The two spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae Koch, is a cosmopolitan mite. It rapidly reproduces and can develop resistance to chemical pesticides. This study aims to evaluate the toxicity and acaricidal activity of three essential oils from basil, clove, and peppermint against T. urticae reproduction, which is grown on three cucumber cultivars, Chief (SC 4145), Raian (CB898), and Toshka (SC 349), under laboratory conditions at 27 + 3 °C and 70 + 5% RH. GC-MS characterized the volatile oils of basil, clove, and peppermint. Methyl cinnamate, eugenol, and menthol were the main essential oils in basil, clove, and peppermint, respectively. The results indicated significant differences in the duration of development between T. urticae feeding on the three cucumber cultivars (p ≤ 0.05), including eggs, protonymph, and deutonymph time. The Toshka (SC 349) cultivar recorded the lowest developmental time. The longevity period exhibited the same trend with non-significant differences between Raian (CB898) and Toshka (SC 349). Moreover, the lethal concentration (LC50) and LC90 values in tested essential oils (EOs) showed that clove EOs were the most toxic. In contrast, basil and peppermint EOs were the least effective, and immature stages were more sensitive to EOs than adult stages. The infected Toshka (SC 349) discs treated with essential oils and abamectin under in vitro conditions indicated that clove oil is comparable to abamectin regarding its effect on the egg numbers (18.7 and 17.6 egg), immature development time, longevity, life span, and life cycle (20.6 and 20.8 days) of T. urticae. We conclude that the resistant cultivation of cucumber plants can be recommended in integrated pest management programs. The most effective of the tested oils, clove EOs, should be used as alternatives to pesticides to control T. urticae in the protected cultivation of cucumbers.

There is a significant growth in the human population worldwide which leads to increasing the demand for food, which typically results in additional use of food industries to make a new form of food such as genetically modified food (GMF) to meet the need for global nutrition. GMF starts to invade our diet which results in increase the concerns and debates about their safety. The present study is investigating the following: Assess people’s knowledge about GMF and evaluate its risk on health. An online survey was carried out to assess consumer knowledge about GMF. The study showed that 74.3% of the respondent know what GMF is and in terms of the risk of GMF on the environment and human health about 43.7% believe there is a risk. The majority of the respondents assume that the risk of GMF is greater than its benefits. Some of the respondents believe that there is an effect of consuming GMF on their genes, but it is still unknown. Expert knowledge on the scientific issues surrounding genetically modified food is far behind what the general population believes. The conclusion that may be drawn from the scientific method is almost always solely the truth, despite the fact that culture and attitudes can vary

Nowadays, the physiopathological and molecular mechanisms of multiple diseases have been identified, thus helping scientists to provide a clear answer, especially to those ambiguities related to chronic illnesses. This has been accomplished in part through the contribution of a key discipline known as bioinformatics. In this study, the bioinformatics approach was applied on four compounds identified in Centaurea tougourensis, using two axes of research: an in silico study to predict the molecular characteristics, medicinal chemistry attributes as well as the possible cardiotoxicity and adverse liability profile of these compounds. In this context, four compounds were selected and named, respectively, 2,5-monoformal-l-rhamnitol (compound 1), cholest-7-en-3.beta.,5.alpha.-diol-6.alpha.-benzoate (compound 2), 7,8-epoxylanostan-11-ol, 3-acetoxy- (compound 3), and 1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione, 3-ethyl-4-methyl- (compound 4). The second part looked into molecular docking, which objective was to evaluate the possible binding affinity between these compounds and the serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A (5-HT2A) receptor. Results indicated that compounds 1 and 4 were respecting Pfizer and giant Glaxo-SmithKline rules, while compounds 2 and 3 exhibited an optimal medicinal chemistry evolution 18 score. The structural and molecular features of almost all tested compounds could be considered optimal, indicating that these phyto-compounds may possess drug-likeness capacity. However, only compounds 1 and 4 could be considered non-cardiotoxic, but with a level of confidence more pronounced for compound 1 (80%). In addition, these four biocompounds could preferentially interact with G protein-coupled receptor, ion channel, transporters, and nuclear receptors. However, the heat map was less pronounced for compound 2. Data also indicated that these four compounds could possibly interact with serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, but in an antagonistic way. This research proved once again that plants could be crucial precursors of pharmaceutical substances, which could be helpful to enrich the international pharmacopoeia.

The use of different biotechnological applications has grown immensely over the previous years to almost double the industry’s size. There has been significant attention directed to the potential of the biotechnology industry and its imminent role in ensuring a country’s development. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of many countries planning to employ biotechnologies as a means of reaching a high-income economy. This study investigated the knowledge and perceptions of a cohort of 178 university students from around the KSA on biotechnology applications. The study showed that the majority, 50%, agreed that they had information about biotechnology and its application. Many respondents (43.8%) agreed with the biotechnology practices and activities. There was a significant positive correlation between the knowledge and perception of the students (χ² =34.54, ρ=0.0001). The majority of the respondents acknowledged that biotechnology was essential for enhancing the students’ perception and improving biotechnology activities. The responses demonstrated the attitudes and beliefs (which have a great influence on the personal decisions of individuals) of current students, who eventually will be policy-makers, leaders and consumers, and will generally represent the future society of the country. Consequently, the study allowed to suggest creating awareness and increasing the influence of this topic to all stakeholders. There is a need for educators and curriculum developers to emphasize the significance of biotechnology. In addition to the importance of positioning the applications of this field in the public sphere, due to its supporting role in the country’s scientific progress and economic growth.

The principal aim of this study was to detect potential pharmacologically active compounds in Moringa oleifera , which have shown promise as therapeutic agents against diabetes mellitus. Phytochemical structures obtained from verified PubChem database, andfurther analysed through molecular docking, ADMET prediction, modelling, and MMPBSA free energy calculations, with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) receptor protein target derived from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). This study screened 42 phytochemical compounds from M. oleifera for their binding affinity towards the catalytic site of the PPAR-γ protein. In a screening study, two specific molecules, epicatechin and genistein, exhibited remarkable binding affinity towards the catalytic site of the PPAR-γ protein. The bonding interfaces were noted to be superior to rosiglitazone,an economically available PPAR-γ agonist. Results from a comprehensive investigation showed that the bound ligands recognised collaborations with conserved protein zones through hydrogen bonding, polar contacts, and hydrophobic interactions. Specifically, molecular dynamics simulations and MM-PBSA free energy results (−22.28 ± 1.12 and −20.77 ± 0.55 kcal/mol, respectively) indicate that epicatechin and genistein exhibit good interactions with the PPAR-γ receptor. The phytochemicals identified in this researchdemonstrate their potential to effectively target this therapeutic target and establish a complex hydrogen bond network within the binding pocket. Particularly, the hydrogen binding route detected in the epicatechin and genisteinagentswas found to be more favourable and extensive when compared to the PPAR-γ agonists. This analytical approach specificallyaimed to recognise the best-performing phytochemicals from M. oleifera . This is to advance recent formulation of anti-diabetic medication, primarily for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatment. The results obtained revealed that the natural additives, epicatechin and genistein, can modulate PPAR-γ activitywith improved efficacy. These natural materials are more prospective and attractive for further explorationas potential therapeutic agents targeting this receptor.