Scientific African最新文献

{"title":"Digital addiction and emotional exhaustion as mediators between problematic internet use and mental well-being in university students","authors":"David Adedia ,&nbsp;Kennedy Diema Konlan ,&nbsp;Delight Tsogbe ,&nbsp;Nuworza Kugbey ,&nbsp;Elvis Reindolf Kale ,&nbsp;Vincent Uwumboriyhie Gmayinaam ,&nbsp;Judith Akworkor Anaman-Torgbor ,&nbsp;Martin Amogre Ayanore","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The increasing reliance on digital technology has raised concerns about its impact on mental health and well-being, particularly among university students. Problematic internet use, digital addiction, and emotional exhaustion have emerged as key factors influencing students' psychological well-being. Despite established associations between excessive internet use and addictive behaviors, the mechanisms through which it influences mental health remain insufficiently elucidated. This study investigated the relationship between problematic internet use and mental well-being, with a focus on whether digital addiction and emotional exhaustion mediate this relationship.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional survey design was used, involving 815 students from three tertiary institutions in Ghana. Standardized and validated scales were used to measure mental well-being, emotional exhaustion, digital addiction, and problematic internet use. Statistical analyses, including correlation and confirmatory factor analyses were used to determine the correlations, reliability and validity of the scales. Structural equation modelling was employed to ascertain the direct and mediation effects on mental well-being.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>One out of every three students (35%) reported problematic internet use. Bivariate results showed that mental well-being was negatively correlated with emotional exhaustion (-0.25, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001), digital addiction (-0.21, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001), and problematic internet use (-0.36, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). Mediation results showed emotional exhaustion as a significant mediator (β = -0.07, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001), while digital addiction did not significantly mediate the relationship (β = -0.04, <em>p</em> = 0.094), suggesting that internet overuse primarily becomes harmful when it leads to stress and exhaustion rather than addiction itself.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings reveal that problematic internet use harms mental well-being through emotional exhaustion, underscoring the need for joint action by university management and mental health/counselling units to enhance awareness campaigns focused on addressing problematic internet use among students.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03151"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term spatiotemporal trends and population-weighted exposure to PM2.5 in Greater Cairo (2000–2020)","authors":"Gamil Gamal ,&nbsp;Naglaa Zanaty ,&nbsp;Pavol Nejedlik","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) pollution poses significant environmental and health risks in urban areas, such as Greater Cairo (GC). To provide the first high-resolution, two-decade assessment (2000–2020) of chronic exposure, this study integrates 1 km satellite-derived PM₂.₅ concentrations with comprehensive population distribution dynamics (LandScan Global). Trends were assessed using the Mann–Kendall test, and Sen’s slope was also calculated. We utilized advanced exposure metrics: the Population-Weighted Mean Concentration (PWMC) and Total Exposure (TE). A multi-level classification based on the five World Health Organization (WHO) Interim Targets and Guideline Value (IT-1, IT-2, IT-3, IT-4, and the Guideline of 5 µg/m³) was used to quantify the health significance of exposure evolution rigorously. PWMC consistently violated strict international health standards, remaining 7 to 10 times higher than the WHO Guideline (5 µg/m³) over the entire period, indicating a 100% population exposure risk. Concentrations exhibited a non-linear temporal pattern, peaking around 2010 (domain-averaged peak at 45.6 µg/m³) before showing a decline through 2020. Crucially, analysis revealed that high population growth increased the overall health burden (TE), actively counteracting localized improvements in pollution intensity (PWMC). Robust K-means clustering confirmed that the highest exposure burdens persisted in dense urban cores and industrial corridors. These findings provide quantitative evidence essential for targeted air quality management, demonstrating the urgent need for integrated urban planning and localized policies to reduce the cumulative health burden in this megacity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03150"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Are steering committees the governance fix in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) infrastructure projects?","authors":"Alfonso Chikuni ,&nbsp;Patsani Gregory Kumambala ,&nbsp;Michael Chasukwa ,&nbsp;Blessings Chinsinga","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates whether Project Steering Committees (PSCs) can effectively enhance accountability, transparency, and reduce corruption risk in large infrastructure projects in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It employs a comparative qualitative case study design focused on three high-value infrastructure projects in Malawi, combining primary interviews with secondary document analysis, and guided by the Conceptual