The current study focused on the synthesis of doped silver nanoparticles (doped AgNPs) with yttrium (Y), gadolinium (Gd), and chromium (Cr) from pine needle leaf extract (PNLE). X-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed to assess the phase formation, detecting 61.83% from Ag and 38.17% for secondary phases of AgCl, AgO, Y, Cr-, and Gd phases. The size and shape of the NPs were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), showing a spherical shape with an average particle size of 26.43 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) detected the oxidation state of the presented elements. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) determined the morphology and elemental composition of the NPs, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) determined the different functional groups indicating the presence of Ag, Y, Gd, Cr, and other groups. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy showed the optical properties of the NPs. A vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) revealed the ferromagnetic behavior of the doped AgNPs. The antibacterial activity of the doped AgNPs was tested against six uro-pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) microdilution assays, agar well diffusion assay, time–kill test, and antibiofilm screening assays, revealing significant activity, with MICs ranging between 0.0625 and 0.5 mg/mL and antibiofilm activity between 40 and 85%. The antioxidant activity was determined by the 1,1, diphenyl 1-2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay with a potential of 61.3%. The docking studies showed that the doped AgNPs had the potential to predict the inhibition of crucial enzymes such as penicillin-binding proteins, LasR-binding proteins, carbapenemase, DNA gyrase, and dihydropteroate synthase. The results suggest that the doped AgNPs can be applied in different medical domains.

To treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), biosynthesized silver and yttrium‐doped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs and Y‐AgNPs) were synthesized from pine needle leaf extract (PNLE). The crystalline nature of the NPs was demonstrated by X‐ray diffraction. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy showed that AgNPs and Y‐AgNPs are dispersed and spherical, with average particle sizes of 18.43 and 26.58 nm, respectively. The chemical composition and oxidation states were revealed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, while the elemental compositions were explored by energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis. The functional groups and absorbance peaks were revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy, respectively. The NPs possessed luminescent behavior based on photoluminescence studies and ferromagnetic behavior according to vibrating sample magnetometer analysis. In addition, antibacterial activity against six uropathogenic bacteria was assessed by performing microdilution assays to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) which ranged between 0.0625 and 2 mg/mL, agar well diffusion assay with zones of inhibition 8–17 mm, time‐kill test detecting inhibition after 3 h, and antibiofilm screening assays at concentrations ranging between 0.0625 and 1 mg/mL. The antioxidant activity was determined by the 1,1, diphenyl 1‐2 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, which showed a significant antioxidant activity (14.2%–55.6%). Docking studies showed that AgNPs and Y‐AgNPs can inhibit the vital enzymes DNA gyrase, penicillin‐binding proteins, carbapenemase, LasR‐binding protein, and dihydropteroate synthase. These results highlight the use of AgNPs and Y‐AgNPs as alternative approaches in the battle against antibiotic‐resistant UTIs. The research illustrates the increased bioactivity of Y‐AgNPs compared with conventional AgNPs. It paves the way for the use of novel nanomaterials in antimicrobial medicine.

Green nanoparticles are synthesized using environmentally friendly methods, and natural materials hold significant importance. This makes the process environmentally sustainable and reduces the production of harmful waste by-products. Green nanoparticles exhibit reduced toxicity which is crucial for biomedical applications. The current study suggested that yttrium nanoparticles (YNPs) should be synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for their diverse biological applications due to the rise in antibacterial resistance. The YNPs were prepared using a pine needle leaf extract (PNLE). The structural and morphological features have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The XRD pattern demonstrated the presence of yttrium oxide and yttrium nitrate phases. The crystallite size and particle size of the synthesized YNPs measured 1.696 nm and 24.55 nm, respectively. The XPS peaks showed two components with binding energies at 530.940 eV and 532.18 eV due to the bond between O–Y and OH–Y, respectively. Additionally, the ferromagnetic nature of the YNPs was confirmed by VSM analysis. The YNPs were tested for antibacterial activity on six uropathogenic bacteria (S. aureus, S. haemolyticus, E. faecalis, E. coli, K. pneumonia, and P. aeruginosa) using the microdilution assays, to find the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) as well as the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), the agar well diffusion assay, and antibiofilm screening assays, where they showed bacteriostatic action against all isolates (0.5–1 mg/mL MIC) and significant inhibition of biofilm formation (80% inhibition rate). The antioxidant capacity assessed by 1,1, diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging revealed 50% DPPH scavenging. Moreover, docking studies exhibited that YNPs inhibit crucial bacterial enzymes, including DNA gyrase, penicillin-binding proteins, carbapenemase, LasR-binding protein, and dihydropteroate synthase. These findings may explain the mechanisms responsible for the observed antibacterial effects of YNPs. Overall, these findings underscore YNPs as promising candidates for antioxidant and antibacterial applications.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is one of the common infectious diseases in both hospitals as well as community settings; they are recognized to be among the most serious worldwide bacterial infections impacting 150 million people globally every year. The purpose of this study was to assess the changing antibiotics resistance profile for uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from community and hospital setting over a period of time (2018–2019) with a special emphasis on ESBL/MDR producing Escherichia coli. A descriptive retrospective study was conducted among patients with uropathogenic Escherichia coli from both community and hospital settings in south Lebanon. Out of 863 patients with positive uropathogenic Escherichia coli, 451 (52.25 %) comes from the community while 412 (47.74 %) came from the hospital settings. Almost 60.83 % are not Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBL), 31.4 % ESBL, and 7.76 % Multiple drug resistance (MDR). The majority of urinary tract infections are related to the female population (78.21 %). The most vulnerable age for both gender to develop UTI belong to elderly population (>64 years) which account 37.19 % of all isolates. Statistically, we observed a high resistance rate toward all antibiotics using in the treatment of urinary tract infections such as Cefixime (45.30 %), Sulfamethoxazole (44.95 %), Ciprofloxacin (38.23 %) and Augmentin (38.93 %). A statistically significant association was observed between risk factors for hospitalized patients and all age categories with (P < 0.05). Susceptibility profiles are critical to be evaluated in countries such as Lebanon where excessive use of antibiotics is observed at all levels. Therefore, this finding is useful for the determination of appropriate antimicrobial treatment in UTI patients that are caused by Escherichia coli and to follow the antimicrobial stewardship program to reduce the rate of resistance toward antibiotics.

