Dyes are a type of pollutant that have been discharged into water streams by various industries and had harmful effects on the environment and human health. Therefore, present work was directed to recycle acrylic fibers waste to be used as an adsorbent to exclude dyes such as methylene blue (MB) and Congo red (CR) from dyes-polluted wastewater. Acrylic fibers waste was converted into membrane followed by chemical grafting with p-phenylenediamine monomer to form functional modified membranes. Afterwards, some characterization analyses; Fourier transform-infrared, scanning electron microscope, swelling behavior, and porosity properties were performed for the acrylic fiber grafted membrane (AFGM). For obtaining the best conditions that permit the highest adsorption capacity of the AFGM, some preliminary experiments followed by general full factorial design experiments were displayed. Langmuir, Freundlich isotherms and kinetic studies evaluations were applied. Results revealed that, the adsorption capacities of the AFGM were 61% for Methylene blue and 86% for Congo red that stated the high affinity of the AFGM to the anionic dyes. The reusability of the AFGM membranes in different cycles for 3Rs processes “Removal, Recovery, and Re-use” indicated the efficiency of the AFGM to be used in wastewater treatment.

Petroleum oil pollution is a worldwide problem that results from the continuous exploration, production, and consumption of oil and its products. Petroleum hydrocarbons are produced as a result of natural or anthropogenic practices, and their common source is anthropogenic activities, which impose adverse effects on the ecosystem’s nonliving and living components including humans. Phytoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-polluted soils is an evolving, low-cost, and effective alternative technology to most traditional remediation methods. The objective of this study is to evaluate the phytoremediation potentiality of Vinca rosea for crude oil-contaminated soil by understanding its properties and involvement in the enhanced degradation of crude oil. The remediation potentiality was determined by evaluating the total petroleum hydrocarbon degradation percentage (TPH%) and changes in the molecular type composition of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbon fractions. TPH% was estimated gravimetrically, and changes in the molecular type composition of saturated and aromatic fractions were measured using gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Sulfur concentration was measured using X-ray fluorescence. Cadmium and lead quantification was measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). The results revealed that V. rosea enhanced total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) degradation and altered the molecular composition of the crude oil. The saturated hydrocarbons increased and the aromatic hydrocarbons decreased. The saturated hydrocarbon fraction in the crude oil showed a wider spectrum of n-paraffin peaks than the oil extracted from unplanted and V. rosea-planted soils. Polyaromatic hydrocarbon degradation was enhanced in the presence of V. rosea, which was reflected in the increase of monoaromatic and diaromatic constituents. This was parallel to the increased sulfur levels in planted soil. The determination of sulfur and heavy metal content in plant organs indicated that V. rosea can extract and accumulate high amounts from polluted soils. The ability of V. rosea to degrade TPH and alter the composition of crude petroleum oil by decreasing the toxicity of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in soil, as well as its capability to absorb and accumulate sulfur and heavy metals, supports the use of plant species for the phytoremediation of crude oil-polluted sites.

Salinity is one of the most problematic issues for agriculture in terms of abiotic stresses, particularly in semi-arid regions. Important osmolytes which accumulate in the cell include proline and glycine betaine. In the present investigation, the effect of the aforementioned osmolytes were assessed on sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L), the roles of exogenous applications were estimated at 50 100 or 200 mM) and salinity stress (50 ,75 or 100 mM NaCl). Results showed that all concentrations significantly increased growth parameters including number of branches/plants, height, fresh weight, leaves, and chlorophyll content, all of which decreased with increased NaCl. 100- and 200-mM glycine betaine had the most beneficial effect in both seasons. Similarly, severe salt conditions had a significant increase in endogenous proline content of basil leaves. Foliar application of 100- and 200-mM glycine betaine had the most beneficial effect in both seasons. When SDS-PAGE analysis was conducted it showed 19 bands with molecular weights (MW) ranging from 14.47 to 175.43 kDa. Moderate and high salinity stress treatments of irrigation water (75 and 100 mM) blocked the synthesis of a 175.429 KDa polypeptide that was not restored by all foliar application of proline and glycine betaine. Highest NaCl level (100 mM) alone induced the synthesis of new polypeptide (63.41 KDa molecular weight). Exogenous proline and glycine betaine improved physiological parameters and reduced oxidative damage. Results suggest increased tolerance to oxidative damage caused by salinity, and these protectants rendered better performance, by upregulating their antioxidant defence system.

