Search Results (6)

Globally, fish consumption generates significant waste from fish markets and processing industries, including fish skin, scales, and bones. If not appropriately managed, this fishery waste can lead to environmental pollution. Collagen, the most abundant protein in animal bodies, has diverse medical, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications, but its high cost has constrained its usage. Collagen derived from marine sources, particularly from the by-products of fish processing, is seen as an alternative to collagens from land animals. There has been growing interest in utilizing fish scales as a cost-effective source of this valuable collagen-rich protein. Repurposing fish scales could alleviate environmental pressure and create additional commercial value. In a recent study, collagen was isolated from the scales of Moroccan Sardina pilchardus, a fish species renowned for its high collagen content. This marine collagen type I features a triple alpha-helical structure comprising one α2 chain and two α1 chains. The collagen extraction was accomplished using the acid-soluble collagen (ASC) method combined with an ultrasound technique after pretreating the fish scales, involving a demineralization step to remove a high amount of minerals. The ASC extracted from the sardine scales exhibited high solubility in the highly acidic pH range (pH 2). Various physicochemical techniques, such as FTIR, DRX, and SEM, confirmed the isolated protein as collagen. Hence, sardine scales could serve as an alternative source of collagen, and the characteristics of the collagens were minimally affected by the extraction process employed. Full article

In the present work, we represent two thiazolidinediones, namely (Z)-5-(4-methoxybenzylidene) thiazolidine-2,4-dione (MeOTZD) and (Z)-5-(4-methylbenzylidene) thiazolidine-2,4-dione (MeTZD), as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel (CS) in 1.0 M HCl solution. Techniques for gravimetric methods, electrochemical measurements, and morphological characterization were used to conduct experimental evaluations. Additionally, calculations based on the fundamental principles of Density Functional Theory (DFT) were employed to simulate inhibitor–iron interactions. Experimental results indicated that investigated inhibitors can significantly enhance the corrosion resistance of CS, reaching a performance of 95% and 87% at 5 × 10⁻³ mol/L of MeOTZ and MeTZD, respectively. According to gravimetric and electrochemical experiments, inhibitor molecules obstruct corrosion reactions by adhering to the CS surface, which follows the Langmuir isotherm model. On the other hand, the morphological analysis showed a well-distinguished difference between unprotected and protected CS surfaces as a result of the inhibitors’ addition to HCl. Projected density of states and interaction energies obtained from first-principles DFT simulations indicate that the studied molecules form covalent bonds with iron atoms through charge transfer. Full article

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was described for the first time in the 1840s and is currently the leading cause of blindness for patients over 65 years in Western Countries. This disease impacts the eye’s posterior segment and damages the macula, a retina section with high levels of photoreceptor cells and responsible for the central vision. Advanced AMD stages are divided into the atrophic (dry) form and the exudative (wet) form. Atrophic AMD consists in the progressive atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the outer retinal layers, while the exudative form results in the anarchic invasion by choroidal neo-vessels of RPE and the retina. This invasion is responsible for fluid accumulation in the intra/sub-retinal spaces and for a progressive dysfunction of the photoreceptor cells. To date, the few existing anti-AMD therapies may only delay or suspend its progression, without providing cure to patients. However, in the last decade, an outstanding number of research programs targeting its different aspects have been initiated by academics and industrials. This review aims to bring together the most recent advances and insights into the mechanisms underlying AMD pathogenicity and disease evolution, and to highlight the current hypotheses towards the development of new treatments, i.e., symptomatic vs. curative. The therapeutic options and drugs proposed to tackle these mechanisms are analyzed and critically compared. A particular emphasis has been given to the therapeutic agents currently tested in clinical trials, whose results have been carefully collected and discussed whenever possible. Full article

Copper is the third-most-produced metal globally due to its exceptional mechanical and thermal properties, among others. However, it suffers serious dissolution issues when exposed to corrosive mediums. Herein, two thiazolidinedione derivatives, namely, (Z)-5-(4-methylbenzylidene)thiazolidine-2,4-dione (MTZD) and (Z)-3-allyl-5-(4-methylbenzylidene)thiazolidine-2,4-dione (ATZD), were synthesized and applied for corrosion protection of copper in 3.5 wt.% NaCl medium. The corrosion inhibition performance of tested compounds was evaluated at different experimental conditions using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization curves (PPC) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). EIS results revealed that the addition of studied inhibitors limited the dissolution of copper in NaCl solution, leading to a high polarization resistance compared with the blank solution. In addition, PPC suggested that tested compounds had a mixed-type effect, decreasing anodic and cathodic corrosion reactions. Moreover, surface characterization by AFM indicated a significant decrease in surface roughness of copper after the addition of inhibitors. Outcomes from the present study suggest that ATZD (IE% = 96%) outperforms MTZD (IE% = 90%) slightly, due to the presence of additional –C₃H₅ unit (–CH₂–CH = CH₂) in the molecular scaffold of MTZD. Full article

The present study investigates the effect of Ulva lactuca extract as seed-priming agent for tomato plants under optimal and salinity stress conditions. The aims of this experiment were to assess the effect of seed priming using Ulva lactuca extract in alleviating the salinity stress tomato plants were subjected to, and to find out the possible mechanism of actions behind such a positive effect via means of fractionation of the crude extract and characterization. Salinity application decreased the plant biomass and altered different physiological traits of tomato. However, the application of Ulva lactuca methanol extract (ME) and its fractions (residual fraction (RF), chloroform fraction (CF), butanol fraction (BF), and hexane fraction (HF)) at 1 mg·mL⁻¹ as seed priming substances attenuated the negative effects of salinity on tomato seedlings. Under salinity stress conditions, RF application increased the tomato fresh weight; while ME, RF, and HF treatments significantly decreased the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) concentration and antioxidant activity in tomato plants. The biochemical analyses of Ulva lactuca extract and fractions showed that the RF recorded the highest concentration of glycine betaine, while the ME was the part with the highest concentrations of total phenols and soluble sugars. This suggests that these compounds might play a key role in the mechanism by which seaweed extracts mitigate salinity stress on plants. Full article

Growing concern for the environment, increasing stringent standards for the release of chemicals into the environment and economic competiveness have led to more environmentally friendly approaches that have resulted in greater pollution prevention via waste reduction and efficiency maximisation. Green process engineering (GPE) is an important tool that could make significant contributions in the drive toward making hazardous and wasteful processes more sustainable for the benefit of the economy, environment and society. This article highlights the guidelines that could be used by scientists and engineers for designing new materials, products, processes and systems. Few examples of current and future applications of GPE, particularly in the areas of biofuels, supercritical fluids, multi-functional reactors and catalytic processes, have been presented. Full article