The haemostatic efficacy of different extract types of Satureja thymbra L., Thymbra spicata L. (Lamiaceae) and Verbascum fruticulosum Post. (Scrophulariaceae) was evaluated in this study via the Prothrombin time (PT) and Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) analysis. Aqueous, methanol and ethanol extracts of the examined plant species leaves were prepared to a final concentration 50 mg/mL. In vitro PT and aPTT assays were conducted on normal platelet poor plasma blood samples by a digital coagulation analyzer. The obtained results revealed anticoagulation activity of all investigated plant species with observed variations among them. The aqueous and ethanol extracts of T. spicata as well as the aqueous extract of S. thymbra prolonged PT values significantly (p < 0.05). While, all V. fruticulosum extract types have had no significant effect on the PT values. The recorded aPTT data showed that all aqueous extracts have had a significant effect on the blood haemostasis as they increased aPTT values in all plant species under study. Out of which, both the ethanol and methanol extracts of T. spicata and methanol extract of S. thymbra showed similar effect. Of great concern, it was clearly noticed that the aqueous and ethanol extract of T. spicata and the aqueous extract of S. thymbra possess the strongest anticoagulation effect as they increased both PT and aPTT values significantly relative to the control (p < 0.05). The variable anticoagulation bioactivity among the studied plant species could be referred to the various solvents degrees of solubility of different phyto-constituents. Thus, the efficacy of the plant species extracts evaluation as anticoagulants or coagulants were related to the plant species and to the solvent of extraction.

The concern for finding natural and curative agents without adverse side effects has prompted the interest in discovering hemostatic agents from plants. Therefore, in vitro activity of Aizoon hispanicum L. (Aizoaceae), Centaurea hyalolepis Boiss. (Asteraceae), Heliotropium maris-mortui Zohary. (Boraginaceae), Parietaria judaica L. (Urticaceae), Polygonum arenarium Waldst. & Kit. (Polygonaceae), and Verbascum sinuatum L. (Scrophulariaceae) on blood coagulation was estimated by two common tests, which are the prothrombin time test (PT) and the activated partial thromboplastin time test (aPTT). The extracted powders from the plants under this study were adjusted to be 50 mg/mL. Then, in vitro effect of these extracts on the platelet poor plasma samples was measured by an automated coagulation analyzer using PT and aPTT tests. Based on the obtained results, all plant extracts affected the coagulation cascade by rising either PT or aPTT or both, except for V. sinuatum extract, which reduced only aPTT value. Moreover, the recorded PT values showed that A. hispanicum, H. maris-mortui, and P. arenarium significantly prolonged the PT (p<0.05). Additionally, the results clearly showed that V. sinuatum acted as a coagulant agent based on aPTT values, while all other plants, in contrast, acted as strong anticoagulants. Among the plant species under study, A. hispanicum, H. maris-mortui, and P. arenarium extracts prolonged both PT and aPTT significantly (p<0.05). This could be referred to their additional effect on the common pathway. However, C. hyalolepis, P. judaica, and V. sinuatum showed no significant effect on PT values (p>0.05). The positive recorded data from this research could serve as identification of new hemostatic remedies that could be used for the commercial economic purposes and for managing several cardiovascular diseases.

The present study assessed the metabolites and bioactivities of Micromeria fruticosa plant parts extracted with various solvents (ethanol, n-hexane, and water) through the steeping extraction method. Thereafter, the extracts were analyzed using GC-MS. Moreover, the extracts were tested for their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor activities. The quali-quantitative analysis of Micromeria fruticosa crude extracts revealed the occurrence of 27 secondary metabolites. Some major bioactives identified were menthone, oleamide, pulegone, and menthol. Numerous antioxidant minerals, viz., Fe, Zn, and Mn, were present. The water extract of leaves exhibited the highest DPPH scavenging activity (89.73%), followed by the water extract of flowers (80.07%) at 100 μg/mL. The stems’ water extract demonstrated greater antimicrobial activity against all the bacteria species tested. The ethanolic leaf and aqueous stem extracts exhibited strong activity against C. albicans and E. coli. Flowers’ aqueous extract demonstrated the highest cytostatic effect on the colon cell line by reducing viability, followed by the leaves’ ethanol extract. The extraction solvents influenced the recovery of phytocompounds, and the highest pharmacological activities of the different extracts could be correlated to the presence of additional bioactives. Our results suggest that the Micromeria fruticosa plant is a favorable source of natural products with promising properties for potential nutraceutical and functional food applications.

