In the recent past, the production of wastewater from domestic and industrial sources steadily increased through population growth, urbanization, the Industrial Revolution, and economic development. In the world, 80% of wastewater consists of several harmful substances and hazardous chemicals that cause many deadly effects on human beings as well as ecosystems. So, the elimination of this toxic substance before discarding it into landfills is utilized as an alternative source of water which is an emerging need. Using treated wastewater for agricultural purposes is an excellent approach to rendering wastewater beneficial. As the quantity of wastewater grows, it becomes necessity to redistribute the water in a beneficial way. The rapidly increasing world population will undoubtedly increase the food demand, which directly requires more water for irrigation purposes. The rapidly increasing world population rate will undoubtedly demand an increased food production rate, which directly impacts agricultural water usage. In order to achieve sustainability in terms of agricultural water usage, alternative water resources should be explored. In this review, we tried to focus on summarizing all the leading studies in the field of wastewater utilization, the most prominent treatment methods, and a benchmarking of their technical efficiency in agriculture with special emphasis on agriculture in the marginal lands, with special emphasis on the United Arab Emirates.

Doxorubicin (DOXO) is an effective drug that is used in the treatment of a large number of cancers. Regardless of its important chemotherapeutic characteristics, its usage is restricted because of its serious side effects; the most obvious is cardiotoxicity, which can manifest acutely or years after completion of treatment, leading to left ventricular dysfunction, dilated cardiomyopathy, and heart failure. Galectin 3 (Gal-3) is a beta galactoside binding lectin that has different roles in normal and pathophysiological conditions. Gal-3 was found to be upregulated in animal models, correlating with heart failure, atherosclerosis, and myocardial infarction. Male C57B6/J and B6.Cg-Lgals3 <^{tm 1 Poi}>/J Gal-3 knockout (KO) mice were used for a mouse model of acute DOXO-induced cardiotoxicity. Mice were given DOXO or vehicle (normal saline), after which the mice again had free access to food and water. Heart and plasma samples were collected 5 days after DOXO administration and were used for tissue processing, staining, electron microscopy, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There was a significant increase in the heart concentration of Gal-3 in Gal-3 wild type DOXO-treated mice when compared with the sham control. There were significantly higher concentrations of heart cleaved caspase-3, plasma troponin I, plasma lactate dehydrogenase, and plasma creatine kinase in Gal-3 KO DOXO-treated mice than in Gal-3 wild type DOXO-treated mice. Moreover, there were significantly higher heart antioxidant proteins and lower oxidative stress in Gal-3 wild type DOXO-treated mice than in Gal-3 KO DOXO-treated mice. In conclusion, Gal-3 can affect the redox pathways and regulate cell survival and death of the myocardium following acute DOXO injury.

Medicinal herbs are potential sources of biomolecules and their analogues that have great relevance in the preparation of modern medicines. Calligonum crinitum, a perennial shrub growing in the United Arab Emirates, has been utilized in the study to validate the therapeutic properties exploited in the traditional medicinal system of UAE. The phytochemical screening of the plant employing different solvents of methanolics and ethyl-acetates, expressed varied proportions of monosaccharides and carbohydrates along with tannins and saponins, which are high potency molecules for therapeutic applications. The presence of total phenol and flavonoid contents derived from methanolic extracts indicates antioxidant potentials and the defense mechanisms of the plant. Proximate and mineral nutrient analysis validates the significance of the extracts with a high amount of carbohydrates and proteins along with significantly high amounts of Zn, Fe, Mn, Ca, Mg and K involved in various metabolic reactions. Similarly, the ABTS radical scavenging activity varied significantly (p < 0.05) and ranged from 10 to 160 µg GAE/g in the methanolic extract. DPPH free radical scavenging activity exhibited a significantly high DPPH activity in methanolic extracts with free radical scavenging activity of 72%. Hydroxyl radicals scavenging activity was also found to be high in the Calligonum extracts along with SOD (49–83%, compared to the standard GAE 37–58%). Nitric oxide scavenging was also found to be high in the extracts, thereby decreasing the content of NO. Thus, our results confirm that the derived extracts have potential antioxidants, and this legitimizes their use in folkloric medicine. These results are highly significant as they can pave the way for future scientific validation of the traditional knowledge of this important medicinal plant.

Tephrosia apollinea is a leguminous plant and is native to southwest Asia, Arabia, northwestern India and northeast Africa. In traditional system, it is used for medicinal and coloring purpose. The present study aims to explore the phytochemical, proximate analysis, element contents and antioxidant potential of T. apollinea extract. The phytochemical screening was done with qualitative methods. Proximate analysis and elemental composition were performed from powdered sample. In vitro antioxidant assays such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and reducing power-scavenging assays were used for evaluating the antioxidant properties. Qualitative screening of methanolic extract of T. apollinea showed the presence of alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides and saponins. The methanolic extract of T. apollinea exhibited a significant dose dependent inhibition of DPPH activity, with a 50% inhibition (IC50) at a concentration found to be 29.41 µg/ml, which was compared with standard GAE (IC50 = 31.09 μg/ml). The reducing power shows good linear relationship in both standard gallic acid (R2 = 0.956) and T. apollinea extract (0.984). The results of our study clearly suggested that the methanolic extract of T. apollinea may serve as potential source of natural antioxidant for nutraceutical application.

Recent scientific investigations across the globe have unveiled the medicinal attributes of plants, subject to scrutiny due to their effective pharmacological properties, economic feasibility, and less toxicity. Compounds such as polyphenols (flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, alkaloids) demonstrate the ability to interact with free radicals and enhance a balance between oxidative stress and antioxidant property. The mode of action of antioxidants involves suppressing the formation of reactive oxygen species either through enzyme inhibition or by chelating trace elements. Antioxidant assays such as DPPH, FRAP, ABTS have been used to evaluate the scavenging effect of antioxidants. Natural antioxidants from plants play a crucial role in human health and are beneficial in combating various diseases like cardiovascular disorders, lung damage, and inflammation. Plants found abundant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have served as a valuable resource in traditional medicine due to their therapeutic properties. However, there are still gaps in understanding and research regarding the phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of these plants. This review aims to explore the medicinal plants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a potential source of antioxidants, highlighting their value for the development of new drugs.