The human body is the most sophisticated atomic engineer. This idea underpins a breakthrough technology developed by an international research team led by scientists from the Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN) at Palacký University Olomouc and the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava. By drawing inspiration from the way enzymes function in the human body, the researchers have created a novel material that could fundamentally change the industrial production of hydrogen peroxide and other important chemicals. The new approach simplifies the production process, eliminates the need for toxic organic solvents and expensive precious metals, and requires only sunlight, oxygen and water to operate. The results <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-67189-3">were published by the prestigious journal Nature Communications</a>, which ranked the study among the 50 most significant scientific discoveries of the year.Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most important industrial chemicals. It is widely used not only in the chemical industry but also in pharmaceuticals, medicine, the textile industry and water-treatment technologies. The global hydrogen peroxide market is estimated to exceed USD 5 billion annually. Conventional production involves a multistep process that relies on toxic organic solvents and costly palladium-based catalysts. In addition, both the starting chemicals and the resulting waste products can have negative impacts on human health and the environment.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/CATRIN_Cesti_vedci_vyvinuli_material_pro_vyrobu_chemikalii_z_vody_a_slunce_Inspirovali_se_lidskymi_enzymy_2_c4d5ecbafb.webp" alt="CATRIN: Czech scientists develop a material for producing chemicals from water and sunlight, inspired by human enzymes" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_CATRIN_Cesti_vedci_vyvinuli_material_pro_vyrobu_chemikalii_z_vody_a_slunce_Inspirovali_se_lidskymi_enzymy_2_c4d5ecbafb.webp 208w," sizes="100vw" width="1600" height="1200">“Our aim was to develop a material that enables the efficient, environmentally friendly and affordable production of hydrogen peroxide. When designing this photocatalyst, we were inspired by the structure and behaviour of enzymes in the human body. The result is a technology that does not require toxic organic solvents or expensive precious metals and instead uses a low-cost material based on carbon, nitrogen and copper. It operates in water using only sunlight and oxygen from the air,” said Radek Zbořil, leader of research teams at CATRIN and CEET.In developing the new photocatalyst, the Czech scientists mimicked the function of cytochrome c oxidase—an enzyme that enables human cells to obtain energy by transferring electrons to oxygen. This process relies on copper atoms embedded in the enzyme’s structure, and it was precisely this mechanism that the researchers sought to reproduce.“We very precisely replicated the chemical environment of metals within the enzyme’s structure and anchored copper atoms onto the surface of extremely small carbon nanoparticles with photocatalytic properties. When exposed to light, highly efficient electron transfer occurs between the carbon nanoparticles, the copper atoms and oxygen molecules. This process closely resembles an enzymatic reaction and enables high hydrogen peroxide production,” explained the first author of the study, Lukáš Zdražil, who is affiliated with both CATRIN and CEET.Producing hydrogen peroxide using sunlight and water has been a long-standing goal of research teams worldwide, as it eliminates the use of toxic organic solvents and avoids the formation of hazardous by-products. Until now, however, research in this area has largely remained at an academic level, mainly due to the use of noble metals and often complex photocatalyst designs. Laboratory studies have also resulted in relatively low hydrogen peroxide yields, which could not compete with existing industrial processes.“The new photocatalyst achieves hydrogen peroxide production rates up to two orders of magnitude higher than all previously reported systems, bringing us much closer to industrial requirements. In addition, the material is completely non-toxic, easily recyclable and reusable,” added Zdražil.The Czech teams are now focusing on potential applications of this technology in decentralised production units. Such systems could enable efficient, local production of hydrogen peroxide, for example for use in agriculture, pharmaceutical manufacturing or environmental applications. The combination of solar energy and materials inspired by enzymatic systems may also lead to further promising advances.“I believe that mimicking the structures and functions of iron- and copper-based enzymes could pave the way for other innovative technologies in the chemical industry and pharmaceuticals, such as the production of epoxides, alcohols or phenols,” concluded Zbořil.

