The pharmacological properties of Gypsophila eriocalyx: The endemic medicinal plant of northern central Turkey.

The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the biological properties of different extracts (methanol, ethanol, and water) obtained from Gypsophila eriocalyx (G. eriocalyx), a medicinal plant traditionally used in Turkey. The components of different extracts were defined using the GC-MS method. The effects of G. eriocalyx extracts on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer as well as in vitro antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, and antimicrobial activities were investigated. In accordance with the results obtained, although ethanol and methanol extracts of G. eriocalyx show higher antioxidant activity than G. eriocalyx water extract, enzyme inhibition activities of the extracts were not found to be significant compared to the reference drug. The methanol and ethanol extract of G. eriocalyx exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and methanol extract showed significant antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus. In addition, both extracts significantly inhibited cell viability in a dose-dependent manner in breast cancer cells. The cell growth inhibition by methanol and ethanol extracts induced S phase cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. Lastly, in order to compare the activities of the chemicals found in Gypsophila eriocalyx plant extract, their activities against various proteins that are breast cancer protein (PDB ID:1A52 and 1JNX), antioxidant protein (PDB ID: 1HD2), AChE enzyme protein (PDB ID: 4M0E), BChE enzyme protein (PDB ID: 5NN0), and Escherichia coli protein (PDB ID: 4PRV)were compared. Then, ADME/T analysis calculations were made to examine the effects of molecules with high activity on human metabolism. Eventually, G. eriocalyx is thought to be a potent therapeutic herb that can be considered as an alternative and functional therapy for the management of diseases of a progressive nature related to oxidative damage such as infection, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.

Phytochemical characterization and biological activities of Inula viscosa L. Aiton: a promising plant from Turkey.

The methanol extract of Inula viscosa (IVM) was investigated for its antioxidant potential using the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging as well as iron chelating assays (ICA). The total phenol (TPC) and flavonoid contents (TFC) of IVM were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum trichloride methods, respectively. Antimicrobial activity of different concentrations of I. viscosa methanol extract was investigated by disc diffusion and broth microdilution method. The IVM extract was found to be containing TPC (236.78 ± 7.63 mg GAE/g) and TFC (94.36 ± 1.86 mg QE/g). Antioxidant activity IC50 values for the DPPH, ABTS and ICA assays were found to be 277.7 ± 3.68, 2.44 ± 0.02, and 222.1 ± 0.71 µg/mL, respectively. The MIC values of the IVM on the tested microorganisms ranged from 0.48 to 7.81 mg/mL. Furthermore, IVM extract was demonstrated 18.32 ± 1.37%, 23.06 ± 1.05%, 4.72 ± 0.13%, 15.13 ± 0.37% and 37.64 ± 4.02% inhibition against tyrosinase, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, AChE and BChE, respectively. In the results of LC-MS/MS analysis, acacetin, quercetin, chlorogenic acid and protocatechuic acid were determined as most dominant compounds. These findings suggested that this plant may be a natural resource for creating novel medicinal compounds.

Phytochemical Profiling and Biological Activity of Achillea sintenisii Hub.-Mor.

Achillea (Asteraceae) species have been traditionally used for their different therapeutical properties. In this study, phytochemical composition of aerial parts of A. sintenisii which is endemic in Turkey was determined with Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). To evaluate the wound healing potential, the cream formulation prepared from A. sintenisii was tested on the linear incision wound model in mice. In vitro enzyme inhibitory activity tests were performed on elastase, hyaluronidase, and collagenase. In the histopathological examination, angiogenesis and granulation tissue formation were significantly increased in A. sintenisii treatment groups compared to the negative control group. As a result of this study, it is thought that the enzyme inhibition and antioxidant activity of the plant may contribute to the wound healing process. According to LC/MS/MS analysis result, quinic acid (24.261 µg/mg extract) and chlorogenic acid (14.97 µg/mg extract) were identified as main constituents of the extract.

Synthesis and Characterization of Copper-Nanoflowers with the Utilization of Medicinal Plant Extracts for Enhanced Various Enzyme Inhibitory Activities.

In this study, organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers were synthesized using methanolic extracts of the medicinal plants Ajuga chamaepitys subsp. chia var. chia, Achillea wilhelmsii, Bongardia chrysogonum, Malva sylvestris, Phlomis grandiflora var. grandiflora, Verbascum sp. together with copper ions (Cu2+ ). The synthesized plant extract based-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers (PE-ihNFs) of A. chamaepitys subsp. chia var. chia (Ac-ihNFs), A. wilhelmsii (Aw-ihNfs), B. chrysogonum (Bc-ihNFs), M. sylvestris (Ms-ihNFs) P. grandiflora var. grandiflora (Pg-ihNFs), and Verbascum sp. (Vs-ihNFs) were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Also, several enzymes were selected to evaluate the enzyme inhibition activities of the synthesized PE-ihNFs. For the first-time, enzymes, tyrosinase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase, acetyl and butyryl cholinesterase inhibition activities of the PE-ihNFs with comparison to their plain plant extracts were evaluated in vitro. Results show that the among all the analyzed PE-ihNFs, demonstrated better α-glucosidase & α-amylase enzyme inhibition activity compared to the plain extracts. These initial studies are promising for the synthesis of these hybrid nanoflowers containing medicinal plant extracts, which might have commercial applications in the pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetics industries.

