The effectiveness of certain bio-culture filtrates (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma viride) and some bio-stimulant substances (humic acid and chitosan) against Rhizoctonia solani (responsible for root rot) and Fusarium oxysporum (responsible for wilt in faba bean) was evaluated under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Ten isolates of both R. solani and F. oxysporum were tested. Both tested pathogens caused harmful effects on the faba bean root structure, and the scanning with an electron microscope showed some hyphal growth. In vitro, all tested bio-filtrates and bio-stimulant substances inhibited the linear growth of both pathogens. Trichoderma filtrates led to the highest reduction, followed by humic acid. In the greenhouse, the lowest values of all disease assessments occurred under Trichoderma culture filtrate followed by Pseudomonas and Bacillus. Trichoderma filtrates were the most effective on catalase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase, while the highest chitinase activity occurred under chitosan treatment. Except for the current plus 50% wp fungicide, all treatments increased chlorophyll a, b, and consequently, total chlorophyll, and humic acid were more effective. Moreover, bacterial culture filtrates were the most effective in increasing carotenoids content; Bacillus ones gave the highest values then Pseudomonas without significant differences between them. Moreover, there is a positive correlation coefficient between the plant resistance (healthy surviving plants) and the antioxidant enzyme activities. The use of Trichoderma vs. Bacillus as bio-culture filtrates or chitosan vs. humic acid as bio-stimulant substances surpassed, in general, the results of most parameters with foliar treatment by current plus 50% wp. The treatment with such materials could be considered as fungicide alternatives favoring Trichoderma or chitosan for controlling root-rot and wilt diseases and enhancing physiological activities in faba beans.

This study explored the impact of ethanol as a co-solvent in supercritical fluid extraction on the recovery of bioactive compounds from carrot seeds and assessed the resulting extracts for antimicrobial, α-amylase and α-glucosidase, and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory potential. Ethanol supplementation significantly improved extraction performance, with the yield increasing from 110 mg in the absence of ethanol to 134 mg at 5% ethanol, followed by a slight decrease to 132 mg at 10%. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed pronounced phytochemical enrichment at 5% ethanol, particularly for chlorogenic acid (1541.24 µg/g), gallic acid (1279.27 µg/g), and hesperetin (1513.68 µg/g), indicating enhanced recovery of phenolic and flavonoid constituents. The 5% ethanol extract demonstrated superior antimicrobial activity, producing inhibition zones of 19 mm against Enterococcus faecalis, 26 mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae, 25 mm against Staphylococcus aureus, and 29 mm against Candida albicans. Values of both minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were markedly reduced, while antibiofilm activity reached 93.11% for E. faecalis and 91.00% for K. pneumoniae. The extract also exhibited potent inhibitory effects with IC₅₀ values of 7.74 and 13.37 µg/mL, against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, correspondingly, as well as strong butyrylcholinesterase inhibition (IC₅₀ = 2.51 µg/mL), highlighting promising α-amylase/α-glucosidase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory potential. Molecular docking further supported these findings, showing that chlorogenic acid bound more strongly than vanillin to OmpK36, lysosomal acid-α-glucosidase, and butyrylcholinesterase, with docking scores ranging from −6.1 to −6.9 kcal/mol. These findings identify ethanol-modified supercritical fluid extraction as a sustainable and effective green strategy for improving the recovery of carrot seed bioactives and enhancing their multifunctional in vitro biological properties. Notably, this study provides the first comprehensive evidence that 5% ethanol modification selectively enriches key phenolic constituents, including chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, and hesperetin, in carrot seed extracts, with corresponding enhancement of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities.

Jojoba oil (Simmondsia chinensis) is widely used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations, yet approaches to enhance its biological activity remain insufficiently explored. This study investigated whether infrared (IR) treatment could modify the chemical profile and in vitro biological properties of jojoba oil. A thermal control matched to the IR temperature–time profile was included to separate bulk heating from IR-specific effects. Crude (untreated) and IR-treated oil (30 min, 50 mW/cm²) were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), followed by evaluation of antimicrobial, antibiofilm, inhibition of protein denaturation, fibroblast scratch-closure, and antiproliferative activity against SK-OV-3 cells. IR treatment altered the FTIR profile and produced substantial changes in the GC-MS-detectable composition, including the detection of a peak tentatively assigned to 9-hexadecenoic acid, 9-octadecenyl ester (27.45% relative peak area), and 9-eicosyne (8.97% relative peak area); these values represent relative chromatographic abundance, not absolute concentrations. Compared with crude oil, IR-treated jojoba oil exhibited two- to fourfold lower minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), reaching 7.8 µg/mL against Candida albicans, and inhibited Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation by 96.8%. It also enhanced fibroblast scratch closure (84.1% vs. 67.0%) and showed greater inhibition of protein denaturation (IC₅₀, 4.43 vs. 6.52 µg/mL). Against SK-OV-3 ovarian cancer cells, IR-treated oil reduced the IC₅₀ from 114.5 to 78.7 µg/mL and produced marked G0/G1 accumulation (97.9%). This response was accompanied by increased BAX (3.67-fold) and CASP3 (5.73-fold) expression and decreased BCL2 expression (0.61-fold). Collectively, these findings demonstrate that IR treatment, beyond a matched thermal control, substantially modifies jojoba oil and enhances multiple in vitro biological activities. The novelty is the linkage between IR-induced chemical alteration and functional biological changes, not the mere combination of assays.

