Ziziphus spina-christi L. (ZSC-L) is a tree with thorny branches, belongs to the family Rhamnaceae and grows in the sub-tropics. The purpose of this research is to isolate and partially purify bioactive components from the crude ethanol extract of the stem bark of ZSC-L. Besides, bioassay-guided fractionation of ZSC-L stem bark was conducted using different solvents. The solvents were reutilized to minimize the production cost and environmental harm. In addition, the antimicrobial activities of the fractions were analyzed, followed by metabolic profiling using LC-HRMS. The n-butanol fraction showed the highest antimicrobial efficacy, so it was subjected to further purification. For the first time, two major compounds were isolated from the stem bark of ZSC-L and identified as lupane-type pentacyclic triterpenoids betulinic acid and betulin. Both compounds were used as antibacterial and anticancer agents and considered as a green product as the extraction procedure reduced the use of hazardous chemicals. Metabolic characterization of ZSC-L and its bioactive fractions were performed using LC-HR-ESI-MS and the results revealed the dereplication of 36 compounds belonging to different chemical classes. Flavonoids and triterpenes were the most prominent metabolite classes in the different fractions. The molecular docking results were obtained by studying the interaction of betulin and betulinic acid with antimicrobial receptors (4UYM, 1IYL, 1AJ2, 6J7L, 1AD4, 2VEG) to support the in vitro results. Our study highlights that Ziziphus spina-christi and its phytoconstituents, especially triterpenoids, act as a promising antimicrobial candidate in pharmaceutical and clinical applications.

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The increasing prevalence of obesity has become a demanding issue in both high-income and low-income countries. Treating obesity is challenging as the treatment options have many limitations. Recently, diet modification has been commonly applied to control or prevent obesity and its risks. In this study, we investigated novel therapeutic approaches using a combination of a potential probiotic source with prebiotics. Forty-eight adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were selected and divided into seven groups (eight rats per group). The first group was fed a high-fat diet, while the second group was a negative control. The other five groups were orally administered with a probiotic, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum), and potential prebiotics sources (chia seeds, green tea, and chitosan) either individually or in combination for 45 days. We collected blood samples to analyze the biochemical parameters and dissected organs, including the liver, kidney, and pancreas, to evaluate obesity-related injuries. We observed a more significant decrease in the total body weight by combining these approaches than with individual agents. Moreover, treating the obese rats with this combination decreased serum catalase, superoxide dismutase, and liver malondialdehyde levels. A histopathological examination revealed a reduction in obesity-related injuries in the liver, kidney, and pancreas. Further docking studies indicated the potential role of chia seeds and green tea components in modulating obesity and its related problems. Therefore, we suggest that the daily administration of a pre- and probiotic combination may reduce obesity and its related problems.

The burden of depression and other mental disorders is on the rise globally, and successful treatment sometimes requires modifications of drugs and/or dose regimens. The development of novel analytical methods for the determination of antidepressant drugs in biological fluids is thus urgently required. Herein, a sensitive, robust, and rapid liquid chromatographic coupled tandem mass spectrometric method was developed and validated for the determination of citalopram (CIT) and sertraline (SER) in rat plasma after oral administration. The analytes of interest and internal standard (duloxetine (DUL)) were extracted from 100 μL of plasma with solid-phase extraction on an Oasis HLB cartridge followed by the separation with gradient elution with water containing 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile on an Agilent Eclipse Plus ODS (4.6 × 100 mm, 3.5 μm) column at flow rate 0.2 mL min −1 . The triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was applied via electrospray ionization source for detection. The fragmentation pattern of the protonated CIT, SER, and DUL was elucidated using multiple reaction monitoring of the transitions of m/z 325.2 to 109, 306.1 to 158.9, and 298.1 to 154.1 as [M + H] + for CIT, SER, and DUL, respectively. The proposed method has been validated as per US-FDA bioanalytical guidelines in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, matrix effects, stability, selectivity, and recovery. The method was linear over the concentration range of 1−2000 and 1−1000 ng mL −1 with the lower limit of detection of 0.12 and 0.19 ng mL −1 for CIT and SER, respectively. The interday and intraday precisions and accuracy expressed by the relative standard deviation and the relative standard error were both lower than 11.1% and 2.1%, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the pharmacokinetics and drug monitoring studies of CIT and SER in rat plasma after a single oral dose of 120 mg kg −1 of CIT and SER. Coadministration of SER with CIT has affected the peak plasma concentrations, maximum plasma concentration time, area under the concentration−time curve, and oral clearance of CIT. Molecular modeling study showed that SER could competitively inhibit CYP2D6, the main enzyme involved in CIT metabolism. A possible drug−drug interaction in psychiatric patients undergoing chronic SER and CIT treatment is therefore worthy of more attention in an effort to avoid side effects and serotonin syndrome.

Background The emergence of different viral infections calls for the development of new, effective, and safe antiviral drugs. Glycyrrhiza glabra is a well-known herbal remedy possessing antiviral properties. Objective The objective of our research was to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly developed combination of the probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus and G. glabra root extract against two viral models, namely the DNA virus Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) and the RNA virus Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV), with regards to their antiviral properties. Methodology To examine the antiviral impacts of various treatments, we employed the MTT assay and real-time PCR methodology. Results The findings of our study indicate that the co-administration of L. acidophilus and G. glabra resulted in a significant improvement in the survival rate of Vero cells, while also leading to a reduction in the titers of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1) and Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) in comparison to cells that were not treated. Additionally, an investigation was conducted on glycyrrhizin, the primary constituent of G. glabra extract, utilizing molecular docking techniques. The results indicated that glycyrrhizin exhibited a greater binding energy score for HSV-1 polymerase (− 22.45 kcal/mol) and VSV nucleocapsid (− 19.77 kcal/mol) in comparison to the cocrystallized ligand (− 13.31 and − 11.44 kcal/mol, respectively). Conclusions The combination of L. acidophilus and G. glabra extract can be used to develop a new, natural antiviral agent that is safe and effective.

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A rapid and accurate high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of both abamectin and closantel in the veterinary formulation. The chromatographic separation was conducted on an Agilent 1200 with a UV detector using Waters C18 (4.6 mm × 50 mm; 2.7 μm). The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile:water (80:20 v/v) adjusts pH 3.0 using diluted phosphoric acid. The flow rate of 1.5 mL min−1 was used. An injection volume of 10 μL was used The calibration curve of abamectin B1b was linear with a correlation coefficient (r2) = 0.9996; over a concentration range of 2.0–8.0 μg/mL, abamectin B1a was linear with a correlation coefficient (r2) = 0.9997; over a concentration range of 8.0–32.0 μg/mL; with a retention time of 2.18 and 3.72 minutes for avermectin B1b and avermectin B1a, respectively. While the calibration curve of closantel was linear with a correlation coefficient (r2) = 0.99929; over a concentration range of 250.0–1,000.0 μg/mL for; with a retention time of 5.84 minutes. Correlation coefficient was r2 ≥ 0.999. The relative standard deviation was found to be ≤ 2. The proposed method was validated and successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of abamectin and closantel in the veterinary formulation.

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