Introduction: This work aims to develop an eco-friendly, plant-based synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Citrullus colocynthis to combat Scopulariopsis alboflavescens. The approach addresses the need for alternative antifungal treatments and reduces the environmental impact of conventional methods. It offers a sustainable solution by utilizing the plant’s medicinal properties in nanotechnology applications. Method: Biomimetic synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was prepared by seed, fruit pulp crude methanolic extract of a medicinal plant Citrullus colocynthis (Linn.) Schrad exhibited the potential effect to inhibit the growth of the fungus (Scopulariopsis alboflavescens) isolated from the Juniper tree from Ziarat, Pakistan. The shape, size, specific surface area, charge, and composition of the silver nanoparticles were studied by UV-visible spectroscopy, infra-red spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction technique, and atomic force microscopy. Result: UV-visible spectrum of AgNPs displayed the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at (427nm), and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectrum revealed the possible presence of polyphenols and alkaloids involved in the synthesis, capping, and stabilizing of AgNPs. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed face centered cubic (FCC) shape of AgNPs. Atomic force microscopic (AFM) analysis showed poly dispersion of AgNPs with a size of 28.8nm. The AgNPs exhibited a significant inhibitory zone of 22.5 mm against Scopulariopsis alboflavescens as compared to the standard with an inhibition zone of 7.5 mm at 1000 ppm, the biosynthesized AgNPs might be an effective strategy to control these pathogenic fungi and combat fungal diseases. Conclusion: The findings focus on the efficiency of Cc-AgNPs against S. alboflavescens of plant-pathogenic fungus and support to develop new and more active therapeutic substitutes for fungus diseases.

This research focuses on Six Pakistani medicinal plants, from which five different extracts methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, hexane, and chloroform were prepared from various plant. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of these extracts revealed the existence of main phytochemical constitutes, including alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins and phenolic compounds. These compounds were found to contribute to the observed anti-nematicidal activity of the plant extracts. The study concluded that the plant extracts possess significant potential as nematicidal agents based on their phytochemical composition and demonstrated activity against nematodes. The effectiveness of medicinal plant extracts against M. incognita, the research also emphasizes the need for further investigations to isolate active components, optimize concentrations, and develop practical application methods for field use. The research emphasizes the need for further investigations to isolate active components, optimize concentrations, and develop practical application methods for field use. These findings contribute to ongoing efforts aimed at developing environmentally sustainable nematode management solutions.

