Considering the large spectrum of side effects caused by synthetic drugs and the development of natural alternatives utilizing Algerian flora, this study aimed to place a spotlight on the chemical profile and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Myrtus communis L. essential oils (MCEOs). In this study, essential oils (EOs) were collected via hydro-distillation of the plant’s leaves, and a chemical constituent analysis was performed using gas chromatography–mass spectrophotometry (GC–MS). The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radical scavenging tests. The in vitro anti-inflammatory capacity was estimated by studying the antidenaturation effect using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a protein model. The in vivo anti-inflammatory activity was carried out by utilizing the classical model of carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats, using diclofenac (DCF) as the reference drug. Moreover, the molecular interaction of the compounds obtained from the GC–MS analysis was studied within the binding site of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) using an in silico approach as the confirmatory tool of the in vitro and in vivo experiments. The GC–MS analysis revealed that MCEOs were mainly composed of oxygenated monoterpenes (70.56%), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (3.1%), sesquiterpenes (4.17%), and monoterpenes (8.75%). Furthermore, 1,8-cineole was the major compound (19.05%), followed by cis-geranyl acetate (11.74%), methyl eugenol (5.58%), α-terpineol (4.62%), and β-myrcene (4.40%). MCEOs exhibited remarkable concentration-dependent free radical scavenging activity, with an IC₅₀ of 15.317 ± 0.340 µg/mL, 18.890 ± 2.190 µg/mL, and 31.877 ± 0.742 µg/mL for DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radical, respectively. The significant in vitro anti-inflammatory activity due to the inhibition of BSA denaturation was proportional to the EO concentration, where the highest value was recorded at 100 μg/mL with an approximately 63.35% percentage inhibition and an IC₅₀ of 60.351 ± 5.832 μg/mL. MCEOs showed a good in vivo anti-inflammatory effect by limiting the development of carrageenan-induced paw thickness. The in silico study indicated that, among the 60 compounds identified by the GC–MS analysis, 9 compounds were observed to have a high binding energy to cyclooxygenase-2 as compared to diclofenac. Our study revealed that EOs from Algerian Myrtus communis L. can be considered to be a promising candidate for alleviating many debilitating health problems and may provide new insights in the fields of drug design, agriculture, and the food industry.

Compounds derived from natural sources continue to serve as chemical scaffolds for designing prophylactic/therapeutic options for human healthcare. In this study, we aimed to systematically unravel the chemical profile and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of myrtle methanolic extract (MMEx) using in vitro, in vivo, and in silico approaches. High levels of TPC (415.85 ± 15.52 mg GAE/g) and TFC (285.80 ± 1.64 mg QE/g) were observed. Mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed the presence of 1,8-cineole (33.80%), α-pinene (10.06%), linalool (4.83%), p-dimethylaminobenzophenone (4.21%), thunbergol (4%), terpineol (3.60%), cis-geranyl acetate (3.25%), and totarol (3.30%) as major compounds. MMEx induced pronounced dose-dependent inhibition in all assays, and the best antioxidant activity was found with H₂O₂, with an IC₅₀ of 17.81 ± 3.67 µg.mL⁻¹. MMEx showed a good anti-inflammatory effect in vivo by limiting the development of carrageenan-induced paw edema. The pharmacokinetic profiles of the active molecules were determined using the SwissADME website, followed by virtual screening against anti-inflammatory targets including phospholipase A2 (PLA-2), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and NF-κB. A pharmacokinetic study revealed that the molecules have good absorption, distribution, and metabolism profiles, with negative organ toxicity. Among the compounds identified by GC-MS analysis, pinostrobin chalcone, cinnamyl cinnamate, hedycaryol, totarol, and p-dimethylaminobenzophenone were observed to have good binding scores, thus appreciable anti-inflammatory potential. Our study reveals that MMEx from Algerian Myrtus communis L. can be considered to be a promising candidate for alleviating many health complaints associated with oxidative stress and inflammation.

