Heavy metals pollution is a major concern on a global scale. The present work evaluated the cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) concentrations in water, soil, forages (Avena sativa, Brassica campestris, Medicago sativa, Pennisetum glaucum and Trifolium alexandrinum), milk and hair samples of cows. The samples taken according to trophic levels of the food chain were collected from selected arid regions of Khushab, Punjab, Pakistan and analyzed by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The concentrations of Cd and Cu were found in the range of 0.041-0.065 mg/L, 0.585-1.341 mg/L in water; 0.223-2.600 mg/kg, 11.550-15.853 mg/kg in soil; 0.0037-0.682 mg/kg, 3.0917-8.208 mg/kg in fodder; 0.0457-0.137 mg/kg, 0.0167-0.690 mg/L in milk and 0.043-0.112 mg/kg, 0.0427-0.497 mg/kg in hair, respectively. The Cd and Cu concentrations in water, soil, forage, milk and hair were safer compared to standard limits. Bioconcentration factor (BCF), Enrichment factor (EF), Daily Intake of Metal (DIM), and Health Risk Index (HRI) were found less than 1 in Cd and Cu whereas PLI1 in Cu that indicates copper pollution in soil. So, regular monitoring of heavy metals was required to appraise contamination levels in the environment.

Plants are vital for life due to their various constituents, comprised of various parts like roots, stems, and leaves. Herbal medicines have been known to man for centuries. The study was designed to check and compare the antibacterial activity of onion (Allium cepa L.), neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.), and bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) methanolic extracts against four bacterial strains, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. All bacterial strains were cultured on nutritional agar plates. Three parameters were used in this research: concentrations, pH, and temperature. The five concentrations, 50 mg/mL, 70 mg/mL, 90 mg/mL, 110 mg/mL, and 130mg/mL were applied to all bacterial strains. At 110mg/mL, the methanolic extract of neem and bitter gourd applied to E.coli and S. aureus showed the largest zone of inhibition of 1.8 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Bacillus subtilis was 50 mg/mL when onion methanolic extract was applied. Onion and neem extract was found effective at 100 0C against E.coli and B. subtilis, while bitter gourd controls the growth of E.coli at 60 0C. The results of variable pH revealed that onion and bitter gourd were effective at pH 7 against B. subtilis, while neem was effective against S. aureus at pH 2. The results of the present study suggest that all onion, neem, and bitter gourd extracts have compounds containing antibacterial properties that can potentially be useful to control food-borne pathogens. By comparing the extracts of selected plants, neem was found to be more effective than onion and bitter gourd.

Scorpion venom contains a variety of neurotoxins which interact with ion channels and affect their activities. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential of scorpion venom as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor by using Aedes aegypti as model organism. Venoms of two species, Hottentota tamulus (Fabricus, 1798) and Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897) were selected for this study. Two peptides (36 kDa from H. tamulus and 54 kDa from A. finitimus) were separated from scorpion venom by using HPLC. Selected peptides caused significantly higher mortality in larvae and adults of Aedes aegypti than control (no mortalities were observed in control groups). Significant acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory potential of both peptides was recorded by spectrophotometer. The peptide of A. finitimus caused significantly higher mortality (95±1.53% in larvae and 100% in adults) than the peptide of H. tamulus (84.33±2.33% in larvae and 95.37±1.45% in adults). While H. tamulus peptide was more efficient in reducing AChE activity (0.029±0.012 in larvae and 0.03±0.003 in adults) than the peptide of A. finitimus (0.049±0.005 in larvae and 0.047±0.001 in adults). It was concluded that H. tamulus venom peptide was more efficiently reducing AChE activity, thus it could be a potential bio-insecticide which can be synthesized at industrial scale for the control of harmful insects.

The present study evaluated AChE inhibitory effect of three plants (Calotropis procera, Eucalyptus globulus and Mentha spicata) extract using Aedes aegypti and Musca domestica as model insects. The effect caused by plants was also compared with commonly used insecticides i.e., Chlorpyrifos. The WHO-recommended protocol was used for conducting bioassay tests against selected insects. Three different doses of plants extract were used. The mortality rate was assessed after 24 hours post-treatment. Using Ellman's assay, the AChE activity was determined by spectrophotometry at 412nm wavelength. There was a marked decline in the enzyme activity of treated groups compared to the control group. M. spicata treated groups proved to have high AChE inhibition power among three plants extract. While C. procera extract effectively control both Ae. aegypti and M. domestica. It is concluded that plants extract not only inhibits the AChE activity of insects but also controls them very proficiently.

Pesticides are vital for boosting agricultural yields and ensuring global food security, yet they have far-reaching ecological consequences that impact diverse species across trophic levels. Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a prevalent but controversial organophosphate pesticide that acts as an endocrine disruptor, oxidative stress inducer, and hepatotoxic agent. This research was designed to examine the potential of green tea extract to reverse the functional and structural alterations induced by CPF in male albino mice and to evaluate any related hepatotoxicity associated with green tea extract. The experimental protocol lasted for 28 days, with adult male mice (N = 40) assigned to one of four experimental cohorts (n = 10 per group): (i) Control (untreated): standard diet and water; (ii) Green Tea: 20 mg/kg/day sole GT extract; (iii) CPF: 25 mg/kg/day CPF (dissolved in corn oil); (iv) CPF + GT: 25 mg/kg/day CPF in corn oil and 20 mg/kg/day GT extract, with 2-hour gap. Results demonstrated that CPF administration induced hepatomegaly (p < 0.01) and reduced the body weight significantly (p < 0.05). Histological analysis revealed an increase in binucleated hepatocytes (p < 0.05), tissue loosening, portal vein necrosis and enlarged mononucleated hepatocytes and nuclear diameter (p < 0.001). Serum Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) were elevated (p < 0.01), while a significant decrease in albumin levels was observed (p < 0.05). Conversely, co-administration of green tea mitigated these effects, restoring liver weight and hepatocyte count, promoting hepatic tissue regeneration, and improving serum liver enzyme and protein levels.

Objective The current study examined the antibacterial properties of Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) against infectious strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and aimed to find a natural way to treat microbial diseases. The antibacterial substances such as bacteriocin have been produced by lactic acid bacteria. Lactobacillus served as probiotics and reduce the antibiotic resistance pressure. Methods L. acidophilus was isolated from a natural source (Yogurt) and grow on de Man Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) agar media. The extraction of bacteriocin from MRS broth culture of one week incubation of L. acidophilus was done via ammounium sulphate precipitation method. Agar well diffusion method was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of bacteriocin against these infectious strains. The values of zone of inhibition confirmed the potential of L. acidophilus as natural antibiotic agent. These test strains were characterized by Sanger sequence 16S ribotyping method. Key results In terms of temperature, pH and concentrations, the results demonstrated that bacteriocin expressed significant antibiotic activity. Bacteriocin showed maximum antibacterial effect against E.coli at 80 °C and against S. aureus at 100mg/mL and against E.coli at pH 5. The bacteriocin’s efficacy was compared with antibiotic amoxil (500mg) as a positive control. One-way ANOVA analysis showed statistically significant variations in mean zone of inhibition. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the bacteriocin produced by L. acidophilus has the ability to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. This antibacterial property of bacteriocin allows for potential treatments of various human and animal diseases, particularly against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Additionally, the findings indicate that the bacteriocin isolated from L. acidophilus becomes inactive at high pH levels and does not exhibit any bacteriostatic effects.