Bacillus species produce different classes of antimicrobial and antioxidant substances: peptides or proteins with different structural compositions and molecular masses and a broad range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), some of which may serve as biomarkers for microorganism identification. The aim of this study is the identification of biologically active compounds synthesized by five Bacillus species using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The current study profoundly enhances the knowledge of antibacterial and antioxidant metabolites ensuring the unambiguous identification of VOCs produced by some Bacillus species, which were isolated from vegetable samples of potato, carrot, and tomato. Phylogenetic and biochemical studies were used to identify the bacterial isolates after culturing. Phylogenetic analysis proved that five bacterial isolates BSS12, BSS13, BSS16, BSS21, and BSS25 showed 99% nucleotide sequence similarities with Bacillus safensis AS-08, Bacillus cereus WAB2133, Bacillus acidiproducens NiuFun, Bacillus toyonesis FORT 102, and Bacillus thuringiensis F3, respectively. The crude extract was prepared from bacterial isolates to assess the antibiotic resistance potency and the antimicrobial potential against various targeted multidrug-resistant strains, including yeast strains such as Candida albicans, Candida krusei, and bacterial strains of Enterococcus hirae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus group B, Streptococcus mutans, Shigella sonnei, Salmonella enteritidis, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus vulgaris. GC–MS analysis of bacterial strains found that VOCs from Bacillus species come in a variety of chemical forms, such as ketones, alcohols, terpenoids, alkenes, etc. Overall, 69 volatile organic compounds were identified from five Bacillus species, and all five were found to share different chemical classes of volatile organic components, which have a variety of pharmacological applications. However, eight antibacterial compounds with different concentrations were commonly found in all five species: acetoin, acetic acid, butanoic acid, 2-methyl-, oxime-, methoxy-phenyl, phenol, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-methylpropyl) ester, nonanoic acid, and hexadecanoic acid, methyl. The present study has demonstrated that bacterial isolates BSS25, BSS21, and BSS16 display potent inhibitory effects against Candida albicans, while BSS25, BSS21, and BSS13 exhibit the ability to restrain the growth and activity of Candida krusei. Notably, BSS25 and BSS21 are the only isolates that demonstrate substantial inhibitory activity against Klebsiella aerogenes. This disparity in inhibitory effects could be attributed to the higher concentrations of acetoin in BSS25 and BSS21, whereas BSS16 and BSS13 have relatively elevated levels of butanoic acid, 2-methyl-. Certainly, the presence of acetoin and butanoic acid, 2-methyl-, contributes to the enhanced antibacterial potential of these bacterial strains, in conjunction with other organic volatile compounds and peptides, among other factors. The biology and physiology of Bacillus can be better understood using these results, which can also be used to create novel biotechnological procedures and applications. Moreover, because of its exceptional ability to synthesize and produce a variety of different antibacterial compounds, Bacillus species can serve as natural and universal carriers for antibiotic compounds in the form of probiotic cultures and strains to fight different pathogens, including mycobacteria.

Ceratocarpus arenarius (Chenopodiaceae) is an under-investigated annual plant that occurs in dry areas stretching from eastern and south-eastern Europe to East Asia. This article presents the botanical characterization and examination of proximate parameters, minerals and cytotoxic activity of C. arenarius that grows wild in Kazakhstan. The results of morphological analysis using a light microscope, based on cross-sections of stems, roots and leaves, provide the necessary data to develop a regulatory document for this herbal substance as a raw material for use in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. The investigated proximate characteristics included moisture content (6.8 ± 0.28%), ash (5.9 ± 0.40%), fat (12.5 ± 21.28%) and protein (392.85 ± 25.50). The plant is also rich in minerals (mg/100 g dry weight); Na (20.48 ± 0.29), K (302.73 ± 1.15), Zn (4.45 ± 0.35), Fe (1.18 ± 0.03), Cu (0.11 ± 0.02), Mn (0.76 ± 0.01), Ca (131.23 ± 0.09) and Mg (60.69 ± 0.72). The ethanolic extract of C. arenarius showed no acute toxicity against the brine shrimp nauplii.