This is the first report describing microbiological, physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition of a traditional butter produced from cows’ milk in East of Algeria. Five butter samples were prepared in the laboratory according to the traditional method used by people in the Jijel areas (Eastern Algeria). Our results show the presence of lactic acid and psychrotrophic bacteria as well as yeasts, while staphylococci or lipolytic bacteria were not detected. Important differences were found in chemical values among butter samples. The pH values ranged from pH4.64 and pH5.53. Moisture and impurities exceeded 17.5% and 9.19% respectively. The values for acid index, peroxide index, saponification index and iodine index ranged from: 23.56-31.35mg KOH/g, 1.6-4 meq/kg, 140.25- 228.60 mg KOH/g and 35.35-53.69 mgI/100g respectively. Finally, the fatty acid composition showed that palmitic acid and oleic acid were the major saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

The oral cavity is home to a large and diversified microbial flora, which plays an important role in the genesis of multiple diseases, including tooth decay. Indeed, tooth decay is the most common ailment in the world, with almost everyone having experienced it at least once in their lifetime. Examining plants used in traditional medicine is one of the research approaches used to discover novel, potent antibacterial chemicals with a broad spectrum of action, as present antibacterials have significant drawbacks. This study aims to examine the chemical composition of Algerian clove Syzygium aromaticum using GC-MS and to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the methanol extract against bacteria isolated from dental caries caused by Streptococcus spp. and Lactobacillus spp. The results show a strong extraction yield of 29.7%, with high amounts of polyphenols and flavonoids calculated at 178.82 mg GAEQ/g and 24.13 mg QEQ/g. The principal chemical elements of S. aromaticum peel methanol extract were identified as eugenol (61.23%) and eugenol acetate (26.45%) based on mass spectrum data and retention times. The methanol extract has a significant antibacterial effect against tested strains, with MICs ranging from 111.37 to 445.5 mg/mL. Higher concentrations of polyphenols resulted in a significant increase in inhibition zone diameter against S1 (r2 = 0.94, p < 0.001), L3 (r2 = 0.94, p < 0.001), L5 (r2 = 0.93, p < 0.001), and L9 (r2 = 0.96, p < 0.001).

Thanks to their ability to absorb large amounts of trace elements from the atmosphere, lichens are widely used as bioaccumulators and bioindicators of air pollution. Among air pollutants, heavy metals represented by lead are the most important contributors to the deterioration of ecosystems. Fluorine is prevalent in a wide range of environmental matrices, even in trace amounts, and is one of the most phytotoxic halogens to plants. When lichens are exposed to air pollution, they frequently undergo structural, morphological and physiological alterations, and exhibit several coping strategies to combat and tolerate stressful situations. This manuscript presents general information about lichens, fluorine, and lead as well as the toxic effect of these two air pollutants on lichens, and the means of combat used by lichens to respond to fluorine and lead-induced stress.

In our work we were interested in the toxicity of fluorine on the various parameters of stress: chlorophyll, proteins, and antioxidant system in the lichen Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th. Fr., and for this purpose, lichen thalli were treated by sodium fluoride (NaF) at concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 mM, for time scale 0, 24, 48 and 96 h. The analysis results obtained revealed that all the parameters evaluated showed significant variations compared to those of the controls. From the analysis results obtained, it was noted that chlorophyll a (Ca), chlorophyll b (Cb) and total chlorophyll (Ca+b) decreased correlating with exposure times to NaF (r = -0.785, p < 0.001; r = -0.955, p < 0.001; r = -0.899, p < 0.001, respectively), with a significant increase of Ca/b ratio (p = 0.00572**) showing that Cb was more affected than Ca. However, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) increased (r = 0.949, p < 0.001). In correlation with NaF concentrations, Glutathione (GSH) increased (r = 0.969, p < 0.001), while proteins decreased (r = -0.872, p < 0.001). Furthermore, results showed that catalase activity (CAT) increased correlating with increasing exposure time of X. parietina to increasing concentrations of NaF. Long-term exposure (48 h -96 h) caused a significant decrease in GSH content (p = 0.02*) followed by total destruction at time 96 h.