Antibacterial and antifungal efficacy of Cajanus scarabaeoides seed extracts: A comparative study of solvent-based phytochemical extraction

This study investigates the antibacterial and antifungal activities of various solvent extracts (ethyl acetate, hexane, methanol and chloroform) from Cajanus scarabaeoides seeds against both bacterial and fungal strains. The antibacterial activities were tested against gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus) and gram-negative bacteria (Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella paratyphi, Escherichia coli), while antifungal activities were examined against Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Aspergillus niger. The methanol extract exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity, particularly against S. aureus (12.67 mm inhibition), M. luteus (19.83 mm inhibition), S. paratyphi (12.33 mm inhibition), S. cerevisiae (12.50 mm) and A. niger (10.63 mm inhibition). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) demonstrated the potency of the methanol extract, especially with M. luteus (MIC of 27.83 µg/mL), S. paratyphi (28.50 µg/mL), and S. cerevisiae (28.80 µg/mL). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a strong correlation between phytochemicals like phenols, tannins, and flavonoids, and their antimicrobial effects, particularly against B. subtilis, S. paratyphi, and S. cerevisiae. The findings suggest that polar solvent methanol is more effective in extracting bioactive compounds responsible for antimicrobial and antifungal activities in C. scarabaeoides

Evaluating the anti-urolithiasis potential of Ficus religiosa seed GC MS evaluated phytoconstituents based on their in-vitro antioxidant properties and in-silico ADMET and molecular docking studies

Abstract Background Urolithiasis, the deposit of stones in the urinary tract is a pertinent clinical issue in daily practice that imposes a burden on the human health system. Ficus religiosa plant has historically been useful in preventing urolithiasis. There is currently no information on phytochemical profiling that specifies the precise phytochemicals in the seed that are active against urolithiasis. Methods F. religiosa seeds were extracted with different solvents in increasing order of their polarity by Soxhlet extraction. All the extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant potential. GC–MS profiling of the most potent antioxidant F. religiosa seed extract was done to evaluate the phytoconstituents. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness properties of these compounds in silico ADMET analysis was done. To comprehend the binding potential of the best ADMET evaluated phytochemicals contained in the F. religiosa seed extract against the several protein targets (matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2, MMP-9), and Human calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR)) and antioxidant enzymes (Glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione-disulfide reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) involved in urolithiasis, multi targets based virtual screening tests were done using Autodock Vina tool. Results GC–MS profiling revealed the presence of 53 different compounds. Of all these compounds, based on ADMET analysis 2-Methoxy-4-vinylphenol; 3,5-Di-tert-butylphenol; diethyl benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate; 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde; 2-methoxy-4-prop-2-enylphenol; and bis (2-methyl propyl) benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate were found to have best pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness properties. In the autodocking studies, 3,5-Di-tert-butyl phenol is proved to be the best of all in terms of binding energies with the selected targets. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest a framework for employing F. religiosa seed ethyl acetate extract as a potent herbal treatment for urolithiasis

COVID-19 and Avoiding Ibuprofen. How Good Is the Evidence?

Ibuprofen is an over-the-counter medication that is used widely for the treatment of pain and fever during COVID-19 pandemic. A concern was raised regarding the safety of ibuprofen use because of its role in increasing ACE2 levels within the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system. ACE2 is the coreceptor for the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into cells, and so, a potential increased risk of contracting COVID-19 disease and/or worsening of COVID-19 infection was feared with ibuprofen use. However, available data from limited studies show administration of recombinant ACE2 improves lung damage caused by respiratory viruses, suggesting ibuprofen use may be beneficial in COVID-19 disease. At this time, there is no supporting evidence to discourage the use of ibuprofen.No embargo COVID-19This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]