Chemical Composition, Antibacterial, Antifungal and Antidiabetic Activities of Ethanolic Extracts of Opuntia dillenii Fruits Collected from Morocco

peer reviewedOpuntia dillenii (Ker Gawl.) Haw. belongs to the Cactaceae family and is native to the arid and semi-arid regions of Mexico and the southern United States. O. dillenii are now used as medicinal plants in various countries. In this study, we investigated the chemical composition of ethanolic extracts obtained from seeds, juice, and peel of O. dillenii fruits collected from Morocco, and we evaluated their antibacterial, antifungal, and antidiabetic activities. Phytochemical screening revealed high quantities of polyphenols (193.73 ± 81.44 to 341.12 ± 78.90 gallic acid eq [g/100 g dry weight]) in the extracts. The major phenolic compounds determined by HPLC were gallic acid, vanillic acid, and syringic acid. Regarding flavonoids, quercetin 3-O-β-D-glucoside and kaempferol were the predominant molecules. Juice extracts showed weak to moderate antibacterial activity against the bacteria species Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella braenderup. All tested extracts displayed a significant inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase and α-amylase activities in vitro, with the peel extracts showing the greatest inhibitory effects. Together, these findings suggest that O. dillenii fruits are a promising source for the isolation of novel compounds with antibacterial or antidiabetic activities. For the most abundant phytochemicals identified in O. dillenii peel ethanolic extract, molecular docking simulations against human pancreatic α-amylase enzyme were performed. These indicated the presence of bioactive compounds in the extract with a better potential to decrease the enzyme activity than the commercial drug acarbose

Impact of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal strains isolated from soil on the growth, yield, and fruit quality of tomato plants under different fertilization regimens

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have emerged as a promising and environmentally friendly solution for sustainable agriculture, offering a reduction in dependence on chemical inputs. The objective of this greenhouse experiment was to assess the efficacy of a natural endomycorrhizal inoculum obtained from leek root fragments, which acted as a trap plant to capture indigenous fungal spores present in the soil of the Guercif region in Morocco. The investigation aimed to comprehensively evaluate the influence of this inoculum on various parameters related to tomato plant growth, yield, and sensory quality. Additionally, different levels of chemical fertilizers, equivalent to 50%, 75%, and 100% of the recommended dosage, were administered in combination with or without the inoculum. The findings elucidated significant advantages associated with mycorrhizal inoculation. The plants subjected to inoculation exhibited increased plant height, augmented leaf and root dry weights, and improved nutrient uptake compared to the control group. Notably, tomato plants treated with 75% of the recommended chemical fertilizer dosage yielded the highest crop production, with no statistically significant difference observed when compared to those receiving the full dosage (100%). Intriguingly, tomato plants grown in substrates receiving 50% chemical fertilizers demonstrated the highest levels of mycorrhization, exhibiting a frequency (F) of 100% and an intensity (M) of 63%. Importantly, the combination of inoculation with a reduced dose of NPK fertilizer (50% of the recommended amount) resulted in significantly elevated concentrations of calcium (Ca), potassium (K), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and phosphorus (P) in the plants, attributable to the heightened mycorrhizal colonization of the roots. In terms of fruit characteristics, no significant variations were detected in pH and electrical conductivity (EC) among the treatment groups. However, the inoculated plants exhibited a notable increase in the Brix index, an indicator of sweetness, compared to the control group across all fertilizer doses. Furthermore, inoculation positively influenced the levels of total carotenoids in the fruits. Remarkably, the values of these compounds in the inoculated plants subjected to 50% of the recommended fertilizer dosage surpassed those recorded in the non-inoculated plants receiving the full dosage

Characterization of Sweet Almond Oil Content of Four European Cultivars (Ferragnes, Ferraduel, Fournat, and Marcona) Recently Introduced in Morocco

peer reviewed(is study concerns the characterization of oil content and quality indices for almond cultivars (Marcona (Mr), Fournat (Fn), Ferragnes (Fg), and Ferraduel (Fd)) recently introduced into marginal agricultural areas in eastern Morocco. (ese verities are known for their rusticity and late flowering stage. (e analyzed almond oils showed low acidity and peroxide values ranging, respectively, from 0.32 to 0.36% and 1.88 to 3.18 meq O2/kg. Fatty acid (FA) profile revealed a predominance of the unsaturated FA represented essentially by the oleic (56.64–64.03%) and linoleic FA (24.57–29.80%). Triacylglycerol (TAG) analysis allowed the determination of eleven species with a remarkable dominance of trioleylglycerol (OOO: 30%) and dioleyllinoleoylglcerol (OOL: 27.25%). Regarding the minor compounds, the results showed that the total phenol content ranges between 85.33 and 141.66 mg/kg. Concerning the tocopherol content, the studied oils showed richness in these secondary metabolites (408.99–491.77 mg/kg) with a dominance of α-tocopherol. In comparison to their homologues in the Mediterranean area, the evaluated almond oils demonstrated a slight superiority in terms of quality, in particular, to those produced in Spain

