Saleh Mohammed Al Maaqar

Wheat flour is a global staple food commodity, yet its microbiological and chemical safety remains a public health concern due to potential contamination throughout the production and supply chain. This study provides a preliminary baseline assessment of the quality and safety of 14 commercial wheat flour samples (X1–X14) obtained from markets in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Standard microbiological methods were employed to detect pathogenic indicators. Heavy metal concentrations were quantified. Ochratoxin-A and total aflatoxins (B1 + B2 + G1 + G2) were analyzed, while pesticide residues were determined. A total of 23 bacterial isolates were purified and identified via 16S rRNA gene Sanger sequencing, with phylogenetic trees constructed using MEGA12, and hemolytic activity was assessed on sheep blood agar. All samples were negative for Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ), Bacillus cereus ( B. cereus ), and Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) were below 10 CFU/g, indicating compliance with international safety standards. However, yeast and mold counts varied significantly, with one sample (X8) exhibiting a critically high count (830 CFU/g). Heavy metal levels were generally within Codex Alimentarius limits, though one sample contained elevated lead (0.566 mg/kg). Ochratoxin-A was detected in Three samples (X1: 0.17 μg/kg; X2: 0.12 μg/kg; X9: 0.14 μg/kg), while total aflatoxins were absent from all samples. The most prevalent pesticide residue was deltamethrin (X2, X3, X4, X6; range 0.015–0.059 mg/kg), followed by chlorpyrifos ethyl (X3: 0.009 mg/kg; X6: 0.008 mg/kg). Molecular identification revealed a taxonomically diverse bacterial community dominated by the genus Staphylococcus ( 13/23 isolates , 56.5% ), followed by Rothia kristinae ( 3/23 ), Bacillus paramycoides ( 2/23 ), Peribacillus frigoritolerans ( 1/23 ), and other genera ( 4/23 ). Hemolytic activity testing revealed that all staphylococcal isolates were gamma-hemolytic (non-hemolytic), whereas the three Bacillus isolates ( Bacillus paramycoides and Peribacillus frigoritolerans ) exhibited beta-hemolysis. These preliminary findings underscore the necessity for routine monitoring of post-harvest handling, storage conditions, and pesticide residues to ensure consumer safety. Due to the limited sample size ( n = 14), future studies with broader geographic and seasonal coverage are recommended.

The graphical abstract displays generalized information regarding the source and application of phages. According to the figure, natural water bodies and wastewater treatment plants are considered to be the major sources of lytic phages. These phages can be utilized for various activities, including lowering the bacterial load of wastewater treatment plants, which will minimize the contamination of the environment with pathogenic bacteria. With this, the microbial ecological balance will be maintained. Additionally, lytic phages can be used as an alternative therapeutic agent for bacterial disease in humans and have a significant contribution in maintaining public health. Bacteriophages (phages), the viruses that infect bacteria, are the most abundant biological entities in the biosphere and constitute a fundamental component of aquatic microbial ecosystems. They are ubiquitously distributed across diverse environments, including oceans, rivers, lakes, wastewater systems, coral reefs, mangroves, and sediment water interfaces, where they strongly influence bacterial abundance, diversity, and ecosystem functionality. Aquatic environments provide highly favorable ecological niches for both bacterial hosts and their associated phages, making these ecosystems important reservoirs of enormous but still insufficiently explored viral diversity. Marine ecosystems, particularly coastal tropical waters, coral reefs, and mangrove habitats, harbor highly dynamic phage populations that actively shape microbial community structures and ecological stability. In freshwater ecosystems, sediment–water interfaces represent critical hotspots for viral–bacterial interactions, where phages regulate bacterial population dynamics and contribute substantially to nutrient turnover. Beyond their ecological importance, aquatic lytic phages possess considerable therapeutic potential against pathogenic and multidrug-resistant bacteria. Their high host specificity, self-replicating capacity, and biofilm-disrupting activity make them promising and sustainable alternatives to conventional antimicrobial approaches. Moreover, their ability to reduce bacterial contaminants highlights their potential for wastewater bioremediation and water quality management, underscoring the value of aquatic phages as an underutilized resource for antimicrobial therapy and environmental sustainability.

