Search Results (10,910)

Background/Objectives: Commiphora gileadensis (Balm of Gilead) is an aromatic medicinal plant with a history of traditional use in ancient and Arabic medicine. It has been used traditionally to treat inflammation, infections, and wounds. Despite its long-standing cultural and economic importance, modern pharmacological validation requires a comprehensive synthesis of current scientific data. This review aims to provide a thorough comparative summary of the phytochemical composition and biological activities of its diverse products. Methods: An updated literature search was conducted using databases such as ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, covering publications from approximately 2000 to 2025. The review included English-language peer-reviewed articles, books, and reports providing phytochemical analyses or biological evaluations. Data were manually extracted and categorized by plant parts (resin, leaves, bark, stems), major constituents, and specific pharmacological activities. Results: The review identified ten diverse chemical groups, mainly terpenoids (mono-, sesqui-, di-, and triterpenes) and flavonoids. Other remarkable classes included phenolic acids, phytosterols, lignans, coumarins, and fatty acids. However, the essential oil chemical profile is highly variable, influenced by geographical origin and preparation technique. Pharmacological studies demonstrated a wide spectrum of bioactivities, in particular antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, and wound-healing properties. Toxicological studies classified the plant as generally non-toxic; however, there is a notable lack of clinical and pharmacokinetic data. Conclusions: C. gileadensis possesses a rich and diverse secondary metabolite profile, validating its traditional ethnobotanical applications. Future research should prioritize pre-clinical and clinical trials to establish its safety, bioavailability, and metabolic fate for its successful integration into modern medicine. Full article

Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc), the causal agent of black rot, has a significant impact on cabbage production worldwide. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effect of preventive foliar treatments with Bacillus velezensis strain RD-FC 88 on the primary and secondary metabolism of Xcc-infected cabbage cv. Futoški plants. Special attention was given to measuring metabolites’ changes, aiming to determine the influence of the applied biocontrol treatment on the development of plant immune response and resistance to pathogen. This study reports the first comprehensive biochemical and physiological analysis of the interaction between host plant, biocontrol strain and pathogen, thus providing novel insight into black rot management. Pathogen inoculation caused a significant decrease in the majority of measured metabolites, including most free amino acids (Gln, Ala, BCAA), phenolics, and glucosinolates. Preventive application of B. velezensis strain in Xcc-infected plants restored the levels of aromatic amino acids, Asp, Glu, Leu, Val, and Ala to control values. A similar pattern was observed in aliphatic glucosinolates sinigrin and glucoiberin, as well as for the indolic glucosinolate 4-methoxy-glucobrassicin. Additionally, increased accumulation of hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and kaempferol derivatives was also observed in the plants treated with the biocontrol strain and subsequently infected with Xcc, compared to plants solely infected with Xcc. The obtained results imply that the RD-FC 88 strain holds potential as an efficient priming agent, capable of stimulating cabbage cv. Futoški defense responses and enhancing its resistance to Xcc. Full article

The growing interest in functional beer production has led to the exploration of unconventional raw materials, such as hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), for brewing applications. This study aimed to evaluate the volatile organic compound (VOC) profile and the macro- and microelement composition of barley wort enriched with varying proportions (10% and 30%) of malted and unmalted hemp seeds, using solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME–GC–MS) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). A total of 64 VOCs were identified across four wort variants: control (barley malt only), 10% malted hemp, 30% malted hemp, and 30% unmalted hemp. The aroma profile was significantly influenced by compounds such as 2,3-butanediol, 1-hexanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, hexanoic acid, and 4-vinylguaiacol (p < 0.001). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed clear separation between wort types based on the relative abundance of alcohols, acids, ketones, and phenols, indicating a progressive shift from sweet/malty toward acidic, green, and herbal aroma notes as hemp addition increased. Notably, unmalted hemp seeds resulted in a pronounced dominance of hexanoic acid, which may contribute to earthy and rancid sensory attributes. The evaluation of selected mineral elements showed that the key macroelements differentiating the worts were potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium, while among the microelements the distinguishing elements were manganese, iron, and sodium. These findings demonstrate the strong modulating effect of aromatic hemp-derived materials on the aroma composition and selected mineral content of brewing worts, supporting their targeted use in novel beer formulations. Full article

