Background and Objective: Euphorbiaceae is a wide spread family of genus Euphorbia, from that family, belongs more than 2000 species. The plants of this genus have been used for a long time in traditional medicine. The present investigation is focused on the anticancer and antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extract of Euphorbia cactus Ehrenb plant (E. cactus Ehrenb). Materials and Methods: The study was facilitated by collecting the plant sample and subjected to crude methanol extraction.The anticancer activity was examined by MTT assay against three cancer cell lines MCF-7, PC-3 and HEPG2. The antimicrobial activity was determined using the agar diffusion method and MIC-determination. The DPPH radical method was used for the determination of antioxidant activity. Results: Interesting cytotoxic activity was observed for the extract against MCF-7 cell line compared to the known anticancer drugs. The antioxidant activity of the extract showed highly inhibitory activity compared with ascorbic acid. In addition, the methanolic extract showed the highest activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumonia and Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli, compared with the standard drug. The extract didnʼt exert any activity against the pathogenic yeast species (Candida albicans) under these screening conditions. Conclusion: The current study demonstrated for the first time that E. cactus Ehrenb methanolic extract has anticancer effects against cancer cells from 3 types of cancerous cell lines. This may be a promising finding for future cancer treatments and in the prevention of cancer using natural products.

Seeds of three sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.) varieties from Southwest Saudi Arabia were used to investigate the potential of osmopriming with polyethylene glycol (PEG 8000) to improve germination performance, seed reserve utilization and early seedling growth and drought stress tolerance. The primed (PS) and unprimed (UPS) seeds of the three sorghum varieties were germinated for 8 days under increasing PEG-induced osmotic stress. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design, in a factorial arrangement, with three sorghum cultivars (‘Zaydia’, ‘Shahbi’ and ‘Ahmar’) and four osmotic potentials (0.0; -0.4; -0.8 and -1.2 MPa) with four replicates of 50 seeds each. The results showed that drought stress affected seed germination and seedling emergence and establishment, but increased the activity of the antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT). The strongest inhibition of germination and growth occurred at the highest PEG concentration and a significant difference was noticeable between the studied varieties. We confirmed also that seed osmopriming improved seed germination performance, seedling growth and enhanced the CAT activities while reduced malonyldialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and electrolyte leakage (EL) in the drought-stressed seedlings. Seed priming have enhanced also the α-amylase and total proteases activities in all varieties. The largest increase of these hydrolysing enzymes was shown in ‘Ahmar’. Furthermore, the PEG priming lead to improvement of the weight of utilized (mobilized) seed reserve (WUSR), seed reserve depletion percentage (SRDP) and total seedling dry weight (SLDW) of sorghum seedlings under water stress conditions. Still, the highest values or all three parameters were found in the ‘Ahmar’ variety. Under increasing drought stress conditions, ‘Ahmar’ showed the highest yield stability index (YSI) and the least EL and MDA contents in comparison to the other two varieties during the seedling establishment stage. Therefore, the former variety can tolerate better a rigorous water stress condition. ‘Zaydia’ appears to be the most vulnerable to drought stress. Thus, the use of species or varieties with eminent seed metabolic quality is an advantageous trait in drought-prone regions.

Acacia species produce extensive, deep root systems with a capacity to develop mycorrhizal symbioses that facilitate plant nutrition via enhanced soil nutrient absorption. This study aimed to evaluate the mycorrhizal status and the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with acacia trees in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The mycorrhizal status varied greatly between species. The highest values of AMF root colonization and spore density were observed in the roots and in the rhizospheric soil of Acacia negrii. DNA was extracted from plant roots and the AMF large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA) was amplified by a nested polymerase chain reaction. A total of 274 LSU rDNA cloned fragments from roots of the three acacia trees were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a high AMF diversity, especially in Acacia tortilis. On the basis of LSU rDNA sequences, AMF was grouped into five genera: Glomus, Claroideoglomus, Acaulospora, Gigaspora, and Scutellospora. The genus Glomus fungi were the dominant colonizers of all three acacia species, while the genus Scutellospora fungi were found only in A. tortilis roots. The high AMF‐acacia diversity suggests that AMF plays an important role in the sustainability of acacia species in the arid environment.

The current study was designed to evaluate the genotoxicity of Caralluma acutangula (Decne.) N.E.Br. extract on mice bone marrow cells in vivo. Two cytogenetics parameters were used, chromosomal aberrations assay and micronucleus test. Three different concentrations 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg body weight were chosen. Our results demonstrated that administration of C. acutangula extract did not significantly increase the number of structural chromosomal aberrations. No significant differences in the percentages of mitotic indices were observed at the three different concentrations of C. acutangula extract. In micronucleus test, treatment with C. acutangula extract caused no significant increase in the number of polychromatic erythrocytes with micronuclei or in the mean percentage of polychromatic. In conclusion, C. acutangula extract showed no significant genotoxic effect on mice bone marrow cells in vivo.

No abstract