This is a comparative study to evaluate the effectiveness of six pomegranate peel extracts (PPEs) as antibacterial and antiproliferative agents. The Six PPEs were prepared using four solvent systems and each filtrate was concentrated to a gummy material to be used in the evaluation. The well‐diffusion method was used to evaluate their antimicrobial activity against bacteria typically associated with food spoilage: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and three Bacillus species. The 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐5‐(3‐carboxymethoxyphenyl)‐2‐(4‐sulfophenyl)‐2H‐tetrazolium (MTT) was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity against colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT116), prostate adenocarcinoma (PC3), ovarian cancer cells (SKOV‐3), and fibroblasts (MRC‐5). The antioxidant evaluation was done using the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl‐hydrate (DPPH) assay. The pH of the water‐containing extracts was acidic and almost the same over 6 weeks. The six PPEs inhibited the bacterial growth in a comparable level to standard antibiotics. The effectiveness of each extract was dependent on the bacterial strain, and the Listeria showed a remarkable inhibition when exposed to the aqueous extract prepared at room temperature (RT). The aqueous (RT) and methanol PPEs had a significant antioxidant scavenging capability and a remarkable cytotoxic activity against the PC3 with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 0.1 μg/mL. The boiled aqueous extract exhibited antiproliferative activity against HCT116 with an IC₅₀ of 21.45 μg/mL. The effect on SKOV‐3 and fibroblasts was insignificant. With the exception of butanol, the antioxidant screening shows an inverse correlation between the polarity of the extraction solvent and the IC50 exhibited by the PPEs. The variation in the effectiveness of PPEs is suggested to be due to variable soluble bioactive compounds that may interact differently with different cells, though water‐containing extracts are promising antibacterial agents. The findings clearly show that pomegranate peel possessed the potential to be an eco‐friendly novel source for natural compounds that can be implemented in the food industry as a natural antimicrobial and natural food additive to prevent foodborne illnesses.

The isolation for the first time from the genus Artemisia (Compositae) of the known flavanone, 7-O-methyleriodictyol (7-methoxy-5,3′,4′-trihydroxy-flavanone), its identification, and its biological effects on rat isolated smooth muscles are described. 7-O-Methyleriodictyol (10^-7 M to 3 × 10^-4 M) caused concentration-dependent inhibition of the amplitude of the phasic contractions and reduced the tone of the ileum, the uterus, and the urinary bladder. It also caused relaxation of the phenylephrine-precontracted pulmonary artery and the acetylcholine-precontracted trachea. The flavanone also shifted to the right the acetylcholine concentration-effect curve on the ileum and the oxytocin concentration-effect curve on the uterus. The maximum contractions induced by acetylcholine or oxytocin were also inhibited by 7-O-methyleriodictyol. These antispasmodic effects are partly consistent with the use of A. monosperma in folk medicine for certain gastrointestinal disorders.

Background: The accurate and rapid diagnosis of infections is critical for effective and timely treatment. Misdiagnosis often leads to the prescription of antibiotics not targeting the causing agent of infection and thus be the possible development of multidrug resistance. This collectively worsens the condition and might lead to unnecessary intervention or death. The abundance of Pseudomonas spp. in healthcare-settings and the environment may lead to the inaccurate diagnosis of P. aeruginosa, making the treatment of its infections challenging. P. aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen commonly linked to healthcare-associated infections. Its pathogenicity is attributed to several virulence factors correlated to enhanced survivability and colonization, invasion of the host tissues, and the development of multidrug resistance. When advanced diagnostic facilities are limited or unaffordable, the prescription of antibiotics solely relies on identifying the bacteria by culture-based methods. Objectives: This study aims to validate the accuracy of diagnosis of fifty clinical isolates preidentified as P. aeruginosa in three healthcare facilities in Jordan. Methods: The isolates were from infected areas of patients, including skin, wounds, ears, urine, and peritoneal cavities. Morphological and biochemical tests were performed, and the validation relied on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene. This molecular method is affordable for medical facilities with limited finances in contrast to advanced high-cost techniques. Results: The PCR confirmed that only 60% of the isolates were P. aeruginosa. All the confirmed isolates could produce different pigments and form biofilms. Conclusions: The high percentage of isolates mistakenly identified as P. aeruginosa raises concern about the suitability of prescribed antibiotics. The present study strongly recommends using advanced molecular methods to identify the pathogens. If conventional methods remain the only diagnostic option, this study recommends frequent external validation for tests in addition to performing an antibiotic susceptibility test to pinpoint the effective antibiotics against biofilm-producing P. aeruginosa.

The DNA unwinding element (DUE)-binding protein (DUE-B) binds to replication origins coordinately with the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) helicase and the helicase activator Cdc45 in vivo, and loads Cdc45 onto chromatin in Xenopus egg extracts. Human DUE-B also retains the aminoacyl-tRNA proofreading function of its shorter orthologs in lower organisms. Here we report that phosphorylation of the DUE-B unstructured C-terminal domain unique to higher organisms regulates DUE-B intermolecular binding. Gel filtration analyses show that unphosphorylated DUE-B forms multiple high molecular weight (HMW) complexes. Several aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and Mcm2–7 proteins were identified by mass spectrometry of the HMW complexes. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase binding is RNase A sensitive, whereas interaction with Mcm2–7 is nuclease resistant. Unphosphorylated DUE-B HMW complex formation is decreased by PP2A inhibition or direct DUE-B phosphorylation, and increased by inhibition of Cdc7. These results indicate that the state of DUE-B phosphorylation is maintained by the equilibrium between Cdc7-dependent phosphorylation and PP2A-dependent dephosphorylation, each previously shown to regulate replication initiation. Alanine mutation of the DUE-B C-terminal phosphorylation target sites increases MCM binding but blocks Cdc45 loading in vivo and inhibits cell division. In egg extracts alanine mutation of the DUE-B C-terminal phosphorylation sites blocks Cdc45 loading and inhibits DNA replication. The effects of DUE-B C-terminal phosphorylation reveal a novel S phase kinase regulatory mechanism for Cdc45 loading and MCM helicase activation.Cdc7 kinase and protein phosphatase 2A are important in DNA replication initiation. Results DNA unwinding element (DUE)-binding protein (DUE-B) is an essential replication factor that is regulated by Cdc7 and PP2A. Conclusion The phosphorylation of DUE-B determines its ability to bind the minichromosome maintenance helicase and regulate Cdc45 chromatin loading. Significance PP2A and Cdc7 regulate DUE-B mediated loading of Cdc45 to the prereplication complex.

The isolation for the first time from Artemisia monosperma (Compositae) of the known flavone eupatilin and its effects on rat isolated smooth muscle preparations are described. In concentrations from 10 -7 M to 3×10 -4 M, eupatilin (5, 7-dihydroxy-6, 3', 4'-trimethoxyflavone) inhibited in a reversible manner the phasic contractions and the tone of rat isolated ileum, uterus, and urinary bladder. It relaxed the tonic contractions of the phenylephrine-precontracted pulmonary artery and acetylcholine-precontracted trachea. Eupatilin also shifted the concentration-effect curves of acetylcholine and calcium chloride on rat isolated ileum, oxytocin concentration-effect curve on uterine smooth muscle and phenylephrine concentration-effect curve on pulmonary artery smooth muscle. These observations indicate that eupatilin possesses a nonspecific antispasmodic effect on rat isolated smooth muscle. They also suggest that the inhibitory effect of eupatilin may be mediated by changes in Ca 2+ metabolism in these preparations.