Scarce information about the phenolic composition of Scabiosa atropurpurea L. is available, and no carotenoid compounds have been reported thus far. In this study the phenolic and carotenoid composition of this plant was both investigated and associated bioactivities were evaluated. Aiming to obtain extracts and volatile fractions of known medicinal plants to valorize them in the pharmaceutical or food industries, two techniques of extraction and five solvents were used to determine the biologically active compounds. Gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization and mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry highlighted the presence of 15 volatiles, 19 phenolic, and 24 natural pigments in Scabiosa atropurpurea L. stem samples; among them, the most abundant were 1,8-cineole, chlorogenic acid, cynaroside, and lutein. Bioactivity was assessed by a set of in vitro tests checking for antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and allelopathic (against Brassica oleracea L. and Lens culinaris Medik) effects. Scabiosa atropurpurea L. stem extracts presented a considerable antioxidant, antibacterial, and allelopathic potential, with less antifungal effectiveness. These results indicate that the volatile fractions and extracts from S. atropurpurea L. stem could be considered as a good source of bioactive agents, with possible applications in food-related, agriculture, and pharmaceutical fields. Genetic investigations showed 97% of similarity with Scabiosa tschiliensis, also called Japanese Scabiosa.

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Azo dyes are recalcitrant pollutants, which are toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic, that constitute a significant burden to the environment. The decolorization and the mineralization efficiency of Remazol Brillant Orange 3R (RBO 3R) was studied using a probiotic consortium (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum). Biodegradation of RBO 3R (750 ppm) was investigated under shaking condition in Mineral Salt Medium (MSM) solution at pH 11.5 and temperature 25 o C. The bio-decolorization process was further confirmed by FTIR and UV-Vis analysis. Under optimal conditions, the bacterial consortium was able to decolorize the dye completely (>99%) within 12 h. The color removal was 99.37% at 750 ppm. Muliplex PCR technique was used to detect the Lactobacillus genes. Using phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity, mutagenicity and biototoxicity endpoints, toxicological studies of RBO 3R before and after biodegradation were examined. A toxicity assay signaled that biodegradation led to detoxification of RBO 3R dye.

Background: Globularia alypum L. is a Mediterranean plant of the Globulariaceae family which has been used in folk medicine to cure several diseases. Different studies have been done in vitro and in vivo using diverse G. alypum extracts to understand this traditional use. Methods: In this study, Tunisian G. alypum leaf methanol extract (GAME) was chemically identified using LC-ESI-MS, then examined in vitro for its antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. Besides, a molecular docking study was also conducted. Results: Nineteen phenolic compounds were detected, with trans-cinnamic acid (45.14%) and luteolin 7-O-glucoside (19.82%) being the dominant ones. The GAME demonstrated important antioxidant activities, especially against 2, 2-diphenyl-l-1-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) radical (IC50 = 16.1±1.1 μg.ml−1) and exhibited an anti-proliferative effect against Vero cells with (IC50 2091 ± 177 μg.ml−1)). Data also reveals that the GAME inhibited the growth of oral bacteria, in particular Streptococcus oralis (MICs value ranged from 2560 to 20480 μg.ml−1)). In addition, GAME has a significant antifungal action, especially against Candida albicans ATCC 90028 (MIC=2560 µg.ml−1)). Docking study identified one of the major molecules (luteolin 7-O-glucoside) present in the GAME extract, displaying a good interaction with tyrosinase (docking score −9.6 kcal.mol−1)) and other antibacterial (tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase, gyrase, deformylase) and antifungal (n-myristoyl-transferase, chitinase) target proteins. Conclusion: This study illustrates that GAME has potent sources of antioxidants and antimicrobials useful in combating oral bacteria. Hence GAME can be of reasonable use in food technology, processing, as well as the medical field.