Fruits and their peels are rich sources of bioactive compounds with significant health benefits. Vinegars produced from fruits and their peels are gaining increasing interest as a functional food due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and potential therapeutic properties. In this study, the four vinegars ( Cydonia oblonga pulp vinegar [COV], Cydonia oblonga peel vinegar [COPV], Diospyros kaki pulp vinegar [DKV], and Diospyros kaki peel vinegar [DKPV]) were produced via natural fermentation. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant properties (DPPH and ABTS activity), and glutathione S‐transferase (GST) inhibitory activity of these produced vinegars were evaluated. Additionally, in order to compare the properties of these products with natural home‐style/traditional, the same content and activities of Cydonia oblonga fruit vinegar (COFV) and Diospyros kaki fruit vinegar (DKFV) were examined. The results indicated that COPV exhibited the highest TPC (842.57 ± 56.79 mg GAE/L) and TFC (248.45 ± 55.08 mg catechin/L), while DKPV showed the highest GST inhibitory activity (81.25%). All samples demonstrated significant DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging potential. Vinegars derived from peels (COPV and DKPV) generally contain higher levels of bioactive compounds than the others. Additionally, docking results indicated that the carbonyl and hydroxyl groups and aromatic rings of main components in extracts interacted extensively with GST active cite via π ‐donor, carbon and/or conventional H‐bonds, π ‐anion, π ‐alkyl, π ‐ π T‐shaped, and amide‐ π stacked interactions. The findings suggest that peel vinegars are a promising source of natural antioxidants and potential GST inhibitors. These findings also highlight their potential value as functional food products.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most widespread metabolic diseases characterized by increased blood glucose levels. According to the most recent research, the treatment of diabetes could be improved with the use of green‐synthesized nanoparticles due to their biocompatibility, efficient cellular uptake, and targeted therapy. Objective: In the present study, nanoparticles were biosynthesized using pine needle leaf extract to assess their antidiabetic potential in a streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic rat model. Methods: Initially, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), yttrium‐doped AgNPs (Y‐AgNPs), and gadolinium–chromium–yttrium–doped AgNPs (GCY‐AgNPs) were green‐synthesized using pine needle leaf extract and characterized by UV‐Vis, PL, XRD, FTIR, SEM‐EDX, TEM, and VSM. Diabetes was induced in male Sprague–Dawley rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (55 mg/kg), followed by administration of pine needle leaf extract (PNLE), AgNPs, Y‐AgNPs, GCY‐AgNPs (7.5 mg/kg each), and glibenclamide (GLB, 5 mg/kg) to diabetic rats for 7 or 21 days. The assessment included body weight, blood glucose levels, and biochemical, lipid, and kidney histology, along with molecular docking for nanoparticle–protein interactions. Results: Diabetic rats exhibited weight reduction alongside increased blood glucose levels. Treatment with green‐synthesized nanoparticles markedly reduced blood glucose, along with aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, creatinine, serum triglycerides (TG), total serum cholesterol (TC), very low‐density lipoprotein (VLDL), and low‐density lipoprotein (LDL), while increasing high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. The intraperitoneal injection of green‐synthesized nanoparticles provided notable protection to rat kidneys against STZ‐induced damage by maintaining the cortical and tubular structures, as well as mitigating the histopathological lesions. In‐silico docking studies confirmed strong interactions of the nanoparticles with the antidiabetic targets via hydrogen and hydrophobic interactions, revealing possible therapeutic applications. Conclusion: Among all nanoparticle formulations, GCY‐AgNPS showed the strongest protective effect against STZ‐induced diabetic kidney damage. The findings exhibited significant antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic effects against STZ‐induced diabetes in rats.