The risk of using synthetic insecticides to the environment, human health, and the emergence of new genera of pests resistant to that kind of drugs, have led to attention in natural compounds. The present study aimed at evaluating the insecticidal activity of 0.25–6 mg/cm² of basil (Ocimum basilicum), black seeds (Nigella sativa), and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oils (EOs) against one of the major stored product pests, Sitophilus oryzae (L.). This was done by assessing mortality and repellent percentage assay in the adult stage, as well as analysing up and down-regulated genes associated with toxicity effect of selected EOs. The three studied EOs showed a toxic effect on S. oryzae; where O. basilicum and L. angustifolia EOs explicated 100% mortality at 6 mg/cm² after 48 and 24 h, respectively. The highest repellence activity was recorded for O. basilicum EO at 0.75 mg/cm² with value 82.3% after exposure time 5 h. In the highest dose (6 mg/cm²), the maximum up-regulated expression level of detoxification DEGs genes (CL1294 and CL 8) and cytochrome p45o gene (CYP4Q4) in Lavandula angustifolia EOs exhibited 8.32, 6.08, and 3.75 fold changes, respectively, as compared with 4.76 fold at 10 ppm malathion and 1.02 fold change in acetone control.

This research work was carried out to evaluate drought stress for the differentiation of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes in their ability to tolerate drought. An experiment was carried out on six genotypes (‘Sides 1’, ‘Shindwell 1’, ‘Gemmiza 9’, ‘Sakha 93’, ‘Saheel 1’ and ‘Masr 2’). A randomized complete block design with three replications along two separate tests under the drip and the sprinkler irrigation systems was used in this experiment. One of the irrigation treatments applied the normal amount of irrigation water and the other applied end-season drought stress conditions through two successful agricultural seasons 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. The impact on biomass, grain yield and water productivity of the six genotypes was measured. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to evaluate genetic variation among the six genotypes. PCR–RAPD analysis showed that there were several differences in both the size and number of bands between the varieties. Based on these markers, genetic similarity coefficients were calculated and a dendrogram was constructed. The dendrogram analysis delineated three major clusters. The current study showed that RAPD markers are useful in the assessment of the genetic diversity among the wheat genotypes. The drip irrigation system gave the highest values of both the biomass and the grain yield for the six genotypes, while the sprinkler irrigation gave the lowest values. Comparing the six genotypes in terms of the biomass, grain yield and water productivity, it was concluded that, the highest water productivity (WP) genotype was Sides 1, except during water stress with the sprinkler irrigation system. It was followed by genotype Sakha 93, then genotype Shindwell 1, while genotype Gemmiza 9 gave the lowest in all cases, except without water stress under drip irrigation.

Cancer cells undergo metabolic rewiring to support rapid proliferation and survival in challenging environments. Glutamine is a preferred resource for cancer metabolism, as it provides both carbon and nitrogen for cellular biogenesis. Recent studies suggest the potential anticancer activity of amino acid analogs. Some of these analogs disrupt cellular nucleotide synthesis, thereby inhibiting the formation of DNA and RNA in cancer cells. In the present study, we investigated the anticancer properties of Acivicin and Azaserine in the breast cancer MCF-7 cell line, comparing their effects to those on the non-tumorigenic MCF-10 epithelial cell line in vitro. Interestingly, at lower concentrations, both Acivicin and Azaserine showed potent inhibition of MCF-7 cell proliferation, as assessed by the MTT assay, without detectable toxicity to normal cells. In contrast, Sorafenib (Nexavar), a commonly used drug for solid tumors, showed harmful effects on normal cells, as indicated by increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) production in treated cells. Furthermore, unlike Sorafenib, treatment with Acivicin and Azaserine significantly affected apoptotic signaling in treated cells, indicating the role of both amino acid analogs in activating programmed cell death (PCD), as assessed by the Annexin-V assay, DAPI staining, and the relative expression of tumor suppressor genes PTEN and P53. ELISA analysis of MCF-7 cells revealed that both Acivicin and Azaserine treatments promoted the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-4 and IL-10, while significantly reducing the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Mechanistically, both Acivicin and Azaserine treatment led to a significant reduction in the expression of glutamine synthetase (GS) at both the RNA and protein levels, resulting in a decrease in intracellular glutamine concentrations over time. Additionally, both treatments showed comparable effects on Raf-1 gene expression and protein phosphorylation when compared with Sorafenib, a Raf-1 inhibitor. Moreover, docking studies confirmed the strong binding affinity between Acivicin, Azaserine, and glutamine synthetase, as evidenced by their docking scores and binding interactions with the enzyme crystal. Collectively, these findings provide evidence for the anticancer activity of the two amino acid analogs Acivicin and Azaserine as antagonists of glutamine synthetase, offering novel insights into potential therapeutic strategies for breast cancer.