Project Governance Framework (CPGF). The cases span three governance models: formally constituted PSCs supported by donors, embedded Project Implementation Units (PIUs), and informal coordination mechanisms. To interpret governance dynamics and explain inter-case variation, the study applies a combined theoretical lens integrating project governance theory, institutional analysis, and public choice theory. Findings indicate that inclusive, strategically mandated PSCs with legal authority substantially improve oversight and constrain discretionary abuse. In contrast, informal or politically influenced structures correlate with higher corruption vulnerability and opaque decision-making. By offering rare project-level, empirically grounded insights, the study advances scholarship on infrastructure governance in LMICs and provides actionable guidance for institutionalizing oversight mechanisms in complex project environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03152"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"FUSE-Net: A hybrid ensemble learning framework for securing cloud-based intelligent transport systems in African smart mobility networks","authors":"Vijay Govindarajan ,&nbsp;Merry Jebin Gnanadhas ,&nbsp;Anant Wairagade ,&nbsp;Muhammad Ayaz ,&nbsp;Mohammad Hijji ,&nbsp;Umar Danjuma Maiwada","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid integration of Intelligent Systems (IS) into urban mobility across Africa, through real-time data processing, cloud-enabled traffic platforms, and autonomous vehicle systems has increased exposure to advanced cyber threats. This vulnerability is particularly critical as many African countries expand their digital and smart transportation infrastructure without proportionate cybersecurity reinforcement. To address this challenge, we propose FUSE-Net, a hybrid ensemble machine learning framework for detecting anomalies and cyber intrusions within cloud-based IS environments. FUSE-Net integrates feature subspacing, dynamic classifier weighting, and meta-learning to leverage the strengths of multiple models, including Random Forest, XGBoost, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machines. The framework was evaluated on benchmark datasets CICIDS 2017 and KDDCUP99 capturing both modern and legacy network traffic patterns. Additionally, it was validated on UNSW-NB15 (2015), which includes Fuzzers, Analysis, Backdoors, and Shellcode attacks, achieving 98.95% accuracy, 97.82% precision, 96.88% recall, and 97.35% F1-score. Further evaluation on CIC-IDS2018 (2018), covering Brute-Force, Heartbleed, Botnet, and DDoS attacks, reported 99.25% accuracy, 98.91% precision, 98.50% recall, and 98.70% F1-score. FUSE-Net achieved 99.92% accuracy on CICIDS 2017 and 99.97% on KDDCUP99, with high precision, recall, and F1 scores. Its low false positive rate and scalable architecture support real-time deployment in emerging smart city ecosystems. This research provides a robust foundation for enhancing cybersecurity in African ITS infrastructures and invites future collaboration with regional stakeholders to explore deployment feasibility in real-world African urban environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03149"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comparative study of estimation methods for the New Sine Topp-Leone Fréchet distribution","authors":"Amal S. Hassan ,&nbsp;Emadeldin I.A. Ali ,&nbsp;Hanene Hamdani ,&nbsp;Ahmed M. Gemeay ,&nbsp;Ahmed W. Shawki ,&nbsp;Mohammed Elgarhy","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03142","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modeling and fitting complex datasets are crucial domains in various scientific fields. This article presents the sine Topp-Leone Fréchet distribution, a new probability distribution obtained by integrating the Fréchet distribution with the sine Topp-Leone-G family. The suggested model’s most noteworthy feature is its ability to accurately represent a broad variety of hazard rate patterns (such as upside-down, reversed J-shaped, decreasing, and increasing) with just three parameters. Its density may also display unimodal, reversed-J, and right-skewed shapes. We offer a number of statistical properties for the proposed distribution. Using sixteen different estimation approaches, we estimated the parameters of the suggested model and investigated a number of its distributional characteristics. We evaluate the validity of the suggested model and compare the efficacy of various parameter estimates using a Monte Carlo simulation. Numerical analysis shows that the Kolmogorov and second-order left-tail Anderson–Darling estimators exhibit superior efficiency and consistency in a variety of scenarios. They frequently receive the highest overall ranking based on the sum of all performance criteria and consistently produce estimates with low bias and mean squared error. Additionally, we evaluated the suggested distribution’s adaptability using two real-world datasets, demonstrating its remarkable ability to precisely fit the data. According to our findings, the suggested distribution performs better in terms of fit quality than a cotangent Fréchet, odd exponential-logarithmic Fréchet, Topp-Leone Fréchet, odd-generalized exponential inverse Weibull, generalized inverse Weibull distribution, arctan inverse Weibull, new arctan Fréchet, and Fréchet distributions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03142"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structure-guided identification of novel natural antidiabetic inhibitors: Targeting glucoamylase from saccharomycopsis fibuligera","authors":"Oussama Abchir ,&nbsp;Bouchra Rossafi ,&nbsp;Rodouan Touti ,&nbsp;Imane Yamari ,&nbsp;Kasim Sakran Abass ,&nbsp;Abdelouahid Samadi ,&nbsp;Samir Chtita","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03145","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03145","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diabetes mellitus, a major metabolic disorder, affected approximately 537 million individuals worldwide in 2021, according to the International Diabetes Federation. The disease is associated with severe complications that impair various organs and significantly reduce patients' quality of life. Current pharmacological treatments for diabetes are often associated with adverse effects, including abdominal discomfort, bloating, and diarrhea. In previous studies, 52 medicinal plants from 22 plant families, including Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae, were identified as potential treatments for diabetes and other diseases. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition of these plants, resulting in a collection of approximately 933 unique compounds after removing duplicates. Rigorous filtering based on Lipinski's Rule of Five yielded 844 compounds that met key drug-likeness criteria. To assess their therapeutic potential, molecular docking studies were performed to analyze the binding modes of these compounds with the Glucoamylase receptor, focusing on key interactions with the receptor’s active site. Acarbose, a well-established alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, was used as a reference drug to validate the docking protocol and benchmark the results. Subsequently, molecular dynamics simulations were conducted for the top four selected compounds and Acarbose to evaluate the stability and persistence of the receptor-ligand interactions over time. This in silico study offers valuable insights into the therapeutic potential of plant-derived compounds and supports the development of optimized glucoamylase inhibitors for diabetes management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03145"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel spatially enabled neural model for flood susceptibility in Northern Morocco","authors":"Wassima Moutaouakil ,&nbsp;Soufiane Hamida ,&nbsp;Asmae Ouhmida ,&nbsp;Oussama El Gannour ,&nbsp;Bouchaib Cherradi ,&nbsp;Abdelhadi Raihani","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flooding remains a major hazard in northern Morocco, where rapid urban growth and limited monitoring systems heighten the need for reliable flood susceptibility assessment. This study addresses this challenge by developing a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Deep Learning (DL) model capable of predicting flood‐prone areas using satellite imagery and Geographic Information System (GIS) data. Eleven flood conditioning factors were incorporated, including elevation, slope, aspect, Stream Power Index (SPI), Topographic Position Index (TPI), Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), curvature, drainage density (DD), distance to rivers (DR), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and land use (LU). Unlike previous studies relying on static GIS factors or traditional Machine Learning (ML) methods, this work evaluates how the influence of 11 conditioning factors varies across regions and tests the cross-regional transferability of the LSTM model. A balanced dataset of 1946 samples was generated through data augmentation, and optimization techniques were implemented to enhance model performance. The proposed model achieved an accuracy of 96.06 %, a precision of 94.56 %, a recall of 97.54 %, and an area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 96.10 %, confirming its strong predictive capability. These findings show that LSTM can accurately capture spatial environmental patterns linked to flood occurrence, offering valuable support for urban planning, early warning systems, and improved flood risk management in data-scarce regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03148"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An empirical assessment of wild fauna species as critical ingredients for traditional curative therapy","authors":"B.S. OJELADE ,&nbsp;W.A. JAYEOBA ,&nbsp;J.B.O. OGOLA","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03144","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03144","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Medicinal practices that incorporate animal parts can strengthen the relationships between people and wildlife. Although this practice is recognised as a positive use of wildlife for healing, the demand for animal-based healing remedies poses a threat to biodiversity. This research examines the use of wildlife for medicinal purposes in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria. It details the species, parts used, affected ailments, the intensity of the trade, and the trade's conservation status. This study was accomplished using structured questionnaires and interviews focused on six central markets, and later evaluated the species against the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulations. Twenty-one species were noted, with 62 % of the trade mammals, 14.3 % birds, 14.3 % reptiles, 4.7 % fish, and 4.7 % amphibians. Python, Cane rat, and Black rat were the most frequently mentioned in the literature and in practical use. A high fidelity level of 100 % and an Informant Consensus Factor within the 0.95–1.00 range were strongly concordant with the positive, expected outcome of the remedies. Primary ethnomedicine was recorded as a trade motivator, accounting for 52 % of the