Valorization of Moroccan Bentonite Deposits: “Purification and Treatment of Margin by the Adsorption Process”

The main objective of this work was to contribute to the reduction in the contamination of phenolic compounds contained in margin by an adsorption process on two types of raw bentonite. The margin used in the studies was collected from a semi-modern oil mill located in the Nador–Morocco region. The results of the physico-chemical analyses showed that the effluents of the oil mills showed that they are highly polluted, particularly in terms of the total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and iron content of around 154.82 (mg/L), and copper content of 31.72 (mg/L). The mineralogy of bentonites studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals the existence of two types of montmorillonite; theoretically, the diffraction peak (001) of the montmorillonite appears at 15 Å, with a basal spacing that corresponds to a calcium pole, and the diffraction peak (001) appears at 12Å, with a basal spacing that corresponds to a sodium pole. The specific surface area of the bentonite used is characterized by a large specific surface area, varying between 127.62 m²·g⁻¹ and 693.04 m²·g⁻¹, which is due to the presence of hydrated interleaved cations. This surface is likely to increase in aqueous solution depending on the solid/liquid ratio that modulates the degree of hydration. With a high cation exchange capacity (CEC) (146.54 meq/100 g), samples of margin mixed with raw bentonites at different percentages vary between 5% and 100%. The potential of Moroccan bentonite for the phenol adsorption of 9.17 (g/L) from aqueous solutions was investigated. Adsorption tests have confirmed the effectiveness of these natural minerals in reducing phenolic compounds ranging from 8.72% to 76.23% contained in the margin and the efficiency of heavy metal retention through microelements on raw bentonites. The very encouraging results obtained in this work could aid in the application of adsorption for the treatment of margin.     

Chemical Composition,Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Taraxacum officinale Essential Oil

Taraxacum officinale (TO) has been historically used for medicinal purposes due to its biological activity against specific disorders. To investigate the antioxidant and the antiproliferativepotential of TO essential oil in vitro and in vivo, the chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed by GC-MS. The in vivo antioxidant capacity was assessed on liver and kidney homogenate samples from mice subjected to acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress and treated with TO essential oil (600 and 12,000 mg/kg BW) for 14 days. The in vitro scavenging activity was assayed using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the reducing power methods. The cytotoxic effects against the HeLa cancer cell line were analyzed. The GC-MS analysis showed the presence of 34 compounds, 8 of which were identified as major constituents. The TO essential oil protected mice’s liver and kidneys from acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress by enhancing antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione) and lowering malondialdehyde levels. In vitro, the TO essential oil demonstrated low scavenging activity against DPPH (IC₅₀ = 2.00 ± 0.05 mg/mL) and modest reducing power (EC₅₀ = 0.963 ± 0.006 mg/mL). The growth of the HeLa cells was also reduced by the TO essential oil with an inhibition rate of 83.58% at 95 µg/mL. Current results reveal significant antioxidant and antiproliferative effects in a dose-dependent manner and suggest that Taraxacum officinale essential oil could be useful in formulations for cancer therapy.     

Lewis Acid–Doped Natural Phosphate: New Catalysts for the One‐Pot Synthesis of 3,4‐Dihydropyrimdin‐2(1H)‐one

Inexpensive and readily available natural phosphate doped with metal halides is used to efficiently catalyze the three‐component condensation reaction of an aldehyde, a beta‐keto ester, and urea to afford the corresponding dihydropyrimidin‐2(1H)‐ones in high yields.     

A thienoquinoxaline and a styryl-quinoxaline as new fluorescent probes for amyloid-β fibrils

Simple and easy to prepare quinoxaline derivatives proved able to stain amyloid fibers such as aggregated lysozyme and Aβ(1-40)-peptide by a fluorescence “turn on” mechanism. Thienoquinoxaline 1 allowed the detection of lysozyme and Aβ(1-40) fibers at λ = 555 and 532 nm, respectively, with excitation at λ = 450 nm. Styryl-quinoxaline 2 stained lysozyme and Aβ(1-40) fibers with fluorescence at λ = 579 and 567 nm, respectively, upon excitation at λ = 453 nm. The apparent K_d values for Aβ(1-40) fibers were 77 and 294 nM for 1 and 2, respectively. The sensitivity of the aggregates detection assay with these new dyes was higher than that of thioflavin T. Considering their unique fluorescence properties compared to other dyes reported in the field, they can be considered as additional staining tools for the detection and studies of peptide/protein aggregation.     

A general decay result of a wave equation with a dynamic boundary control of diffusive type

We study a wave equation with a dynamic boundary control of diffusive type. We establish optimal and explicit energy decay formula by using resolvent estimates. Our new result generalizes and improves the earlier related results in the literature.     