Plants are considered a wealthy resource of novel natural drugs effective in the treatment of multidrug-resistant infections. Here, a bioguided purification of Ephedra foeminea extracts was performed to identify bioactive compounds. The determination of antimicrobial properties was achieved by broth microdilution assays to evaluate minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values and by crystal violet staining and confocal laser scanning microscopy analyses (CLSM) to investigate the antibiofilm capacity of the isolated compounds. Assays were performed on a panel of three gram-positive and three gram-negative bacterial strains. Six compounds were isolated from E. foeminea extracts for the first time. They were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) analyses as the well-known monoterpenoid phenols carvacrol and thymol and as four acylated kaempferol glycosides. Among them, the compound kaempferol-3-O-α-L-(2″,4″-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-rhamnopyranoside was found to be endowed with strong antibacterial properties and significant antibiofilm activity against S. aureus bacterial strains. Moreover, molecular docking studies on this compound suggested that the antibacterial activity of the tested ligand against S. aureus strains might be correlated to the inhibition of Sortase A and/or of tyrosyl tRNA synthase. Collectively, the results achieved open interesting perspectives to kaempferol-3-O-α-L-(2″,4″-di-E-p-coumaroyl)-rhamnopyranoside applicability in different fields, such as biomedical applications and biotechnological purposes such as food preservation and active packaging.

Curcumin is classified as a chemotherapeutic medication because of its potential against numerous cancer cell lines and ability to inhibit cancer cell proliferation. Despite these findings, curcumin has yet to be commercialized as a drug due to its low water solubility, low absorption, and restricted bioavailability. As a result, there is a demand for water-soluble curcumin with improved solubility, bioavailability, and thus bioactivity. In this study we report the synthesis and the anticancer activities of water-soluble curcumins derivatives with alkyl sulfonate moiety. The target water-soluble curcumin with alkyl sulfonate moieties was created utilizing a straightforward technique that involved reacting curcumin with various sultones. The cytotoxic (24 h) and cytostatic (72 h) anticancer effect on breast carcinoma (MCF-7), liver carcinoma (HepG2), skin melanoma (B16–F110), colon human cancer and HeLa cervical carcinoma cell lines viability % via MTT assay were determined for the prepared derivatives. Results showed that curcumin-derived compounds have a pronounced cytostatic anticancer effect rather than cytotoxic one in relation to the compound type, cancer cell line type, and examined concentration compared to curcumin. The curcumin sulfonates outperformed curcumin activity against the tested cancer cells and showed to be powerful anticancer candidate drugs as supported by the theoretical calculations. This is evident by their high capacity to form H-bonding during docking with the amino acid side chains and the Vina docking score.

This study assesses the secondary metabolites, minerals, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties of Micromeria fruticosa plant different botanical parts (leaf, stem, root, flower) extracted with various solvents. The plant samples were sequentially obtained using different solvents (n-hexane, ethanol and water) through steeping. Then, each of the extracts was further analyzed by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Moreover, the extracts were bio-assayed to test their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-cancer activities. Quali-quantitative analysis of M. fruticosa crude extracts revealed the occurrence of 27 secondary metabolites were identified including mainly monoterpenes, sesquterpenes, and fatty acids, with varying quantities. Some of the major bioactive compounds included, Menthone (5.42-30.05%), Oleamide (3.40-32.20%), Pulegone (10.66-64.1%), and Menthol (3.61-100.0%), which were detected mostly in all plant parts with significant quantities. Several antioxidant minerals, mainly, Fe, Zn, and Mn, were detected with the highest amounts in the Micromeria water extracts. Results from antimicrobial assays showed that the water extract of leaves exhibited the highest DPPH scavenging activity (89.73%) followed by the water extract of flowers (80.07%) at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. The water extract of stems showed greater antimicrobial activity against all the tested gram negative and positive bacteria (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Shigella sonnie). The leaves ethanolic and stem aqueous extracts had a strong antimicrobial activity against E. coli. and C. albicans. Flower aqueous extract demonstrated the highest cytostatic effect on the colon cell line by reducing viability up to 30.4%, followed by the leaf ethanol extract with 38.6% cell viability reduction at 1000 µg/mL. In conclusion, extraction solvents influenced the recovery of phytocompounds and the highest pharmacological activities of the different extracts could be correlated to the presence of additional bioactive compounds. Our results suggest that M. fruticosa plant is a promising source of natural products with antioxidant, anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties for potential nutraceutical, therapeutic, and functional food applications. , , , , , ,