Habiba Nechchadi

The genus Cynara is native to the Mediterranean region and is widely used in food and traditional medicine worldwide. Cynara is characterized by its diverse phytochemical composition, with sesquiterpene lactones, a subclass of terpenoids, being particularly distinctive. These compounds are naturally synthesized as defense mechanisms against herbivores and pathogens while acting as allelochemicals. The sesquiterpene lactones found in Cynara exhibit potential anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. They also possess significant phytotoxic activity, making them promising natural bioherbicides for agricultural applications. The effective exploitation of these compounds requires the use of appropriate extraction solvents and techniques. Compared with conventional solvents and extraction methods, green solvents, including ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents, together with modern extraction techniques, particularly ultrasound-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, and Naviglio extraction, have proven highly effective for their recovery. In addition, the application of elicitation strategies, such as salt stress, shading, hormones, and microbial biostimulants, has emerged as a promising approach for enhancing the production of these compounds during cultivation. Therefore, this review highlights Cynara as a valuable source of sesquiterpene lactones with broad applications in medicine and agriculture and provides guidance on technical approaches relevant to their extraction and the enhancement of their production.

Background: Liver fibrosis arises from chronic liver injury and remains a major clinical challenge due to its progression toward cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as the absence of approved antifibrotic therapies. This study aimed to characterize the transcriptomic behavior of the EGR1-FOS axis in liver fibrosis and its evolution into hepatocellular carcinoma, and to identify genes shared between liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Methods: An integrated bioinformatics approach was applied to GEO transcriptomic datasets. Differentially expressed genes in hepatic fibrosis were identified using GSE139602, GSE84044, and GSE49541, with GSE62232 as control when needed, while GSE14323 and GSE89377 were used to detect genes common with cirrhosis. GEPIA, TIMER, and TISCH2 were used to assess the involvement of the EGR1-FOS axis in hepatocellular carcinoma. External validation of EGR1 expression dynamics and its coregulation with FOS was performed using the GSE135251 dataset. Results: Eleven hub genes were identified, with emphasis on the EGR1-FOS axis. EGR1 expression fluctuated across liver fibrosis etiologies, whereas FOS was predominantly downregulated. A strong correlation between EGR1 and FOS (r = 0.77) was observed, remaining stable across fibrosis stages (all p < 0.001) and in hepatocellular carcinoma (r = 0.698, p = 1.81 × 10⁻⁵⁵). Despite overall downregulation, both genes increased progressively with advancing fibrosis (EGR1: p = 0.0008–0.0035; FOS: p = 0.0001–0.0188). Four genes were shared between fibrosis and cirrhosis (SOX9, CD24, CXCR4, and CYP2C19). Conclusions: The EGR1-FOS axis acts as a dynamic regulator of liver fibrosis and its progression, and both this axis and the four shared genes identified may serve as valuable biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.

The current case analysis aims to explore the spatio-temporal evolution of thuriferous juniper (Juniperus thurifera L.) forest formations on the El Houanet plateau within the Biological and Ecological Interest Site (BEIS) of Boutferda in Morocco, focusing on their vulnerability to extinction due...