Marine plastic pollution in Morocco: state of the knowledge on origin, occurrence, fate, and management.

Plastic pollution presents a major challenge facing stakeholders and decision-making worldwide. Plastics in the ocean damage biodiversity and marine ecosystem services that the blue economy relies upon. The present work analyses and reviews the literature on plastic pollution and the background knowledge about marine plastic pollution in Morocco. The economy of Morocco depends mainly on marine activities, including fisheries, tourism, and maritime trade. These sectors were identified as the main in-situ sources of plastics entering Moroccan coastal waters. The analysis results showed that the increasing abundance of plastics in such marine systems causes substantial economic loss to blue economy activities. In contrast, the lack of data on the plastic waste quantity entering Moroccan water is a limiting factor for assessing plastic pollution. This highlights the need for a risk assessment and more field investigations to value the weight impacts of marine activities generators of plastics on biodiversity and the economy. In addition, implementing laws and rules forbidding the disposal of plastic waste (PW) in public spaces, mainly beaches, and streets, is urgently needed. Raising awareness of plastic waste management and prioritizing improved waste collection, sorting, and management would boost Morocco's establishment and adoption of circular economy strategies. It is worth noting that while implementing the management projects and regulatory frameworks of plastic waste, considering their source and usage purpose is mandatory.

Synthesis of novel antioxidant and antitumor 5-aminopyrazole derivatives, 2D/3D QSAR, and molecular docking.

5-Aminopyrazole serves as a vital precursor for several biologically active pyrazoloazines, including pyrazolopyridine, pyrazolopyrimidine, and pyrazolotriazine, as well as Schiff bases, thiourea, and phthalimide derivatives. In this study, we structurally characterized novel pyrazole derivatives by spectral IR, 1H and 13C NMR, and MASS spectroscopy. We also evaluated antioxidant activity of various derivatives using ABTS and DPPH methods and cytotoxicity in the hepatocellular carcinoma Hep-G2 cells by SRB assay. The most potent antitumor molecules were 5-aminopyrazole derivative 3, chloroacetanilide derivative 8, maleimide derivative 10a, pyrazolopyrimidine 16, and enamine 19, with IC50 values of 41, 3.6, 37, 24.4, and 17.7 µM, respectively. Complementary computational studies predicted QSAR and bioactivity of these molecules. Interestingly, the most effective compounds were also predicted to be kinase inhibitors; in addition, molecular docking with liver receptors (3MBG, 4XCU, and 4G9C) predicted promising interactions.

Disposal Behavior of Used Masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Moroccan Community: Potential Environmental Impact.

The spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) levied on the Moroccan authorities to increase their mask production capacity, which reached up to 12 million facemask units produced per day. This increase in personal protective equipment (PPE) production and consumption is an efficient tool to address the spread of COVID-19. However, this results in more plastic and microplastic debris being added into the land and marine environments, which will harm the ecosystem, wildlife, and public health. Such a situation needs deep individual behavior observation and tracking, as well as an assessment of the potential environmental impact of this new type of waste. For this reason, we assessed the Moroccan population's behavior regarding the use and disposal of facemasks and gloves. An exploratory survey was prepared and shared via social media and email with the population of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Casablanca-Settat regions. Additionally, we calculated the estimated number and weight of daily and weekly PPE used and generated by the studied regions. The survey showed that 70% of the respondents threw their discarded masks and gloves in house trash or trash bins after their first use, whereas nearly 30% of respondents admitted that they did not wear masks because they did not leave their homes during the lockdown, while from the 70% of facemask users, more than five million (equivalent to 40,000 kg) of facemasks would be generated and disposed of daily by the community of these regions, which presents 35% of the total engendered facemask waste in Morocco. Accordingly, the environment impact of facemasks showed that the greenhouse gas footprint is about 640 kT CO2 eq./year for the whole of Morocco, while the energy footprint is around 60,000 GWh/year. Furthermore, an urgent multidisciplinary environmental assessment of the potential impact of PPE must be conducted among the 12 Moroccan regions. This study demonstrated the real impact of the COVID-19 PPE on human behavior and the environment and suggests a need for providing new didactic management of facemasks and gloves.

Polyphenols are potential nutritional adjuvants for targeting COVID-19.

