Background: Edible fruits and resins provide various benefits to mankind including potential medicinal applications. This study aimed to determine the cytotoxicity, selectivity, and clonogenicity of fruits and exudates of certain Saudi medicinal plants (Anethum graveolens (BEP-09), Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller (BEP-10), Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr. (BEP-11), and Commiphora myrrha (BEP-12)) against human liver adenocarcinoma (HepG2). Methods: Initial cytotoxicity and cell line selectivity against different cell lines were screened using MTT assay. The most promising extract was subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis to determine the main phytoconstituents. Clonogenicity was checked for the most active extract. Results: The selected plants’ fruits and resins possess a significant cytotoxic activity estimated as IC50. The fruit of BEP-10 was found to be the most active extract against liver cancer cells (IC50 = 2.82) comparable to both doxorubicin (IC50 = 1.40) and camptothecin (IC50 = 1.11). It showed a selectivity index of 4.47 compared to the normal human foetal lung fibroblast (MRC5) cells. BEP-10 showed a dose-dependent clonogenic effect against HepG2 cells comparable to the effect of doxorubicin. The GC-MS chromatogram of BEP-10 extract revealed the presence of eight small polar molecules, representing 73% of the total identified compounds and the rest three molecules (27%) were non-polar constituents. The furan derivatives represent the chief components in BEP-10 (16.3%), while the aldehyde 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furancarboxaldehyde was found to be the main molecule (13.2%). Conclusion: The fruits of BEP-10 have a potential cytotoxic effect particularly against HepG2. The identified phytoconstituents in the tested plant extract might contribute to the investigated cytotoxic activity.

This study on Buddleja polystachya highlights its phytochemical composition, antimicrobial activity, and cytotoxic impacts. The study emphasizes the plant’s potential to treat ocular diseases by identifying important compounds involved in the bioactivity through GC-MS analysis. This study explores the antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential of Buddleja polystachya (stem and leaves) extracts, with a focus on their application in treating bacterial ocular infections and their efficacy against MCF7, HT29, and HepG2 cancer cells. Through comprehensive GC-MS analysis, a diverse array of phytochemicals was identified within Buddleja polystachya stem and leaves extracts, including carbohydrates, phenolic derivatives, fatty acids, and steroidal components. The extracts were then evaluated for their biological activities, revealing significant antimicrobial properties against a range of bacterial strains implicated in ocular infections. The research findings demonstrate that stem extracts derived from Buddleja polystachya demonstrated high to moderate cytotoxic effects on cancer cell lines MCF7, HT29, and HepG2. Notably, these effects were characterized by varying IC₅₀ values, which suggest distinct levels of sensitivity. In contrast, leaf extracts exhibited reduced cytotoxicity when tested against all these cell lines, although they did so with a significantly higher cytotoxicity aganist HepG2 cells. The results of this investigation highlight the potential therapeutic utilization of Buddleja polystachya extracts in the management of ocular infections and cancer. These results support the need for additional research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action of these extracts and explore their potential as drugs.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and practice of contact lens wear (CLW) among Al-Baha University medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using an online self-administered questionnaire via Google Forms. The questionnaire had three domains: sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, CLW hygiene practices, and CLW-related complications. Results: A total of 432 students were enrolled. Almost half of them (203,47%) were CLs wearers. Almost half of the participants, 95 (46.8%), used CL for therapeutic and 108 (53.2%) cosmetic purposes. 81 (40%) wore their CLs for a duration of (1-10 hours/day), 149 (73.4%) did not sleep while wearing their CLs, 61 (30%) shared theirs with others, 110 (54.2%) washed their hands before putting on their CLs and 90 (44.2%) replaced their CL cleaning solution regularly. Only 10 (5%) of the participants did not experience any complications related to CLW, while 108(52.6%), 102 (50%), and 97 (47.8%) experienced dry eye, tears, and foreign body sensations, respectively. Moderate satisfaction of the users was reported. Conclusion: The medical students at Al-Baha University showed a high CLW ratio and used CL predominantly for cosmetic reasons; both male and female students were very aware of hygienic practices, and moderate satisfaction, with moderate complications, was reported.

Background: The study was set up to investigate the toxicological effects of the aqueous extract of onion (Allium cepa L.) peel (OP) in rats, in vivo. Methods: A total of 30 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups. Acute oral toxicity was investigated using three different doses of OP, where the first group of rats was given distilled water and served as -ve control, the three rest groups given (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) of OP daily for 14 days orally. Rats were observed during the short term and the long term. On the 15th day, the rats were anesthetized with diethyl ether and blood samples were taken to evaluate hematological, biochemical, liver and kidney function. All main organs were collected in formalin and sent for histopathological investigations. Results: OP exhibited a significant increase in the time of anesthesia among the group admitted with the lowest dose (250 mg/kg). It showed a significant increase in lymphocyte levels. OP showed an elevation in all liver function parameters except, albumin level. The blood glucose level was reduced after OP extract treatment. No renal effects were observed. Furthermore, histopathological results showed normal results comparable to the untreated group, except mild inflammation was observed in the lung. Conclusions: We conclude that the dry onion peel aqueous extract was found to be free from any toxic effect on the rat’s main organs. However, it showed mild toxicity in the liver profile.