Global concerns are rising due to complications associated with the use of chemical agents and antibiotic resistance. Consequently, research focus has shifted towards the quest for effective agents of biological origin. The aim of the present study was to assess the antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials of aqueous and organic extracts derived from various parts of Alcea kurdica. Different parts of A. kurdica were obtained and prepared into leaf, flower and root powders. The powders were extracted with aqueous and organic solvents. The antimicrobial activity of these extracts was assessed against bacterial pathogens using the agar well-diffusion assay. Additionally, the antioxidant effects of the extracts were evaluated using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and resazurin dye scavenging assays. The results showed dose-dependent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli for both the organic and aqueous leaf and floral extracts. Furthermore, an antioxidant effect (>80%) was also observed for the organic and water extracts of the flowers, leaves and roots of the plant at the highest concentration (500 µg/ml), as compared to ascorbic acid, which served as the positive control using both the DPPH and resazurin methods. The findings of this study highlighted that A. kurdica can be considered a rich source of potential antioxidant and antibacterial agents, warranting future investigation to identify its active ingredients.
In this work, the effects of solvent properties on the characteristics of absorption and fluorescence for two laser dyes was studied. Dyes used in this work include Coumarin 5400 and DCM, while the solvents include ethanol, methanol, acetone, propanol and chloroform. Coumarin 5400 dye shows sharp fluorescence peaks in the green band of visible region while the DCM dye shows relatively wide band within 590-630 nm. Therefore, the selection of any dye for random gain medium applications should be performed after determining the most appropriate solvent as the optimum fluorescence characteristics are obtained.
Antibiotic resistance is the major growing threat facing the pharmacological treatment of bacterial infections. Therefore, bioprospecting the medicinal plants could provide potential sources for antimicrobial agents. Mimusops, the biggest and widely distributed plant genus of family Sapotaceae, is used in traditional medicines due to its promising pharmacological activities. This study was conducted to elucidate the antimicrobial effect of three unexplored Mimusops spp. (M. kummel, M. laurifolia and M. zeyheri). Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying such antibacterial activity were studied. The Mimusops leaf extracts revealed significant antibacterial activities against the five tested bacter
... Show MoreIn present study the effect of soil extracts of different types of soil on ability of two clinical isolates, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to form biofilm. The extract of soil was done by using sterile phosphate buffer saline and analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic (FTIR). Spectrophotometric method was used to check ability of the studied isolated bacteria to form biofilm on polystyrene microtiter plates. The data of FTIR showed very little difference was observed among extracts of three types of soil (soil contaminated with hydrocarbons; garden soil collected from gardens of al-jadrea, Baghdad and containers soil), but the highest difference was observed in the extract obtained from peat moss clay soil.
... Show MoreA new series of metal ions complexes of VO(II), Cr(III), Mn(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Ce(III) have been synthesized from the Schiff bases (4-chlorobenzylidene)-urea amine (L1) and (4-bromobenzylidene)-urea amine (L2). Structural features were obtained from their elemental microanalyses, magnetic susceptibility, molar conductance, FT-IR, UV–Vis, LC-Mass and 1HNMR spectral studies. The UV–Vis, magnetic susceptibility and molar conductance data of the complexes suggest a tetrahedral geometry around the central metal ion except, VOII complexes that has square pyramidal geometry, but CrIII and CeIII octahedral geometry. The biological activity for the ligand (L1) and its Vanadium and Cadmium complexes were studied. Structural geometries of com
... Show MoreQuorum sensing (QS) is a perfectly orchestrated molecular communication system. It is a boon for Klebsiella pneumoniae, and bane for the host. This system is believed to make K. pneumoniae a leading cause of multidrug-resistant (MDR) nosocomial infections. This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial and anti-biofilm potential of medicinal plant extracts through interfering with QS of K. pneumoniae. The effect of different concentrations of ethanolic extracts of cinnamon and clove on K. pneumoniae was determined by analyzing the growth curve, survival assay (MTT), Qualitative and quantitative biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, along with studying gene expression of the genes encoding the above traits, using quantitative real tim
... Show MoreNatural Bauxite (BXT) mineral clay was modified with a cationic surfactant (hexadecy ltrimethy lammonium bromide (BXT-HDTMA)) and characterized with different techniques: FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The modified and natural bauxite (BXT) were used as adsorbents for the adsorption of 4- Chlorophenol (4-CP) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption study was carried out at different conditions and parameters: contact time, pH value, adsorbent dosage and ionic strength. The adsorption kinetic (described by a pseudo-first order and a pseudo-second order), equilibrium experimental data (analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models) and thermodynamic parameters (change in s
... Show MoreEnticed by the present scenario of infectious diseases, four new Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) complexes of Schiff base ligand were synthesized from 6,6′-((1E-1′E)(phenazine-2,3-dielbis(azanylidene)-bis-(methanylidene)-bis-(3-(diethylamino)phenol)) (
In this study, Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles were synthesized by an easy and eco-friendly technique (green synthesis) using green tea leaves (Camillia sinensis), Nanoparticles were analyzed using structural and optical analysis, the X-ray pattern showed that Titanium Dioxide NPs had a tetragonal structure with (Face Centered Tetragonal) FCT crystal structure, the UV-visible recorded an absorbance peak near 350 nm and calculated energy band gap was 3.5 eV, all measurements were proved the purity and Nano size of prepared Nanoparticles. Biochemical parameters evaluation also mentioned in this research, these analyzes showed that Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles in particular dose (50 mg/kg) have the ability to reduce blood glucose
... Show MoreThe increase in obesity and the many accompanying diseases is attributed to the increased production and consumption of foods made of non-nutritive sweeteners without regard to the risks of consuming additional calories, and this in turn leads to hormonal imbalance and metabolic disorders and the resulting imbalance and ill health that have spread to all segments of society. During the research, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05 % of stevia sweetener was added to the cream instead of the sugar used. Physical and chemical tests were performed for the stevia extract and the microbial content in the cream, as well as the sensory evaluation. It was noted that fortifying the cream with calorie-free stevia sugar led to the production of
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