This study examined the nematicidal potential of ethanol extracts derived from four plants, namely Actinidia deliciosa (Chev.), Carica papaya, Citrus paradise, and Raphanus sativus, against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica. Experimental results indicated a significant reduction in the survival of second-stage juveniles of M. javanica when exposed to these plant extracts. Notably, concentrations of 2% and 1% were found to be more effective in comparison to 0.5% and 0.25%, yielding statistically significant outcomes. Furthermore, the mortality rate of the nematodes exhibited a direct correlation with the duration of exposure for most plant extracts. The fruit extracts obtained from A. deliciosa, C. papaya, C. paradise, and R. sativus demonstrated a substantial decrease in nematode infestation compared to the control group. The nematicidal activity of KI3a (BuOH) significant from 0.1356 to 1.9076 over 72 hours, while P-KI-2a (EtOAc) showed rose from 0.1206 to 0.6456. In compare, GF-3 (EtOAc) and Carbofuran to 0.0179 and 0.0098, respectively. PA-1 (MeOH) and RS-3 (EtOAc) showed modest nematicidal potential. This research emphasizes the efficacy of plant extract in mitigating root-knot nematode infestation, offering a promising alternative to chemical managements. Additionally, comprehensive phytochemical analysis should be achieved to recognize the active chemical constituents responsible for their effects. Exploring synergistic effects between these compounds and other natural or synthetic agents could further improve their potential applications in sustainable agriculture, improving crop protection and promoting eco-friendly practices. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Recently, biosynthesized nanoparticles (NPs) have played a vital role as an alternative to physical and chemical methods. Here, a distinctive bioinspired synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) has been introduced using leaf extracts of Withania coagulans as the reducing agent by using distilled water and methanol. The synthesized catalysts were analyzed through ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray diffraction for NP synthesis, morphology, functional group, elemental composition, and peak crystallinity analysis. The phytochemical analysis of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), total flavonoid content, total alkaloid content, and total phenolic content of the crude methanolic extract of the plant was also performed, suggesting the greatest potential as the supporting material for ZnO NPs. The NPs were investigated for their catalytic efficiency in the degradation of dyes (rhodamine B dye) and against important human food-borne pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli). ZnO NPs exhibited a strong catalytic activity in the degradation of dyes and against bacteria. The results also showed an enhanced activity of ZnO NPs of methanolic extract (ZnO-M) composites compared to zinc oxide of distilled water (ZnO-D). The % age degradation of the dye, Kapp, and linear relationship were obtained from pseudo-first-order kinetics. The highest reduction rate in 30 and 60 min was observed under sunlight by ZnO-M and ZnO-D, respectively. The rate constant Kapp for the reduction of the dye was 13.6 × 10-1 min-1 and 6.8 × 10-1 min-1, respectively (numerical values). For ZnO-M, ln(Kapp) ≈ 0.309. For ZnO-D, ln(Kapp) ≈ -0.385. These rate constants represent the degradation of the dye in the presence of ZnO-M and ZnO-D catalysts. In addition, NPs were found to be most active against S. aureus (18 mm in the case of ZnO-M and 15 mm in the case of ZnO-D) than P. aeruginosa and E. coli. The results suggested that the prepared ZnO NPs could be used in pharmaceutical industries as well as photocatalysts. ZnO-M had greater control over particle size and morphology, potentially resulting in smaller, more uniform NPs. ZnO-D achieved fine size control but not potentially better than that compared to organic solvents.

Food preservation is a schematic and scientific procedure employed for the maintenance and improvement of food's quality, shelf life, and nutritional value. Although, on one hand, ancient conventional methods such as freezing, pasteurization, canning, and chemical methods have the potential to lengthen the shelf life of edible substances, but on the other hand, they can deteriorate its nutritional value as well. Present research focuses on the identification of promising bacteriocins against Pseudomonas fragi via subtractive proteomics pipeline as an alternative approach for food preservation. Bacteriocins are small peptides produced by certain microbes to naturally defend themselves by destroying other closely related bacteria residing in their neighborhood. P. fragi lies among the most notable microbes responsible for the elicitation of food spoilage. Due to increasing emergence and prevalence of multidrug resistance bacteria, there is a need to unravel novel drug targets, crucially involved in food decay process. Based on subtractive scrutinization, UDP-N-acetylglucosamine O-acyltransferase (LpxA) was chosen as promising therapeutic protein target that could play a significant role in progression of food spoilage. Subtilosin A, thuricin-CD, and mutacin B-NY266 were found as the most robust inhibitors of LpxA according to the molecular docking assay results. Molecular dynamic simulations and binding energy calculations via MM/PBSA method of LpxA and three top hit docked complexes, i.e., LpxA-subtilosin A, LpxA-thuricin-CD, and LpxA-mutacin B-NY266, revealed stability throughout simulations and ensured that shortlisted bacteriocins had strong affinity for LpxA.

