Liver diseases are life-threatening and need urgent medical treatments. Conventional treatment is expensive and toxic, so the urge for nutraceutical hepatoprotective agents is crucial. This study is considered the first metabolic profile of Aeschynomene elaphroxylon (Guill. & Perr.) extracts of; flowers, leaves & bark adopting UPLC-Orbitrap HRMS analysis to determine their bioactive metabolites, and it was designed to investigate the potential hepatoprotective activity of A. elaphroxylon flowers and bark extracts against CCl₄-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats. Forty-nine compounds of various classes were detected in the three extracts, with triterpenoid saponins as the major detected metabolite. Flowers and bark extracts presented similar chemical profile while leaves extract was quite different. The antioxidant activities of the flowers, leaves & bark extracts were measured by in vitro assays as Fe⁺³ reducing antioxidant power and Oxygen radical absorbance capacity. It revealed that flowers and bark extracts had relatively high antioxidant activity as compared to leaves extract. Based on the metabolic profile and in vitro antioxidant activity, flowers and bark ethanolic extracts were chosen for alleviation of hepatotoxicity induced by CCl₄ in rats. The hepatoprotective activity was studied through measuring hepatotoxicity biomarkers in serum (ALT, AST, and Albumin). Liver tissues were examined histopathologically and their homogenates were used in determining the intracellular levels of oxidative stress biomarkers (MDA, GSH), inflammatory markers (TNF-α). Flowers and bark ethanolic extracts exerted a significant hepatoprotective effect through reduction in the activities of ALT, AST and Albumin, the tested extracts reduced oxidative stress by increasing GSH content and reducing the MDA level. Furthermore, the extracts decreased levels of pro-inflammatory TNF-α. Moreover, the present study revealed the potentiality of A. elaphroxylon in ameliorating the CCl₄-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats. In this aspect, A. elaphroxylon can be used with other agents as a complementary drug.

Wound infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria present a substantial challenge in healthcare. Nanofibers, particularly when infused with natural extracts, are emerging as promising platforms for antimicrobial applications. This study investigates the potential of Anastatica hierochuntica extract-loaded electrospun nanofibers prepared with thermoplastic polyurethane for combating infections and promoting wound healing. Electrospinning was utilized to prepare nanofibers infused with Anastatica hierochuntica extract, resulting in uniform rod-shaped structures confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The hydrophilicity of the nanofibers was assessed through water contact angle (WCA) measurements and swelling tests. Mechanical properties, including strain and stress were evaluated to determine suitability for drug delivery. The formulation with optimal properties, designated as NF20, underwent further investigation. Drug release profiles were analyzed over 72 h, and antimicrobial efficacy was tested against various pathogens, with comparisons made to Silymarin as a standard. A biofilm study evaluated the anti-virulence activity, while wound healing assays assessed the optimized extract loaded nanofibers potential in fostering tissue repair. The extract-loaded nanofibers exhibited enhanced hydrophilicity, with a WCA of 43.1 ± 0.6° and swelling of 216.67 ± 2.36% after 1 h. NF20 demonstrated superior mechanical properties, with strain and stress values of 67.6% and 0.0486 N/mm², respectively. The sustained release profile indicated 73.40 ± 1.31% release after 72 h. Antimicrobial tests revealed significant reductions in minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration against key pathogens. The biofilm study confirmed extract loaded nanofiber’s efficacy in inhibiting biofilm formation and disrupting established biofilms. These findings underscore the potential of the extract-loaded nanofiber composed of thermoplastic polyurethane as innovative wound dressings that enhance antimicrobial properties, promote accelerated healing and support tissue regeneration. Graphical Abstract

Nearly one-third of the food produced worldwide is wasted or lost annually, resulting in serious adverse impacts on the society, environment, and economy. Owing to the magnitude of this crisis, the United Nations has established a worldwide objective to halve food loss and waste by 2030. Certain food by-products cannot be considered garbage due to their valuable nutritional or health benefits, which can be invested in the pharmaceutical industry. This review is a concerted effort to identify the major active constituents and biological activities of various food by-products. We selected the by-products generated from eggplant, taro, okra, and coconut based on their promising phytochemical and biological findings in literature and market availability. All these by-products have in common that they are rich in phenolic compounds, which make them biologically effective as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer agents. According to their biologically active compounds, by-products of eggplant, taro, okra, and coconut are superb sources of anthocyanins, luteolin, quercetin, and catechins, respectively. In addition, the presence of chlorophyll in certain food by-products, with higher concentration in plant leaves compared to other parts, exerts valuable health benefits, such as anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic, and anti-genotoxic activities. According to the medicinal, environmental, and economic benefits of the utilization of certain food by-products, we conclude that there are chances for more phytochemical, biological, industrial, and clinical investigations to encourage their use as a renewable raw material in pharmaceutical products.

Background: The dried ripe fruit of Serenoa repens (W. Bartram) Small (Arecaceae) is traditionally used for urinary tract disorders, infertility, and prostate hyperplasia in men and for hormonal disturbances and infertility in women. Aim: This paper aims to introduce a collective overview of S. repens research regarding its ethnopharmacological uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and toxicity. This was performed to identify the research gaps in current studies on S. repens, and suggest potential avenues for further investigation.Method: A review of the literature on S. repens was conducted from inception to December 2023. The data was acquired through Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB), Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Elsevier databases. Furthermore, a bibliometric analysis of research output on S. repens was conducted until December 2023 using the Scopus database. Data was analyzed, and VOSviewer software was used to visualize the relationships between authors, countries, and keywords in the retrieved documents. Results: S. repens is reported to exhibit anti-androgenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-proliferative, and apoptotic activities, thereby alleviating symptoms associated with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and chronic prostatitis. Phytosterols (mainly β-sitosterol) and fatty acids (predominantly lauric and oleic acid) were regarded as the chief active constituents responsible for such activities.Conclusions: Based on this review, using S. repens extract in BPH management has been the focal point over the last few years. Recently, interest has been raised in other androgen-related conditions, such as androgenetic alopecia, yet these uses are still under investigation. To maximize the medicinal uses of S. repens, we suggest that more research to be performed to unveil new phytochemicals and their biological activities.