Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are the second most prevalent metal oxide, owing to their characteristics of low cost, safe, and easily prepared. ZnO NPs have been found to exhibit unique properties which show their potential to be used in various therapies. Numerous techniques have been devised for the manufacture of zinc oxide because it is one of the nanomaterials that has received major research interest. Mushroom sources are proven to be efficient, ecologically friendly, inexpensive, and safe for humankind. In the current study, an aqueous fraction of methanolic extract of Lentinula edodes (L. edoes) was used to synthesize ZnO NPs. The biosynthesis of ZnO NPs was achieved by using the reducing and capping capability of an L. edodes aqueous fraction. Bioactive compounds from mushroom, such as flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds, are used in the green synthesis process to biologically reduce metal ions or metal oxides to metal NPs. Biogenically synthesized ZnO NPs were further characterized by using UV–Vis, FTIR, HPLC, XRD, SEM, EDX, zeta sizer and zeta potential analyses. The FTIR showed the functional group at the spectra in the range 3550–3200 cm⁻¹ indicated the presence of the hydroxyl (OH) group, while bands in the range 1720–1706 cm⁻¹ indicated C=O carboxylic stretches bonds. Furthermore, the XRD pattern of ZnO NPs created in the current study was found to be nanocrystals which are hexagonal. The SEM analysis of ZnO NPs showed spherical shapes and size distributions in the range 90–148 nm. Biologically synthesized ZnO NPs have substantial biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antipyretic, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory potential. Biological activities showed significant antioxidant (65.7 ± 1.09), antidiabetic (85.18 ± 0.48), and anti-inflammatory potential (86.45 ± 0.60) at 300 µg inhibition in paw inflammation of (1.1 ± 0.06) and yeast-induced pyrexia (97.4 ± 0.51) at 10 mg in a dose-dependent manner. The outcomes of this research indicated that ZnO NPs significantly reduced inflammation and have the ability to scavenge free radicals and prevent protein denaturation, while also indicating their possible use in food and nutraceutical applications to treat various ailments.

L. edodes (L. edodes) is the most consumed mushroom in the world and has been well known for its therapeutic potential as an edible and medicinal candidate, it contains dietary fibers, vitamins, proteins, minerals, and carbohydrates. In the current study butanolic extract of mushroom was used to form semisolid butanol extract. The current study aimed to explore biometabolites that might have biological activities in n-butanol extract of L. edodes using FT-IR and GC–MS and LC–MS. The synergistic properties of bioactive compounds were futher assessed by performing different biological assays such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic. FTIR spectra showed different functional groups including amide N–H group, Alkane (C-H stretching), and (C = C stretching) groups at different spectrum peaks in the range of 500 cm⁻¹ to 5000 cm⁻¹ respectively. GC–MS profiling of n-butanol extract depicted 34 potent biomolecules among those dimethyl; Morphine, 2TMS derivative; Benzoic acid, methyl ester 1-(2-methoxy-1-methylethoxy)-2-propanol were spotted at highest range. Results indicate that L. edodes n-butanol extract showed a maximum anti-inflammatory potential 91.4% at 300 mg/mL. Antioxidant activity was observed by measuring free radical scavenging activity which is 64.6% at optimized concentration along with good antidiabetic activity. In-silico study executed the biopotential of active ingredient morphine which proved the best docking score (− 7.0 kJ/mol) against aldose reductase. The in-silico drug design analysis was performed on biometabolites detected through GC–MS that might be a potential target for sulfatase-2 to treat ruminated arthritis. Morphine binds more strongly (− 7.9 kJ/mol) than other bioactive constituents indicated. QSAR and ADMET analysis shown that morphine is a good candidates against ruminated arthritis. The current study showed that L. edodes might be used as potent drug molecules to cure multiple ailments. As mushrooms have high bioactivity, they can be used against different diseases and to develop antibacterial drugs based on the current situation in the world in which drug resistance is going to increase due to misuse of antibiotics so new and noval biological active compounds are needed to overcome the situation.