Cancer treatment development is hampered by chemotherapy side effects, drug resistance, and tumor metastasis, giving cancer patients a gloomy prognosis. Nanoparticles (NPs) have developed as a promising medicinal delivery technique in the last 10 years. The zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs can precisely and captivatingly promote the apoptosis of cancer cells in cancer treatment. There is also an urgent need to discover novel anti-cancer therapies, and current research suggests that ZnO NPs hold significant promise. ZnO NPs have been tested for phytochemical screening and in vitro chemical efficiency. The green synthesis method was employed for the preparation of ZnO NPs from Sisymbrium irio (L.) (Khakshi). An alcoholic and aqueous extract of S. irio was prepared using the Soxhlet method. Various chemical compounds were revealed in the methanolic extract through qualitative analysis. The results of quantitative analysis showed that the total phenolic content has the highest amount (42.7861 mgGAE/g), while the resultant amounts of (5.72175 mgAAE/g) and (15.20725 mgAAE/g) were obtained in total flavonoid content and antioxidant property, respectively. ZnO NPs were prepared using a 1:1 ratio. The synthesized ZnO NPs were identified to have a hexagonal wurtzite crystal arrangement. The nanomaterial was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The ZnO-NPs' morphology exhibited an absorbance at 350-380 nm. Furthermore, different fractions were prepared and assessed for anticancer activity. As a result of this anticancer activity, all fractions exhibited cytotoxic activity against both BHK and HepG2 human cancer cell lines. The methanol fraction showed the highest activity of 90% (IC50 = 0.4769 mg/mL), followed by the hexane fraction that showed 86.72%, ethyl acetate showed 85%, and chloroform fraction showed 84% against BHK and HepG2 cell lines. These findings suggested that synthesized ZnO-NPs have anticancer potential.

This study was aimed to explore the potential of Pteris cretica L. to be used as herbal remedy. The P. cretica dried plant powder was subjected to a standard physicochemical (proximate analysis) protocol, which showed promising results and was consistent with the WHO recommended ranges that are required to use the plant as a remedy. To identify the bioactive chemical constituents of chloroform extract, the extract was subjected to a series of column chromatography and p-HPLC through the antibacterial and antioxidant bioassays guidance. The two most bioactive sub-fractions of chloroform extract were subjected to GC-MS analysis which revealed the presence of seventeen compounds, the major constituents being eicosane (16.8%), hexadecane (14.1%), methyl hexadecanoate (11.2%), 3,3,8-trimethyldecane (9.1%), 2,6,10-trimethyldodecane (7.8%), tricosane (5.1%) and tetradecane (3.86%). Proximate analysis results show that P. cretica plant is good for herbal remedy, and the bioassay results on chloroform fractions and sub-fractions show that this plant has significant antibacterial and antioxidant potentials. To use this plant as herbal remedy, there is need in further exploration.

Urease plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of urolithiasis pyelonephritis, urinary catheter encrustation, hepatic coma, hepatic encephalopathy, and peptic acid duodenal ulcers. Salvinia molesta was explored to identify new bioactive compounds with particular emphasis on urease inhibitors. The aqueous methanol extract was fractionated using solvents of increasing polarity. A series of column chromatography and later HPLC were performed on butanol extract. The structures of the resulting pure compounds were resolved using NMR (1D and 2D), infrared, and mass spectroscopy. The novel isolate was evaluated for antioxidant activity (using DPPH, superoxide anion radical scavenging, oxidative burst, and Fe+2 chelation assays), anti‐glycation behavior, anticancer activity, carbonic anhydrase inhibition, phosphodiesterase inhibition, and urease inhibition. One new glucopyranose derivative 6′‐O‐(3,4‐dihydroxybenzoyl)‐4′‐O‐(4‐hydroxybenzoyl)‐α/β‐D‐glucopyranoside (1) and four known glycosides were identified. Glycoside 1 demonstrated promising antioxidant potential with IC50 values of 48.2 ± 0.3, 60.3 ± 0.6, and 42.1 ± 1.8 μM against DPPH, superoxide radical, and oxidative burst, respectively. Its IC50 in the Jack bean urease inhibition assay was 99.1 ± 0.8 μM. The mechanism‐based kinetic studies presented that compound 1 is a mixed‐type inhibitor of urease with a Ki value of 91.8 ± 0.1 μM. Finally, molecular dynamic simulations exploring the binding mode of compound 1 with urease provided quantitative agreement between estimated binding free energies and the experimental results. The studies corroborate the use of compound 1 as a lead for QSAR studies as an antioxidant and urease inhibitor. Moreover, it needs to be further evaluated through the animal model, that is, in vivo or tissue culture‐based ex‐vivo studies, to establish their therapeutic potential against oxidative stress phosphodiesterase‐II and urease‐induced pathologies.

