Assessment of the Antifungal and Antioxidant Activities of the Seaweeds Collected from the Coast of Atlantic Ocean, Morocco

Totally seventeen seaweeds (nine Phaeophyceae, six Rhodophyceae and two Ulvophyceae members) were collected from the Atlantic coast of Morocco in order to assess their antifungal and antioxidant activities. The crude methanolic extracts of 30 samples were screened for in vitro antifungal activities against phytopathogenic fungi Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium digitatum that infect fruits and vegetables. The methanolic extracts of Carpodesmia tamariscifolia, Cystoseira humilis, Carpodesmia mediterranea, Sacchoriza polyschides, Bifurcaria bifurcata, Hypnea musciformis and Caulacanthus ustulatus were considerably active against all fungi depending on seasonal variations in the levels of inhibitory activity. B. cinerea was highly sensitive to most algal extracts than P. digitatum. Phytochemical screening revealed that the most active extracts contain alkaloids, polyphenols and tannins. The antioxidant activity of the algae that possessed high antifungal activity was studied. Methanolic extract of C. tamariscifolia contains high phenolic content while the highest content of flavonoids was found in the C. humilis extract. The organic farming in the context of sustainable agriculture may use such natural products for the management of fungal diseases. With respect to such alternative in an integrated crop disease management program, further studies on these seaweeds are needed

Solar drying, hygroscopic equilibrium and biochemical quality of Punica granatum legrelliae’s flowers

Punica granatum Legrelliae is a valuable medicinal plant that is widely planted in Morocco. The equilibrium moisture content was investigated. Peleg model was found the most suitable to describe the sorption phenomenon. The drying kinetic of Punica granatum Legrelliae’s flowers was investigated by using a convection solar dryer. Midilli-Kucuk model described well the drying curves’ trend. The effective moisture diffusivity values were obtained. The Arrhenius relation, with an activation energy value of 92.91 kJ.mol-1 expressed the temperature effect on the diffusion coefficient. Finally, the effect of drying these flowers at different temperatures on their quality was investigated. To assess the quality of the product after solar drying; the color, polyphenols content, antioxidant activity, and polyphenoloxydase and peroxydase activities were considered. 40 °C was the best drying temperature for the preservation of color and bioactive molecules with antioxidant property

Saesonal variation, the ecological index and the potential use of Chlorophyceae and Phaeophyceae of the Moroccan coast Sidi Bouzid Eljadida in the agricultural field

Marine algae are potentially prolific sources of highly bioactive secondary metabolites that might represent useful leads in the development of agriculture, pharmacy, cosmetic among many other fields. In Morocco, advances in seaweed biotechnology were achieved over the last decade, especially in medical and agricultural fields. However, the algal biodiversity and its ecology tend to be less studied. These two aspects give more information about the availability of each species in each period and help to preserve the algal richness for a sustainable use.  Along the Moroccan coast, which extends of over than 3400 km, the algal diversity was studied years ago by some authors. The present study aims to update the green and brown seaweeds species in the intertidal zone of the Atlantic coast of Sidi Bouzid, a seaside resort near El Jadida City (Morocco) ranked each year among the beaches called “blue flag” and thus targeted for its algae good quality. The samples were collected seasonally from October 2016 to July 2018, and transported to the laboratory at 2-4°C. Algal species are identified using different identification keys. The results obtained show a very important diversity (62 species in total) with 29 brown algae and 33 green ones. These seaweeds sustained a seasonal variation and their harvest should respect their dominance period because all the dominant species exhibit antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Finally, algal diversity identified in the intertidal and upper subtidal zones of the Atlantic coast of Sidi Bouzid Eljadida don’t reflect all the algal species present along the coast. So, we should also investigate all the subtidal zone where many other algae could be used

Design, synthesis, molecular modeling and biological evaluation of novel pyrazole benzimidazolone derivatives as potent antioxidants