 Czech scientists develop a material for producing chemicals from water and sunlight, inspired by human enzymes

In the week of February 23, the following webinars await you in the field of gas / solid phase and especially Raman, FTIR, GC and GC/MS.<blockquote><h4><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/webinars">👉 DETAILS AND REGISTRATION IN THE WEBINARS SECTION</a></h4>👉 Search and filter in the largest global database with over 5 500 GC, LC, MS and spectroscopy webinars.</blockquote><div><div><div><div><div><div><h5>1. Technology Networks: Real-Time In-Line Insight for Therapeutic Protein Production</h5><ul><li>Tu, 24.2.2026 16:00 CET</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/webinar/5796">Registration</a></li></ul>Discover how real-time, in-line Raman monitoring improves control and consistency in therapeutic protein manufacturing by delivering actionable insights across downstream operations.<h5>2. Agilent Technologies: Microplastics in Wastewater – A Population Based Approach to Identifying Potential Sources</h5><ul><li>Tu, 24.2.2026 21:30 CET</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/webinar/2531">Registration</a></li></ul>Using LDIR within a closed wastewater treatment system, this webinar explores how microplastics are quantified at multiple treatment stages to identify potential contamination sources.<h5>3. Separation Science: PFAS in Air – A Practical Toolkit for Real-World Applications</h5><ul><li>Th, 26.2.2026 11:00 CET</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/webinar/5812">Registration</a></li></ul>Discover practical solutions and emerging approaches for monitoring volatile and semi-volatile PFAS in air and materials.<h5>4. Waters Corporation: GC-MS/MS Under Atmospheric Pressure – Benefits for Dioxin and Pyrethroid Analysis</h5><ul><li>Th, 26.2.2026 15:00 CET</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/webinar/5919">Registration</a></li></ul>Learn how environmental labs can adapt to revised EU Water Framework Directive requirements, address pollutants like PFAS and dioxins, and leverage GC-MS/MS innovations.<h5>5. LECO: Advanced GC×GC-MS Strategy for Pesticide Analysis in a Highly Complex Chili Pepper Matrix</h5><ul><li>Th, 26.2.2026 16:00 CET</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/webinar/5760">Registration</a></li></ul>Discover how GC×GC-MS enables reliable determination of pesticide residues in complex chili pepper matrices by overcoming severe interferences that limit conventional GC-MS/MS.<h5>6. SelectScience: The PFAS Measurement Crisis – A Roundtable Discussion</h5><ul><li>Fr, 27.2.2026 17:00 CET</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/webinar/5841">Registration</a></li></ul>Join this expert roundtable to discuss limitations of targeted PFAS methods, non-targeted analysis strategies, next-generation standards, and closing the PFAS data gap.</div></div></div></div></div></div>

