Over 100 species of the genus Salsola are distributed in dry, arid parts of Asia, Europe and Africa, of which many species are recognised as antifungal, anticancer, antihypertensive and anthelmintic agents. Egyptian Salsola received scant characterisation of either its phytochemical composition or its biological effects. In this study, the metabolite profiles of two Salsola species viz. S. vermiculata and S. tetrandra were characterised in the aerial portions and root via ultra-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution qTOF-MS and NMR. Identified metabolites belonged to various classes including hydroxycinnamic acid conjugates, flavonoids, oxygenated fatty acids and alkaloids. Principal component analysis of derived biochemical profiles was also used for species and/or organs classification. Roots were enriched in hydroxycinnamic acid conjugates, whereas flavonoids were more abundant in aerial parts with kaempferol derivatives as major flavonoids in S. tetrandra versus quercetin in S. vermiculata. The root of S. vermiculata exhibited strong anti-acetylcholinesterase activity relative to eserine standard.

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The prevalence of hepatic diseases globally and in Egypt particularly necessitates an intensive search for natural hepatoprotective candidates. Despite the traditional use of Chrysophyllum oliviforme L. and C. cainito L. leaves in the treatment of certain ailments, evidence-based reports on their bioactivities are limited. In this work, in vivo and in silico studies were conducted to evaluate their methanol extracts potential to alleviate liver damage in CCl4-intoxicated rats, in addition to their antioxidant activity and identifying the molecular mechanisms of their phenolic constituents. The extracts restored the altered total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), alanine aminotransferase ALT, aspartate aminotransferase AST, total protein, and albumin. Histopathological architecture, DNA fragmentation, and mRNA expression level of TGF-β1 also confirmed the anti-fibrotic activity of the two extracts. The total phenolic content (TPC) in C. oliviforme ethanol extract exceeded that in C. caimito. Additionally, the malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels assured the antioxidant potential. Seven phenolics; quercetin, isoquercitrin, myricetin, kaempferol, and caffeic, trans-ferulic, and gallic acids were isolated from the ethanol extract of C. oliviforme. The molecular docking of isolated compounds revealed a low binding energy (kcal/mol with TGF-β1, thus confirming the hepatoprotctive activity of the extracts. In conclusion, the C. oliviforme leaves could be considered as potent safe raw material for the production of herbal formulations to alleviate hepatic toxicity after preclinical safety study.

Volatiles of Spathodea campanulata buds and expanded flowers were isolated by hydrodistillation / solvent extraction and direct solvent extraction. Products analysed included: primary and recovered oils (PO/RO) derived from distillates, chloroform extractives (CE) of the non-distilled fractions, and hexane concretes (HC). Number of components identified by GC-MS varied from 35-60 (88.56 -98.17 % of the total composition). PO/RO showed close amounts of hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds; yet, the latter prevailed in CE and HC samples. Hydrocarbon fraction was the least in buds CE (15.36 %) and greatest in flowers PO/RO (48.04 %); meanwhile, oxygenated constituents dominated flowers HC (74.04 %). Chief hydrocarbons were: alkanes and alkenes (flowers CE, 32.46 %; major phytane 16.41 %), and terpenoids (PO/ RO: buds 22.44 %, major α-pinene 9.34 % vs. flowers 19.91 %, major β-selinene 8.51 %). Oxygenated constituents included: carbonyl compounds (flowers CE 31.83 %; major 6-benzofurancarboxyaldehyde 27.75 %); acids (HC: flowers 52.16 %, major hexadecanoic acid 32.47 % vs. buds 51.64 %, major 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid 30.19 %); esters and lactones (buds CE, 66.24 %; major 1, 2-benzenedicarboxylic acid diisooctyl ester, 38.99 %; and PO/RO, buds 31.52 % vs. flowers 28.01 %). The volatiles exhibited variable cytotoxic activities against (MCF7) and (HCT116) cell lines. Buds HC demonstrated the lowest IC 50 (4.2 μg/ml). In conclusion, the stage of development and isolation techniques obviously influenced yield, composition and bioactivity.

