir Isotherm ◽

Order Kinetic ◽

Citrullus Colocynthis ◽

Natural Adsorbent ◽

Spontaneous Process ◽

Equilibrium Data ◽

Order Kinetic Model ◽

Mb Adsorption

Natural adsorbents as low-cost materials have been proved efficient for water remediation and have significant capacity for the removal of certain chemicals from wastewater. The present investigation aimed to use Citrullus colocynthis seeds (CCSs) and peels (CCPs) as an efficient natural adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) dye in an aqueous solution. The examined biosorbents were characterized using surface area analyzer (BET), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to optimize the main factors influencing the biosorption process. The equilibrium data for the adsorption of MB by CCSs were best described by the Langmuir isotherm followed by the Freundlich adsorption isotherms, while the equilibrium data for MB adsorption by CCPs were well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm followed by the Temkin isotherm. Under optimum conditions, the maximum biosorption capacity and removal efficiency were 18.832 mg g−1 and 98.00% for MB-CCSs and 4.480 mg g−1 and 91.43% for MB-CCPs. Kinetic studies revealed that MB adsorption onto CCSs obeys pseudo-first order kinetic model (K1 = 0.0274 min−1), while MB adsorption onto CCPs follows the pseudo-second order kinetic model (K2 = 0.0177 g mg−1 min−1). Thermodynamic studies revealed that the MB biosorption by CCSs was endothermic and a spontaneous process in nature associated with a rise in randomness, but the MB adsorption by CCPs was exothermic and a spontaneous process only at room temperature with a decline in disorder. Based on the obtained results, CCSs and CCPSs can be utilized as efficient, natural biosorbents, and CCSs is promising since it showed the highest removal percentage and adsorption capacity of MB dye.

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Research and Application of Molecular and Phenotypic Data for Tree Biodiversity Evaluation

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12050564 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 564

Author(s):

Gaetano Distefano

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Agronomic Traits ◽

Crop Improvement ◽

Phenotypic Data ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Biotic Stresses ◽

Tree Crop ◽

Ecological Habitats

The main challenges for tree crop improvement are linked to the sustainable development of agro-ecological habitats, improving the adaptability to limiting environmental factors and resistance to biotic stresses or promoting novel genotypes with improved agronomic traits [...]

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