Bacillus species produce different classes of antimicrobial and antioxidant substances: peptides or proteins with different structural composition and molecular mass and a broad range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), some of which may serve as biomarkers for microorganism identification. The aim of this study is the identification of biologically active compounds synthesized by five Bacillus species using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The current study profoundly enhances the knowledge of antibacterial and antioxidant metabolites ensuring the unambiguous identification of VOCs produced by some Bacillus species, which were isolated from vegetable samples of potato, carrot, and tomato. Phylogenetic and biochemical studies were used to identify the bacterial isolates after culturing. Phylogenetic analysis proved that five bacterial isolates BSS12, BSS13, BSS16, BSS21, and BSS25 showed 99% nucleotide sequence similarities with Bacillus safensis AS-08, Bacillus cereus WAB2133, and Bacillus acidiproducens NiuFun, Bacillus toyonesis FORT 102 and Bacillus thuringiensis F3, respectively. The crude extract was prepared from bacterial isolates to assess the antibiotic resistance potency and the antimicrobial potential against various targeted multidrug-resistant strains, including Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Enterococcus hirae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus group B, Streptococcus mutans, Shigella sonnei, Salmonella enteritidis, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus vulgaris. GC–MS analysis of bacterial strains found that VOCs from Bacillus species come in a variety of chemical forms, such as ketones, alcohols, terpenoids, alkenes, etc. Overall, 69 volatile organic compounds were identified from five Bacillus species, and all five were found to share different chemical classes of volatile organic components, which have a variety of pharmacological applications. However, 8 antibacterial compounds with different concentrations were commonly found in all five species: acetoin, acetic acid, butanoic acid, 2-methyl-, oxime-, methoxy-phenyl, phenol, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-methylpropyl) ester, nonanoic acid, and hexadecanoic acid, methyl. The biology and physiology of Bacillus can be better understood using these results, which can also be used to create novel biotechnological procedures and applications. Moreover, because of its exceptional ability to synthesize and produce a variety of different antibacterial compounds, Bacillus species can serve as natural and universal carriers for antibiotic compounds in the form of probiotic cultures and strains to fight different pathogens, including mycobacteria.

Zygophyllum fabago L. is traditionally used in folk medicine due to its antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive morphological, anatomical, phytochemical, and microbiological investigation of Z. fabago collected in the Zhetysu region of Kazakhstan and to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of its extract. Morphological and microscopic analyses of the aerial parts were performed to establish diagnostic characteristics of the plant material. A 70% ethanolic extract obtained by ultrasonic extraction was subjected to GC-MS and LC-MS analyses, quantitative phytochemical assessment, and elemental profiling. The extract was further fractionated using solvents of different polarity. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against selected clinically relevant bacterial and fungal strains, while cytotoxicity was assessed using the Artemia salina model. Phytochemical analyses tentatively identified a diverse range of secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, sterols, triterpenoids, fatty acids, and other bioactive constituents, together with appreciable levels of phenolic compounds and mineral elements. Several solvent fractions exhibited antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms. In the Artemia salina assay, no detectable toxicity was observed for the ethanolic extract under the tested conditions. The results provide pharmacognostic and phytochemical data for Z. fabago collected in Kazakhstan and demonstrate the presence of diverse bioactive constituents. The observed antimicrobial activity and low toxicity in the applied screening model suggest that this species may represent a potential source of biologically active compounds and warrants further phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological investigations.

Larix sibirica is a conifer and a renewable source of chemically diverse constituents with pharmacological uses. This review examines its phytochemical composition, extraction strategies, and reported pharmacological activities, including preliminary studies of arabinogalactan-based drug carriers and sulfated lignins. The compiled database comprised 354 records representing 232 unique compounds reported in 25 publications, distributed among 16 phytochemical groups and 12 plant-source categories. Phenolics, terpenoids, lipids, arabinogalactan and lignans were concentrated unevenly across bark, needles, oleoresin, wood, knotwood and heartwood resin. Extraction remained dominated by conventional solvent partitioning, Soxhlet extraction, steam distillation and chromatography; aqueous ethanol enabled simultaneous recovery of arabinogalactan and taxifolin, but direct comparisons with intensified technologies were lacking. Antioxidant activity was supported mainly by chemical assays, whereas antiviral, antibacterial, neuritogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects relied predominantly on cellular or limited animal models. Arabinogalactan showed immunomodulatory and intestinal barrier effects and was investigated as a preclinical drug carrier, while sulfated lignins showed concentration-dependent effects in in vitro blood-compatibility assays. Nevertheless, heterogeneous preparations, inconsistent measurement bases and limited dose–response, pharmacokinetic and toxicological data restrict cross-study comparison and clinical interpretation. Future work should prioritize standardized sampling and extracts, validated quantitative LC-MS/MS and GC-MS methods, untargeted metabolomics, bioactivity-guided fractionation, controlled in vivo studies and systematic safety assessment. These advances are required to convert descriptive phytochemistry into reproducible evidence for therapeutic and industrial development.

