Background: Pomegranate fruit has been extensively used as a natural medicine in many cultures. The present study was aimed at evaluating the protective effects of pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice against carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced oxidative stress and testes injury in adult Wistar rats. Methods: Twenty eight Wistar albino male rats were divided equally into 4 groups for the assessment of protective potential of pomegranate juice. Rats of group I (control) received only vehicles and had free access to food and water. Rats of groups II and IV were treated with CCl₄ (2 ml/kg bwt) via the intraperitoneal route once a week for ten weeks. The pomegranate juice was supplemented via drinking water 2 weeks before and concurrent with CCl₄ treatment to group IV. Group III was supplemented with pomegranate juice for twelve weeks. The protective effects of pomegranate on serum sex hormones, oxidative markers, activities of antioxidant enzymes and histopathology of testes were determined in CCl₄-induced reproductive toxicity in rats. Results: Pomegranate juice showed significant elevation in testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) those depleted by the injection of CCl₄. Activity levels of endogenous testesticular antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione (GSH) contents were increased while lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide (NO) were decreased with pomegranate juice. Moreover, degeneration of germ and Leydig cells along with deformities in spermatogenesis induced after CCl₄ injections were restored with the treatment of pomegranate juice. Conclusion: The results clearly demonstrated that pomegranate juice augments the antioxidant defense mechanism against carbon tetrachloride-induced reproductive toxicity and provides evidence that it may have a therapeutic role in free radical mediated diseases.

Leishmaniasis is one of the most significant vector-borne syndromes of individuals. This parasitic infection can be affected by many species of Leishmania, most of which are zoonotic. Natural products have made and are continuing to make important contributions to the search for new antileishmanial agents. The use of plants in the production assembly of silver nanoparticles has drawn attention because of its rapid, eco-friendly, non-pathogenic, economical protocol and provides a single step technique for the biosynthetic process. Hence, we aimed to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using Moringa oleifera leaf extract and investigated the antileishmanial activity of these nanoparticles in a murine model of Leishmania major infection. A total of 50 mice were used and divided into five groups—healthy control, infected, infected mice treated with pentostam, infected mice treated with Ag-NPs and infected mice pretreated with Ag-NPs. In the present study, the leaf extract of the plant species Moringa oleifera was found to be a good source for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles, their formation being confirmed by color change and stability in solution. In the present murine model of Leishmania major infection, we found that oral treatment with silver nanoparticles biosynthesized using Moringa oleifera extract resulted in a significant reduction in the average size of leishmaniasis cutaneous lesions compared with untreated mice. Furthermore, the clinical efficacy of Moringa oleifera extract was associated with enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities. In conclusion, treatment with silver nanoparticles biosynthesized using Moringa oleifera extract has higher and faster clinical efficacy than standard pentavalent antimonial treatment, probably by boosting the endogenous antioxidant activity.

The drugs used to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) cannot effectively penetrate lesions. Nanogold and nanosilver have been used for treating or enhancing drug delivery in CL. The present study used Commiphora molmol (myrrh) to synthesize silver nanoparticles (MSNPs). The MSNPs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. In addition, antiparasitic effect of myrrh silver nanoparticles (MSNPs) was assessed on Leishmania major both in vitro and in vivo. Five concentrations of MSNPs (10, 50, 80, 100, and 150 μl/100 μL) were used to study their effect on L. major cultures in vitro, and MSNPs were also applied topically to subcutaneous lesions in mice in vivo. The results showed that the MSNPs were 49.09 nm in size. MSNPs, showed a marked and significant (p ≤ 0.05) growth inhibition of L. major promastigotes which was concentration dependent. Overall, the higher concentrations (100, 150 μl/100 μL had a significantly greater inhibitory effect for the MSNPs in comparison to the chemical nanoparticles (CNPs) and pentostam at the same concentrations. Lesions healed completely in 21 d after MSNP treatment in vivo, while pentostam, a commercial drug, and CNPs showed a moderate healing effect on the lesions. Thus, MSNPs were more effective than pentostam and CNPs both in the in vivo and in vitro studies. MSNPs can therefore be promising candidates for various nanomedicine applications.

