Middle East Journal of Applied Sciences

A Multi-Target Assessment of Antioxidant, Anticancer, and Antimicrobial Activities of Phenolic Compounds Fractionated from Punica granatum L. Peels Crude Extract

2026-07-01T02:52:48+00:00

Pomegranate peel is recognized as a rich source of phenolic compounds with significant biological activities. In the present study, phenolic constituents were isolated from pomegranate peel crude juice using solid-phase extraction (SPE), followed by fractionation through thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The chemical characterization of the obtained fractions was carried out using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS). The analytical results confirmed the presence of several functional groups, including hydroxyl, carboxyl, carbonyl, and aromatic structures. Five major phenolic compounds were identified, namely gallic acid, ellagic acid, quercetin, catechin, and vanillin. The biological activities of these compounds were
systematically evaluated. Ellagic acid demonstrated a pronounced antioxidant capacity, particularly in terms of metal chelation and reducing power, whereas vanillin exhibited strong free radical scavenging activity as determined by the DPPH assay. In addition, gallic acid and ellagic acid showed notable antibacterial effects against the tested bacterial strains. Regarding anticancer activity, catechin
significantly reduced the viability of human breast cancer (MCF-7) and colon cancer (HCT-116) cell lines. Importantly, the safety profile of the studied phenolic compounds was assessed using normal human skin fibroblast (BJ1) cells, where no significant cytotoxic effects were observed at the tested concentrations. These findings support the potential application of pomegranate peel-derived phenolics
as safe and effective natural agents with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties

Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai HD283 Partial Purified Thermo-Alkaline Metalloprotease Characterization

2026-07-25T03:21:12+00:00

Objective: The study aimed to classify the alkaline protease produced by Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai HD283. Methods: The experimental methodology encompassed the following steps: preparation of the inoculum, formulation of production media, enzyme activity assays, protein quantification. Results: After ammonium sulfate fractionation, acetone precipitation, and G-100 Sephadex column chromatography purification steps, of Bacillus thuringiensis aizawai HD283 partial purified alkaline protease. The purified alkaline protease exhibited a significant activation response to H₂O₂ at concentrations of 1%, 5%, and 10% (v/v), retaining 412%, 342%, and 286% of its activity, respectively. The enzyme activity demonstrated notable increases of 224%, 226%, and 300% in the presence of 10 mM, 5 mM, and 1 mM PMSF, respectively. Alkaline protease activity was inhibited by 10 mM EDTA, AgNO3 and HgCl2 with 44, 60 and 67 % of control respectively, the enzyme's activity increased to approximately 572% in the presence of 10 mM mercaptoethanol. It also increased to 127%, 268%, 292%, and 703% compared to the control group with the addition of calcium chloride, choline chloride,
magnesium chloride, and manganese chloride (at 10 mM concentrations, respectively). Acetone at 50% concentration activated the enzyme by 177%. The optimal pH was found to be 8.0 and 10.0, and the enzyme's activity increased with temperature from 30°C to 70°C. The enzyme retained approximately 74% of its original activity at 60°C. At a protein concentration of 0.017 mg/mL, the enzyme's maximum activity was approximately about, 16.640 units/mL/min. The highest maximum velocity (Vmax) of the enzyme was achieved at 30.116 micrograms of tyrosine/ml/min, Km value of casein concentration was 5.448%. Conclusion: Based on the chemical classification scheme and the catalytic mechanism observed, the alkaline protease produced in this study was identified as belonging to the class of Thermophilic- Metallo-Alkaline Proteases.

Radioactivity and Geotechnical Studies of New Mansoura City, Egypt

2026-08-14T12:18:33+00:00

New Mansoura is a part of eastern north of Nile Delta which located on the coast of Mediterranean Sea, 50 soil samples were taken from 50 boreholes 10 m deep. Interpreting the obtained results divided soil profile in two main types loose to medium dense, poorly graded, fine to medium-grained sand followed by high plasticity silt with sand. The main geotechnical hazards in New Mansoura is soil aggression from intrusion of sea water. Radioactively New Mansoura is safe, naturally occurring radionuclides 238U, 232Th, 226Ra and 40K in sediments were measured using Sodium Iodide Detector. The concentrations of 238U ranging from ULD to 37.05 with average 20.501 Bq Kg-1, 232Th ranging from 8.12 to 28.42 with average 18.216 Bq Kg,-1 226Ra ranging from 11.10 to 77.70 with average 36.853 Bq Kg,-1 while 40K ranging from 435.07 to 544.62 with average 469.85 Bq Kg,-1 The activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 226Ra are within the acceptable limit as recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, 1989) except the concentration of 40 K is higher than the acceptable limit.

Impact of Biofertilizers and Micronutrients in Combination with NPK on Yield and Quality of Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria)

2026-08-19T04:09:08+00:00

This study was conducted at the experimental and production station of the National Research Centre in the El-Noubaria region of Beheira Governorate during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons. The study examined the impact of biofertilizers and micronutrients on the yield and its attributes of bottle gourd plants. Three types of biofertilizers (nitrobin, microbin, and rizobactrin at a rate of 400g per feddan as soil dressing) and micronutrients (micromix) at two different rates (0.84 and 1.64 kg/fed. as foliar application with control) were used in the experiment. microbin, nitrobin, and rizobactrin are commonly used in Egypt as commercial bio-inoculants that aim to enhance soil fertility while reducing the environmental and financial costs associated with synthetic chemical fertilizers. The results indicated that using microbin biofertilizers significantly improved fruit length, fruit diameter, average fruit weight, and overall yield. The micromix application at a rate of 1.64 kg/fed. achieved the highest yield in both seasons. Additionally, the combined application of microbin and micromix at a rate of 1.64 kg/fed. resulted in the highest yield and fruit quality of bottle gourd. The application of biofertilizers and micronutrients enhanced the uptake of mineral fertilizers (N, P, K) and improved the quality of
bottle gourd fruits by increasing total soluble solid, vitamin C, total carotenoid content and antioxidants.