Кіріспе. Азиялық жалбыз (Mentha asiatica Boriss.) – антисептикалық, қабынуға қарсы және спазмолитикалық қасиеттерімен танымал жалбыз (Mentha L.) тұқымдасының өкілі. Бұл өсімдіктің фармакологиялық белсенділігі биологиялық белсенді қосылыстардың, соның ішінде монотерпендер (ментол, ментон, пулегон), сесквитерпендер (β-кариофиллен) және флавоноидтардың жоғары құрамымен байланысты, олар ағзадағы физиологиялық процестерге кешенді әсер етеді. Фармакологиялық қасиеттерінің оң әсеріне қарамастан, кейбір зерттеулер фенолдық қосылыстар мен терпеноидтар ұзақ уақыт қолданғанда немесе жоғары дозаларда нефро- және гепатоуыттылық тудыруы мүмкін екенін көрсетеді. Жануарларға жүргізілген тәжірибелер жоғары концентрациядағы азиялық жалбыз (Mentha asiatica Boriss.) экстракттары бауыр, бүйрек және асқазан тіндерінде дистрофиялық өзгерістер мен некрозға әкелуі мүмкін екенін көрсетті. Ұзақ уақыт жоғары дозада қолданғанда бауыр жасушаларының митохондриялық белсенділігінде өзгерістер байқалды, бұл ішкі органдардыңзақымдануына алып келеді. Мақсаты. Азиялық жалбыз (Mentha asiatica Boriss.) экстрактының қауіпсіздігін, өткір және созылмалы уыттылығын бағалау. Материалдар мен әдістер. Зерттеу салмақтары 20-30 г, жасы 8-10 апталық, аталық (♂) ақ түсті альбинос тышқандарға жүргізілді. Жануарлар стандартты виварий жағдайында ұсталып, зерттеу басталғанға дейін 10 күндік карантиннен өтті. Экстракт 14 күн бойы зонд арқылы пероральды жолмен енгізілді. Тәжірибе аяқталғаннан кейін жануарлар декапитация әдісімен өлтірілді, содан кейін бауыр, бүйрек және асқазан тіндерінің морфологиялық және гистологиялық зерттеулері гистологиялық жалпы қабылданған принциптерге сәйкес гематоксилин-эозин бояуымен жүргізілді. Нәтижелер. Бақылау тобының ағзалар құрылымында айтарлықтай өзгерістер байқалмады. 500 мг/кг дозасын алған топта бүйрек стромасының ісінуі және асқазан бездері эпителийінің паренхиматозды дистрофиясы анықталды. 2000 мг/кг дозасында бауырда некроз ошақтары, бүйрек өзекшелері эпителийінің тегістелуі, сондай-ақ асқазан тіндерінің ісінуі байқалды. 5000 мг/кг дозасында бауырда кең көлемді некроз, асқазанның шырышты қабатының бұзылуы және бүйректерде айқын дистрофиялық өзгерістер анықталды. Қорытынды. Алынған деректер азиялық жалбыз экстрактының уыттылығының дозаға тәуелді сипатын растайды. Доза артқан сайын ағзалардағы морфологиялық өзгерістер зақымданудың айқын (гепато және нефроуыттылығын) белгілерін көрсетеді. Введение. Азиатская мята (Mentha asiatica Boriss.) -представитель рода мята (Mentha L.), известный своими антисептическими, противовоспалительными и спазмолитическими свойствами. Фармакологическая активность этого растения связана с высоким содержанием биологически активных соединений, включая монотерпены (ментол, ментон, пулегон), сесквитерпены (β-кариофиллен) и флавоноиды, которые оказывают комплексное влияние на физиологические процессы в организме. Несмотря на положительное воздействие фармакологических свойств, некоторые исследования показывают, что фенольные соединения и терпеноиды могут вызывать нефро- и гепатотоксичность при длительном применении или высоких дозах. Эксперименты на животных показали, что экстракты азиатской мяты (Mentha asiatica Boriss.) в высоких концентрациях могут приводить к дистрофическим изменениям и некрозу тканей печени, почек и желудка....