Monofloral honeys (Bupleurum Spinosum) collected from different geographical locations of Moroccan Middle Atlas were evaluated for various potential attributes. For physicochemical parameters, the results showed the following values: pH (4.02–4.81); free acidity (12.16–31.85 mEq/kg); lactonic acidity (4.98–14.14 mEq/kg); total acidity (18.37–45.53 mEq/kg); moisture (15.81–19.20%); ash (0.21–0.55); electrical conductivity (427.38–682.16 mS/cm); diastasic activity (10.76–26.01); TSS (80.40–84.20%); melanoidins (0.21–1.15), and Pfund scale (30.47–175.53 mm). Potassium was the most important mineral among the tent evaluated elements, followed by sodium and calcium. All tested samples have high antioxidant activities and correlate with phenols, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid content. In regards to safety (sulfite-reducing clostridia and Salmonella spp.) and sanitary quality (faecal coliforms), all honey samples were negative. In addition, low counts of yeast and molds were detected, and the values of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Bacillus Sp. confirm the good quality of honey. The outcome of this study showed that all samples have good physicochemical properties, high antioxidant activities, and acceptable microbiological state, respecting the quality control criteria set by the international norms.

This work aimed to characterize and compare the physicochemical, ascorbic acid, phenolic, and flavonoid compounds, as well as the antioxidant properties, pollen spectra, and sugar profiles of twenty-three organic honeys produced in the Middle Atlas of Morocco. As results, the pollen analysis showed 22 taxa and revealed the dominance of Ziziphus lotus pollens for all monofloral honeys. The moisture content ranged from 15.9 to 19.0%, pH values werebetween 3.9 and 4.8, electrical conductivity varied from 100 to 581 µs/cm, ash content varied from 0.1 to 2.4%, and the invertase activity ranged from 3.5 to 36 U/kg. Moreover, hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF) varied from 1.2 to 13.5 mg/kg, which confirmed the freshness of our honey samples. For the sugar profiles, there were no significant differences between the examined groups of honeys (p > 0.05) for both fructose and glucose. Additionally, our study showed good antioxidant properties (total antioxidant activity ranged from 34.18 to 131.20 mg AAE/g; DPPH IC₅₀ values ranged from 8.14 to 45.20 mg/mL; ABTS IC₅₀ values ranged from 8.19 to 32.76 mg/mL) and high amounts of phenolic compounds ranging between 20.92 ± 0.03 and 155.89 ± 0.03 mg GAE/100 g, respectively; flavonoid compounds ranged from 5.52 to 20.69 mg QE/100 g, and ascorbic acid ranged from 8.01 to 23.26 mg/100 g. Overall, the proximate composition and the general characterization of organic monofloral and polyfloral honeys as sustainable and health-promising functional products may increase their commercial values, promote their marketability, and might have a significant impact on the basic circular/sustainable economy as a solid lever for solidarity economic development, especially in the rural/poor Moroccan communities. The investigated features may allow and support the incorporation of Moroccan organic honeys and their biovaluable ingredients in the nutraceutical and food industries for multiple purposes.

Medicinal plants are considered a major source for discovering novel effective drugs. To our knowledge, no studies have reported the chemical composition and biological activities of Moroccan Lactuca saligna extracts. In this context, this study aims to characterize the polyphenolic compounds distributed in hydro-methanolic extracts of L. saligna and evaluate their antioxidant and antibacterial activities; in addition, in silico analysis based on molecular docking and ADMET was performed to predict the antibacterial activity of the identified phenolic compounds. Our results showed the identification of 29 among 30 detected phenolic compounds with an abundance of dicaffeoyltartaric acid, luteolin 7-glucoronide, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 5-caffeoylquinic acid with 472.77, 224.30, 196.79, and 171.74 mg/kg of dried extract, respectively. Additionally, antioxidant activity assessed by DPPH scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and ferrous ion-chelating (FIC) assay showed interesting antioxidant activity. Moreover, the results showed remarkable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes with minimum inhibitory concentrations between 1.30 ± 0.31 and 10.41 ± 0.23 mg/mL. Furthermore, in silico analysis identified three compounds, including Apigenin 7-O-glucuronide, Quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, and 3-p-Coumaroylquinic acid as potent candidates for developing new antibacterial agents with acceptable pharmacokinetic properties. Hence, L. saligna can be considered a source of phytochemical compounds with remarkable activities, while further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to explore the main biological activities of this plant.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common female cancer in terms of incidence and mortality worldwide. Tamoxifen (Nolvadex) is a widely prescribed, oral anti-estrogen drug for the hormonal treatment of estrogen-receptor-positive BC, which represents 70% of all BC subtypes. This review assesses the current knowledge on the molecular pharmacology of tamoxifen in terms of its anticancer and chemo-preventive actions. Due to the importance of vitamin E compounds, which are widely taken as a supplementary dietary component, the review focuses only on the potential importance of vitamin E in BC chemo-prevention. The chemo-preventive and onco-protective effects of tamoxifen combined with the potential effects of vitamin E can alter the anticancer actions of tamoxifen. Therefore, methods involving an individually designed, nutritional intervention for patients with BC warrant further consideration. These data are of great importance for tamoxifen chemo-prevention strategies in future epidemiological studies.