Goat milk butter, locally known as “Dhan”, from the Sfisfa region of Algeria, holds significant cultural and economic value. This study investigates the probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) present in Dhan, focusing particularly on Lactobacillus strains. Molecular identification using 16S rRNA revealed a dominance of Levilactobacillus brevis and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, forming a substantial part of the bacterial profile. Three LAB isolates (DC01-A, DC04, and DC06) were selected from fresh samples, and rigorous analyses were performed to evaluate their probiotic properties. Safety assessments confirmed the absence of gelatinase, DNase, and haemolytic activities in all isolates. The isolates demonstrated high tolerance to bile salts and acidic conditions, along with the ability to survive simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Notably, strain DC06 exhibited exceptional survival at low pH (1.5) and high bile salt concentrations (0.15–0.3%). All isolates showed substantial growth in MRS medium with 2% phenol, although growth was significantly decreased at 5% phenol. Furthermore, our strains exhibited high adhesion rates to various solvents, demonstrating their potential for strong interaction with cell membranes. Specifically, adhesion to chloroform was observed at 98.26% for DC01-A, 99.30% for DC04, and 99.20% for DC06. With xylene, the adhesion rates were 75.94% for DC01-A, 61.13% for DC04, and 76.52% for DC06. The LAB strains demonstrated impressive growth in ethanol concentrations up to 12%, but their tolerance did not exceed this concentration. They also exhibited robust growth across temperatures from 10 °C to 37 °C, with strains DC04 and DC06 able to proliferate at 45 °C, though none survived at 50 °C. Additionally, the isolates showed significant resistance to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and displayed medium to high autolytic activity, with rates of 50.86%, 37.53%, and 33.42% for DC01-A, DC04, and DC06, respectively. The cell-free supernatant derived from strain DC04 exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogens, while strain DC06 demonstrated moderate antioxidant activity with the highest DPPH scavenging rate at 68.56%, compared to the probiotic reference strain LGG at 61.28%. These collective findings not only suggest the probiotic viability of LAB strains found in Dhan but also highlight the importance of traditional food practises in contributing to health and nutrition. Consequently, this study supports the potential of traditional Dhan butter as a functional food and encourages further exploration of its health benefits.

A new series of thiazolyl-pyrazoline derivatives (4a–d, 5a–d 6a, b, 7a–d, 8a, b, and 10a, b) have been designed and synthesized through the combination of thiazole and pyrazoline moieties, starting from the key building blocks pyrazoline carbothioamides (1a–b). These eighteen derivatives have been designed as anticipated EGFR/HER2 dual inhibitors. The efficacy of the developed compounds in inhibiting cell proliferation was assessed using the breast cancer MCF-7 cell line. Among the new synthesized thiazolyl-pyrazolines, compounds 6a, 6b, 10a, and 10b displayed potent anticancer activity toward MCF-7 with IC₅₀ = 4.08, 5.64, 3.37, and 3.54 µM, respectively, when compared with lapatinib (IC₅₀ = 5.88 µM). In addition, enzymatic assays were also run for the most cytotoxic compounds (6a and 6b) toward EGFR and HER2 to demonstrate their dual inhibitory activity. They revealed promising inhibition potency against EGFR with IC₅₀ = 0.024, and 0.005 µM, respectively, whereas their IC₅₀ = 0.047 and 0.022 µM toward HER2, respectively, compared with lapatinib (IC₅₀ = 0.007 and 0.018 µM). Both compounds 6a and 10a induced apoptosis by arresting the cell cycle of the MCF-7 cell line at the G1 and G1/S phases, respectively. Molecular modeling studies for the promising candidates 6a and 10a showed that they formed the essential binding with the crucial amino acids for EGFR and HER2 inhibition, supporting the in vitro assay results. Furthermore, ADMET study predictions were carried out for the compounds in the study.