Moringa oleifera is rich in various active phyto-constituents (tannins, sterols, terpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, anthraquinones, alkaloids, and vitamins) in addition to different minerals in its leaves and seeds. Presence of these constituents is responsible for the antioxidant activity and the ability to protect against oxidative damage. Based on measurements of the cytotoxic activities, M. oleifera leaves were found to be more effective than the plant seeds. Therefore, the plant leaves were selected for preparation of silver plant nano-extract during the present study. The silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were synthesized then characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. Moreover, the in vitro antioxidants were assayed in M. oleifera leaves extract before and after incorporating Ag-NPs through measurement of total polyphenolic compounds and scavenging activities against free radicals in addition to the cytotoxic activity against growth of human colon carcinoma. Furthermore, the phenolic compounds were detected by gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC/MS) and fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Also, the median lethal dose (LD50) of the extract and nano-extract was evaluated. It was showed that incorporation of Ag-NPs into the M. oleifera leaves extract enhanced the total antioxidant capacity, concentration of total polyphenolic compounds, reducing power and scavenging activity against attack of free radicals in addition to increasing the cytotoxicity against growth of colon cancer cells. This might be related to increasing the phenolic compounds as a result of incorporation of Ag-NPs and detected by the GC/MS and FT-IR analysis. It was found that there was no wide gap in the LD50 between M. oleifera leaves extract and silver nano-extract. The LD50 values of the M. oleifera leaves extract and silver nano-extract were about 14,250 and 13,750 mg/Kg, respectively. The study revealed that incorporation of Ag-NPs into the M. oleifera extract enhanced the in vitro antioxidative efficiency and might be related to increasing the phenolic compounds.

In continuation of our research programs for the discovery, production, and development of the pharmacological activities of molecules for various disease treatments, Schiff bases and pyrazole scaffold have a broad spectrum of activities in biological applications. In this context, this manuscript aims to evaluate and study Schiff base–pyrazole molecules as a new class of antioxidant (total antioxidant capacity, iron-reducing power, scavenging activity against DPPH, and ABTS radicals), anti-diabetic (α-amylase% inhibition), anti-Alzheimer’s (acetylcholinesterase% inhibition), and anti-arthritic (protein denaturation% and proteinase enzyme% inhibitions) therapeutics. Therefore, the Schiff bases bearing pyrazole scaffold (22a, b and 23a, b) were designed and synthesized for evaluation of their antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-Alzheimer’s, and anti-arthritic properties. The results for compound 22b demonstrated significant antioxidant, anti-diabetic (α-amylase% inhibition), and anti-Alzheimer’s (ACE%) activities, while compound 23a demonstrated significant anti-arthritic activity. Prediction of in silico bioinformatics analysis (physicochemical properties, bioavailability radar, drug-likeness, and medicinal chemistry) of the target derivatives (22a, b and 23a, b) was performed. The molecular lipophilicity potential (MLP) of the derivatives 22a, b and 23a, b was measured to determine which parts of the surface are hydrophobic and which are hydrophilic. In addition, the molecular polar surface area (PSA) was measured to determine the polar surface area and the non-polar surface area of the derivatives 22a, b and 23a, b. This study could be useful to help pharmaceutical researchers discover a new series of potent agents that may act as an antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-Alzheimer, and anti-arthritic.

The study was designed to clarify the hapato-nephroprotective effects of purslane ethanolic extract (PEE) against cadmium toxicity. Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal. Cd occurs as environmental and food/ feed contamination causing public and animals health hazards. Liver and kidney are the main target organs for acute and chronic cadmium toxicity. Portulaca oleracea is rich in several vitamins, minerals, antioxidant components, and omega-3 fatty acids mainly α-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. Results showed significant elevation of the liver and kidney functions, lipid profile and lipid peroxidation. In contrast to the antioxidants enzymatic were greatly decreased. The hepatic and renal tissues showed severe degeneration and necrosis accompanied by severe congestion and multifocal hemorrhages in Cd intoxicated rats. All parameters and tissues showed no changes in rates-treated with both Cd and purslane extract as compared with the control rats. The administration of PEE provided a significantly protection against Cd-induced hepato-nephrotoxicity.

Copper-doped ZnO nanoparticles with the formula Zn_1−x(Cu)O, where x = 0.0, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.07 were produced using the co-precipitation process. Physical, chemical, and structural properties were properly examined. Powdered X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) patterns revealed the formation of hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure in all samples, through atomic substitutional incorporation in the Cu-doped ZnO lattice. The presence of Cu ions and their dissolution in the host ZnO crystal structure was supported by FT-IR spectra. HR-TEM images were used to assess the average size, morphology, and shape regularity of the synthesized samples. The form and homogeneity of the ZnO changed when Cu ions were substituted, as evidenced by FE-SEM/EDX analysis. The presence of copper signals in the Cu-doped samples indicates that the doping was successful. The decrease in zeta potential with an increased copper doping percentage designates that the nanoparticles (NPs) are more stable, which could be attributed to an increase in the ionic strength of the aqueous solution. The synthesized NPs were evaluated for their substantial in vitro antioxidant properties. In addition, the antimicrobial efficacy of the materials was tested against pathogenic microorganisms. Regarding the anti-diabetic activity, the 7Cu ZnO sample showed the highest inhibitory effect on the α-amylase enzyme. No variations were observed in the activities of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) and proteinase enzymes with ZnO and samples doped with different concentrations of Cu. Therefore, further studies are recommended to reveal the in-vitro anti-diabetic activity of the studied doped samples. Finally, molecular docking provided valuable insights into the potential binding interactions of Cu-doped ZnO with α-amylase, FabH ofE. coli, and Penicillin-binding proteins ofS. aureus. These outcomes suggest that the prepared materials may have an inhibitory effect on enzymes and hold promise in the battle against microbial infections and diabetes.

In this innovative research, we aim to reveal pyrazole-based Schiff bases as new multi-target agents. In this context, we re-synthesized three sets of pyrazole-based Schiff bases, 5a–f, 6a–f, and 7a–f, to evaluate their biological applications. The data from in vitro biological assays (including antioxidant and scavenging activities, anti-diabetes, anti-Alzheimer’s, and anti-inflammatory properties) of the pyrazole-based Schiff bases 5a–f, 6a–f, and 7a–f showed that the six pyrazole-based Schiff bases 5a, 5d, 5e, 5f, 7a, and 7f possess the highest biological properties among the compounds evaluated. The cytotoxicity against lung (A549) and colon (Caco-2) human cancer types, as well as normal lung (WI-38) cell lines, was evaluated. The data from the cytotoxicity investigation demonstrated that the three Schiff bases 5d, 5e, and 7a are active against lung (A549) cells, while the two Schiff bases 5e and 7a exhibited the highest cytotoxicity towards colon (Caco-2) cells. Additionally, the enzymatic activities against caspase-3 and Bcl-2 of the six pyrazole-based Schiff bases 5a, 5d, 5e, 5f, 7a, and 7f were evaluated. Furthermore, we assessed the in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, and toxicity (ADMT) properties of the more potent pyrazole-based Schiff bases. After modifying the structures of the six pyrazole-based Schiff bases, we plan to further extend the studies in the future.