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) is most often produced from commercial Kapton; the properties of LIG are inherently linked to those of the polymer substrate, which results in a limited field of applications for LIG on Kapton. This study demonstrates that tailored properties of LIG, including nitrogen doping, which is favorable for electronic applications, can be achieved by using synthesized cross-linked polyimides (PIs) as substrates for graphene induction. Three amorphous polyimides containing 4-[(4-aminophenyl)sulfonyl]aniline (PI-APSA), 1,2-diaminoethane (PI-EDA), and urea (PI-Urea), as crosslinkers, were prepared from different diamines and maleic anhydride, and subsequently used as substrates to produce in situ nitrogen-doped LIG. The resulting materials were comprehensively characterized and compared with LIG on Kapton. Raman spectroscopy confirmed lower defect densities and higher crystallinity than in LIG on Kapton, while sheet resistance was up to three times smaller. The LIG with PI-EDA showed the highest nitrogen content and a specific areal capacitance of 3.1 mF/cm², which is more than an order of magnitude higher than that of LIG/on Kapton, highlighting its strong potential for energy storage devices. PI-APSA-based LIG exhibited the best adhesion and lowest sheet resistance, making it suitable for wearable electrodes, whereas PI-urea-based LIG maintained hydrophilicity. Thus, chemically tailored polyimides enable the formation of nitrogen-doped LIG with tunable interfacial properties, higher structural order, and improved electrical and electrochemical performance compared to commercial Kapton. Full article

Traditionally, Lasiocephalus ovatus Schltdl. (Asteraceae) has been used as an aromatic medicinal plant, particularly in the treatment of kidney-related ailments. However, scientific evidence validating its chemical composition and bioactivity remains limited. According to our literature search, there are no previous studies on the in vitro antibacterial, antioxidant, or anti-inflammatory activities of the essential oil from the aerial parts of Lasiocephalus ovatus; therefore, this study provides the first experimental evidence of these biological activities for this species. An essential oil (EO) was steam-distilled from the aerial parts of L. ovatus, grown at 4410 m above sea level in the paramos of Chimborazo Province (Ecuador), and subsequently analyzed. The distillation yield was 0.21% (w/w) based on dry plant material. Gas chromatography was employed for qualitative (GC-MS) and quantitative (GC-FID) analyses, using two different capillary columns, coated with 5% phenyl methyl polysiloxane (non-polar) and polyethylene glycol (polar) stationary phases. Dual stationary phases were required to provide complementary selectivity, which reinforced the identification and quantification of compounds. The major components of the EO were silphinene (3.4–3.5%), δ-selinene (3.6–3.1%), β-cyclogermacrene (18.7–18.1%), kessane (4.5–4.2%), spathulenol (13.3–13.3%), viridiflorol (3.1–3.0%) and neophytadiene (4.8–4.4%), values referred to the non-polar and polar phase respectively. The enantioselective analysis revealed that (1S,5S)-(−)-α-pinene, (1S,5S)-(+)-β-pinene and (R)-(−)-α-phellandrene were enantiomerically pure, whereas germacrene D was present as a scalemic mixture. The essential oil of L. ovatus exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 250 µg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and 500 µg/mL against Escherichia coli. Its antibacterial activity is likely associated with the presence of bioactive sesquiterpenes such as silphinene, δ-selinene, and spathulenol, which are known for their membrane-disruptive properties. Regarding its antioxidant potential, the observed moderate radical scavenging activity (SC₅₀ = of 375.7 µg/mL) can be attributed to its complex mixture, particularly to oxygenated terpenoids like viridiflorol and spathulenol, which are recognized for their radical-neutralizing capacity. In the anti-inflammatory assay, the EO’s moderate potency (IC₅₀ = 165.29 ± 4.75 μg/mL) is also consistent with the anti-inflammatory profile reported for several of its major constituents, including spathulenol and viridiflorol. While significantly lower than that of aspirin (28.85 ± 7.66 μg/mL), this bioactivity is considerable within the context of a plant extract. Overall, the antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects are consistent with the EO’s terpene-rich composition, particularly oxygenated sesquiterpenes, while the enantiomeric distribution of chiral monoterpenes may further modulate bioactivity; consequently, future studies should include enantioselective quantification, broader antioxidant assays (e.g., ABTS, FRAP, ORAC, CUPRAC), cytotoxicity at active concentrations, and mechanistic and in vivo validation. Full article

