Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using plant extracts have recently attracted considerable attention due to their environmental protection benefits and their easy and low cost of fabrication. In the current study, ZnO NPS were synthesized using the aqueous extract of Ochradenus arabicus as a capping and reducing agent. The obtained ZnO NPs were firstly characterized using ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray absorption (EDX), zeta potential, and zeta size. All these techniques confirmed the characteristic features of the biogenic synthesized ZnO NPs. Then, ZnO NPs were evaluated for their effects on morphological, biochemical, and physiological parameters of Salvia officinalis cultured in Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0, 75, 100, and 150 mM of NaCl. The results showed that ZnO NPs at a dose of 10 mg/L significantly increased the shoot number, shoot fresh weight, and shoot dry weight of Salvia officinalis subjected or not to the salt stress. For the shoot length, a slight increase of 4.3% was recorded in the plant treated by 150 mM NaCl+10 mg/L ZnO NPs compared to the plant treated only with 150 mM of NaCl. On the other hand, without NaCl, the application of both concentrations 10 mg/L and 30 mg/L of ZnO NPs significantly improved the total chlorophyll content by 30.3% and 21.8%, respectively. Under 150 mM of NaCl, the addition of 10 mg/L of ZnO NPs enhanced the total chlorophyll by 1.5 times, whilst a slight decrease of total chlorophyll was recorded in the plants treated by 150 mM NaCl + 30 mg/L ZnO NPs. Additionally, ZnO NPs significantly enhance the proline accumulation and the antioxidative enzyme activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione reductase (GR) in plants under salinity. Our findings revealed that green synthesized ZnO NPs, especially at a dose of 10 mg/L, play a crucial role in growth enhancement and salt stress mitigation. Hence, this biosynthesized ZnO NPs at a concentration of 10 mg/L can be considered as effective nanofertilizers for the plants grown in salty areas.

Zincoxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are among the most produced and used nanomaterials worldwide, and in recent times these nanoparticles have also been incorporate in plant science and agricultural research. The present study was planned to synthesize ZnO NPs biologically using Ochradenus arabicus leaves and examine their effect on the morphology and physiology properties of Maerua oblongifolia cultured in vitro. ZnO NPs were characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy, which demonstrated hexagonal shape nanoparticles of size ranging from 10 to 50 nm. Thus, the study uncovered an efficient, eco-friendly and simple technique for biosynthesis of multifunctional ZnO NPs using Ochradenus arabicus following growth of Maerua oblongifolia shoots in different concentrations of ZnO NPs (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 mg L⁻¹) in Murashige and Skoog medium. Remarkable increases in plant biomass, photosynthetic pigments, and total protein were recorded up to a concentration of 5 mg L⁻¹; at the same time, the results demonstrated a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation levels with respect to control. Interestingly, the levels of proline and the antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities were increased significantly in response to all ZnO NP treatments. These findings indicate that bioengineered ZnO NPs play a major role in accumulation of biomass and stimulating the activities of antioxidant enzymes in plant tissues. Thus, green-synthesized ZnO NPs might be of agricultural and medicinal benefit owing to their impacts on plants in vitro.

Due to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs in the treatment of infectious diseases, human pathogenic bacteria have developed resistance to many commercially available antibiotics. Medicinal plants such as Convolvulus arvensis represent a renewable resource for the development of alternative therapeutic agents. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) biosynthesized from C. arvensis against two clinical antibiotic-resistant bacterial isolates. The pathogenic isolates were identified as Staphylococcus aureus MRSA and Escherichia coli ESBL using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized via a green synthesis approach, and their physicochemical properties were characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, zeta potential, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The synthesized C. arvensis–AgNPs exhibited a surface plasmon resonance peak at 475 nm and predominantly spherical morphology with particle sizes ranging from 102.34 to 210.82 nm. FTIR analysis indicated the presence of O–H, C–O, C–N, C–H, and amide functional groups. The nanoparticles showed a zeta potential of −18.9 mV and an average hydrodynamic diameter of 63 nm. The antibacterial activity of the biosynthesized AgNPs was evaluated against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA and ATCC 29213) and E. coli (ESBL and ATCC 25922) using agar diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays. Inhibition zones ranged from 10 to 13 mm, with MIC and MBC values of 12.5–25 µg/mL and 25–50 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, the nanoparticles exhibited antioxidant activity (DPPH assay, IC₅₀ = 0.71 mg/mL) and anti-inflammatory effects as determined by protein denaturation inhibition. No cytotoxic effects were observed in the MCF-7 cell line at the MIC level. These findings suggest that C. arvensis–AgNPs have potential as natural antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory agents.

Salinity is one of the most limiting constraints of crop production. Nevertheless, highly-tolerant crop plants (e.g. ‘Guar’ Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) can thrive well under salinity conditions. RNA-Seq plays a central role in identifying genes involved in the response mechanisms to salt stress in plant species. High-quality RNA, free of genomic DNA is a critical determinant for success in subsequent downstream experiments to shed light on tolerance mechanisms. In this research, an inspection of two different total RNA isolation protocols was employed for preparing highly pure and intact RNAs with good yield from Guar tissue under both high salinity and control conditions. The extracted RNA appeared in all quality metrics to be of adequate quantity and quality for most downstream applications, including high-throughput transcriptome sequencing and expression analysis. However, the outcomes showed that the most widely used RNA quality measurement, the RNA Integrity Number (RIN), is a poor indicator with a weak correlation to the integrity of RNA from this plant. In contrast to human and animal cells, plants have various ribosomal RNA species. Consequently, whenever the RNA was separated on an agarose gel, several RNA bands did appear, which gives the false impression of being unable to analyze the results of the bioanalyzer integrity. Low RIN number RNA samples were further processed by RNA-sequencing RNA-seq experiments from guar. RNA-seq analysis via Illumina’s paired-end method was carried out to trace back and evaluate the extracted total RNA, resulting in high-quality data for subsequent stress tolerance research.

Costus speciosus is a medicinal plant with a long history in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, recognized for its diverse bioactive properties, including antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic effects. This review highlights its therapeutic potential, particularly in cancer treatment, where its bioactive compounds exhibit cytotoxic effects against breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers. These compounds have shown the ability to induce apoptosis, regulate the cell cycle, and inhibit cancer progression, offering a promising alternative to conventional chemotherapy with potentially fewer side effects. Additionally, C. speciosus demonstrates antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic properties, expanding its clinical applications. Despite its promising pharmacological profile, further research is required to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects and ensure the safety and efficacy of its various extracts for therapeutic use.