Probing the chemical profiles and biological activities of medicinal plants is important for the discovery of new potent therapeutic products. Our study deciphers the chemical composition of the essential oils (EOs) obtained from three different flowers of Lantana camara and evaluates their antioxidant and anticancer activities. This work represents the first study of EOs obtained from this plant and is based particularly on the difference in flower color. In addition, no other reports dealing specifically with the antitumor effects of such flower-derived EOs have been described in the literature. The collected flowers, white, pink, and orange, were extracted by hydrodistillation to yield EO1, EO2, and EO3 respectively. Gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy was primarily employed to identify the existing volatile compounds in the samples. Their antioxidant activities were screened through both DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging assays and FRAP (ferric-reducing antioxidant power) assays. The antiproliferative effects were evaluated on two distinct breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, and compared to a normal human breast cell line, MCF-10A, using an MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium) assay. All EOs showed notable antioxidant potential attributed to the active phytochemical compounds, with results being supported by a positive correlation between such activity and the total phenolic and flavonoid content. The most eminent, EO1, revealed a selective dose-dependent antiproliferative effect in both breast cancer cell lines, thus reflecting its potent role as an anticancer agent. We suggest that this highly selective activity is associated with the presence of bicyclogermacrene and epi-bicyclosesquiphellandrene in its chemical composition.

Objective: The aim of this work was to characterize the antioxidant properties and to evaluate the total phenol content of leaves, bark, pericarp, and pulp extracts of Lebanese Annona squamosa Linn. (A. squamosa),, as well as a total screening of secondary metabolites present in the various plant parts studied. Methods: Two solvent systems were used for extraction: ethanol 80 % and methanol 80 %. The antioxidant activity of different extracts was investigated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The Total Phenol Content (TPC) of the different plant parts are determined and compared via Folin-Ciocalteu method. The results were presented as the mean of three separate experiments and error bars were used to illustrate standard deviation. Results: The phenolic content was found to be highest in the A. squamosa leaves methanolic and ethanolic extracts (117.2 mg and 112.92 gallic acid extract/g, respectively). The results showed that A. squamosa leaves methanolic and ethanolic extracts display the highest antioxidant activities than the bark, pulp and pericarp extracts, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration values 13.61 and 15.97 μg. ml-1 respectively. Ethanol 80 % and methanol 80 % were found to be efficient for the extraction of phenolic compounds. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate the presence of promising compounds in Lebanese A. squamosa that are able to act as antioxidants and free radical scavengers.

Background: Screening medicinal plants for their biological activities and phytochemicals is important for finding safe and potent new compounds for therapeutic use. The current investigation was conducted in extracts of Lebanese A. squamosa (leaves and bark) to evaluate the antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. Methods: Seven extracts were prepared by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) or microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and using various solvents. The evaluation of antioxidant activity was done using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the anticancer activity assessed on the colon cancer HCT116 cell line was determined by water-soluble tetrazolium-1 (WST-1) viability assay. Finally, the anti-inflammatory activity was investigated by measuring the secreted amounts of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) using. Results: The total phenolic contents were in the range between 27.3 to 179.5 mg GAE/g of plant extract, while total flavonoid contents were between 8.3 to 150.8 mg RE/g of plant extract. DPPH assay showed high antioxidant activity for the methanolic extracts obtained by UAE in both natural dried leaves and bark with IC50 values of 9.3 and 12.6 μg.mL-1, respectively. For WST-1 assay, methanolic extracts obtained by UAE showed a potent anti-proliferative effect against the HCT116 cell line with IC50 values ranged from 0.18 to 0.88 μg.mL-1. Also, the western blot assay suggested that these extracts may inhibit the proliferation of the HCT 116 cell line by causing cell cycle arrest through activation of the p21 pathway. Significant anti-inflammatory activity was observed due to the decrease in the secretion of IL-6 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated THP-1 cells. Conclusion: Therefore, the present study revealed that the dried leaves and bark of Lebanese A. squamosa methanolic extracts obtained by UAE possess effective bioactivities, and thus hold the potential application in the pharmacological field.

The existence of antibiotic residues in edible products constitutes a health problem to the consumers. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC–DAD) was optimized and validated for the simultaneous determination of florfenicol (FF), penicillin (PE), and tetracycline (TC) residues in dairy raw milk samples. The determination of these antibiotics was carried out on HP-ODS Hypersil C18 (5μm, 125*4 mm) column at a flow rate (1mL/min) and temperature (35 ⁰C). The extraction method includes deproteinization of the milk sample followed by a solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean-up. The method was validated according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC and the International Conference of Harmonization Guidelines. The recoveries for the studied antibiotics ranged from 82–111.54 % making the method suitable for performing routine analysis. The proposed method was applied for the analysis of antibiotic residues in 50 dairy raw milk samples collected from many regions in Lebanon. The results showed the occurrence of these antibiotics residues in milk collected from different Lebanese regions. The numbers indicate that 22 % of milk samples were found to be positive for FF, 42 % for PE, and 28 % for TC residues.

Diabetes mellitus has long been seen as a substantial economic burden on patients, their families, and society. Impairment in blood sugar regulation has major health repercussions. Furthermore, untreated diabetes causes major chronic complications like blindness, renal failure, and heart failure, as well as an increase in associated mortality. New anti-diabetic medicines are being researched to help alleviate this issue. Conventional Anti-diabetic medications are beneficial, several synthetic drugs are available in the market to treat diabetes, but they are costly and come with inevitable adverse effects. Medicinal plants, on the other hand, may serve as an alternate source of anti-diabetic agents. According to the World Health Organization, 80 % of the population in underdeveloped nations still relies on traditional medicines or folk medicines, which are largely made from plants, for disease prevention or treatment. For instance, anti- proliferative, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperglycemic effects. In order to find a natural anti-diabetic source that comes with less side effects, several studies have been conducted. The aim of this work is to review these studies and highlight the potential of plants when it comes to their anti-diabetic effect.

This chapter explores the dynamic convergence of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) in advancing cancer diagnosis and therapy. Nanotechnology employs nanoparticles for theragnostic applications, integrating diagnostic and therapeutic roles. Customized nanoparticles enable precise imaging and targeted treatment, minimizing harm to healthy tissue. Passive and active targeting optimize drug delivery, combat multidrug resistance, and introduce personalized treatment. AI-driven techniques analyze omics data and clinical information, enabling predictive models for immunotherapy and molecular target therapy. Next-gen sequencing reveals mutations and oncogenic pathways, with AI extracting insights from high-dimensional data. AI's integration into medical practice enhances diagnostics, catalyzing healthcare transformation. The synergy of nanotechnology and AI revolutionizes cancer management and reshapes medical practice.