In this study, the chemical composition and the antioxidant and antifungal activities of essential oil from Laurus nobilis flowers were examined. The essential oil was prepared using steam distillation in a modified Clevenger-type apparatus. The chemical composition of the obtained essential oil and chemotypes was determined using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Twenty-five volatile compounds were identified, which made up 92.07 of the total essential oil content. The essential oil yield was 1.06 and the most abundant compounds were 1.8-cineole (45.01), α-caryophyllene (7.54), germacradienol (6.13), limonene (4.69), α-pinene (3.04), and germacrene D (3.14). The antifungal activity of the obtained essential oil was tested against seven fungal strains: Aspergillus clavatus, A. niger, Chaetomium globosum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Myrothecium verrucaria, Penicillium citrinum, and Trichoderma viride. The results indicated that essential oil from L. nobilis flowers exhibited significant antifungal activity against the tested fungal strains with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.05 to 0.46mg/mL. The essential oil of L. nobilis also exhibited strong total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as indicated by its ability to scavenge free radical DPPH. Taken together, this study indicates that the essential oil from L. nobilis flowers possesses significant antifungal and antioxidant activities, possibly due to the high level of 1,8-cineole.

In this study, the polyphenol content and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of hydroethanolic (MVE) and hydroacetonic (MVA) leaf extracts of Marrubium vulgare L. were examined. The results indicated that the total phenolic content was higher in MVA (112.09±4.77mg GAE/DW) compared to MVE extract (98.77±1.68mg GAE/DW). The total flavonoid content was also higher in MVA extract (21.08±0.38mg QE/g DW) compared to MVE (17.65±0.73mg QE/g DW). Analysis of the chemical composition revealed the presence of 13 compounds with a total of 96.14, with the major compound being malic acid (22.57). Both extracts possess a good total antioxidant activity. DPPH and FRAP assays indicated that the MVE extract possesses a better antioxidant activity, with IC₅₀=52.04µg/mL±0.2 and EC₅₀ of 4.51±0.5mg/mL, compared to MVA extract (IC₅₀=60.57±0.6µg/mL and EC₅₀ of 6.43±0.0411mg/mL). Moreover, both extracts exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against certain nosocomial strains as indicted by the MIC values, which ranged between 0.93mg/mL and 10mg/mL. Taken together, these results reveal the importance of M. vulgare as a natural antioxidant with important antimicrobial activity.

Although it is well established that flavonoid synthesis is induced in diverse plant species during nematode parasitism, little is known about the regulation of genes controlling flavonol biosynthesis during the plant–nematode interaction. In this study, expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana flavonol-specific transcription factor, AtMYB12, the flavonol synthase genes, AtFLS1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and the gene encoding the central flavonoid enzyme, chalcone synthase (AtCHS), were examined in plant roots during infection by Heterodera schachtii (sugar beet cyst) and Meloidogyne incognita (root-knot) nematodes. These experiments showed that AtMYB12 was transiently upregulated at 9 dpi in syncytia associated with sugar beet cyst nematode infection and that an Atmyb12-deficient line was less susceptible to the parasite. This suggests that, rather than contributing to plant defense, this gene is essential for productive infection. However, the AtCHS and AtFLS1 genes, which are controlled by AtMYB12, did not exhibit a similar transient increase, but rather were expressly downregulated in syncytia relative to adjacent uninfected root tissue. Genetic analyses further indicated that AtFLS1 contributes to plant defense against Cyst nematode infection, while other AtFLS gene family members do not, consistent with prior reports that these other genes encode little or no enzyme activity. Together, these findings indicate a role of AtMyb12 in promoting the early stages of Cyst nematode infection, while flavonols produced through the action of AtFLS1 are essential for plant defense. On the other hand, a transient induction of AtMYB12 was not observed in galls produced during root-knot nematode infection, but this gene was instead substantially downregulated, starting at the 9 dpi sampling point, as were AtCHS and AtFLS1. In addition, both the AtMYB12- and AtFLS1-deficient lines were more susceptible to infection by this parasite. There was again little evidence for contributions from the other AtFLS gene family members, although an AtFLS5-deficient line appeared to be somewhat more susceptible to infection. Taken together, this study shows that sugar-beet cyst and root-knot nematodes modulate differently the genes involved in flavonol biosynthesis in order to successfully infect host roots and that AtFLS1 may be involved in the plant basal defense response against nematode infection.

Morocco has a high level of biodiversity and endemism of medicinal plants. However, these plants are threatened by the growing human population and climate change. The loss of medicinal plants will have a potential negative impact on the population who rely heavily on these plants for the treatments of diseases. The objective of the present study was to document ethnomedicinal knowledge use to treat different human ailments from people living in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Field work was conducted between March and May of 2017. Data was collected from 320 users through a questionnaire survey. Results of the study indicate that people of the Middle Atlas use 44 plant species mostly herbs (66%) for ethnomedicinal purposes. The highest the Informant Consensus Factor value (0.93) was obtained for gastrointestinal problems followed by respiratory infections (0.92), and neurological problems (0.82), and based on the species Use Value, the five most commonly used ethnomedicinal plants species were Thymus vulgaris, Mentha pulegium, Aloysia citriodora, Rosmarinus officinalis, Lavandula dentata and M. rotundifolia. The present study showed that traditional treatment using medicinal plants in widespread in the study area. Protection measures should be taken to conserve precious multipurpose species that are facing overexploitation. Moreover, medicinal plants treating major ailments in the region may be subjected to phytochemical and pharmacological investigations for the identification of bioactive compounds.

Lagoons are fragile marine ecosystems that are considerably affected by anthropogenic pollutants. We performed a spatiotemporal characterization of the microbiome of two Moroccan lagoons, Marchica and Oualidia, both classified as Ramsar sites, the former on the Mediterranean coast and the latter on the Atlantic coast. We investigated their microbial diversity and abundance using 16S rRNA amplicon- and shotgun-based metagenomics approaches during the summers of 2014 and 2015. The bacterial microbiome was composed primarily of Proteobacteria (25–53%, 29–29%), Cyanobacteria (34–12%, 11–0.53%), Bacteroidetes (24–16%, 23–43%), Actinobacteria (7–11%, 13–7%), and Verrucomicrobia (4–1%, 15–14%) in Marchica and Oualidia in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Interestingly, 48 strains were newly reported in lagoon ecosystems, while eight unknown viruses were detected in Mediterranean Marchica only. Statistical analysis showed higher microbial diversity in the Atlantic lagoon than in the Mediterranean lagoon and a robust relationship between alpha diversity and geographic sampling locations. This first-ever metagenomics study on Moroccan aquatic ecosystems enriched the national catalog of marine microorganisms. They will be investigated as candidates for bioindication properties, biomonitoring potential, biotechnology valorization, biodiversity protection, and lagoon health assessment.