The present study aimed to determine the chemical composition and the synergistic effect of three plants’ essential oils (EOs), Eucalyptus camaldulensis (ECEO), Mentha pulegium (MPEO), and Rosmarinus officinalis (ROEO), against three bacterial strains, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus, in order to increase the antimicrobial effectiveness by the use of a low dose of essential oils, consequently decreasing the toxicity and negative impact. For this reason, an augmented simplex-centroid mixture design was used to build polynomial models in order to highlight the synergy between the essential oils against bacterial strains. Antimicrobial effect screening was performed by the disc diffusion method and the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were also studied. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) results show the richness of these essential oils by terpenic compounds, especially 1,8-Cineole and P-Cymene for ECEO, Pulegone for MPEO, and -Pinene and Camphene for ROEO. Moreover, a significant antibacterial effect has been demonstrated and the best values were revealed by MPEO and ECEO against P. mirabilis and K. pneumoniae, with inhibition zones (IZ) of 25 and 20 mm, respectively, and an MIC of 0.0391% (v:v) against K. pneumoniae. The optimal mixtures showed a synergistic effect of essential oils, and the lowest minimal inhibitory concentrations of the mixtures (MIC_m) were in the order of 29.38% of MPEO, 45.37% of ECEO, and 25.25% of ROEO against P. mirabilis and in the order of 60.61% of MPEO and 39.39% of ROEO against K. pneumoniae. These results indicate the antibacterial efficacy of the three essential oils combined and suggest their importance in the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by resistant bacterial strains.

The plant Punica granatum L. has several biological activities and a great curative and preventive power against chronic diseases. For this purpose, the objective of this work is to valorize the fruit peel of this plant in the field of phytomedicine, by quantifying and identifying its bioactive compounds and by evaluating their antioxidant and anticrystallization activities against calcium oxalate. This comparative study has been carried out by hydroalcoholic extract (E.PG) and infusion (I.PG) of the plant. The quantification of the phenolic compounds has been performed by spectrophotometric methods, and the chemical species identification has been performed by UPLC‐PDA‐ESI‐MS. Moreover, the examination of the antioxidant activity has been executed by both methods of DPPH and FRAP. The crystallization inhibition has been studied in vitro by the turbidimetric model. The characterization of the synthesized crystals has been accomplished by microscopic observation and by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The results found show the comparable importance of the two plant extracts in the elimination of free radicals; the values of the half maximal inhibitory concentration “IC₅₀” obtained are in the order of 60.87 ± 0.27 and 59.91 ± 0.83 μg/mL by the DPPH method and in the order of 42.17 ± 7.46 and 79.77 ± 6.91 μg/mL by the FRAP method, for both E.PG and I.PG, respectively. Furthermore, the inhibition percentages of calcium oxalate crystallization are in the range of 98.11 ± 0.17 and 98.22 ± 0.71% against the nucleation and in the order of 88.98 ± 0.98 and 88.78 ± 2.48% against the aggregation, for E.PG and I.PG, respectively. These results prove the richness of the plant in bioactive compounds, offering an antioxidant and anticrystallization capacity; therefore, it can be used in the treatment and/or the prevention of stone formation.

Satureja calamintha nepeta (S. calamintha) has a history of successful use in the treatment of bacterial and fungal diseases. The present study was designed to investigate the chemical composition and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oils extracted from wild S. calamintha (EOSS) and domesticated S. calamintha (EOSD) for comparison purposes. Hydrodistillation was used to extract the essential oils (EOs), while GC/MS was used for chemical analysis. Antioxidant activity was studied using DPPH and FRAP assays. Antifungal activity was performed against Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium oxysporum), while antibacterial activity was tested against clinically resistant bacteria, namely Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Proteus mirabilis. By using ab=n in silico approach, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the main compounds of EOSS and EOSD were also investigated. The yields obtained of EOSS and EOSD were 2.80% and 1.95%, respectively, with a dominance of eucalyptol, pulegone and rotundifolone. Concerning the antioxidant power, the IC50 values recorded by the use of the DPPH assay were in the range of 23.03 ± 4.30 and 24.09 ± 4.38 μg/mL for EOSS and EOSD, respectively, while by using the FRAP assay, the EC₅₀ values were in the range of 55.38 ± 2.16 and 60.72 ± 7.71 μg/mL for EOSS and EOSD, respectively. Importantly, both essential oils of EOSS and EOSD exhibited good antibacterial activity against all studied bacteria; notably, the inhibition zone ranged from 14 ± 0.00 to 48.67 ± 1.15 mm and the MICs ranged from 0.37 ± 0.00 to 5.96 ± 0.00 µg/mL. Similarly, the studied EOs showed important antifungal activities compared to all the studied fungi, wherein the inhibition percentage ranged from 47.33 ± 1.15 to 89.18 ± 0.75%, while the MICs ranged from 0.18 ± 0.00 to 2.98 ± 0.00 µg/mL. The molecular docking results showed that piperitenone and pulegone strongly inhibited human acetylcholinesterase, whereas (+)-Isomenthone and piperitenone strongly inhibited S. aureus nucleoside diphosphate kinase, and E. coli beta-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein] synthase, respectively. The outcome of this article suggests that EOs of S. calamintha can be developed as alternative agents to manage drug-resistant phenomena and free radical issues.

This study aims to investigate the chemical and mineral composition, antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects of the aqueous extract of Cistus laurifolius var. atlanticus Pit. (Cistaceae). Additionally, molecular docking interactions of various ligands with antioxidant protein target urate oxidase (1R4U) and anti-inflammatory protein target cyclooxygenase-2 (3LN1), revealing potential dual activities and highlighting specific residue interactions. The chemical characterization focused at first glance on the mineral composition which showed that C. laurifolius extract is a mineral-rich source of potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), and zinc (Zn). We next performed, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis, the latter showed various polyphenols in C. laurifolius extract including Gallic acid as the predominant polyphenol. Isoquercetin, Taxifolin and Astragalin were also among the major flavonoids detected. The antioxidant capacity of C. laurifolius leaves was tested using 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and reducing power (RP) assays. In vitro analysis of the anti-inflammatory property of C. laurifolius leaves was conducted by the albumin denaturation test and the in vivo was assessed in the sequel by carrageenan-induced paw edema test. The analgesic activity was evaluated in vivo using tail flick, acetic acid-induced contortion, and plantar tests. The findings showed that the leave extract had a powerful antioxidant activity with an IC₅₀ values of 2.92 ± 0.03 µg/mL (DPPH) and 2.59 ± 0.09 µg/mL (in RP test). The studied extract strongly abolished the induced inflammation (82%). Albumin denaturation test recorded an IC₅₀ value of 210 µg/mL. Importantly, the oral administration of C. laurifolius extract considerably reduced the nociceptive effect of acetic acid in rats, showing a significant analgesic effect in a dose-related manner. Altogether, our results showed that C. laurifolius can be a promising source of phytochemicals for drug development potential.