The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant microbial pathogens has created an urgent need for new antimicrobial agents. Marine organisms are a rich source of structurally diverse bioactive metabolites with therapeutic potential, and the sea cucumber H. scabra contains numerous secondary metabolites that may exhibit favorable predicted interactions with antimicrobial targets. This study aimed to identify potential antimicrobial metabolites from H. scabra using an integrated computational approach. Metabolites were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and screened against selected bacterial and fungal target proteins using molecular docking. The top-ranked compounds were further evaluated for pharmacokinetic properties through ADME prediction, while the stability of the protein–ligand complexes was assessed using 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations and MM/GBSA binding free energy calculations. GC–MS analysis tentatively identified sixteen metabolites, among which CID 21820889 and CID 304 exhibited favorable predicted binding interactions with target proteins from Acinetobacter baumannii and Candida albicans, respectively. These compounds also demonstrated acceptable predicted pharmacokinetic properties, stable protein–ligand interactions throughout the simulations, and favorable MM/GBSA binding free energies, supporting the stability of the predicted complexes. Overall, MM/GBSA binding free energies ranged from −35.46 to −47.17 kcal/mol, with CID 441130 exhibiting the most favorable overall binding energy (−47.17 kcal/mol), while CID 21820889 also showed a favorable binding free energy (−44.85 kcal/mol). These findings identify several putatively identified, computationally prioritized metabolites from H. scabra as candidates for further investigation and demonstrate the utility of integrating chemical profiling with computational approaches for the early stage screening of marine natural products.

In this work, novel quinoline-2-carboxamide–phenylacetamide hybrids 23a–d were designed, synthesised, and evaluated through antimicrobial and breast cancer-cell cytotoxicity screening. The compounds showed moderate antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans, with compound 23b showing the lowest MIC values of 0.125 and 0.039 mg/mL against MRSA and P. aeruginosa, respectively. Cytotoxicity screening against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines identified compound 23d as the most active member of the series against MCF-7 cells, with an IC₅₀ of 6.249 ± 0.30 µg/mL, corresponding to 14.55 ± 0.70 µM using the molecular weight applied in this study. Molar comparison showed that the activity profile was cell-line dependent: 23d displayed a lower molar IC₅₀ than cisplatin against MCF-7 under the assay conditions used, whereas cisplatin remained more potent against MDA-MB-231 cells. Molecular docking against activated CDC42-associated kinase 1 (ACK1) suggested that 23d can adopt a favourable predicted binding pose within the ACK1 ATP-binding pocket, with a GlideScore of − 8.112 kcal/mol compared with − 9.651 kcal/mol for the co-crystallised inhibitor. However, docking alone cannot confirm ACK1 inhibition or establish the mechanism of cytotoxicity. Because non-cancerous-cell cytotoxicity was not performed, cancer-cell selectivity remains unresolved and selectivity indices could not be calculated. Accordingly, compounds 23a–d are presented as preliminary antimicrobial and cytotoxic hits requiring further optimisation, analytical validation, non-cancerous-cell cytotoxicity testing, and mechanistic confirmation.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most prevalent bacterial pathogens of humans, and the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections poses significant health care challenges worldwide. MRSA often harbors a gene encoding for a specialized transpeptidase enzyme called penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which reduces susceptibility to β-lactam antibiotics and confers resistance. To address this issue, our research aimed to identify potential natural drug candidates derived from the leaves of Lepidium sativum L . ( L. sativum ) using the marker protein PBP2a. Through gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis, we isolated five phytochemical compounds from L. sativum and subjected them to molecular docking analysis against the target bacterial protein. Two compounds (PubChem CID: 39186 and 888955) were selected for further evaluation based on their favorable docking scores (−7.1 and −6.3 kcal/mol, respectively). This computational investigation underscored the potential of these compounds as promising antibacterial candidates against the MRSA PBP2a protein. In vitro antibacterial assays using L. sativum extracts demonstrated a minimum inhibitory concentration of 15 μg/mL. Well-diffusion tests exhibited inhibition zones ranging from 12.3 ± 0.5 mm to 19 ± 0.5 mm at different concentrations, while time-kill kinetics over 24 h indicated effective bacterial growth inhibition. Statistical analysis (one-way analysis of variance) confirmed significant concentration-dependent antibacterial activity ( p < 0.01). To validate the efficacy of these compounds against MRSA, further in vivo studies are strongly recommended.

This manuscript reports a green approach for producing multifunctional acrylic fabrics co-decorated with Fe₃O₄ and Ag nanoparticles using Brachychiton populneus extract. Acrylic fabric was first amidoxime-functionalized to enable strong anchoring of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, followed by in situ deposition of AgNPs, during which the extract’s phytochemicals acted as reducing and stabilizing agents. FTIR, SEM/EDX, and VSM analyses confirmed successful surface modification and nanoparticle incorporation. The sequential treatments produced measurable add-on values (16.7% after amidoximation, followed by 10.9% and 8.5% after Fe₃O₄ and AgNP deposition, respectively). The Ag/Fe₃O₄-coated fabrics exhibited enhanced hydrophobicity and strong antimicrobial activity, with inhibition zones up to 14 mm against bacteria (including MRSA) and 26.9 mm against fungi at the highest Ag loading. Antioxidant activity was also markedly improved, showing up to a 78-fold increase in reducing power. Overall, this sustainable plant-mediated route provides an effective strategy for developing antimicrobial and antioxidant acrylic textiles for technical and protective applications.

