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ICMES2023: Natural Products and Their Valorizations

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 5133

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Rachid Touzani

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed Premier University, Oujda, Morocco
Interests: organic chemistry; catalysis; natural products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Larbi Rhazi

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Guest Editor

Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle Transformations & Agro-Resources Research Unit ( ULR7519) 19 rue Pierre Waguet, BP 30313, 60026 Beauvais, France
Interests: plant; agro-resources; biomolecules; biopolymers; health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The main objective is to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and industrials from Africa, North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East to exchange and share their experiences and results regarding Material and Environmental Science. ICMES provides an interdisciplinary platform for researchers and industrials worldwide with complementary, strong and diverse expertise. Participants can discuss the most recent innovations and initiate possible complementary cooperation and collaboration through international programs by creating direct contact between international experts. The goal is to promote the exchange of Masters, Ph.D. students and Postdocs between different academic partners.

The Sixth International Conference on Materials and Environmental Science (ICMES2023), Under the theme: Health, Environment, Materials Research and Innovation, will be organized by Mohammed First University, Faculty of Science, Oujda Morocco, KAUST, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, SAUDI ARABIA, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy Oujda and the Association: Moroccan Center for Sciences Development—MoCeDeS. ICMES2023 is an interdisciplinary platform for researchers and industrials to promote a multi-sectoral and collaborative approach in the field of development of new and innovative advances in materials and their applications in energy and renewable energy, environmental science and sustainable development, biotechnology and electrical engineering.

Prof. Dr. Rachid Touzani
Dr. Larbi Rhazi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

extractions
valorizations
plants
therapeutic
flavonoids

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Moroccan Citrus clementina Peels: Optimization of Pectin Extraction and Determination of Chemical and Functional Properties

by Hanane Azzouzi, Loubna Elhajji, Mouad Achchoub, Souad Salmaoui, Abdelillah Ammadi, Hasnaa Harrak, Rachid Touzani, Younes Noutfia and Kaoutar Elfazazi

Plants 2023, 12(19), 3417; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193417 - 28 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1134

Abstract

Citrus peels are considered a rich source of valuable biomolecules. Pectin is a polymer of polysaccharide acid and is composed of galacturonic acid monosaccharides. In this study, response surface methodology was used to optimize pectin extraction from Citrus × clementina Hort. ex Tan. (Rutaceae) peels using citric acid as an extraction solvent. The effect of the parameters conditioning the extraction process and pectin yield (pH level, temperature, extraction time, solid/liquid ratio, and raw material particle size) was investigated using a Box–Behnken design. The quality of the extracted pectin was assessed both chemically (moisture, ash, protein, and carbohydrate content) and functionally (gelling power and emulsifying activity). According to the screening experiment, the pH level, temperature, and particle size were the main factors influencing the pectin yield. The adjusted mathematical model enabled us to plot response surfaces in order to determine the optimal extraction conditions. The highest production yield of pectin (26.6%) was obtained at the optimal conditions of pH = 1.5, temperature = 100 °C, and particle size = 0.1 mm for an extraction time of 30 min. Compared to the predicted value of 26.6%, the experimental extraction yield of C. clementina was about 21.4% of pectin. Concerning the functional properties, the extracted pectin had a high gelling power of 164 ° SAG and an emulsifying activity of 38.5%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ICMES2023: Natural Products and Their Valorizations)

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20 pages, 4630 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phytochemical Composition and Pharmacological Activities of Three Essential Oils Collected from Eastern Morocco (Origanum compactum, Salvia officinalis, and Syzygium aromaticum): A Comparative Study

by El Hassania Loukili, Safae Ouahabi, Amine Elbouzidi, Mohamed Taibi, Meryem Idrissi Yahyaoui, Abdeslam Asehraou, Abdellah Azougay, Asmaa Saleh, Omkulthom Al Kamaly, Mohammad Khalid Parvez, Bouchra El Guerrouj, Rachid Touzani and Mohammed Ramdani

Plants 2023, 12(19), 3376; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193376 - 25 Sep 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1361

Abstract

Throughout history, essential oils have been employed for their pleasing scents and potential therapeutic benefits. These oils have shown promise in various areas, including aromatherapy, personal care products, natural remedies, and even as alternatives to traditional cleaning agents or pest control solutions. The study aimed to explore the chemical makeup, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of Origanum compactum Benth., Salvia officinalis L., and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. et Perry. Initially, the composition of the three essential oils, O. compactum (HO), S. officinalis (HS), and S. aromaticum (HC) was analyzed using GC-MS technology, revealing significant differences in the identified compounds. α-thujone emerged as the predominant volatile component in the oils, making up 78.04% of the composition, followed by eugenol, which constituted 72.66% and 11.22% of the HC and HO oils, respectively. To gauge antioxidant capabilities, tests involving DPPH scavenging capacity and total antioxidant capacity were conducted. Antioxidant activity was determined through the phosphomolybdate test and the DPPH• radical scavenging activity, with the HO essential oil displaying significant scavenging capacity (IC₅₀ of 0.12 ± 0.02 mg/mL), similar to ascorbic acid (IC₅₀ of 0.26 ± 0.24 mg/mL). Similarly, the TAC assay for HO oil revealed an IC₅₀ of 1086.81 ± 0.32 µM AAE/mg. Additionally, the oils’ effectiveness against four bacterial strains, namely Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes, and five fungi, Geotrichum candidum, Aspergillus niger, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida glabrata, and Candida albicans, was tested in vitro. The examined essential oils generally exhibited limited antimicrobial effects, with the exception of HC oil, which demonstrated an exceptionally impressive level of antifungal activity. In order to clarify the antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal effects of the identified plant compounds, we employed computational methods, specifically molecular docking. This technique involved studying the interactions between these compounds and established protein targets associated with antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ICMES2023: Natural Products and Their Valorizations)

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Review

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18 pages, 2345 KiB

Open AccessReview

Rosemary as a Potential Source of Natural Antioxidants and Anticancer Agents: A Molecular Docking Study

by Haytham Bouammali, Linda Zraibi, Imane Ziani, Mohammed Merzouki, Lamiae Bourassi, Elmehdi Fraj, Allal Challioui, Khalil Azzaoui, Rachid Sabbahi, Belkheir Hammouti, Shehdeh Jodeh, Maryam Hassiba and Rachid Touzani

Plants 2024, 13(1), 89; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010089 - 27 Dec 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2091

Abstract

Rosmarinus officinalis L. compounds, especially its main polyphenolic compounds, carnosic acid (CA) and rosmarinic acid (RA), influence various facets of cancer biology, making them valuable assets in the ongoing fight against cancer. These two secondary metabolites exhibit formidable antioxidant properties that are a pivotal contributor against the development of cancer. Their antitumor effect has been related to diverse mechanisms. In the case of CA, it has the capacity to induce cell death of cancer cells through the rise in ROS levels within the cells, the inhibition of protein kinase AKT, the activation of autophagy-related genes (ATG) and the disrupt mitochondrial membrane potential. Regarding RA, its antitumor actions encompass apoptosis induction through caspase activation, the inhibition of cell proliferation by interrupting cell cycle progression and epigenetic regulation, antioxidative stress-induced DNA damage, and interference with angiogenesis to curtail tumor growth. To understand the molecular interaction between rosemary compounds (CA and RA) and a protein that is involved in cancer and inflammation, S100A8, we have performed a series of molecular docking analyses using the available three-dimensional structures (PDBID: 1IRJ, 1MR8, and 4GGF). The ligands showed different binding intensities in the active sites with the protein target molecules, except for CA with the 1MR8 protein. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ICMES2023: Natural Products and Their Valorizations)

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