Chemical composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of Mentha subtomentella: in sight in vitro and in silico analysis

Our research focused on assessing essential oils (MSEO) and aqueous extracts (MSAE) derived from M. subtomentella leaves, with a primary focus on evaluating their properties. From 1 kg of leaves, we successfully obtained 18 mL of essential oil. Upon conducting GC/MS analysis, we identified eleven compounds within the oil, collectively accounting for 100% of the constituents identified. Notably, the predominant compounds in the leaf oil were p-Menth-48) -en-3-one (50.48%), 9-Ethylbicyclo (3.3.1) nonan-9-ol (10.04%) (E)-3,3-Dimethyl-delta-1, alpha-cyclohexaneacetaldehyde (8.53%), and D-Limonene (7.22%). Furthermore, utilizing HPLC/DAD, we explored the phenolic profile of MSAE, extracted through decoction. This analysis revealed the presence of fifty-eight compounds, with five major components collectively constituting 61% of the total compounds identified, rosmarinic acid as the major one. We evaluated the antimicrobial effectiveness of the MSEO against ten different strains, observing its notable efficacy against A. Niger (MIC = 0.09%), P. digitatum (MIC = 0.5%), and G. candidum (MIC = 1%). However, the essential oil demonstrated comparatively lower efficacy against bacteria than fungi. In contrast, the MSAE did not exhibit any antimicrobial activity against the tested strains. Regarding antioxidant activity, the aqueous extract displayed a significantly higher antioxidant capacity than the essential oil, which exhibited relatively lower antioxidant activity. The IC50 values were determined to be 0.04 ± 0.01 mg/mL, 0.17 ± 0.01 mg/mL, and 13% ± 0.01% (V/V), for ascorbic acid MSAE and MSEO, respectively. We used a computational method called molecular docking to investigate how certain plant compounds affect antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. This involved analyzing the interactions between these compounds and specific protein targets known for their roles in these activities

Functional characterization of a flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) beta-xylosidase : potential role(s) in cell wall metabolism

Le lin (Linum usitatissimum) fait partie des premières plantes cultivées dans le monde. Depuis toujours il est une source de fibres (périphloèmiennes) de très grande qualité pour l'industrie textile et connait actuellement un nouvel intérêt dans l'industrie des matériaux composites. Les fibres périphloèmiennes de lin possèdent des propriétés mécaniques remarquables grâce à la structure et la composition chimique de leurs parois cellulaires. Afin d'approfondir nos connaissances concernant la mise en place de la paroi cellulaire des fibres de lin, nous avons généré des ESTs à partir de tissus externes riches en fibres. La classification fonctionnelle des ESTs a permis l'identification de séquences codant une beta xylosidase potentielle (LuBXL1). La caractérisation fonctionnelle de plantes sous-exprimant (stratégie IR-PTGS) LuBXL1 n'as pas pu permettre la mise en évidence d'un phénotype macroscopique. En revanche, des analyses microscopiques ont suggéré des modifications éventuelles de la paroi des cellules xylèmiennes. La technique d'empreinte enzymatique a démontré une augmentation relative de l'oligoxyloglucanes XXXG dans les tissus internes de lignées sousexprimant LuBX1, associée une diminution dans la quantité relative de certains oligoxylanes. Ces observations suggèrent que chez le lin la sous-expression de LuBXL1 est associée à des modifications des hémicelluloses pariétales.Flax (Linum usitatissimum) has been a source of high quality fibers (bast fibers) for several thousand years. The fibers are currently used in the textile industry but also increasingly in the fabrication of composites. The interesting mechanical properties of these bast fibers depend upon the structure and chemical composition of their cell walls. ln order to improve our knowledge about the mechanisms underlying cell wall formation in flax fibers we produced ESTs from outer tissues, rich in fibers. Functional classification of ESTs allowed the identification of sequences coding a potential beta-xylosidase (LuBXL1). LuBXL1 down-regulated (IR-PTGS) plants did not show any visible phenotype. However, microscopie analysis suggested that down-regulation could have affected xylem cell wall structure. Enzymatic Fingerprinting indicated a relative increase in the relative quantity of the XXXG oligoxyloglucans in stem inner tissues of down-regulated lines, together with a relative decrease in the quantity of certain oligoxylans. These observations suggest that the down-regulation of LuBXL1 in flax is associated with modifications in cell wall hemicelluloses