The photocatalytic degradation of the pharmaceutical compound nadolol over TiO₂ under UV-LED irradiation was investigated, with particular emphasis on the inhibitory effects of common low-molecular-weight organic acids. Due to its aromatic (tetralin-like) motif and multiple heteroatom-containing functional groups, nadolol serves as a representative model for aromatic micropollutants whose fate can be governed by surface competition and noncovalent interactions. While TiO₂ showed high photocatalytic activity in ultrapure water, achieving complete nadolol degradation within 120 min, the presence of citric, oxalic, and acetic acids markedly reduced the degradation efficiency by approximately 72%, 62%, and 29%, respectively. Experimental results demonstrated that this inhibition could not be attributed solely to pH changes, indicating the contribution of additional molecular-level effects. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, molecular and periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed. The computational analysis revealed strong interactions between nadolol, organic acids, and the TiO₂ surface, leading to competitive adsorption and partial blocking of photocatalytically active sites. These results provide mechanistic insight into the role of natural organic acids in TiO₂-based photocatalytic systems and highlight the importance of considering real-water matrix components when designing efficient and sustainable photocatalytic water treatment processes. Full article

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) facilitate microbiome adhesion on microplastic surfaces and ensure matrix cohesion, playing a crucial role in establishing the structure and function of the plastisphere. Nevertheless, the dynamic alterations in the composition and features of plastisphere EPS and their relationships with biotic and abiotic factors remain poorly understood, especially in soil ecosystems. The study investigated the variations in the EPS secretion behavior of the plastisphere using three types of microplastics across three representative soils with three incubation durations. Results showed that plastisphere EPS had a more complex composition and lower aromaticity, apparent molecular weight, and polarity than natural soil dissolved organic matter did. Continuous changes in EPS composition and features were detected during incubation. The bacterial plastisphere community played a central role in regulating EPS secretion, and other factors (such as soil properties, incubation time and microplastic types) influenced EPS secretion via the bacterial composition of the plastisphere. A decrease in the number of microbial OTUs was significantly correlated with EPS components that governed the dynamics of the EPS composition and features of the plastisphere during incubation, a pattern that was particularly evident for bacteriomes. This study advances our insight into microbiome-EPS interactions within the soil plastisphere and deepens our understanding of its formation mechanisms. Full article

This study focuses on the storage process of coffee beans, employing electron beam irradiation (EBI) to investigate the comprehensive effects of different irradiation doses on coffee beans and their storage process, including physicochemical indicators, microbial abundance, and flavor compounds. The results showed that a 2 kGy dose of EBI could effectively reduce the total number of bacteria, molds, and yeasts in green coffee beans (GCBs), while a dose of 4 kGy can completely inactivate the bacteria and maintain this effect for one month. Compared with the control sample that has not undergone processing by EBI (CK), the crude fat content of the irradiated samples decreased, accompanied by a significant increase in acid value. After 30 days of storage, compared with the CK-30 sample, EBI treatment significantly reduced both the moisture content and overall brightness value of GCB. The analysis of aroma compounds in roasted coffee beans (RCBs) revealed that substances related to Maillard reaction, caramelization reaction and sugar degradation, such as 2-Furanmethanol and acetic acid, changed in the irradiated samples, but had no significant effect on the characteristic components like caffeine and the aroma detected by the electronic nose. The obtained results provide a scientific basis for applying irradiation technology to the preservation of coffee beans. Full article

