The defatted aqueous methanolic extract of the air‐dried aerial parts of Plantago major, collected from Nile delta, Egypt, was evaluated for its antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects. The major phenolic constituent; acteoside was isolated. Meanwhile, P. major exhibited potent hepatoprotective effect as it inhibited the serum activity elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma‐glutamyl transferase (GGT) enzymes and total and direct bilirubin. It increased the serum total protein and albumin and attenuated CCl4‐induced lipid peroxidation (LPO) and increased GSH in the liver homogenates. Liver histopathology supported the biochemical findings. Acteoside inhibited lipopolysaccharide induced production of nitric oxide in RAW264.7 macrophages (IC50, 75.0 μM) and scavenged both superoxide radical (IC50, 1.51 μM) and DPPH radical (IC50 of 11.27 µM). P. major showed significant DPPH scavenging activity in vitro (IC50, 7.32 μg/mL). It could be concluded that, P. major has potent antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities. Practical applications Plantago major L. is an edible plant that is used as food, particularly at the end of spring, just before the harvest of common vegetables. The plant grows wildly at canal banks of the Nile delta in Egypt and represents a very cheap food for farmers when frequent vegetables are not available. The research showed that the defatted aqueous methanolic extract has potential antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects in rats. The effect was very similar to the commercially used drug silymarin; indicating that it could be used as very cheap healthy food, food supplement or neutraceutical preparation to provide liver support for patients suffering from hepatic dysfunction. The main constituent acteoside was isolated and exhibited potent antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities in vitro, besides being safe on primary rat hepatocytes. Therefore this project provides a very cheap hepatoprotective drug for liver support, and a source of safe antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory compound.

In this paper, rapid, easy and cheap sonochemical method was described for synthesis of florfenicol-chitosan nanocomposite and to evaluate its anti-bacterial effect against Escherichia coli (ATCC35218), Salmonella typhymurium (ATCC14028) and Staph. aureus (ATCC29213). Florfenicol-chitosan nanocomposite was fully characterized for index, identification and morphology properties. Results of zeta potential for florfenicol-chitosan nanocomposite was -28 mV. Brunner-Emmett-Teller theory (BET) surface area was found to be 13.3, 73.2 and 103.69 m 2 /g for florfenicol, chitosan nanoparticles and florfenicol-chitosan nanocomposite, respectively. Raman charts confirmed the formation of florfenicol-chitosan nanocomposite without any contamination. Transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) images and data illustrated spherical to sub spherical shape of florfenicol nanoparticles on sheet shape of chitosan with size less than 75 nm. Remarkable results of florfenicol-chitosan nanocomposite as anti-bacterial agent illustrated the power of nanotechnology. However, antimicrobial activity was screened where the zone of inhibitions caused by the prepared nanocomposite were 24.7 mm, 30.6 mm and 29.3 mm compared to 17.7 mm, 16 mm and 18.7 mm of the native drug against E. coli, Salmonella typhymurium and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively.

Objectives: Both nano silver and neomycin have wound healing properties. Silver nanoparticles have been used as main compounds for therapeutic drug delivery systems against various ailments. The present study aimed to prepare a neomycin silver nano-composite gel easily, rapidly, and cheaply method to improve wound healing. Methods: Forty-five Wistar rats (150–200 g) divided into nine groups: wound untreated, wound fusidic acid treated, wound neomycin treated, three groups with wound and neomycin silver nano-composite gel at 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 concentrations, respectively, and three groups wound treated silver nano gel at the previous concentrations, respectively. Percentages of wound healing and histopathological examination of the wound area were assessed in all groups. Results: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images demonstrated the spherical shape of neomycin silver nano-composite gel without aggregation but homogenous dispersion in a gel matrix. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed a 4 nm size of nano silver, which agrees with AFM image data analysis but not with TEM image due to the good coating of the gel matrix to silver nanoparticles. Dynamic light scattering Zeta potential was −21 mV, illustrating the high bioactivity of the neomycin silver nano-composite. The groups receiving neomycin silver nano-composite gel showed a significantly higher and dose dependent wound healing compared to other treatment groups. Conclusion: The present work confirmed the potential wound healing activity of neomycin silver nano-composite gel compared to either alone.

The total alcohol extract obtained from the aerial parts of R. stricta and fractions of the liquid–liquid fractionation process were tested against picornavirus-causing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) based on the traditional use of the plant in Saudi Arabia. The most active petroleum ether soluble fraction was subjected to chromatographic purification, and nine compounds were isolated, identified using various chemical and spectroscopic methods, and tested for their anti-viral potential. The new ester identified as α-Amyrin 3-(3′R-hydroxy)-hexadecanoate (1) was the most active compound with 51% inhibition of the viral growth and was given the name Rhazyin A. Compounds with ursane skeleton were more active than those with lupane skeleton except in the case of the acid derivatives where betulenic acid showed 26.1% inhibition against the viral growth, while ursolic acid showed only 16.6% inhibition. Moreover, molecular docking analysis using a glide extra-precision module was utilized for investigating the possible molecular interactions accounting for anti-viral activity against picornavirus of the nine isolated compounds. Molecular docking studies revealed a strong binding of the discovered hits within the active site of FMDV 3Cpro. Compound 1 showed the lowest docking score within the nine isolated compounds comparable to the two known anti-viral drugs; glycyrrhizic acid and ribavirin. The results of this research will provide lead candidates from natural origin with potential safety and efficacy compared to the synthetic ones with lower production costs for managing FMVD.