T HE RISE of antimicrobial drug resistance due to biofilms and improper use of conventional drugs poses a major concern in medicinal fields. This work evaluates the antibiofilm and antiviral potential of leaf extracts from Moringa oleifera and Rosemarinus officinalis (Rosemary). Three different concentrations (20, 40 and 60 mg/ml) of M. oleifera leaves aqueous extract were investigated for their inhibitory potential on initial cell attachment of Staphylococcus aureus cells to the microtiter plate well surface. The concentration (60 mg/ml) resulted in 28.57% inhibition of biofilm formation as compared to 4.96% inhibition in the presence of 20 mg/ml of the same extract. In contrast,S. aureus was more susceptible to rosemary methanol extract with 41.30% inhibition using 10 mg/ml of the extract. Moreover, at non cytotoxic concentration, the inhibitory effect of M. oleifera and rosemary extracts have been separately evaluated against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). The results indicated that 200 µg/ml and 100 µg/ml for M. oleifera and rosemary extracts, respectively, were considerably safe for Vero cells as cell survival was above 90%. In addition, the percentage of inhibition was 43.2 and 21.4% for HSV-1and HSV-2, respectively by M. oleifera extract while rosemary caused 18.9% inhibition for HSV-1 and no inhibitory activity against HSV-2 was observed.Thus, results uncovered inhibitory potential of M. oleifera and rosemary leaf extracts on initial attachment of S. aureus to surfaces towards biofilm formation. In addition, M. oleifera extract was more effective than rosemary as antiviral agent against herpes simplex viruses.

The present investigation was carried out to study the effect of post-emergence soil treatment with different salinity levels (0.0, 100, 150 and 200 mM NaCl) on growth, endogenous phytohormones, yield components and some biochemical activities of the yielded seeds of Vicia faba plants. The results indicated that increasing of salinity up to 200 mM showed significant decreases in growth parameters at fruiting stage and yield components. On the other hand, the levels of IAA, GA3 decreased, while ABA level increased with salt stress. Biochemical activities of the yielded seeds such as carbohydrate contents and total protein significantly decreased as compared with non-salinized plant, while salt stress induced the accumulation of the total phenol and proline contents. In addition, the content of Na + increased significantly under salinity stress, while K + , Ca +2 and P +3 contents were decreased, when compared with those of the control. Application of stigmasterol by seed soaking, counteracted the adverse effects of salinity through inducing significant increases in all growth criteria at fruiting stage, yield components, levels of IAA, GA3, soluble, insoluble and total carbohydrates, total protein concomitantly with decreases in total phenols, proline content and level of ABA as compared with those of the reference plants. Also, treatment with stigmasterol resulted mostly in a decrease of Na+ accumulation concurrently with significant increases of K + , Ca +2 , P +3 contents, K + /Na + and Ca +2 /Na + ratio when compared with those of the reference controls. These results indicate the role of stigmasterol in increasing the tolerance of Vicia faba plants to salt stress. Three prominent types of modifications were observed in the protein patterns of yielded seeds, some proteins were disappeared, other proteins were selectively increased and synthesis of a new set of protein was induced, some of these responses were observed under stigmasterol and salinity, while others were induced by either stigmasterol or salinity.

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Aniseeds (Pimpinella anisum) have gained increasing attention for their nutritional and health benefits. Aniseed extracts are known to contain a range of compounds, including flavonoids, terpenes, and essential oils. These compounds have antimicrobial properties, meaning they can help inhibit the growth of nasty bacteria and other microbes. The purpose of this study was to determine if aniseed extracts have potential antioxidant, phytochemical, and antimicrobial properties against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. A disc diffusion test was conducted in vitro to test the aniseed methanolic extract’s antibacterial activity. The MIC, MBC, and inhibition zone diameters measure the minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, and size of the zone developed when the extract is placed on a bacterial culture, respectively. HPLC and GC/MS are analytical techniques used for identifying the phenolics and chemical constituents in the extract. DPPH, ABTS, and iron-reducing power assays were performed to evaluate the total antioxidant capacity of the extract. Using HPLC, oxygenated monoterpenes represented the majority of the aniseed content, mainly estragole, cis-anethole, and trans-anethole at 4422.39, 3150.11, and 2312.11 (g/g), respectively. All of the examined bacteria are very sensitive to aniseed’s antibacterial effects. It is thought that aniseed’s antibacterial activity could be attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds which include catechins, methyl gallates, caffeic acid, and syringic acids. According to the GC analysis, several flavonoids were detected, including catechin, isochiapin, and trans-ferulic acid, as well as quercitin rhamnose, kaempferol-O-rutinoside, gibberellic acid, and hexadecadienoic acid. Upon quantification of the most abundant estragole, we found that estragole recovery was sufficient for proving its antimicrobial activity against MDR bacteria. Utilizing three methods, the extract demonstrated strong antioxidant activity. Aniseed extract clearly inhibited MDR bacterial isolates, indicating its potential use as an anti-virulence strategy. It is assumed that polyphenolic acids and flavonoids are responsible for this activity. Trans-anethole and estragole were aniseed chemotypes. Aniseed extracts showed higher antioxidant activity than vitamin C. Future investigations into the compatibility and synergism of aniseed phenolic compounds with commercial antibacterial treatments may also show them to be promising options.