The Acrylamide is a toxic compound generated under oxidative stress arising from intracellular ROS production and induced toxicity. It is frequently used in industry and generated through the heating of tobacco and foods high in carbohydrates. The exact mechanism of its toxicity is still unclear. In this study, an extract of the peels of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), a nutritious and visually appealing fruit with a diverse bioactive profile, was examined for its potential anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. A total of 40 adult male Wistar rats were allocated into four groups of 10 rats each: Group 1 was a negative-control group (CNT) and received normal saline; Group 2 was a positive-control acrylamide group and received acrylamide orally at a dose of 20 mg/kg/bw; in Group 3, the rats were supplemented with pomegranate-peel extract (P.P; 150 mg/kg/bw) orally on a daily basis for 3 weeks, administered simultaneously with the acrylamide treatment described for Group 2; Group 4 was a protective group, and the animals received the pomegranate-peel extract and acrylamide as stated for Groups 2 and 3, with the pomegranate-peel extract (P.P. extract) administered 1 week earlier than the acrylamide. The results indicate that acrylamide exposure increased the serum levels of AST, ALT, creatinine, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6 in an extraordinary manner. In addition, it increased the lipid peroxidation marker malondialdehyde (MDA) and simultaneously weakened antioxidant biomarker activities (SOD, GSH, and catalase) and reduced the levels of interleukin-10. The pomegranate-peel extract was shown to reduce the inflammatory blood markers of interleukin-1 beta and IL-6. Glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and interleukin-10 were all significantly elevated in comparison to the acrylamide-treatment group as a result of the significant reduction in MDA levels induced by the P.P extract. In addition, the pomegranate-peel extract normalized the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1), and caspase-3 levels, with a significant upregulation of the mRNA expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), nuclear factor erythroid 2 (Nrf2), and Bcl-2. Therefore, these data reveal that pomegranate peel has anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, free-radical-scavenging, and powerful antioxidant activity that protects against acrylamide toxicity.

Chemical insecticides have many harmful effects, including as foodborne residues and environmental contaminants, as well as side effects on natural enemies and serious risks for human health. The use of plant-derived essential oils (EOs) as effective bio-agents has become an essential component of integrated pest management. In this study, the contact toxicity, deterrent, and repellent activities were evaluated for essential oils obtained from Mentha piperita, Mentha longifolia, Salvia officinalis, and Salvia rosmarinus, grown at high altitudes in the Taif region, KSA, on Aphis punicae. Furthermore, the toxicity of these EOs against the predator Coccinella undecimpunctata was estimated. A total of 17, 14, 16, and 26 compounds were identified in the EOs of M. piperita, M. longifolia, S. officinalis, and S. rosmarinus, respectively. They showed a variation in the major compounds: M. piperita (Carvone, 61.16%), M. longifolia (Pulegone, 48.6%), S. officinalis (Eucalyptol, 33.52%), and S. rosmarinus (α-pinene, 36.65%). A contact toxicity test on A. punicae imago and C. undecimpunctata larvae showed that LC₅₀ were approximately four-fold greater for all tested EOs towards aphids compared to towards the predator, while the two species of Salvia sp. were more effective than the other two species of Mentha sp. The LC₅₀ values on A. punicae ranged from 1.57 to 2.97 µg/mL, while on C. undecimpunctata larvae, they ranged from 5.96 to 10.33 µg/mL. Furthermore, the EOs of two species of Salvia sp. showed excellent repellence and deterrence against A. punicae. In conclusion, the tested EOs, especially those from Salvia sp., have been shown to be promising natural aphicides, repellent, and deterrent against A. punicae, and they are safe for important insect predators.

The current study was performed on eight years old peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) trees cv. Florida prince to study the influence of spraying of commercial nano fertilizer on vegetative growth, pollen grain viability, yield, and fruit quality of the "Florida prince" peach cultivar. Furthermore, extracts from the nanofertilizer treated leaves were studied for their bioactivity as insecticidal or bactericidal activities against some stored grain insects and plant bacterial pathogens. Seventy uniform peach trees were sprayed three time as follow: before flowering; during full bloom, and one month later in addition using the water as a control. Commercial silver particales (Ag NPs) at 10, 12.5, and 15 mL/L and zinc particales (Zn NPs) at 2.5, 5 and 7.5 mL/L as recommended level in a randomized complete block design in ten replicates/trees. Spraying Ag NP at 15 mL/L increased shoot diameter, leaf area, total chlorophyll, flower percentage, fruit yield and fruit physical and chemical characteristics, followed by Ag NPs at 12.5 mL/L and Zn NPs at 7.5 mL/L. Moreover, Zn and Ag NPs caused a highly significant effect on pollen viability. Different type of pollen aberrations were detected by Zn NPs treatment. The commercial Ag NPs showed a high increase in pollen viability without any aberrations. The Ag NPs significantly increased the pollen size, and the spores also increased and separated in different localities, searching about the egg for pollination and fertilization. Peach leaves extract was examined for their insecticidal activity against rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzea L.) and the lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica, Fabricius) by fumigation method. The antibacterial activity of all treatments was also performed against molecularly identified bacteria. Ag NPs treated leaves extract at concentration 3000 µg/mL were moderate sufficient to inhibit all the bacterial isolates with inhibition zone (IZ) ranged 6–8.67 mm with high efficiency of acetone extracts from leaves treated with Ag NPs compared with Zn NPs. Also, S. oryzae was more susceptible to acetone extracts from leaves treated with both nanomaterials than R. dominica.