Webinars LabRulezGCMS Week 09/2026

This study evaluates the in vitro antibacterial potential of Pinus nigra and Thymus serpyllum essential oils, individually and in combination, against 12 human pathogens. Antimicrobial activity and synergistic interactions were assessed using microdilution and checkerboard assays, with additional testing alongside ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin, and tetracycline.The oil combination showed strong synergy against Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus epidermidis, while P. nigra combined with amoxicillin was synergistic against Streptococcus mitis. Major oil components were characterized by GC/MS and GC/FID, and cytotoxicity testing confirmed no toxicity for synergistic combinations. These findings highlight the potential of essential oil–antibiotic combinations in antibacterial strategies.<blockquote><h4>The original article</h4><h4><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.5c07183">In Vitro Antibacterial Potential of Pinus nigra-Thymus serpyllum Essential Oil and Antibiotic Combinations</a></h4>Sümeyye Elif Kahya*, Ayşe Esra Karadağ, Betül Demirci, and Fatih Demirci*ACS Omega 2025, 10, 50, 61528–61534<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c07183">https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c07183</a><h6>licensed under <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC-BY 4.0</a></h6></blockquote>Selected sections from the article follow. Formats and hyperlinks were adapted from the original.<div>Thymus serpyllum L. (Lamiaceae) is commonly known as a ‘wild thyme’, and is originally from Eastern Mediterranean regions, where also a monograph of the dried flowering aerial parts in the European Pharmacopoeia exists as Serpylli herba, which is widely used in Europe. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(1)</a> Carvacrol was reported as the main component in T. serpyllum, with variable amounts of thymol, linalool, linalyl acetate, borneol, 1,8-cineole, germacrene D, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, myrcene, and β-caryophyllene, respectively. The content varies significantly based on the species, genetic variation, developmental stage, origin, and cultivation conditions, so its chemotype diversity occurs. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(2,3)</a> Its preparations are traditionally used for treating colds, rheumatism, sciatica, and its stimulating, disinfectant, and immune-stimulating effects. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(4,5)</a>Pinus nigra JF Arnold (Black pine) is a diverse species which belongs to the Pinaceae family, present throughout the Mediterranean region. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(6)</a> The species is divided into seven subspecies: Pinus nigra subsp. dalmatica (Vis.) Franco, P. nigra subsp. laricio Palib. ex Maire, P. nigra subsp. nigra, P. nigra subsp. pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe, P. nigra subsp. salzmannii (Dunal) Franco, P. nigra f. seneriana (Saatçioglu) Kandemir &amp; Mataraci, and P. nigra var. yaltirikiana Alptekin. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(7)</a> Black pine is recognized for its genetic, morphological, phenotypic, and biochemical diversity. The chemical composition of essential oils varies among different origins and subspecies, with the abundance of monoterpenes such as α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, δ-3-carene, and β-phellandrene among others. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(8,9)</a> Biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant are reported within traditional medicine. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(10)</a>Antimicrobial resistance can be classified as one of the clinical and economical devastating impacts globally. Pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are frequently listed as priority pathogens by the World Health Organization, because they rank as leading causes for infections acquired in communities along with hospitals worldwide. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(11,12)</a> According to the One Health approach, the spread of resistant strains constitutes a significant threat to human, animal, and environmental health. Consequently, new research for new innovative antimicrobial agents such as essential oils and combinations withdraw attention as a sustainable strategy. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(13)</a>The combination of conventional antibiotics with EOs enhances their effectiveness, positioning EOs as promising alternatives to synthetic antimicrobial agents for combating resilient infections, where recent studies demonstrated synergistic activity in specific combinations. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(14,15)</a> Synergistic effects have significant advantages, such as the drug combination exerting a more substantial impact than the sum of the drugs’ effect, lower toxicity, and reduced side effects. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(16)</a>In this present study, to achieve synergistic antimicrobial activity T. serpyllum and P. nigra essential oil combinations were systematically evaluated. The checkerboard method was used to evaluate the binary combinations of the essential oils and their individual combinations with tetracycline, amoxicillin, and ciprofloxacin, respectively. In addition, based on the GC/MS and GC/FID verification results, the combinations of the major components geraniol and α-pinene were evaluated against pathogenic microorganisms. To the best our knowledge, the combination of T. serpyllum and P. nigra essential oils, tetracycline, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, major components geraniol and α-pinene, respectively, were evaluated for the first time. Also, the active combinations were further assessed for their potential toxicity using the in vitro MTT assay.<h4>2. Result and Discussion</h4><h5>2.1. Phytochemical Analysis</h5>The detailed chromatographic analyses represent the relative percentages (%) calculated from FID data which are listed in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.5c07183#tbl1">Table 1</a>. GC-FID and GC/MS analyses of the commercial essential oils verified 20 and 46 compounds, representing 92% and 97.2% of the essential oils, respectively. The main compounds for P. nigra oil were characterized as α-pinene (73.8%), trans-verbenol (4.4%), α-pinene oxide (2%), camphene (1.7%), limonene (1.7%), verbenone (1.6%), and β-pinene, respectively. The main compounds for T. serpyllum were geraniol (19.3%), p-cymene (12.9%), α-thujone (6.6%), linalool (6.4%), carvacrol (5.7%), geranyl acetate (5.6%), geranyl formate (4.3%), and camphor (3.7%), respectively. T. serpyllum and P. nigra essential oil (see Suppl. For Chromatograms in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acsomega.5c07183/suppl_file/ao5c07183_si_001.pdf">Figure S1 and S2</a>).