The pure compounds of mistletoe (Viscum album) were evaluated in order to determine their nematicidal activity against Meloidogyne incognita (the root-knot nematode).The seven pure bioactive compounds have been isolated and examined, from which VA 4 and VA7 had a potential effect against M. incognita by showing 90% mortality at 0.1 g/mL after 48 hours of exposure.The LC 50 0.0149, 0.1575 μg/ml of (VA4 and VA7), respectively found to be significantly effective than compounds VA5 (LC 50 = 0.1575 μg/ ml), VA 6 (LC 50 =0.1575μg/ml), VA2 (LC 50 = 0.6269μg/ml and VA3 (LC 50 = 0.25) VA1(LC 50 = 0.3969μg/ ml).The findings indicated that the constituents of V. album have a natural potential to use as nematicides and introduction in eco-friendly management strategies.

Withania coagulans (W. coagulans) is well-known in herbal medicinal systems for its high biological potential. Different parts of the plant are used against insomnia, liver complications, asthma, and biliousness, as well as it is reported to be sedative, emetic, diuretic, antidiabetic antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, antihyperglycemic, cardiovascular, immuno-suppressive and central nervous system depressant. Withanolides present in W. coagulans have attracted an immense interest in the scientific field due to their diverse therapeutic applications. The current study deals with chemical and biological evaluation of chloroform, and n-butanol fractions of W. coagulans. The activity-guided fractionation of both extracts via multiple chromatographic steps and structure elucidation of pure isolates using spectroscopies (NMR, mass spectrometry, FTIR and UV-Vis) led to the identification of a new withanolide glycoside, withacogulanoside-B (1) from n-butanol extract and five known withanolides from chloroform extract [withanolid J (2), coagulin E (3), withaperuvin C (4), 27-hydroxywithanolide I (5), and ajugin E (6)]. Among the tested compounds, compound 5 was the most potent α-glucosidase inhibitor with IC50 = 66.7 ± 3.6 µM, followed by compound 4 (IC50: 407 ± 4.5 µM) and compound 2 (IC50: 683 ± 0.94 µM), while no antiglycation activity was observed with the six isolated compounds. Molecular docking was used to predict the binding potential and binding site interactions of these compounds as α-glucosidase inhibitors. Consequently, this study provides basis to discover specific antidiabetic compounds from W. coagulans.

The studies show the medicinal plants with emphasis on their antimicrobial, antioxidant properties of Foeniculum vulgare, Cuminum cyminum, Pegnum harmala, Rosmarinus officinalis and Chenopodium album. Agar-well diffusion method was used for antimicrobial and antioxidant activity which was performed by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay. The extracts of C. cyminum, C. album and P. harmala showed promising inhibitory effects against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with zones of inhibitions 27 mm, 22 mm and 17 mm respectively. C. cyminum and P. harmala exhibited highest antibacterial potential against Klebsella pneumonia. Whereas, among the crude methanolic extracts of the tested plants only F. vulgare, and P. harmala were also used for antifungal analyzation. Both plants showed the potential effects against the selected fungus (Aspergillus Niger) with inhibition zones of 18 mm and 13 mm respectively. On the other hand, all the selected plant showed significance antioxidant potential up to 98 % RSA. The study showed that a selected medicinal plant possesses potential against microbes and therapeutic significance.