Nitrogen (N) is a key macronutrient that influences the uptake and partitioning of other essential elements in plants. In this research, we evaluated the effect of different N concentrations in the nutrient solution (0, 4.2, 8.4, and 12.6 mg L⁻¹) during the flowering stage on the concentration and accumulation of macronutrients in organs of Mexican marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) ‘Inca’. After 40 days of treatment, plants were separated into leaves, flowers, stems, and roots to determine the concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S, as well as their accumulation based on dry biomass. Nitrogen supply significantly affected dry biomass production and its partitioning among organs, promoting biomass allocation to leaves and flowers while reducing relative root biomass at higher N concentrations. Nitrogen concentrations and accumulation increased in leaves, stems, and flowers as N supply increased, whereas an inverse relationship was observed in roots. When applying 8.4 and 12.6 mg N L⁻¹, phosphorus displayed enhanced concentrations in leaves and stems, although root tissues did not change the concentration of this nutrient. When N was supplied at up to 8.4 mg L⁻¹, the concentration of potassium rose in aboveground organs but decreased at the highest dose, while its accumulation in roots was reduced under high N concentrations tested. Calcium exhibited greater accumulation in the aboveground organs, particularly at 12.6 mg N L⁻¹. Magnesium concentration and accumulation increased in aboveground organs with increasing N supply, whereas its accumulation in roots decreased. The highest concentrations of sulfur in leaves and stems were observed at 8.4 mg N L⁻¹, and its accumulation in the aboveground organs tended to stabilize at the highest dose. Effect size analysis (partial ηp²) revealed that N supply explained a large proportion of the variance in macronutrient concentration and accumulation in aerial organs, whereas responses in roots were generally weaker and nutrient specific. Overall, our data indicate that intermediate N levels (8.4 mg L⁻¹) boost a more efficient nutritional balance in the aboveground organs, while the highest dose predominantly enhances Ca and Mg accumulation. Understanding how these plants respond to nitrogen can help improve the quality of Mexican marigold crops and make better use of fertilizers. Full article

In this study, a bench test was conducted employing the Worldwide Harmonized Light-duty Vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC) to investigate the emission rates of hydrocarbons (HCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) with two different gasolines and five gasoline vehicles. The results indicated that compared with X gasoline, X+ gasoline led to a reduction in the emission rates of HC, CO, and CO₂, by 38%, 11%, and 7%, respectively, attributed to its lower aromatic hydrocarbon content, olefin content, and 90% evaporation temperature (T90), and higher oxygen content. X+ gasoline exhibited more emission reductions under both acceleration and deceleration conditions. The two gasolines showed consistent patterns: for X+ gasoline, the emission rates under acceleration conditions were significantly higher than those under deceleration conditions, by a factor of 14.9, 2.1, and 1.6 for HC, CO, and CO₂, respectively. Stronger Spearman correlations between vehicle specific power (VSP) and the emission rates were observed at higher speed (>80 km/h) of X, than those at medium speed (40–80 km/h) and lower speed (≤40 km/h), for both gasolines. Overall, the grey relation analysis revealed obvious heterogeneity between each of the seven fuel properties (RON, T10, T50, T90, Oxygen content, Aromatics content, Olefin content) and each of the three emission rates. However, slightly higher relational degrees were observed between HC emissions and aromatics or olefin contents, highlighting the need for lowering aromatics and olefin contents, thus reducing HC emissions. Full article

A green and efficient method was developed for the synthesis of 1,8-dioxo-octahydroxanthene derivatives using linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (LABSA) as an eco-friendly Brønsted acid catalyst under aqueous reflux conditions. This system combines micellar catalysis and acid activation to afford tricyclic products in high yields and with excellent purity. The transformation proceeds via a Knoevenagel–Michael sequence between dimedone and aromatic aldehydes, followed by intramolecular cyclization. The method exhibits broad substrate tolerance, affording yields between 80 and 92. The simplicity, scalability, and environmental compatibility of this process establish LABSA as a promising alternative to conventional acids for the green synthesis of pharmacologically relevant xanthene derivatives. Full article

Benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P) is a pervasive freshwater pollutant, yet its toxicity to the fish gallbladder remains poorly understood. This study investigated the toxicological impacts of 2.5 and 25 μg/L B[a]P on common carp (Cyprinus carpio) using histological, transcriptomic, and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analyses. Results showed that the gallbladder is a primary site for B[a]P accumulation. High B[a]P concentrations caused vacuolar degeneration of mucosal epithelial cells and nuclear deformities. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that B[a]P stress triggered autoimmune homeostasis imbalance and overinhibited apoptosis. scRNA-seq identified cellular heterogeneity changes, specifically T-cell impairment and epithelial cell (EC) proliferation. Mechanistically, T-cell reduction was linked to the T-cell 2 subset, while EC proliferation involved EC 0 and EC 4 subsets, all participating in the apoptosis pathway. These findings demonstrate that the apoptosis pathway is a key target of B[a]P toxicity in the gallbladder. This work provides a cellular-level framework for assessing environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) risks in aquaculture. Full article

