We previously annotated the phytochemical constituents of a root extract from Ximenia americana var. caffra and highlighted its hepatoprotective and hypoglycemic properties. We here extended our study on the leaf extract and identified its phytoconstituents using HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS. In addition, we explored its antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiaging activities in vitro and in an animal model, Caenorhabditis elegans. Results from HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS/MS confirmed that the leaves contain 23 secondary metabolites consisting of condensed tannins, flavonol glycosides, flavone glycosides, and flavonol diglycosides. The leaf extract demonstrated significant antioxidant activity in vitro with IC50 value of 5 μg/mL in the DPPH assay and 18.32 μg/mL in the FRAP assay. It also inhibited four enzymes (collagenase, elastase, hyaluronidase, and tyrosinase) crucially involved in skin remodeling and aging processes with comparable activities to reference drugs along with four pure secondary metabolites identified from the extract. In accordance with the in vitro result, in vivo tests using two transgenic strains of C. elegans demonstrated its ability to reverse oxidative stress. Evidence included an increased survival rate in nematodes treated with the prooxidant juglone to 68.9% compared to the 24.8% in untreated worms and a reduced accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a dose-dependent manner to 77.8%. The leaf extract also reduced levels of the expression of HSP 16.2 in a dose-dependent manner to 86.4%. Nuclear localization of the transcription factor DAF-16 was up to 10 times higher in worms treated with the leaf extract than in the untreated worms. The extract also inhibited the biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a pathogen in skin infections) and reduced the swimming and swarming mobilities in a dose-dependent fashion. In conclusion, leaves of X. americana are a promising candidate for preventing oxidative stress-induced conditions, including skin aging.

Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms, commonly known as water hyacinth, is one of the world’s most invasive aquatic plants of the Pontederiaceae family occurring in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Although, E. crassipes causes significant ecological and socioeconomic issues such as a high loss in water resources, it has multipurpose applications since it is famous for many industrial applications such as bioenergy, biofertilizer production, wastewater treatment (absorption of heavy metals), and animal feed. Furthermore, E. crassipes is rich in diverse bioactive secondary metabolites including sterols, alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, tannins, and saponins. These secondary metabolites are well known for a wide array of therapeutic properties. The findings of this review suggest that extracts and some isolated compounds from E. crassipes possess some pharmacological activities including anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, skin whitening, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective activities, among other biological activities such as allelopathic, larvicidal, and insecticidal activities. The present review comprehensively summarizes the chemical composition of E. crassipes, reported to date, along with its traditional uses and pharmacological and biological activities.

The proliferation of the invasive Water hyacinth (WH) plant leads to ecological, economic, public health, and agricultural problems. Several efforts have been deployed to control its spread, but no concreate results have been obtained. Only few studies dealing with systematic approaches for the WH control have been conducted. To establish a road map for the best control methods to be adopted, this review highlights the control programs that have been tested worldwide and describes, through a deep literature analysis and comparison, the most effective and sustainable control programs for managing the proliferation of this aquatic weed. Through a critical analysis, this review evaluates the advantages and drawbacks of the main proposed control methods including biological, chemical and physical methods. The obtained results suggested that short and medium term physical control promptly manages the plant’s proliferation and thus could complement the effect of the biological control. Moreover, to be economically viable, the harvested WH through physical means must be valorized to generate high value-added products. Furthermore, run-off nutrients control could reduce the end-of-catchment loads and would help the resilience of freshwater bodies and promote plant removal. Descriptive results analysis confirmed that an integrated control approach combining “biological and physical’’ is the most sustainable and cost-effective approach. The adaptation of these methods based on the socio-economic context of each country, could promote ecosystem restoration, self-generation, and conservation for a sustainable development.

Caper (Capparis spinosa L.) is a perennial shrub of the family Capparaceae, endemic to circum-Mediterranean countries. Caper carries a renowned nutritional value, especially in terms of vitamins and antioxidants related to the occurrence of flavonoids, alkaloids, and glucosinolates as main secondary metabolites. Caper extracts have also shown to display antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic, antitumor, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects which correlate the uses of the plant in folk medicine against both metabolic and infectious diseases. The present review aims to provide exhaustive phytochemistry and pharmacological properties survey on Caper constituents. Attention has also been given to the nutritional values and traditional uses of main organs to pinpoint research gaps for future investigations on the plant.

For many decades, natural resources have traditionally been employed in skin care. Here, we explored the phytochemical profile of the aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of Cupressus arizonica Greene and assessed their antioxidant, antiaging and antibacterial activities in vitro. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis led to the tentative identification of 67 compounds consisting mainly of phenolic and fatty acids, diterpene acids, proanthocyanidins and flavonoid and biflavonoid glycosides. The aqueous extract demonstrated substantial in vitro antioxidant potential at FRAP and DPPH assays and inhibited the four target enzymes (collagenase, elastase, tyrosinase, and hyaluronidase) engaged in skin remodeling and aging with IC50 values close to those of the standard drugs. Moreover, the aqueous extract at 25 mg/mL suppressed biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterial pathogen causing common skin manifestations, and decreased its swarming and swimming motilities. In conclusion, C. arizonica leaves can be considered a promising candidate for potential application in skin aging.