Saudi Arabia’s extensive coastlines along the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf offer vital marine resources where Lethrinus nebulosus faces threats from parasitic and bacterial coinfections. This study investigates the prevalence and interrelation of the digenean parasite Pseudoplagioporus sp. Yamaguti, 1938 and various pathogenic bacteria, examining their correlations with host morphometric traits (weight, length, width, age, and sex). This research provides novel insights into the synergistic impact of these pathogens on fish health, a neglected area of study in Red Sea fisheries. Over 5 months (September 2022-March 2023), 35 fish were collected from Al-Qunfudhah. A total of 35 samples were initially collected; however, 7 samples were excluded from the study due to severe clinical sickness/poor condition, which made them unsuitable for accurate dissection and parasitological examination. Therefore, a final sub-sample of 28 specimens was successfully dissected and analyzed. successfully examined. Six bacterial genera, including Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella, were identified alongside internal parasites (n = 16 Digenea). Statistical analysis (ANOVA and t-test) revealed significant inverse correlations (P < 0.05) between bacterial frequency index and host morphometric parameters. Notably, male fish exhibited higher susceptibility to both bacterial and parasitic infections compared to female fish. Furthermore, the interaction between Pseudoplagioporus sp. and pathogenic bacteria appeared competitive rather than symbiotic, suggesting that coinfections significantly alter host immunity and condition factors. These results prompt the development of integrated strategies for monitoring fish health and controlling infectious agents in marine ecosystems.

The growing demand for natural bioactive compounds has intensified research into plant-derived extracts as plant-derived extracts as sources of bioactive compounds. Coffee (Coffea arabica) and loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) seeds represent underutilized sources of phytochemicals with potential health benefits, yet a direct comparative evaluation of their multi-target bioactivities remain limited. The objectives were to comparatively assess the phytochemical profiles with antidiabetic, antioxidant, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activity, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic potentials of coffee and loquat seed ethanol extracts against Caco-2 colorectal cancer cells. Total phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenes were quantified by colorimetric assays, while different phenolic ingredients were examined by HPLC. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging assays. α-Glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition assays were utilized for antidiabetic action, while butyrylcholinesterase inhibition assay was utilized for the extract. Antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities were tested against pathogenic bacteria and Candida albicans; and cytotoxicity was assessed on Caco-2 (cancer) and Wi38 (normal) cells. Coffee seed extract contained significantly higher levels of total phenolics (172.46 ± 7.17 mg GAE/g), flavonoids (157.36 ± 3.34 mg QuE/g), and chlorogenic acid (63,681.37 ± 1,245.6 µg/g). It exhibited stronger antioxidant (DPPH IC₅₀ 0.66 ± 0.03 µg/mL; ABTS IC₅₀ 0.42 ± 0.02 µg/mL), antidiabetic (α-glucosidase IC₅₀ 10.20 ± 0.15 µg/mL), anti-Alzheimer (BChE IC₅₀ 3.20 ± 0.08 µg/mL), activity against the tested reference strains (MIC 7.8 µg/mL against S. aureus), and differential cytotoxicity against Caco-2 cancer cells (IC₅₀ 78.5 ± 0.2 µg/mL) with lower toxicity to normal Wi38 fibroblasts (IC₅₀ 181.3 ± 2.2 µg/mL) under the conditions tested. This resulted in a preliminary selectivity index of 2.31, suggesting differential cytotoxicity that warrants further investigation. Loquat extract showed moderate but noteworthy activity, particularly against C. albicans (94.12 ± 0.8% biofilm biomass reduction (%) at 75% MBC). Coffee seeds show promising multifunctional bioactivities in vitro, warranting further investigation. Loquat seeds demonstrate moderate but noteworthy anti-Candida activity, suggesting potential for further fractionation and characterization.