Introduction: Antibiotic resistance is a major problem that is spreading and increasing while the development of new antibiotics is ceasing. As a result, some bacterial infections that were easily treated previously became untreatable. The antibacterial activity of Clerodendrum inerme and Clerodendrum splendens leaves were investigated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the widely known multi-drug resistant bacterium. UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS is characterized by high sensitivity, resolution and speed for identification of plant metabolites even the minor ones. The chemical constituents of the leaves of C. inerme and C. splendens were investigated by UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS metabolic analysis. Methods: The antibacterial activity of the ethanol extracts of the leaves of the two species under investigation was evaluated against the multi-ethanol drug resistant bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis using MABA assay. The methanol extracts of the leaves of C. inerme and C. splendens were subjected to comparative UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS analysis. Results: The ethanol extract of C .inerme leaves showed significant antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while that of C. splendens showed moderate activity. The UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS analysis revealed a total of 36 metabolites detected and tentatively identified in the two species under investigation, among them 28 chromatographic peaks were assigned in C. inerme while only 14 were assigned in these C. splendens. The main classes of secondary metabolites detected were Phenylpropanoid and, iridoid glycosides, flavonoids, diterpenoids, phenolic acid and fatty acid derivatives. Conclusion: The results of the antibacterial activity and UPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/ MS analysis showed stronger activity and higher number of metabolites for C. inerme as compared to C. splendens.

The present report is a comparative investigation of two Conyza species growing wild in Egypt namely, Conyza dioscoridis (L.) Desf. and Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronquist. It comprises a genetic and chemical characterization of the plants, as well as an evaluation of their biological activities. The DNA fingerprints of the two species were established based on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure using ten decamer primers. Further characterization of the plants was performed via determination of pharmacopoeial constants, phytochemical screening and estimation of phenolic content (total phenolics, tannins and flavonoids). The ethanol (70%) extracts of C. dioscoridis (EECD) and C. bonariensis (EECB) were subjected to acute toxicity study to determine their LD50; the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities were then evaluated. Screening for potential cytotoxicity was carried out both by Brine Shrimp Lethality Test and Sulphorodamine-B assay on three human cell lines viz., breast carcinoma (MCF7), colorectal carcinoma (HCT116) and cervical carcinoma (HELA) cell lines. The DNA profiling revealed a similarity index of 88.89% between the investigated species. The variability observed among the pharmacopoeial constants constitute a valuable differential criterion; the total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash and crude fiber values obtained for C. bonariensis exceeded (17, 5, 10 and 3.5%, respectively) those for C. dioscoridis; meanwhile, the moisture content was higher (10%) in the latter. The phytochemical screening of EECD and EECB revealed the presence of flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and tannins in both species. Estimation of phenolic contents (total phenolics, tannins and flavonoids expressed as gallic acid, tannic acid and rutin equivalents, respectively) showed that EECD contains higher amounts of all these constituents when compared to EECB (1.17 vs. 0.96 mg/g, total phenolics; 2.43 vs. 1.83 mg/g, tannins and 0.62 vs. 0.29 mg/g, flavonoids). EECD and EECB were found to be safe (LD50 upto 0.5g/kg). Throughout evaluation of the antimicrobial activity against a set of microbial strains and potential cytotoxicity against MCF7, EECD appeared more efficient (MIC: 200-400 µg/ml and IC50: 2.97 μg/ml, respectively); meanwhile, the effect of EECB was more significant on HCT116 and HELA (IC50: 21 and 5.4 μg/ml, respectively). Results of in-vivo assessment of the anti-inflammatory activity showed that the inhibitory effect of EECD was more prominent than that of EECB (74.20% vs. 59.0%). However, the effect of the extracts was inversed in the Brine Shrimp Lethality test (30% vs. 40% lethality, respectively).

Exposure to ionizing radiation usually results in cellular oxidative damage and may induce liver toxicity. The efficiency of the ethanol extracts of Washingtonia filifera (EWF) and Washingtonia robusta (EWR) leaves in alleviating γ-radiation-induced oxidative hepatotoxicity was herein explored. Proximate and macronutrient composition of the leaves was determined to establish reliable quality control criteria. Colorimetric estimation of total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents revealed their occurrence in larger amounts in EWR. In vitro evaluation of the antioxidant capacity by 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays confirmed higher efficiency of EWR designating a close correlation with phenolic composition. Four phenolics, viz., naringenin, kaempferol, quercetin, and gallic acid, were isolated from EWR. In vivo assessment of the extracts’ antioxidant potential was performed on γ-irradiated (7.5 Gy) female rats. EWR was found more efficient in restoring the elevated liver index, ALT, albumin, cholesterol, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Both extracts ameliorated the increase in the stimulator of interferon gene (STING) expression. Bioactivity was confirmed by immuno-histochemical examination of inflammatory and apoptotic biomarkers (TNF-α, IL-6 and caspase-3) and histopathological architecture. In addition, the interactions of the isolated compounds with STING were assessed in silico by molecular docking. Therefore, Washingtonia robusta leaves might be suggested as a valuable nutritional supplement to alleviate radiotherapy-induced hepatotoxicity.