This study aims to investigate the chemical and mineral composition, antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects of the aqueous extract of Cistus laurifolius var. atlanticus Pit. (Cistaceae). Additionally, molecular docking interactions of various ligands with antioxidant protein target urate oxidase (1R4U) and anti-inflammatory protein target cyclooxygenase-2 (3LN1), revealing potential dual activities and highlighting specific residue interactions. The chemical characterization focused at first glance on the mineral composition which showed that C. laurifolius extract is a mineral-rich source of potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), and zinc (Zn). We next performed, ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis, the latter showed various polyphenols in C. laurifolius extract including Gallic acid as the predominant polyphenol. Isoquercetin, Taxifolin and Astragalin were also among the major flavonoids detected. The antioxidant capacity of C. laurifolius leaves was tested using 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and reducing power (RP) assays. In vitro analysis of the anti-inflammatory property of C. laurifolius leaves was conducted by the albumin denaturation test and the in vivo was assessed in the sequel by carrageenan-induced paw edema test. The analgesic activity was evaluated in vivo using tail flick, acetic acid-induced contortion, and plantar tests. The findings showed that the leave extract had a powerful antioxidant activity with an IC₅₀ values of 2.92 ± 0.03 µg/mL (DPPH) and 2.59 ± 0.09 µg/mL (in RP test). The studied extract strongly abolished the induced inflammation (82%). Albumin denaturation test recorded an IC₅₀ value of 210 µg/mL. Importantly, the oral administration of C. laurifolius extract considerably reduced the nociceptive effect of acetic acid in rats, showing a significant analgesic effect in a dose-related manner. Altogether, our results showed that C. laurifolius can be a promising source of phytochemicals for drug development potential.

The jujube honey from the Moroccan Middle Atlas area is thoroughly described in this study, which takes into account melissopalynological, physicochemical, antioxidant, mineral, and phytochemical characteristics. Twelve samples of jujube honey underwent in-depth analyses between 2019 and 2021. The honey's unifloral origin was confirmed by pollen analysis, which revealed that Ziziphus lotus pollen predominated along with pollen from 21 other species. The honeys meet Codex Alimentarius criteria and displayed a variety of characteristics, including moisture content (13.7% to 18.6%), pH (3.9 to 6.4), electrical conductivity (406 to 713 μs/cm), ash content (0.31 to 1.21%), and the Invertase Index (7.1 to 26.4 U/kg). Hydroxymethylfurfural levels spanned from 1.1 to 40 mg/kg, indicating freshness. No significant differences were observed between honey groups for fructose and glucose profiles determined via GC-MS analysis. The honey samples, which varied in total phenolic content (TPC) from 48.3 mg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g to 91.8 mg of GAE/100 g, showed strong antioxidant capacity, indicating possible health advantages. This study also revealed principal phenolic substances including gallic acid (1.18 to 6.36 mg/100 g), caffeic acid (0.07 to 3.25 mg/100 g), and p-coumaric acid (0.49 to 5.04 mg/100 g). Next, the bactericidal concentrations and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MBC and MIC) of each jujube honey were additionally examined and compared with two representative bacterial strains species Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella typhimurium using broth microdilution, with MIC values ranging between 0.03 and 0.3 mg/mL for Listeria monocytogenes and 0.003 to 0.03 mg/mL for Salmonella typhimurium. There is a correlation between various parameters and the monofloral pollen content in honey, as determined by PCA analysis.