There is an ongoing hunt for biologically active compounds that can combat phytopathogenic fungi and improve plant growth without causing any hazards to the environment. Consequently the present study aims at deciphering the plant growth promotion and antifungal capability of Lysinibacillus sphaericus ZA9. The bacterium was previously isolated and identified in our laboratory from maize rhizosphere using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The test bacterium L. sphaericus ZA9 was found to produce high quantity of IAA (697 μg/ mL); siderophores (195.79 μg/ mL), HCN and hydrolytic enzyme as compared to the reference strain Bacillus sphaericus Z2-7. The bacterium was also capable of solubilizing silicates (Si), phosphates (P), and potassium (K). The bacterium enhanced the seedling vigor and germination of seeds pretreated with it and promoted the shoot length of both cucumber and tomato seeds in greenhouse experiment. L. sphaericus ZA9 and its cell free culture supernatant showed varied antagonistic behavior against Alternaria alternata, Curvularia lunata, Aspergillus sp., Sclerotinia sp., Bipolaris spicifera, Trichophyton sp. Fermentation broth culture of L. sphaericus ZA9 was then used to isolate antifungal metabolites by silica column chromatography. Identification and determination of antifungal compounds was carried out by Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) followed by NMR spectroscopy. Two compounds were isolated and identified as 2-pentyl-4-quinolinecarboxylic acid (C15H17NO2) which is a quinoline alkaloid and 1- methylcyclohexene which is a cycloalkene. Compound 1; 2-Penthyl-4-quinolinecarboxylic acid was found to be highly antagonistic against most of the fungi tested as compared to the bacterium itself. Its activity was comparable to that of fungicide Benlate, while compound 2; 1- methylcyclohexene did not show any antifungal activity.

Following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, a race was initiated to find a successful regimen for postinfections. Among those trials, a recent study declared the efficacy of an antiviral combination of favipiravir (FAV) and molnupiravir (MLP). The combined regimen helped in a successful 60% eradication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the lungs of studied hamster models. Moreover, it prevented viral transmission to cohosted sentinels. Because both medications are orally bioavailable, the coformulation of FAV and MLP can be predicted. The developed study is aimed at developing new green and simple methods for the simultaneous determination of FAV and MLP and then at their application in the study of their dissolution behavior if coformulated together. A green micellar HPLC method was validated using an RP-C18 core-shell column (5 μm, 150 × 4.6 mm) and an isocratic mixed micellar mobile phase composed of 0.1 M SDS, 0.01 M Brij-35, and 0.02 M monobasic potassium phosphate mixture and adjusted to pH 3.1 at 1.0 mL min−1 flow rate. The analytes were detected at 230 nm. The run time was less than five minutes under the optimized chromatographic conditions. Four other multivariate chemometric model methods were developed and validated, namely, classical least square (CLS), principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares (PLS-1), and genetic algorithm–partial least squares (GA–PLS-1). The developed models succeeded in resolving the great similarity and overlapping in the FAV and MLP UV spectra unlike the traditional univariate methods. All methods were organic solvent-free, did not require extraction or derivatization steps, and were applied for the construction of the simultaneous dissolution profile for FAV tablets and MLP capsules. The methods revealed that the amount of the simultaneously released cited drugs increases up until reaching a plateau after 15 and 20 min for FAV and MLP, respectively. The greenness was assessed on GAPI and found to be in harmony with green analytical chemistry concepts.

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A new series of (S)-flurbiprofen derivatives 4a–4p and 5a–5n were synthesized with different aromatic or aliphatic aldehydes and ketones to produce Schiff’s bases and their structures were confirmed through HR-ESI-MS, 1H, and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the newly synthesized compounds were scrutinized, in which six compounds 5k, 4h, 5h, 4d, 4b, and 5i showed potent inhibition in the range of 0.93 to 10.26 µM, respectively, whereas fifteen compounds 4c, 4g, 4i, 4j, 4l, 4m, 4o, 4p, 5c, 5d, 5j, 5l, 5m, 5n and 1 exhibited significant inhibitory activity with IC50 in range of = 11.42 to 48.39 µM. In addition, compounds 5g, 5f, 4k, 4n, and 4f displayed moderate-to-low activities. The modes of binding of all the active compounds were determined through the molecular docking approach, which revealed that two residues, specifically Glu277 and His351 are important in the stabilization of the active compounds in the active site of α-glucosidase. Furthermore, these compounds block the active site with high binding energies (−7.51 to −3.36 kcal/mol) thereby inhibiting the function of the enzyme.

Cancer is by far the most common cause of death worldwide. There are more than 200 types of cancer known hitherto depending upon the origin and type. Early diagnosis of cancer provides better disease prognosis and the best chance for a cure. This fact prompts world-leading scientists and clinicians to develop techniques for the early detection of cancer. Thus, less morbidity and lower mortality rates are envisioned. The latest advancements in the diagnosis of cancer utilizing nanotechnology have manifested encouraging results. Cancerous cells are well known for their substantial amounts of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The common methods for the detection of H2O2 include colorimetry, titration, chromatography, spectrophotometry, fluorimetry, and chemiluminescence. These methods commonly lack selectivity, sensitivity, and reproducibility and have prolonged analytical time. New biosensors are reported to circumvent these obstacles. The production of detectable amounts of H2O2 by cancerous cells has promoted the use of bio- and electrochemical sensors because of their high sensitivity, selectivity, robustness, and miniaturized point-of-care cancer diagnostics. Thus, this review will emphasize the principles, analytical parameters, advantages, and disadvantages of the latest electrochemical biosensors in the detection of H2O2. It will provide a summary of the latest technological advancements of biosensors based on potentiometric, impedimetric, amperometric, and voltammetric H2O2 detection. Moreover, it will critically describe the classification of biosensors based on the material, nature, conjugation, and carbon-nanocomposite electrodes for rapid and effective detection of H2O2, which can be useful in the early detection of cancerous cells.