Phytoremediation is determined as an emerging green technology suitable for the safe remediation and restoration of polluted terrestrial and aquatic environments. In this study, the assessment of an ornamental plant, Vinca rosea L., as a phytoremediator of crude oil in polluted soils was conducted. In an open greenhouse experiment, plants were raised in sandy-clayey soils treated with 1, 3, 5, and 7% oil by weight. The experiment was conducted over 5 months. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) degradation percentage by V. rosea after a 5-month growth period ranged from 86.83 ± 0.44% to 59.05% ± 0.45% in soil treated with 1 and 7%, respectively. Plants raised in polluted soils demonstrated a dramatic reduction in germination rates, in addition to growth inhibition outcomes shown from decreased plant height. An increase in branching was observed with an increase in oil pollution percentages. Moreover, the phytomass allocated to the leaves was higher, while the phytomass witnessed lower values for fine roots, flowering and fruiting when compared to the controls. Apart from the apparent morphological changes, there was a decrease in chlorophyll a/b ratio, which was inversely proportional to the oil pollution level. The contents of carotenoids, tannins, phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity were elevated directly with an increase in oil pollution level. The start codon-targeted (SCoT) polymorphisms and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers showed the molecular variations between the control and plants raised in polluted soils. The genetic similarity and genomic DNA stability were negatively affected by increased levels of crude oil pollution. The ability of V. rosea to degrade TPH and balance the increased or decreased plant functional traits at the macro and micro levels of plant structure in response to crude oil pollution supports the use of the species for phytoremediation of crude oil-polluted sites. The genotoxic effects of crude oil on V. rosea still require further investigation. Further studies are required to demonstrate the mechanism of phenolic, flavonoid, and antioxidant compounds in the protection of plants against crude oil pollution stress. Testing different molecular markers and studying the differentially expressed genes will help understand the behavior of genetic polymorphism and stress-resistant genes in response to crude oil pollution.

The wound healing’s acceleration depends on developing an innovative therapeutic strategy that reduces inflammation, regulates oxidative stress, promotes fibroblast proliferation, and collagen deposition. This study aimed to prepare and evaluate a green nanoemulsion-based formulation containing propolis, tea tree, and jojoba oils to integrate their biological activities for enhanced wound healing efficacy. Nanoemulsion formulations were prepared via a low-energy emulsification approach and characterized by zeta potential, hydrodynamic size (DLS), polydispersity index (PDI), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were assessed. In addition, cytotoxicity was assessed using the MTT colorimetric assay against the HSF-1 normal skin cell line. Additionally, NO and IL-1β levels were measured on NHDF-Ad cells. A propolis nanoemulgel (PNEG) was produced using Carbopol 940 as a gelling agent. The in vivo wound healing efficacy of PNEG was tested by evaluating wound closure rate, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and histopathological alterations in healed tissues. The obtained results demonstrated that, the optimized formula displayed a zeta potential of − 28.6 ± 1.91 mV, a DLS of 187.8 ± 3.29 nm, and a 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC ₅₀ ) of 24.82 ± 0.16% and showed a significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Furthermore, NO and IL-1β levels were significantly decreased by 35% and 40%, respectively, demonstrating potent anti-inflammatory activity. Additionally, the therapeutic activity was associated with inhibition of IL-1β /NO-driven inflammatory signaling, suppression of NF-κB , activation of the NRF2/HO-1 antioxidant axis, and modulation of BAX/Bcl-2 apoptotic pathways. The in vivo results indicated that PNEG accelerates wound closure significantly compared with both positive and negative control groups. SOD level increased significantly ( p < 0.05), whereas MDA and TNF-α levels decreased compared with the control groups ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, histopathological examination illustrated infiltration reduction of inflammatory cells, increased collagen deposition, and fast epithelialization. The developed green formula, resulting from both the low-energy, environmentally friendly preparation method and the natural origin of its constituents, was demonstrated to be an antioxidant and inflammatory and to accelerate wound healing, suggesting it could be used as a natural formula for topical wound healing application.