Biogenic copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) were synthesized using the aqueous crude extract of mangrove leaves,Avicennia marina(CE). GC-MS metabolite profiling of CE showed that their carbohydrates are mainly composed of D-mannose (29.21%), D-fructose, (18.51%), L-sorbose (12.91%), D-galactose (5.47%) and D-Talose (5.21%). Ultra-fine nanoparticles of 11.60 ±4.65 nm comprising Cu₂O and Cu(OH)₂species were obtained with a carbohydrate and phenolic content of 35.6±3.2% and 3.13±0.05 mgGA/g, respectively. The impact of the biogenic Cu NPs on wheat seedling growth was dose-dependent. Upon treatment with 0.06 mg/mL of Cu NPs, the growth was promoted by 172.78 ± 23.11 and 215.94 ± 37.76% for wheat root and shoot, respectively. However, the lowest relative growth % of 81.94 ± 11.70 and 72.46 ± 18.78% were recorded for wheat root and shoot, respectively when applying 0.43 mg/mL of Cu NPs. At this concentration, peroxidase activity (POX) of the germinated wheat seeds also decreased, while ascorbic acid oxidase (AAO) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities increased. Higher uptake of copper was observed in the root relative to the shoot implying the accumulation of the nanoparticles in the former. The uptake was also higher than that of the commercial Cu NPs, which showed an insignificant effect on the seedling growth. By treating the wheat leaves in foliar application with 0.06 mg/mL of Cu NPs, their contents of Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll were enhanced after 21 days of application. Meanwhile, the high concentration (0.43 mg/mL) of Cu NPs was the most effective in reducing the leaf content of chlorophyll (a, b, and total) after the same time of application. The findings of this study manifest the potential of utilizing controlled doses of the prepared biogenic Cu NPs for inhibition or stimulation of seedling growth.

Copper nanoparticles were synthesized via a bioreduction using sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) extracted from Avicennia marina mangrove leaves and their phytotoxicity effect on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings was assessed. As analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), SPs extract constituted mainly 49.3% glucose, 24.6% galactose and 20.5% glucouronic acid by mol. A nanoformulation of ultrafine Cu₂O/Cu(OH)₂ nanoparticles coated with SPs (Cu NPs) was prepared with an average particle size of 2.11 ± 0.64 nm and a slightly negatively-charged zeta potential of 11 ± 0.46 mV. Applying high concentrations of Cu NPs on wheat seeds inhibited the respective shoot and root relative growth percentages, yielding 13.22 ± 9.91 and 36.72 ± 18.51% at 0.06 mg/mL of the nanoformulation. Comparable values were obtained when the seeds were subjected to 0.06 mg/L of SPs extract applied in the free form. In a foliar application, 0.06 mg/mL of Cu NPs reduced the respective total chlorophyll and carotenoids contents by 17.4% and 24.3% relative to the control while the treatment with SPs reduced them by slightly higher values of 27.9% and 32.6%, respectively, after 14 days of application. Therefore, Cu NPs show a comparable inhibition effect to that of the free SPs extract but offer the additional advantages of nanoformulations. In soil applications, however, Cu NPs stimulated the growth of wheat seedlings in contrary to SPs and increased the total chlorophyll and carotenoids by 49.76% and 70%, respectively. This gives an additional merit to the nanoformulation that can potentially be used as an effective biostimulant in soil.

In alignment with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), recent trends in water management have been directed toward using environmentally friendly bio-based materials for removing contaminants. In this work, we prepared a biocomposite of chitosan (CS) intercalated into acid activated calcium bentonite (Bent). A thermally stable mesoporous CS-Bent composite was prepared with a zeta potential of 15.5 to −34.4 mV in the pH range of 2.22–10. The biocomposite successfully removed up to 99.2% and 50 mg/g of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin HCl (CPX) at pH 5.5 via electrostatic and hydrogen bonding forces. In a multi-component aqueous system of heavy metal and CPX, the composite was more selective to CPX than to the heavy metals and removal of CPX in this system was comparable to that in a single-component system. The composite also maintained its high adsorption efficiency in NaCl solutions which makes it suitable for treating fresh and saline solutions. The combination of CS and bent produced a biodegradable eco-friendly composite characterized with good thermal and surface properties along with efficient and selective adsorption performance.

Marine-extracted sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) have been the subject of myriad research since they are considered an eco-friendly source of biologically active compounds. Meanwhile, food and pharmaceutical industries are urgently producing natural sugar substitutes and antioxidants as alternatives to synthetic ones which are associated with cytotoxicity and safety issues. This study assesses the potential of using marine SPs obtained via the ultrasonic-assisted extraction of different marine species, to utilize them as antioxidant sugar substitutes. The carbohydrate, total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities were measured for SP extracts of the algal species of Ulva lactuca, Jania rubens and the marine plant mangrove Avicennia marina. These SPs were structurally elucidated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses. The results revealed that SPs’ highest yield percent was obtained from Ulva lactuca, 5.50 ± 0.25%. The SPs of Avicennia marina had the highest carbohydrate content, 44 ± 1% and antioxidant activity, 78.85 ± 0.06 at the 100 μg/mL concentration and 89.50 ± 0.21 at the 250 μg/mL concentration. Meanwhile, the highest phenolic content was exhibited by algal SPs obtained from Jania rubens, 132.60 ± 2.50 mgGa/g. Results also showed that all extracts have potent antioxidant activity, while the highest antioxidant activity belonged to the SPs of Avicennia marina owing possibly to their balanced glucose and galactose contents as measured by HPLC. This work emphasizes the need to consider sulfated polysaccharides from marine sources for their antioxidant activity and to correlate it with their monosaccharide content to determine the effect of reducing sugar concentration on the antioxidant activity.

Salvia triloba (S. triloba) is an herb inherently linked to traditional medicine systems in the Eastern Mediterranean region. There is minimal experimental evidence however, regarding the anticancer effects of S. triloba in both osteosarcoma and ovarian cancer. In this study, we investigated the effects of crude (macerated) S. triloba ethanol and acetone leaf extracts on viability, migratory ability, and the expression of genes regulating these activities in U2OS and SKOV3 cells using MTT assay, scratch-wound healing/trans-well migration assay, and RT-qPCR respectively. MTT assay results indicated that the acetone extract significantly reduced both U2OS and SKOV3 cell viability with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) of 54.51 ± 1.10 µg/mL and 75.96 ± 1.0237 µg/mL respectively; these concentrations further displayed negligible hemolytic activity. The combination of acetone extract (19 µg/mL) and paclitaxel (0.787 µg/mL) displayed synergy and reduced SKOV3 cell viability by over 90%. Additionally, the trans-well migration assay illustrated that the acetone extract (IC₅₀) inhibited both U2OS and SKOV3 cell migration by more than 50%. Moreover, S. triloba acetone extract significantly downregulated the steady-state mRNA expression of key genes involved in driving select cancer hallmarks. Four fractions were generated from the acetone extract by thin layer chromatography (TLC), and the obtained retention factors (Rf) (ranging from 0.2 to 0.8) suggested a mixture of high and moderately polar compounds whose bioactivities require further investigation. In addition, FTIR measurements of the extract revealed peaks corresponding to OH, aliphatic CH, and ester groups suggesting the presence of phenolic compounds, terpenes, and polysaccharides. Altogether, these results suggest that S. triloba possesses potential therapeutic compounds that inhibit cell proliferation and migration, and modulate several genes involved in osteosarcoma and ovarian carcinoma progression.