justification for the trade, followed by religion at 9 % and food at 4 %. Overlapping factors were noted among all three motivators. Conservation evaluations revealed that 76 % of the assessed species were classified as Least Concern, 14 % as Near Threatened, and 5 % were classified as Vulnerable or Endangered. The study highlights the need for traditional medicine and the conservation of biodiversity. The study advocates for the need for sustainable management of resources, control and collaboration across disciplines, and education focused on reducing zoonoses and preserving wildlife, along with its cultural legacy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03144"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Life cycle and Techno-economic sensitivity analysis of a solar-assisted heat pump dryer integrated with thermal energy storage for drying tomato slices","authors":"Aldé Belgard Tchicaya Loemba ,&nbsp;Baraka Kichonge ,&nbsp;Thomas Kivevele","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03138","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Africa, tray dryers and open sun dryers are commonly used to dry tomato slices. However, these traditional drying methods expose the products to significant risks of microbial contamination. Moreover, they often fail to effectively retain the nutritional content of the dried tomatoes, and the drying process itself can be quite time-consuming. Given these drawbacks, there is a pressing need to explore alternative drying solutions. This study proposes a solar-assisted heat pump dryer integrated with thermal energy storage, utilizing soapstone as the storage material for drying tomato slices. The study places particular emphasis on conducting an integrated techno-economic sensitivity analysis and life cycle assessment, addressing a significant gap that has been largely overlooked in previous studies focused on heat pump drying technology. Experiments were conducted to study the drying of 1000 g of tomato slices in two modes: Mode 1 with storage and Mode 2 without storage. Results of the coefficient of performance showed that Mode 1 was 37.4 % more efficient than Mode 2. Results also revealed that Mode 2 dried 22.22 % slower than Mode 1. Results of the life cycle assessment conducted with OpenLCA under the impact assessment technique ReCiPe 2016 revealed that the drying process using the proposed dryer has negligible impacts on the environment. The economic analysis performed showed a payback period of 1.5 years and a return on investment of 67.63 %. Sensitivity analysis showed that changes in economic variables affect profitability. Thus, the proposed dryer is a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and effective method for drying tomato slices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03138"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis, cytotoxicity, and molecular docking studies of novel selenourea-embedded quinoline and benzimidazole derivatives against MDA-MB-231 and A549 cancer cell lines","authors":"Ziad Moussa ,&nbsp;Mani Ramanathan ,&nbsp;Nael Abutaha ,&nbsp;Abedalqader Abuhussein ,&nbsp;Haythem A. Saadeh ,&nbsp;Harbi Tomah Al-Masri ,&nbsp;Asma Ali Salim Almazrouei ,&nbsp;Laila Ali Holais Alneyadi ,&nbsp;Shaikha Hamad Obaid Alshehhi ,&nbsp;Saleh A. Ahmed","doi":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03141","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e03141","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Development of hybrid molecules has been broadly considered one of the promising strategies towards cancer treatment owing to their unique modes of action on various cell lines. Herein, we describe the synthesis of novel libraries of selenourea-heterocyclic amine hybrids and their in vitro anticancer activities against MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer) and A549 (lung cancer) targets. A selenourea moiety was merged with two distinct heterocyclic amines: 5-(piperazin-1-ylmethyl)quinolin-8-ol (series-1) and 2-(piperazin-1-yl)-1<em>H</em>-benzo[<em>d</em>]imidazole (series-2). A total of <strong>18</strong> derivatives were synthesized and fully characterized using NMR, FT-IR, and Mass spectrometry. Preliminary in vitro anticancer activity evaluation revealed that few selenourea derivatives exhibited significant potency. Among the tested compounds, <strong>18e</strong> from series-2 displayed the most potent activity against triple-negative MDA-MB-231 invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer cells (IC₅₀ = 13.9 μM), whereas <strong>18f</strong> emerged as the most potent against the human lung carcinoma (A549) cell lines with an IC₅₀ value of 17.6 μM. In series-1, <strong>17i</strong> showed notable efficacy against A549 cells (IC₅₀ = 22.5 μM) and invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 (IC₅₀ = 37.9 μM). Morphological changes in MDA-MB-231 cells upon treatment with <strong>18e, 18d</strong> and <strong>18f</strong> were investigated by light microscopy analysis. The differential binding free energy (ΔΔG) was used to compare the relative binding strengths of compound <strong>18e</strong> with the reference ligands. Negative ΔΔG values for NR3C1 (−1.66 kcal/mol) and MAPK8 (−0.52 kcal/mol) indicated stronger interactions and enhanced complex stability, whereas moderate positive values for STAT3, MAPK1, and BCL2L1 suggested promising but comparatively weaker affinities relative to the controls.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21690,"journal":{"name":"Scientific African","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article e03141"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}