Mushrooms can be employed as functional foods or medicines for the prevention and treatment of several chronic diseases, since they are rich sources of bioactive metabolites. Nonetheless, the therapeutic value of Algerian mushrooms remains largely unexplored. To date, there are no published studies concerning the different medicinal properties of endemic Ganoderma lucidum in Algeria. This study aimed to compare the antioxidant potential of an endemic specimen collected in the Lake Tonga Forest of El Kala National Park in Northeast Algeria with findings from other countries. To this end, phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined using three solvents of increasing polarity (chloroform, ethyl acetate, and butanol). The mushroom specimen was identified as G. lucidum based on strong molecular evidence using internal transcribed spacer, large subunit, and small subunit sequences. Our study showed that ethyl acetate extract contained higher total phenolic content (171.1 ± 1.06 μg gallic acid equivalents/mg and 102.5 ± 0.69 μg pyrocatechol equivalents/mg extract) and total flavonoid content (25.48 ± 0.13 μg quercetin equivalents/mg and 40.45 ± 0.83 μg rutin equivalents/mg extract) than the other mushroom extracts (chloroform and butanolic). The ethyl acetate extract also showed good antioxidant activity in DPPH (28.51 ± 0.24 μg/mL), ABTS^·+ (10.06 ± 0.13 μg/mL), galvinoxyl radical (15.46 ± 0.48 μg/mL), reducing power (22.74 ± 0.30 μg/mL), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (21.36 ± 0.04 μg/mL), and phenanthroline (12.87 ± 0.26 μg/mL) assays. These results suggest that G. lucidum could be used as a source of strong natural antioxidants for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a class of drugs commonly used worldwide for their analgesic and antipyretic effects. However, an overdose of NSAIDs can have negative effects on various systems, including the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, and neural systems. The search for new, safer, and more effective anti-inflammatory agents has now become a necessity. The aim of the present study is to identify new natural compounds that act against cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), one of the main anti-inflammatory targets, using computational approaches. For this purpose, molecular docking and MM/GBSA binding free energy calculations were utilized to discover new natural inhibitors for COX-2. In addition, several prediction tools, such as SwissADME server, QikProp, and Pro-Tox II, were used in this study to elucidate the pharmacokinetic properties, drug-likeness ability, safety, and the lethal dose (LD₅₀) of the studied compounds. The results of molecular docking have indicated that among all phytochemicals under examination, canniprene, oroxylin A and luteolin show high docking scores and binding affinities toward COX-2 (−10.587, −10.254, and −9.494 Kcal.mol⁻¹, respectively) when compared with the reference inhibitor. Moreover, the top hits demonstrated stability during molecular dynamics simulation and were found to conform to drug-like rules with good bioavailability. Toxicity parameters of the best hits indicate that these compounds could be safe COX-2 inhibitors, but further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to confirm these findings.

This study was designed to evaluate the tyrosinase inhibitory effect, in vitro, in vivo, and in silico toxicity of fractions isolated from A. numidica de Lannoy needles. The cytotoxicity of extracts was examined against Artemia salina larvae, while the toxicity of these extracts was tested by acute oral toxicity in mice; by administration of a dose of 2000 mg/kg b.w A. numidica leaves extracts. The blood samples were collected from the eye orbital sinus for further analysis of biochemical parameters. The absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity (ADMET) properties were identified by the pkCSM web server. The data stated that ethyl acetate (EA) presented strong anti-tyrosinase apt. The results reported that ethyl acetate extract exhibited a strong inhibitory capacity against A. salina larvae with LD₅₀ of 75.004 µg/mL. The data also showed that no mortality occurred, and no toxicity symptoms were observed in mice. The biochemical parameters revealed that both extracts significantly affected the hepatic profile by increasing ALT, AST, and alkaline phosphatase. Histopathological tests also confirmed that both fractions were toxic at this concentration on hepatic and renal tissues, with necrosis observed. The toxicity of molecules in silico revealed no effect on all examined biomolecules.It can be concluded that this plant was toxic on the liver and renal profiles and tissues at the dose studied.

Background/Objectives: Essential oils are increasingly recognized for their therapeutic potential, yet Ammoides verticillata essential oil (AVEO) remains relatively unexplored, particularly for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. This study aimed to profile AVEO’s chemical composition and evaluate its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects, with a focus on its novel pharmacological actions. Methods: The chemical composition of AVEO was determined using GC-MS analysis, and antioxidant capacity was assessed through in vitro assays. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory potential was investigated using a carrageenan-induced paw edema model in rats, complemented by the inhibition assays of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. The analgesic effects were evaluated through acetic acid-induced writhing and tail immersion tests. Additionally, a computational study was performed to explore the binding affinity of AVEO’s major constituents to COX-2. Results: GC-MS analysis revealed a rich monoterpene profile dominated by carvacrol (32.51%). It was found that AVEO exhibited significant antioxidant activity. Similarly, in vivo, AVEO showed significant anti-inflammatory effects, achieving a percentage inhibition of 52.23% at 200 mg/kg, comparable to diclofenac, along with potent COX-2 inhibition observed (IC50 = 1.51 ± 0.20, SI = 5.56). Moreover, analgesic tests demonstrated dose-dependent pain relief, in which the dose of 200 mg/kg significantly prolonged tail latency to 14.00 ± 1.45 s and markedly reduced abdominal constriction to 21.17 ± 1.62. Computational analysis further corroborated the high binding affinity of carvacrol and thymol with COX-2 (−7.381 and −6.939 Kcal/mol, respectively). Conclusions: These findings underscore AVEO’s potential as a promising therapeutic agent for managing inflammation and pain.

Wheat landraces cultivated in the oases of Algeria are are know for their resistance to abiotic stresses as a result of the extreme environmental constraints of the Sahara. As such, these landraces represent valuable breeding material for improving abiotic stress tolerance in wheat. This study was conducted to evaluate salt tolerance of bread and durum wheat from the Algerian oases. Ten wheat landraces from the Algerian oases were grown under prolonged salinity stress (150 mM NaCl) in greenhouse conditions. Data were assessed for 19 physiological, biochemical, and agronomical traits. The wheat landraces exhibited considerable variation in their salinity stress tolerance. The membership function value of salt tolerance identified Oum RokbaElhamra, Khellouf and Zeghlou as the most tolerant landraces while Bourione was identified as sensitive. The salt-tolerant and moderately tolerant wheat landraces maintained stable yields under conditions of salinity stress. Regression models constructed from MFVS and salt tolerance coefficients showed that for bread wheat, amino acid content and grain yield accounted for most of the variation in MFVS, while for durum wheat, the number of grains per plant and Na⁺ content explained the majority of observed differences in MFVS. Correlation analysis showed that the MFVS was significantly associated with grain yield, selectivity between K⁺ and Na⁺, and plant height. The results confirm that Algerian oasis wheat landraces are a valuable source given their salt tolerance and could be utilized in breeding programs seeking to improve salinity stress resilience in wheat.

This study presents, for the first time, the phenolic profile of Daucus carota subsp. maximus aqueous extract and evaluates its antioxidant properties using various in vitro assays. The aqueous extract contained significant polyphenol and flavonoid contents (99.00 µg GAE/mg E and 43.06 µg QE/mg E, respectively). Additionally, LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis made it possible to identify and quantify 19 phenolic compounds, with trans-ferulic acid as the predominant compound (1.460 mg/g). Moreover, the aqueous extract exhibited antioxidant effects in all assays, with IC50 and A0.5 values less than 200 µg/mL except for Phenanthroline reducing power and SNP assays.