Lentinula edodes (shiitake mushroom) is the medicinal macro-fungus popular in Japan and China. It is the second most well- known edible fungus in the global market after Agaricus bisporus Because of presence of dietary fibers, vitamins, proteins, minerals and carbohydrates, shiitake mushroom have significant nutritional worth. It is commonly cultivated in winter season and known as “elixir of life”. Bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, amino acid derivatives, sterols, glycoproteins, chitin and sulfurous compounds are all extracted from shiitake mushrooms. Some of these are lentinans, eritadenine and KS-2-α- mannan peptide etc. Shiitake mushroom is used therapeutically to cure cancers, cardiovascular disorders, viral and fungal infections, hepatitis, hypertension and hepatic disorders. Shiitake mushroom have also grown in popularity as a result of their unusual and well-liked flavor.

Limeum obovatum Vicary, a valuable member of the Aizoaceae family, is traditionally used for treating various ailments, yet its pharmacognostic and phytochemical attributes remain underexplored. This study establishes comprehensive standardization of L. obovatum through a multi-faceted approach, encompassing macroscopic and microscopic evaluations, physicochemical analyses, and advanced analytical techniques. Microscopic investigations, including transverse sectioning and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealed critical structural details, while fluorescence analysis highlighted unique chemical interactions under varying wavelengths. Phytochemical screening of ethanol, dichloromethane (DCM), and n-hexane extracts confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, and fixed oils, with quantitative estimations showing substantial phenolic and flavonoid content. Analytical profiling via thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) identified key compounds like quercetin and 2-Hexenal, emphasizing the plant’s chemical diversity and therapeutic relevance. These findings not only provide pharmacognostic benchmarks for L. obovatum but also validate its traditional medicinal uses, paving the way for future pharmacological exploration and clinical applications.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination of aquatic ecosystems poses significant environmental and public health risks. Conventional wastewater treatment methods including ion exchange, coagulation, membrane filtration, chemical precipitation, and biological degradation exhibited operational limitations in Cd removal efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Consequently, adsorption-based technologies utilizing nanomaterials have gained prominence as advanced alternatives. Engineered nanomaterials, particularly metallic/metalloid oxides and carbon-based structures, offer superior Cd adsorption capabilities due to their exceptional surface area-to-volume ratios, tunable surface chemistry, and multifunctional reactivity. Among these, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), especially multi-walled variants (MWCNTs), present a cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable solution for heavy metals (HMs) remediation. This review critically evaluates the adsorption mechanisms of Cd onto MWCNTs, Synthesis and functionalization strategies to enhance adsorption capacities, and comparative efficacy of CNTs against emerging metallic oxide nanomaterials. Recent advances in nanomaterial design, including surface modification and composite synthesis, are highlighted for their role in optimizing Cd removal kinetics and selectivity. Future research directions emphasize assessing long-term ecotoxicological risks of nanomaterial deployment and developing encapsulation protocols to mitigate environmental release while advancing next-generation adsorbents.

Heavy metals are the most persistent pollutant in wastewater and cause several health and environmental hazards, contaminate soil, and reduced plant growth and productivity. Novel biotechnological approaches through inoculating bacterial strains might be adopted for the remediation of wastewater containing heavy metals. The study was conducted to reduce the toxicity of heavy metals in wastewater through inoculation of bacterial strains. The wastewater samples were collected under aseptic conditions from wastewater canals in Lahore. Bacterial strains were isolated by using nutrient agar media amended with 50 µg mL^− 1 of heavy metals e.g. Zn, Cd, Co, and Hg. The multiple heavy metal-resistant bacterial strains were screened for different biochemical and morphological characteristics. Furthermore, selected multiple-heavy metals tolerant strains were evaluated resistance for multiple antibiotics resistance under in vitro conditions. A total of eighty multiple heavy tolerant bacterial strains were isolated from industrial effluents. The biomass of these multiple heavy metals-resistant bacterial strains was recorded in terms of optical density (OD). The strains with heavy maximum OD in 50 µg mL^− 1 were selected for antibiotics resistance and revealed five bacterial strains were most resistant against antibiotics. The best-performing strains were identified as Klebsiella sp. strain BH49 and Salmonella sp. BH67 heaving accession numbers of MT074326 and MT074327, respectively, through 16S rRNA partial gene sequencing. Those identified strains might be used as a bioremediation agent for the efficient removal of heavy metals in contaminated wastewater.