In the present study, we used benzimidazolone as a starting material to efficiently synthesize several hybrid compounds of pyrazole benzimidazolone derivatives by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. These compounds were obtained in average yields and were characterized by NMR (1H and 13C) and HRMS analysis. The antioxidant activity of the synthesized compounds 5(a-c) and 6(a-c) was evaluated using in vitro reduction assays, including ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The results indicated that products 5c, 6b, and 6c exhibit higher antioxidant activity compared to the reference compounds and showed a remarkable ability to effectively remove the radical at IC50 (14.00 0.14, 12.47 0.02, and 12.82 0.10 M, respectively) under the TAC assessment. Conversely, compound 6c showed excellent activity at IC50 (68.97 0.26 M) in the FRAP assay. We carried out molecular docking and dynamics simulations to investigate the binding mode and stability of 5c, 6b, and 6c in the active site of human Peroxiredoxin 5. An ADMET study was conducted to determine the drug properties of the synthesized compounds

Mycorrhizal Inoculation Improves the Quality and Productivity of Essential Oil Distilled from Three Aromatic and Medicinal Plants: Thymus satureioides, Thymus pallidus, and Lavandula dentata

In Morocco, extensive use, traditional practices, and climate change have seriously impacted the productivity of aromatic and medicinal plants (AMP). To mitigate these adverse effects, this study aims at evaluating the potential of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), namely Rhizophagusirregularis and Funneliformis mosseae, in improving biomass, essential oils (EOs), and biomolecule production in Thymus satureioides, T. pallidus, and Lavandula dentata. Compared to non-inoculated-AMP, AMF induced significant increases in biomass production by 37.1, 52.4, and 43.6%, and in EOs yield by 21, 74, and 88% in T. satureioides, T. pallidus, and L. dentata, respectively. The EOs of inoculated-AMP exhibited increased proportions of major compounds such as thymol (23.7%), carvacrol (23.36%), and borneol (18.7%) in T. satureioides; α-terpinene (32.6%), thymol (28.79%), and δ-terpinene (8.1%) in T. pallidus; and camphor (58.44%), isoborneol (8.8%), and fenchol (4.1%) in L. dentata. Moreover, AMF significantly improved the anti-germinative and antifungal activities of the EOs. Indeed, IC50 values decreased by 1.8, 16.95, and 2.2 times against Blumerai graminis, Zymoseptoria tritici, and Fusarium culmorum, respectively, compared to non-inoculated-AMP. This study highlights the performance of the symbiosis between AMF and AMPs in terms of high quality of EOs production while respecting the environment. The associations F. mosseae-Thymus and R. irregularis-Lavandula are the most efficient

Mycorrhizal Inoculation Improves the Quality and Productivity of Essential Oil Distilled from Three Aromatic and Medicinal Plants: <i>Thymus satureioides</i>, <i>Thymus pallidus</i>, and <i>Lavandula dentata</i>

In Morocco, extensive use, traditional practices, and climate change have seriously impacted the productivity of aromatic and medicinal plants (AMP). To mitigate these adverse effects, this study aims at evaluating the potential of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), namely Rhizophagusirregularis and Funneliformis mosseae, in improving biomass, essential oils (EOs), and biomolecule production in Thymus satureioides, T. pallidus, and Lavandula dentata. Compared to non-inoculated-AMP, AMF induced significant increases in biomass production by 37.1, 52.4, and 43.6%, and in EOs yield by 21, 74, and 88% in T. satureioides, T. pallidus, and L. dentata, respectively. The EOs of inoculated-AMP exhibited increased proportions of major compounds such as thymol (23.7%), carvacrol (23.36%), and borneol (18.7%) in T. satureioides; α-terpinene (32.6%), thymol (28.79%), and δ-terpinene (8.1%) in T. pallidus; and camphor (58.44%), isoborneol (8.8%), and fenchol (4.1%) in L. dentata. Moreover, AMF significantly improved the anti-germinative and antifungal activities of the EOs. Indeed, IC50 values decreased by 1.8, 16.95, and 2.2 times against Blumerai graminis, Zymoseptoria tritici, and Fusarium culmorum, respectively, compared to non-inoculated-AMP. This study highlights the performance of the symbiosis between AMF and AMPs in terms of high quality of EOs production while respecting the environment. The associations F. mosseae-Thymus and R. irregularis-Lavandula are the most efficient