Staphylococcal meningitis, a severe infection of the meninges, highlights the urgent need for new strategies to combat Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections. In this study, ethanolic leaf extracts of Coleus forskohlii were evaluated for their antibacterial potential against clinical S. aureus isolates associated with meningitis. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified 15 phytochemical compounds, two of which—urs-12-en-28-ol (CID 22213452) and petroselaidic acid (CID 5282754) showed promising binding affinities (−7.5 and −5.9 kcal/mol, respectively) against S. aureus protein (30S ribosomal subunit) in molecular docking studies. In vitro assays confirmed the antibacterial activity of the crude extract, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 62.5 to 125 μg/mL. Disc diffusion and time-kill kinetics further demonstrated concentration-dependent growth inhibition of S. aureus strains. These integrated findings suggest that C. forskohlii-derived compounds are potential antibacterial candidates worthy of further investigation. However, comprehensive in vivo studies are essential to evaluate their efficacy, safety, and therapeutic potential specifically against S. aureus-induced meningitis.

The health risks associated with synthetic preservatives have intensified the search for natural antimicrobial alternatives. Crocus sativus L. (saffron) generates abundant by-products, such as tepals and leaves, which are rich in bioactive compounds with demonstrated antimicrobial potential. Compared to other natural alternatives, saffron by-products offer distinct advantages, including a unique combination of phenolic compounds (e.g., ellagic acid, rutin) and carotenoids (e.g., crocin) that act synergistically against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as fungi. Additionally, these by-products represent a sustainable solution, with approximately 63 kg of agricultural waste generated per kg of saffron spice. This study optimized the antibacterial and antifungal efficacy of saffron extracts using a simplex centroid mixture design. Phytochemical analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) identified key antimicrobial compounds, including ellagic acid (68.43% in leaves, 50.31% in tepals) and crocin (9.59% in stigmas). Antimicrobial assays against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Geotrichum candidum revealed that stigma extracts exhibited superior antibacterial activity (MIC = 25 mg/mL for S. aureus and E. coli), while tepal and leaf extracts showed promising antifungal effects (MIC = 12.5 mg/mL for G. candidum). The mixture design approach uncovered synergistic interactions, with an equimolar combination of stigma, tepal, and leaf extracts (33:33:33) demonstrating the strongest antibacterial activity (MIC = 25 mg/mL) and a ternary mixture (34% stigma, 30% leaf, 36% tepal) achieving the lowest antifungal MIC (6.25 mg/mL). These findings highlight saffron by-products as highly effective and sustainable natural antimicrobials, providing a cost-efficient (40-60% reduction compared to conventional extracts) and multi-functional alternative to synthetic preservatives. Their dual functionality (antimicrobial + natural coloring) and agricultural waste origin make them particularly valuable for industrial applications in food preservation, pharmaceuticals, and biopharmaceuticals. The integration of statistical modeling maximizes their potential, meeting the growing demand for safe, natural antimicrobial solutions with clear competitive advantages.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most pressing global health threats of the twenty-first century. Bacterial infections linked to multidrug resistant bacteria are quickly spreading, and they constitute a very serious threat to human life. The search for new types of antibiotics to overcome resistance has plateaued for over two decades, and current development pipelines rely predominantly on structural derivatives. This approach has not evolved as rapidly as resistance and therefore, there is need to develop new therapeutic strategies. Natural therapeutic agents are considered as a suitable source of novel antimicrobials because they have high antimicrobial efficacy, and they select different targets in comparison to traditionally used antimicrobials. Objective: and main body. This work reviews the biology and natural predator characteristics of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus (B. bacteriovorus) and its applications. It also highlights the challenges associated with its use and explores future research directions. B. bacteriovorus, are promising therapeutic agents combating multidrug resistant bacterial infections. B. bacteriovorus is predatory bacterium, which is known by its obligate parasitic mode of life in which it can rely solely on preying on other bacteria. B. bacteriovorus predator behavior allows the agent to adhere to the surface of host bacteria, piercing the cell wall and then invading the host’s periplasmic space where it propagates causing lysis and release of progeny. B. bacteriovorus inhabits a wide range of ecological settings, including soil and freshwater habitats, where it plays a crucial ecological role in regulating bacterial populations. Conclusion: The applications of B. bacteriovorus go beyond medical uses to agriculture, food safety interventions and wastewater treatment as well. Despite the diverse use of B. bacteriovorus, additional research is necessitated to maximize the formulation strategies, and delivery means for efficient and proper practical use.