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In the current study we prepared cost-effective adsorbents based on ajwa date pits to remove Cu(II) ions from aqueous medium. Adsorbents were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FT-IR, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) methods to characterize the surface functionalities, morphology, pore size, and particle size. The concentration of Cu(II) ions in the studied samples was determined by atomic adsorption spectrometry technique (AAS). Adsorption method was performed sequentially in a batch system followed by optimization by studying the numerous conditions, for instance the initial amounts of Cu(II) ions, dosages of the adsorbent, contact time, and pH of the solution. The ideal pH observed for maximum adsorption capacity was ~6.5. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models correctly predicted the investigation results, with the maximum monolayer adsorption capacities for Cu(II) ions at 328 K being 1428.57 mg/g (treated ajwa date pits, TADP) and 1111.1 mg/g for as produced ajwa date pits (ADP). It was revealed that TADP possess greater adsorption capability than ADP. Recovery investigations revealed that the saturated adsorbents eluted the maximum metal with 0.1 M HCl. Cu(II) ions adsorption was observed to be reduced by 80–89% after the second regeneration cycle. For the raw and chemically processed ajwa date pits adsorbent, the Langmuir model performed significantly better than the Freundlich model. The results demonstrated that the adsorbent made from ajwa date pits could be an economical and environmentally friendly alternative for removing Cu(II) ion pollutant from aqueous media.

A new class of 2‐aryloxy‐N‐phenylacetamide and N′‐(2‐aryloxyoxyacetyl) benzohydrazide derivatives with different active moieties were synthesized and screened for their antibacterial activity. Structural characterization of synthesized compounds was performed using HR‐MS, 1H‐NMR, and 13C‐NMR spectral data. Amongst the synthesized compounds, 4‐{2‐[2‐(2‐chloroacetamido)phenoxy]acetamido}‐3‐nitrobenzoic acid (3h) and 2‐chloro‐N‐(2‐{2‐[2‐(2‐chlorobenzoyl)hydrazinyl]‐2‐oxoethoxy}phenyl)acetamide (3o) have shown good antibacterial activity against a selected panel of bacteria. Besides, compounds also exhibited bactericidal activity against P. aeruginosa (3h, 0.69 μg/mL) and S. aureus (3o, 0.62 μg/mL) as evident by MBC and time‐kill kinetics studies. In silico molecular docking and ADMET properties of newly synthesized compounds revealed that compounds could be considered as promising antibacterial agents.

Twenty-five new hits of spirooxindole analogs 8a–y engrafted with indole and pyrazole scaffolds were designed and constructed via a [3+2]­cycloaddition (32CA) reaction starting from three components: new chalcone-based indole and pyrazole scaffolds 5a–d, substituted isatins 6a–c, and secondary amines 7a–d. The potency of the compounds were assessed in modulating cholinesterase (AChE) activity using Ellman’s method. Compounds 8i and 8y showed the strongest acetylcholine esterase inhibition (AChEI) with IC50 values of 24.1 and 27.8 μM, respectively. Molecular docking was used to study their interaction with the active site of hAChE.

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In this work, six new mixed ligand Schiff base metal complexes of [M2(L1)(X)2Cl4] type, (where, M = CoII, NiII, CuII, L1 = Schiff base ligand derived from 1‐pyrenecarboxaldehyde and 1,4‐bis[3‐aminopropyl]piperazine and X = pyrazine‐2‐carboxylic acid or 2,2′‐biimidazole) were synthesized and studied their biological activity and cytotoxicity. The synthesized Schiff base ligands, their metal complexes were characterized by Infrared, UV‐Visible spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Density functional theory calculations were performed to examine the molecular geometry and frontier molecular orbital properties of complexes (1–6). The DNA binding ability of these complexes (1–6) was evaluated by in vitro spectroscopic (absorption and fluorescence) titrations, viscosity measurements, and in silica by molecular docking measurements. The results showed a good binding propensity with the binding constant from 2.65 × 104 to 3.38 × 105 M−1 in the order 6 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 2 > 1, respectively. All complexes exhibited a good binding affinity to BSA proteins with relatively higher binding constant values similar to the trend of DNA binding studies and where Cu (II) complexes have greater efficiency than Co (II) and Ni (II) complexes. The in vitro cytotoxic study of all the complexes was investigated in the cervical cancer (HeLa) cell line, which displayed IC50 values of 1.36–24.2 μM, signifying the potential of complexes for an operative anticancer drug. Metal complexes were also screened for antimicrobial properties, which showed virtuous inhibition than the free ligands.

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The current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants, remains a serious health hazard globally. The SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and spike proteins, as well as the human ACE2 receptor, have previously been reported as good targets for the development of new drug leads to combat COVID-19. Various ligands, including synthetic and plant-derived small molecules, can interact with the aforementioned proteins. In this study, we investigated the interaction of eight phytochemicals, from selected medicinal plants ( Aegle marmelos , Azadirachta indica , and Ocimum sanctum) commonly used in Indian traditional medicine, with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro (PDBID: 6LU7), SARS-CoV-2S spike protein (PDB ID: 6M0J) and the human ACE2 receptor (PDB ID: 6M18). All compounds were subjected to density functional theory (DFT) and frontier molecular orbitals (FMO) analysis to determine their geometry, and key electronic and energetic properties. Upon examining the interactions of the phytochemicals with the human ACE2 receptor and the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, spike protein targets, two compounds (C-5 and C-8) were identified as the best binding ligands. These were further examined in MD simulation studies to determine the stability of the ligand-protein interactions. QSAR, pharmacokinetic and drug-likeness properties studies revealed that C-5 may be the best candidate to serve as a template for the design and development of new drugs to combat COVID-19.