ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) can be considered a highly efficient Zn source that has been widely used in agriculture to promote crop development and productivity. The turmeric (Curcuma longa) plant has several medical properties, and its rhizome is utilized as a spice in the food sector. In this work, C. longa leaves were sprayed with various concentrations of ZnO NPs to inspect their effect on growth, yield, and bioactive compound compositions. ZnO NPs considerably increased tumeric productivity, yield, and curcuminoid content versus the control treatment. The ZnO NPs concentration of 10 mgL⁻¹ was found to be the optimum concentration for producing the highest C. longa yields, while the concentration of 40 mgL⁻¹ promoted positive effects on photosynthetic pigments, bisdemethoxycurcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and curcumin contents. This demonstrates that ZnO nano-fertilizer promotes plant growth, yield characteristics, and curcuminoid component synthesis, and its application is therefore notably beneficial for progressive sustainable C. longa agriculture.

Pathogenic fungi are the primary infectious cause of plant diseases during pre- and post-harvest. Nuts, although recognized as a food with health benefits, are frequently contaminated by aflatoxins. In this study, we investigated the antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic effects of our previously isolated phytochemical coumarin derivative, named (5′-hydroxy-aurapten) (5′-HA) from Lotus lalambensis Schweinf on Aspergillus flavus isolated from nuts. 5′-HA showed higher antifungal potential against A. flavus, by inhibiting its growth (MIC and MFC were 62.5 and 125 µg/l, respectively). 5′-HA also inhibited conidial germination of A. flavus by 60% at concentration 40 µg/ml. 5′-HA (40 µg/ml) displayed anti-aflatoxigenic activity against the production of aflatoxins, AFB1 and AFB2 by 50% and 23.3% respectively in association with the down-regulation of gene expression of early (aflA, alfB and alfC), middle (aflL, aflM and aflN) and late (aflP, aflQ and aflW) stages of aflatoxin biosynthesis pathway. 5′-HA (40 µg/ ml) resulted in the leakage of sugars from the mycelia by 235.8 μg/mL. Additionally, the extracellular conductivity in cells exposed to 5′-HA at 20, 40, and 80 µg/ml increased to values of 26.0 4, 43.2, and 55.1 μs/cm, respectively. Interestingly, 5′-HA significantly stimulated the activities of antioxidant enzymes, CAT (Catalase) and SOD (Superoxide dismutase) by 56.25% and 66.66% respectively. The anti-aflatoxigenic mechanism of 5′-HA was found to be mediated via modulating the oxidative stress process by upregulating the mRNA expression of the stress response transcription factors, atfA and atfB, by 2 and 2.5 folds respectively. In conclusion, our data identified 5′-HA as a novel natural antifungal compound against A. flavus that can be potentially applied to protect foodstuffs against aflatoxigenic fungi in agroindustry.

Biotic elicitors such as Aloe vera extract (ALE) have been shown to stimulate growth and modify the bioactive composition of various plant species. ALE has a unique mixture of nutrients that support plant production and growth. In this study, the bio-stimulative effects of ALE foliar spray on plant production and growth, silybin levels, and chalcone synthase gene expression in Silybum marianum were examined. The findings indicated that foliar spray of all the ALE concentrations under study increased plant growth and yield. Additionally, by raising the silybin level of the plant extract, ALE increased the therapeutic value of S. marianum. Further, the activation of the chalcone synthase gene by ALE was analyzed by gene expression research. S. marianum’s growth and production were improved by the application of 60 mL/L ALE, while the silybin level and the chalcone synthase gene expression levels were improved by the application of 40 mL/L ALE. In addition, methanolic fruit extract that contained a higher silybin content also demonstrated a higher anti-microbial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Atropine (ATR) is extracted from a belladonna plant that belongs to a class of anticholinergic drugs and is therefore involved in the treatment of the overdose of cholinergic drugs or mushroom poisoning. It is a well-known blocker of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) that are expressed in various tumor cells, including breast tumors from animal and human origin, but it has yet to be recommended as an anticancer drug. Our in silico docking analysis indicates that atropine has a roust virtual binding, with a stable binding energy, to two major signaling molecules involved in EMT regulation: E-cad and ZEB-2. For both, the gene and the protein expression level results show that atropine is an effective molecule in reducing epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and colony formation induced by TGF-B or carboplatin in both the mesenchymal-like cell line MDA-MB-231 and the epithelial-like cell line T47D. We conclude that atropine as a potential suppressor of EMT could be co-administrated with other chemotherapeutic drugs to reduce stemness in drug-resistant breast tumor cells.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder associated with various complications encompassing male reproductive dysfunction. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of biologically active Lepidium sativum seed oil (LSO) against the testicular dysfunction associated with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. Male adults (n = 24) were divided into four groups: control, LSO-administered, diabetic (D), and LSO-treated diabetic (D+LSO) groups. LSO was extracted from L. sativum seeds, and its chemical composition was determined using GC-MS. Serum testosterone levels, testicular enzymatic antioxidants (catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)), an oxidative stress (OS) biomarker, malondialdehyde (MDA), pro-inflammatory markers (NF-kB, IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α), and the expression level of NF-kB were assessed. In addition, histopathological changes were evaluated in testicular tissues. The results obtained showed that the chemical composition of LSO indicated its enrichment mainly with γ-tocopherol (62.1%), followed by 2-methylhexacosane (8.12%), butylated hydroxytoluene (8.04%), 10-Methylnonadecane (4.81%), and δ-tocopherol (3.91%). Moreover, LSO administration in the D+LSO mice significantly increased testosterone levels and ameliorated the observed testicular oxidative damage, inflammatory response, and reduced NF-kB expression compared to the diabetic mice. Biochemical and molecular analyses confirmed the histological results. In conclusion, LSO may prevent the progression of diabetes-induced impairment in the testes through inhibition of the OS- and NF-kB-mediated inflammatory response.