The α-D-glucopyranoside and its derivatives were as the cardinal investigation for developing an effective medication to treat the highest deadly white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) diseases in Shrimp. In our forthcoming work, both computational tools, such as molecular docking, quantum calculations, pharmaceutical kinetics, ADMET, and their molecular dynamics, as well as the experimental trial against WSSV, were executed to develop novel inhibitors. In the beginning, molecular docking was carried out to determine inhibitors of the four targeted proteins of WSSV (PDB ID: 2ED6, 2GJ2, 2GJI, and 2EDM), and to determine the binding energies and interactions of ligands and proteins after docking. The range of binding affinity was found to be between −5.40 and −7.00 kcal/mol for the protein 2DEM, from −5.10 to 6.90 kcal/mol for the protein 2GJ2, from −4.70 to −6.2 kcal/mol against 2GJI, and from −5.5 kcal/mol to −6.6 kcal/mol for the evolved protein 2ED6 whereas the L01 and L03 display the highest binding energy in the protein 2EDM. After that, the top-ranked compounds (L01, L02, L03, L04, and L05), based on their high binding energies, were tested for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of 100 ns to verify the docking validation and stability of the docked complex by calculating the root mean square deviation (RMSD) and root mean square fluctuation (RMSF). The molecules with the highest binding energy were then picked and compared to the standard drugs that were been applied to fish experimentally to evaluate the treatment at various doses. Consequently, approximately 40–45% cure rate was obtained by applying the dose of oxytetracycline (OTC) 50% with vitamin C with the 10.0 g/kg feed for 10 days. These drugs (L09 to L12) have also been executed for molecular docking to compare with α-D-glucopyranoside and its derivatives (L01 to L08). Next, the evaluation of pharmacokinetic parameters, such as drug-likeness and Lipinski’s principles; absorption; distribution; metabolism; excretion; and toxicity (ADMET) factors, were employed gradually to further evaluate their suitability as inhibitors. It was discovered that all ligands (L01 to L12) were devoid of hepatotoxicity, and the AMES toxicity excluded L05. Additionally, all of the compounds convey a significant aqueous solubility and cannot permeate the blood-brain barrier. Moreover, quantum calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) provide the most solid evidence and testimony regarding their chemical stability, chemical reactivity, biological relevance, reactive nature and specific part of reactivity. The computational and virtual screenings for in silico study reveals that these chosen compounds (L01 to L08) have conducted the inhibitory effect to convey as a possible medication against the WSSV than existing drugs (L09, L10, L11 and L12) in the market. Next the drugs (L09, L10, L11 and L12) have been used in trials.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic in late 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been evolving through the acquisition of genomic mutations, leading to the emergence of multiple variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs). Currently, four VOCs (Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma) and seven VOIs (Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, and Lambda) of SARS-CoV-2 have been identified in worldwide circulation. Here, we investigated the interactions of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of five SARS-CoV-2 variants with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor in host cells, to determine the extent of molecular divergence and the impact of mutation, using protein-protein docking and dynamics simulation approaches. Along with the wild-type (WT) SARS-CoV-2, this study included the Brazilian (BR/lineage P.1/Gamma), Indian (IN/lineage B.1.617/Delta), South African (SA/lineage B.1.351/Beta), United Kingdom (UK/lineage B.1.1.7/Alpha), and United States (US/lineage B.1.429/Epsilon) variants. The protein-protein docking and dynamics simulation studies revealed that these point mutations considerably affected the structural behavior of the spike (S) protein compared to the WT, which also affected the binding of RBD with hACE2 at the respective sites. Additional experimental studies are required to determine whether these effects have an influence on drug–S protein binding and its potential therapeutic effect.

Obesity is a serious global problem that causes predisposition to numerous serious diseases. The current study aims to investigate the effect of ginger water on body weight and energy expenditure through modulation of mRNA expression of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. A white colored liquid obtained during freeze-drying of fresh rhizomes of Zingiber officinal was collected and named ginger water. It was used to treat rats, then blood and tissue samples were collected from the liver and white adipose at the end of the experiment. The serum was prepared and used for biochemical assays, while tissue samples were used for RNA isolation and gene expression analysis via Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis of ginger water revealed the presence of chrysin and galangin at concentrations of 0.24 µg/mL and 0.53 µg/mL, respectively. Average body weight gain decreased significantly in groups that received ginger water. In addition, both total cholesterol and serum triacylglycerol were reduced in the groups that received ginger water. Furthermore, mRNA expression of Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1c) in the liver and leptin in adipose tissues were downregulated, while those of adiponectin, hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase1 (CPT-1), acyl-coA oxidase (ACO), Glucose transporter 2 (GLUT-2), and pyruvate kinase (PK) were upregulated in ginger water-treated groups. These results clearly revealed the lowering body weight gain effect of ginger water, which most likely occurs at the transcriptional level of energy metabolizing proteins.