The present study was carried out with the aim to evaluate the bioactive constituent in Rosa damascena, which is commonly called Demask rose, medicinal plant with biological significance and belongs to Rosaceae. The analyses were performed in methanolic extract with two fraction, Butanol and ethyl acetate. The analysis reveals presence of 09 bioactive compounds. Out of nine compounds, five were derivatives of methyl ester. Chemical compounds found in selected plants possess anti-oxidant potential which indicate potential against cancer disease. Plant also contains biological potential against microbes such as bacteria. Methanolic extract of plant in butanol and ethyl acetate fraction are found to possess significant potential to kill different bacterial species such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabillis. All these bacterial species were isolated from different sources such as pus, urine, vaginal sweat and sputum. Extract of Rosa damascena was able to kill all above mentioned species but was not capable to destroy Klebsiella oxytoca isolated from urine.

Trichosides A (1) and B (2), new withanolide glucosides, have been isolated from the n-butanolic fraction of the 75% methanolic extract of aerial parts of Tricholepis eburnea. Their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic analysis including ESI-MS, 2D NMR and acid hydrolysis.

Spectroscopic studies-based on 1D (H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR), 2D-NMR (COSY, HMBC, HSQC), UV-visible, FTIR techniques and quantum chemical studies established on the density functional theory (DFT) were carried out for the natural withanolide glycosides, isolated from Withania Coagutans Dunal. The new glycoside withanolide named as (20R,22R)-14 alpha,17,20 beta,27-trihydroxy-1-oxowitha-5,24-dienolide-27 beta-(O-beta-D-glucopyranoside) (1), and a known withanolide (20R,22R)-14 alpha-20 beta,27-trihydroxy-1-oxowitha-5,24-dienolide-30-(O-beta-D-glucopyranoside) (2) are reported here from W. coagulans. The molecular mass of these compounds were confirmed through Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry (FAB-MS). Geometric and spectroscopic detailed were-obtained from DFT calculations. H-1 and C-13 NMR theoretical values were found a little higher than the experimental values, but the trend in the chemical shift correlates well with the experimental values. The RMSD values of H-1 and C-13 NMR of 1 and 2 were 0.4 and 0.38, and 4.94 and 5.02 respectively. The calculated band gap was found 4.93 and 5.00 eV for 1 and 2 respectively which indicated the stable nature of these compounds towards redox reactions. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A method for the concurrent determination of six known steroidal lactones (syn. withanolides or withasteroids), namely withaferin A, withanolide H, withanolide K, withanolide A, withacoagulin H, and withanolide J in Withania coagulans extracts was developed. Extracts of Withania species and purified withanolides are considered among the most important natural products used for medicinal purposes. Methanolic extract of plant material was subjected to reverse phase ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with electrospray (JetStream ESI) triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in the Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode. Satisfactory separation of withanolide component was achieved within 9 min on UHPLC runtime. The limits of detection (LOD) and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) for the six withanolides ranged between 0.040-4.80 ng/mL, and 0.13-16 ng/mL, respectively. Linear responses were attained for all six withanolides in two orders of magnitude with the linear regression coefficient values >= 0.998. At the five QC levels inspected, the relative standard deviations (RSD) were found below 5% in most cases. The newly developed method is fast, precise, and sensitive, therefore, the method can be used for high-throughput quantification of various withanolides in W. coagulans extract, and other herbal formulations, derived from W. coagulans. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

4'-O-[beta-D-Apiosyl(1 -> 2)]-beta-D-glucosyl]-5-hydroxyl-7-O-sinapylflavanone (1), 3-(4-acetoxy-3,5-dimethoxy)-phenyl-2E-propenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), 3-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy)-phenyl-2E-propenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), 5,7-dimethoxy-4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside flavanone (4), 4',5-dimethoxy-7-hydroxy flavanone (5), and 5,7-dimethoxy-4'-hydroxy flavanone (6), were isolated from the organic extracts of Viscum album L. (European Mistletoe). These compounds were studied for their anti-glycation and antioxidant properties. The structures of new compounds 1 and 2 were deduced on the basis of spectroscopic evidence.