The newly emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome, coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a dangerous pathogen that causes global health problems. It causes a disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with high morbidity and mortality rates. In SARS-Cov-2-infected patients, elevated oxidative stress and upsurge of inflammatory cytokines are the main pathophysiological events that contribute to the severity and progression of symptoms and death. The polyphenols are natural compounds abundant in fruits and vegetables that are characterized by their high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Polyphenols have potential as an intervention for preventing respiratory virus infection. The beneficial effects of polyphenols on COVID-19 might be due to multiple mechanisms. Polyphenols can strengthen the body's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant defenses against viral infection. Targeting virus proteins and/or blocking cellular receptors are other plausible antiviral approaches to prevent the entry of the virus and its replication in the host cells. The results on the antiviral effects of various polyphenols, especially on SARS-CoV-2, are promising. The aim of this review is to clarify the role of polyphenols in strengthening antioxidant defenses and upregulating the immune systems of COVID-19 patients and to prevent replication and spreading of the virus.

Synthesis, characterization, antibacterial evaluation, 2D-QSAR modeling and molecular docking studies for benzocaine derivatives.

Possible application of incorporating a well-known drug (benzocaine) with cyanoacetamide function to get a powerful synthon ethyl 4-cyanoacetamido benzoate. This synthetic intermediate was used as a precursor for the synthesis of triazine, pyridone, thiazolidinone, thiazole and thiophene scaffolds containing the benzocaine core. Facile coupling, Michael addition, condensation and nucleophilic attack reactions were used to synthesize our targets. The structural features of the synthesized scaffolds were characterized using IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectroscopy. The antibacterial activities against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were evaluated using ampicillin as a reference drug. DNA/methyl-green colorimetric assay of the DNA-binding compounds was also performed. Theoretical studies of the newly synthesized compounds based on molecular docking and QSAR study were conducted. The molecular docking studies were screened by MOE software for the more potent antibacterial agent 28b and each native ligand against four of S. aureus proteins 1jij, 2xct, 2w9s and 3t07.

Geochemical, radiometric, and environmental approaches for the assessment of the intensity and chronology of metal contamination in the sediment cores from Oualidia lagoon (Morocco).

The present study evaluates the distribution of metals over the last 100 years in the Oualidia lagoon by examining their concentrations in the sediment cores. The samples were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Activities of 210Pb, 226Ra, and 137Cs were determined by gamma-ray spectrometry for establishing the age-depth relationships throughout the sediment cores by applying conventional models. The results indicated that the study area is contaminated by As and Cd revealing a detectable anthropogenic input of occurring metals as a consequence of the continuous development of human activities around the lagoon since 1950. The enrichment factor calculated for each layer of the three cores revealed that the studied sediments present no enrichment by Pb, K, and Mn; minor enrichment by Zn, Cr, Co, Cu, V, and Ni; and a moderately to severe enrichment by As and Cd. The pollution load index values increase from the bottom to the top of cores, and ranged from 0.9 to 2.8, which indicates levels of pollutants ranging from background to relatively high concentrations in the investigated sediments.

Facile solid state ball milling as a green strategy to prepare 2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-N'-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)acetohydrazide complexes.

2-(2,4-Dichlorophenoxy)-N'-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)acetohydrazide (H2L) complexes were prepared by ball milling involving the reaction of ligand with Ni(II), Co(II), Cu(II) and VO(II) salts (mechanochemical syntheses). The compounds were elucidated by elemental analysis, spectroscopy (1H NMR, IR, UV-visible, MS spectra), and physical measurements (magnetic susceptibility and molar conductance). IR spectra suggested that the H2L behaved as a monodentate and/or bidentate ligand coordinating via azomethine nitrogen and/or deprotonated enolized carbonyl oxygen. The electronic spectra of the complexes and their magnetic moments provided information about geometries. The antimicrobial activities of the ligand and its complexes were studied against gram positive bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative bacteria; Escherichia coli and pathogenic fungi; Candida albicans by using minimum inhibition concentrations method (MIC). Also, the antioxidant (ABTS-derived free radical method) and cytotoxic (in vitro Ehrlich Ascites) activities of the isolated compounds were evaluated.