As core materials in pavement structures, asphalt mixtures are characterized by intensive energy consumption and significant carbon footprints throughout their construction cycle, making their construction a typical high-carbon process in road engineering. Warm-mix technology, leveraging its key advantages of reducing mixing temperatures and cutting energy consumption and emissions, has emerged as a green alternative to hot-mix mixtures. However, existing studies have lacked systematic environmental impact assessments of combinations of asphalt from different oil sources and warm-mix technologies. This study focuses on the additive type warm-mix technology (Evotherm M1) and uses three typical oil sources of 70# road petroleum asphalt. Using headspace gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS–GC–MS) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods, a systematic analysis was conducted across three dimensions: multi-component pollutant emissions, full life cycle stages, and multi-type warm-mix technologies. The analysis focused on the influence of warm-mix treatment on Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions, as well as energy consumption and carbon emission characteristics throughout the full life cycle of the construction phase. Results indicate that warm-mix treatment significantly inhibits VOC emissions from all three oil source asphalts. The largest reduction was observed in Asp-A (74.66%), followed by Asp-C (69.27%), and the smallest in Asp-B (46.47%). The VOC compositions shifted from being dominated by oxygenates to a coexistence of multi-components such as alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons. In the life cycle of the construction phase, compared with hot-mix mixtures, warm-mix technology reduced total energy consumption by 5.50%–5.56% and carbon emissions by 4.47%–4.52%. Raw material production and mixture mixing stages were identified as the core links for energy consumption and carbon emissions, accounting for over 80% of the totals. Differences among oil sources mainly stemmed from refinery power structure and the temperature–viscosity properties of asphalt. The research results provide theoretical support for material selection and process optimization of green construction of asphalt pavement using additive-based warm-mix technology. Full article

Realistic atomistic modeling of mineral and soil systems requires chemically meaningful representations of organic matter (OM). Bulk ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data have been proposed as compositional inputs for stochastic generation of OM structures, and prior studies using nonnegative multivariate curve resolution (MCR) suggested that bulk ¹³C NMR spectra of OM may be represented as mixtures of only a few components. However, these studies typically relied on single-block decompositions and did not explicitly assess decomposition uniqueness. The objective of this work was to examine whether a quantitative and chemically interpretable nonnegative MCR decomposition of OM can be obtained while explicitly evaluating (1) residual rotational ambiguity controlling the uniqueness of components, and (2) the variance captured by the decomposition. Using a dataset of International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) humic acids, fulvic acids, and aquatic OM, we applied single- and multi-block nonnegative MCR–alternating least squares (ALS) analyses integrating ¹³C NMR spectra, elemental composition (C, H, O, N, S), and titratable carboxylic and phenolic group contents. The multi-block approach effectively narrowed the feasible solution space and enriched the chemical characterization of the resulting MCR components. Across all analytical blocks, two chemically distinct components, an aromatic-rich and an aliphatic-rich motifs, consistently emerged, together explaining ~97–98% of the total variance and exhibiting near-zero residual rotational ambiguity. These findings support that diverse OM types can be represented quantitatively as mixtures of a small set of unique recurring compositional motifs. These motifs serve as ensemble-level averages whose underlying molecular diversity may vary substantially across materials. They provide quantitative, chemically justified inputs for molecular modeling of mineral–OM systems, which could contribute to chemical interpretability of modeling and provide better mechanistic insights into OM variation across diverse sample series. Full article

This study aimed to obtain chamomile flower extracts (CFEs) using supercritical CO₂ (200 bar and 40 °C) and analyze their composition by GC-MS. A yield of 2.8 ± 0.3% of CFE was obtained after 122.4 min of extraction. The CFE contained several compounds, the most abundant of which were 4-(4-Hydroxy-2,2,6-trimethyl-7-oxabicyclo [4.1.0]hept-1-yl)butan-2-one (12.9%), (Z)-Tonghaosu (11.8%), 6-hydroxydihydrotheaspirane (11.5%), pentacosane (8.1%), cyclohexanethiol, 2,5-dimethylacetate (5.6%), and tetracontane (5.3%). The SFE process for obtaining CFE compounds is a suitable alternative; however, further studies are needed to evaluate this process and the composition of the extract, especially its most volatile fraction. Full article