Anti-Yeasts, Antioxidant and Healing Properties of Henna Pre-Treated by Moist Heat and Molecular Docking of Its Major Constituents, Chlorogenic and Ellagic Acids, with Candida albicans and Geotrichum candidum Proteins

Lawsonia inermis, known as henna, has traditionally been utilized in cosmetics and folk medicine because of their valuable health effects. A lack of information about the processes that increase or decrease release, as well as the biological activities of constituents of natural origin, is an important pharmacological problem. This investigation evaluates the influence of moist heat on the flavonoid and phenolic contents of henna powder and their biological activities. HPLC analysis reflected the existence of 20 and 19 compounds of flavonoids and phenolics in the extract of unpre-treated henna by moist heat (UPMH) and pre-treated henna by moist heat (PMH). Several compounds such as chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, rutin, rosmarinic acid, kaempferol, and pyrocatechol occurred with high concentrations of 57,017.33, 25,821.09, 15,059.88, 6345.08, 1248.42, and 819.19 µg/mL UPMH while occurred with low concentrations of 44,286.51, 17,914.26, 3809.85, 5760.05, 49.01, and 0.0 µg/mL, respectively in PMH. C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and G. candidum were more affected by UPMH with inhibition zones of 30.17 ± 0.29, 27 ± 0.5, and 29 ± 1.5 mm than PMH with inhibition zones of 29 ± 0.5, 25.33 ± 0.58, and 24.17 ± 0.29 mm, respectively. UPMH henna exhibited less MIC and MFC against the tested yeasts than PMH. Moreover, UPMH henna showed good wound healing, where the rat of migration, wound closure %, and area difference % were 14.806 um, 74.938 um2, and 710.667% compared with PMH henna 11.360 um, 59.083 um2, 545.333%, respectively. Antioxidant activity of UPMH and PMH henna. Promising antioxidant activity was recorded for both UPMH or PMH henna with IC50 5.46 µg/mL and 7.46 µg/mL, respectively. The docking interaction of chlorogenic acid and ellagic acid with the crystal structures of G. candidum (4ZZT) and C. albicans (4YDE) was examined. The biological screening demonstrated that the compounds had favorable docking results with particular proteins. Chlorogenic acid had robust behavior in the G. candidum (4ZZT) active pocket and displayed a docking score of -7.84379 Kcal/mol, higher than ellagic acid's -6.18615 Kcal/mol.

Molecular Basis of Methicillin and Vancomycin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus from Cattle, Sheep Carcasses and Slaughterhouse Workers

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a serious infection-causing pathogen in humans and animal. In particular, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is considered one of the major life-threatening pathogens due to its rapid resistance to several antibiotics in clinical practice. MRSA strains have recently been isolated in a number of animals utilized in food production processes, and these species are thought to be the important sources of the spread of infection and disease in both humans and animals. The main objective of the current study was to assess the prevalence of drug-resistant S. aureus, particularly vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) and MRSA, by molecular methods. To address this issue, a total of three hundred samples (200 meat samples from cattle and sheep carcasses (100 of each), 50 hand swabs, and 50 stool samples from abattoir workers) were obtained from slaughterhouses in Egypt provinces. In total, 19% S. aureus was isolated by standard culture techniques, and the antibiotic resistance was confirmed genotypically by amplification nucA gen. Characteristic resistance genes were identified by PCR with incidence of 31.5%, 19.3%, 8.7%, and 7% for the mecA, VanA, ermA, and tet L genes, respectively, while the aac6-aph gene was not found in any of the isolates. In this study, the virulence genes responsible for S. aureus' resistance to antibiotics had the highest potential for infection or disease transmission to animal carcasses, slaughterhouse workers, and meat products.