Synthesis,structural elucidation,and antioxidant activity of new phenolic derivatives containing piperidine moiety: Experimental and theoretical investigations

The incorporation of the piperidine ring into drugs may play an interesting role to fulfill significant tasks and act as an active ingredient in various treatments. Herein, three novel derivatives of 3-acetyl-2-hydroxybenzoic acid ( 3-5 ) containing a piperidine ring were synthesized through the rearrangement of triacetic acid lactone in the presence of piperidine. Their molecular structures were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The experimental data were compared with the predicted ones obtained in the polarizable continuum model at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. Relatively good correlations were obtained between the experimental data (spectral and Z-matrix coordinates) and the predicted ones, with correlation coefficients higher than 97%. The intercontacts between the closest units of 3-5 were identified through the analysis of the Hirshfeld surface and electrostatic potentials (ESP) maps. Hirshfeld surface and ESPs analyses reveal that the closest interactions between the units of the compounds are between hydrogen atoms (59%-67%). The antioxidant activity of 3-5 was evaluated using DPPH free radical scavenging and ABTS assays. They exhibit moderate antioxidant activity, which probably is attributable to the presence of a phenolic moiety in their basic skeleton. Molecular docking calculations suggest that 3-5 may mainly bind to the active binding site of peroxiredoxin 5 through strong and weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds.     

Heliotropium bacciferum Forssk. (Boraginaceae) extracts: chemical constituents,antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effect in human cancer cell lines

Heliotropium bacciferum (Boraginaceae) is a perennial herb, growing in the Bechar region of Algeria, where it is traditionally used for skin diseases and tonsillitis. Herein, we report the isolation and characterization of sixteen secondary metabolites from the aerial part extracts. They include a sterol (1), megastigman type nor-isoprenoids (2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10), C-11 terpene lactones (5 and 9), and a monoterpene (7) from the chloroform extract (HB-C); monoterpene glucoside (14), and phenolic compounds (11–13, 15, 16) from the methanol one (HB-M). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including 1D and 2D NMR experiments, and ESIMS analysis. HB-M showed a significant and concentration dependent scavenging activity in vitro against the radicals DPPH and ABTS, related to the phenol derivatives (11–13, and 15–16), and HB-C inhibited the growth of colon cancer cell lines, mainly for the presence of the antiproliferative C-11 terpene lactones (5 and 9).     

Transesterification of Methylbenzoate with Alcohols Catalyzed by Natural Phosphate

Transesterification of methylbenzoate with various alcohols was catalyzed by natural phosphate with or without solvent in heterogeneous media. The molar ratio of alcohol/ester, solvent effect, and weight of catalyst effect have been studied. We have found that the nature of alcohol and the reaction temperature play an important role in the transesterification process. The catalyst can be regenerated and reused without lost of activity.     

Structure elucidation and vasodilator activity of methoxy flavonols from Calycotome villosa subsp. intermedia

Two flavonols identified as 3,5,7,4′-tetrahydroxy-3′-methoxyflavone (1) and 3,5,7,4′-tetrahydroxy-8-methoxyflavone (2) were isolated from the seeds of Calycotome villosa subsp. intermedia. The structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was performed by the spectroscopic methods (UV, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and MS) and also by a single crystal X-ray analysis in the case of compound (2). Vasodilator activity of compound (2) was demonstrated in isolated rat aorta contracted with high KCl or with noradrenaline.     

Thermal and light-induced spin-crossover in salts of the heptadentate complex [tris(4-{pyrazol-3-yl}-3-aza-3-butenyl)amine]iron(ii)

The syntheses of [FeL][BF(4)](2).H(2)O, [FeL][ClO(4)](2).H(2)O, [FeL][NO(3)](2).CH(3)NO(2) and [FeL][CF(3)SO(3)](2) (L = tris(4-{pyrazol-3-yl}-3-aza-3-butenyl)amine) are described. The isostructural BF(4)(-) and ClO(4)(-) salts are high-spin between 5-300 K, while the other two compounds are high-spin at room temperature but undergo gradual high-->low spin transitions upon cooling. For [FeL][NO(3)](2) this transition is centred at 139 K and proceeds to near-completeness, while for [FeL][CF(3)SO(3)](2) it is centred at 144 K and only proceeds to 50% conversion. The CF(3)SO(3)(-) salt also undergoes spin-crossover centred at 200 K in (CD(3))(2)CO solution, and exhibits dynamic inversion of its helical ligand conformation. All these compounds except the triflate salt have been crystallographically characterised, and show capped trigonal antiprismatic [6 + 1] coordination geometries. The NO(3)(-) and CF(3)SO(3)(-) salts undergo quantitative conversion to trapped, high-spin excited states upon irradiation with a green laser at 10 K (the LIESST effect; LIESST = Light-Induced Excited Spin State Trapping). The thermal stabilities of their LIESST excited states (T(LIESST) = 80-82 K) resemble those found for iron(ii) complexes of bidentate N-heterocyclic ligands. Hence, the LIESST properties of [FeL](2+) are those of a complex of three rigid bidentate domains linked by a flexible spacer, rather than of a single encapsulating podand.