<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ACS_Omega_2025_10_50_61528_61534_Figure_S1_GCMS_Chromatogram_of_P_nigra_essential_oil_6d0e834f08.jpg" alt="ACS Omega 2025, 10, 50, 61528–61534: Figure S1. GC/MS Chromatogram of P. nigra essential oil" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ACS_Omega_2025_10_50_61528_61534_Figure_S1_GCMS_Chromatogram_of_P_nigra_essential_oil_6d0e834f08.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="1178" height="533"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ACS_Omega_2025_10_50_61528_61534_Figure_S2_GCMS_Chromatogram_of_T_serpyllum_essential_oil_625414f30d.jpg" alt="ACS Omega 2025, 10, 50, 61528–61534: Figure S2. GC/MS Chromatogram of T. serpyllum essential oil" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ACS_Omega_2025_10_50_61528_61534_Figure_S2_GCMS_Chromatogram_of_T_serpyllum_essential_oil_625414f30d.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="1179" height="503">In a previous study, T. serpyllum essential oil reported 10 different chemotypes, namely: carvacrol, 1,8-cineole/caryophyllene oxide, p-cymene, geraniol, linalool, trans-nerolidol, γ-terpinene, α-terpinol acetate, linalyl acetate, and thymol. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(17−19)</a> Among all, the most common chemotypes of T. serpyllum were suggested as the carvacrol and thymol type. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(3,20)</a> Paaver et al. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(19)</a> observed four chemotypes (trans-nerolidol, caryophyllene oxide, myrcene, and borneol) growing in Estonia. Another study reported that T. serpyllum chemotypes are thymol, caryophyllene oxide, τ-cadinol, β-cubebene, geraniol, geranyl isobutyrate, and 1,8-cineole from Hungary. In this present study, the utilized commercial T. serpyllum essential oil can be classified as geraniol chemotype, in agreement with previous reports in varying concentrations. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(17,21)</a>The major compound of commercial P. nigra essential oil was reported as α-pinene, according to phytochemical analyses. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(22,23)</a>. Regarding the Pinus essential oils in previous reports; α-pinene (44.98%), β-pinene (14.27%), germacrene D (9.63%), limonene (6.93%), and β-caryophyllene (5.58%), respectively was identified in the P. nigra needle oil. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(22)</a> In another study, the main components of pine essential oil were reported as α-pinene (45.93%), germacrene D (27.50%), (E)-caryophyllene (8.13%), and β-pinene (6.90%). <a href="javascript:void(0);">(23)</a>When compared with literature data, the chemical compositions and major compounds showed consistency to previous studies.<h5>2.4. Toxicity Assay</h5>In vitro toxicity tests of the combinations with synergic effects were performed on the HEK293 cell line using the MTT method to evaluate selectivity. According to the FIC values, the combinations of P. nigra-T. serpyllum and P. nigra-amoxicillin were selected for the toxicity evaluation of the essential oils and amoxicillin alone. When the concentrations determined based on the FIC values, all combinations showed higher cell viability compared to the individual MIC values. Based on the data obtained from the cell culture toxicity, a reduction was observed in the combination studies.According to Nikolić et al. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(21)</a> the wild thyme oil, which contains thymol as its major constituent, showed relatively less in vitro cytotoxic activity against four human tumor cells. Deb et al. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(40)</a> reported the T. serpyllum essential oil with antiproliferative activity against HL-60 cells (promyelocytic leukemia).In this present study, designed combinations of commercial essential oils were systematically inhibited the pathogenic microorganism. The utilization of the particular commercially available essential oils, and their combinations with other components for preventing microbial resistance may be applicable.<h4>3. Conclusion</h4>Essential oils with known quality exert new biological and pharmacological activities that carry a utilization potential other than aromatherapy applications. Antimicrobial activity studies using essential oils and their major constituents targeting resistant bacteria may lead to the discovery of new drug leads with potential treatment of various microbial diseases. P. nigra and T. serpyllum oil combinations may have future potential as antimicrobial natural agents. The oil and antibiotic combinations offers a variation enabling relatively higher activity at lower concentrations. Also, combinations of major or minor constituents may not always responsible for synergistic activities, which should be evaluated carefully in depth. The effective combinations may form a basis for future research on upper respiratory tract infections as well as other microbial diseases.However, more detailed studies, including in vivo experiments should be conducted. In addition further research must be performed to explore the use of combinations for the cosmetics and food industries with appropriate design.<h4>4. Material and Methods</h4><h5>4.2. GC/FID and GC/MS Analysis</h5>The GC-MS analysis was carried out with an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?mainauthorItems=10&amp;search=5975">Agilent 5975 GC-MSD system</a>. Innowax FSC column (60 m x 0.25 mm, 0.25 μm film thickness) was used with helium as carrier gas (0.8 mL/min). GC oven temperature was kept at 60 °C for 10 min and programmed to 220 °C at a rate of 4 °C/min, and kept constant at 220 °C for 10 min and then programmed to 240 °C at a rate of 1 °C/min. Split ratio was adjusted at 40:1. The injector temperature was set at 250 °C. Mass spectra were recorded at 70 eV. Mass range was from m/z 35 to 450.FID detector temperature was set to 300 °C. To obtain the same elution order with GC-MS, simultaneous autoinjection was applied on a duplicate of the same column applying the same operational conditions. Relative percentage (%) of the separated compounds were calculated from the FID chromatograms.Identification of the essential oil components were carried out by comparison of their relative retention times (RRT) with those of authentic samples or by comparison of their relative retention index (RRI) to series of n-alkanes. Computer matching against commercial (Wiley GC/MS Library, MassFinder Software 4.0) and in-house “Başer Library of Essential Oil Constituents” built up by genuine compounds and components of known oils were performed. <a href="javascript:void(0);">(41)</a></div>

In Vitro Antibacterial Potential of Pinus nigra-Thymus serpyllum Essential Oil and Antibiotic Combinations

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In Vitro Antibacterial Potential of Pinus nigra-Thymus serpyllum Essential Oil and Antibiotic Combinations

Webinars LabRulezGCMS Week 09/2026

Czech scientists develop a material for producing chemicals from water and sunlight, inspired by human enzymes