In Vitro Antioxidant and Enzyme Inhibition Activity of Tanacetum argyrophyllum (K. Koch) Tzvelev var. argyrophyllum Extract.

Objectives: Tanacetum L. belongs to Asteraceae family and is represented by 46 species in Türkiye. Tanacetum genus is known for its insecticide and insect repellent effect. T. argyrophyllum contains sesquiterpene lactone derivatives. These compounds are responsible for its various activities, especially cytotoxic, antitumor, phytotoxic, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal activity. There are not enough biological activity studies on the plant that are likely to have a wide variety of activities in terms of the compounds it contains. The aim of the present study is to evaluate various biological activities of 80% aqueous methanol extract prepared from aerial parts of T. argyrophyllum (K. Koch) Tzvelev var. argyrophyllum collected from Sivas province of Turkey. Materials and Methods: Antioxidant activity of the methanol extract was determined by 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl and 2,2-azinobis (3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging activity, total phenolic, and total flavonoid content tests. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities were investigated via Ellman's spectrometric method. Results: Total phenolic content was found as 71.67 mg/gallic acid equivalent g and total flavonoid content was 25.225 mg/quercetin equivalent g on a dry extract weight basis. In this work, AChE, BChE, and α-glycosidase enzymes were inhibited by the extract of T. argyrophyllum var. argyrophyllum. IC50 values for these enzymes were found as 266.79 µg/mL for AChE and 176.91 µg/mL for BChE. Also, the α-glycosidase activity exhibited a dose-dependent manner with increasing concentration. Conclusion: According to the results, T. argyrophyllum var. argyrophyllum can be used as an ingredient of functional foods as well as herbal products for diabetic and Alzheimer's disease patients.

Determination of biological activity of Tragopogon porrifolius and Polygonum cognatum consumed intensively by people in Sivas.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to investigate the in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxicity, and enzyme inhibition activities of Tragopogon porrifolius and Polygonum cognatum which are naturally grown and consumed intensively by people in Sivas, Turkey. METHODS: Plant materials were extracted with aqueous ethanol by maceration method. The components of the extracts were determined using the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Antimicrobial, cytotoxic and enzyme inhibition activities of the extracts were investigated by micro dilution, XTT assay and 96-micro-well plate methods, respectively. The antioxidant activity evaluated using the DPPH radical scavenging, thiobarbituric acid and reducing power methods. The total phenol and total flavonoid content was also examined. RESULTS: GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 31 compounds inP. cognatum extract and 29 compounds in T. porrifolius extract. According to the results, T. porrifolius extract showed high level of antioxidant activity in comparison to P. Cognatum extract. T. porrifolius exhibited higher α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, and both extract showed strong α-amylase inhibition activity compared to reference drug acarbose. T. porrifolius and P. cognatum ethanolic extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity in the concentration range of 0.039-2.5 mg/ml. Both extracts also exhibited significant anticancer effect on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The IC50 values of T. porrifolius and P. cognatum extracts in MDA-MB-231 cells were determined as 0.0625 mg/mL and 0.053 mg/mL, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that T. porrifolius and P. cognatum ethanolic extracts have promising effect on antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity as well as enzyme inhibition activity, and hence further studies required to identify specific compounds responsible for these activities.

In vitro antioxidant assessment, screening of enzyme inhibitory activities of methanol and water extracts and gene expression in Hypericum lydium.

Hypericum lydium Boiss. is a perennial plant of the Hypericaceae family, which has been used in particular to treat depression. The aim of this study was to determine in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial activities, anticholinesterase (acetylcholinesterase (AChE)/butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)), antidiabetic activities (α-glucosidase/α-amylase) and Tyrosinase inhibitor activity of methanol and water extracts of H. lydium. Also, gene expression has been evaluated in the shoot and root by microarray technology. So, in general, the purpose of this study is to study the active molecules such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, enzymes and genes in the plant, which is the first to be reported. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications. In addition, gene expression was compared in the shoot and root parts. Expression profiling was carried out by microarrays. According to the results, the highest chemical components were determined in methanol extract rather than water extract. There was a difference between the obtained components. While the highest antioxidant activity was determined from the methanol extract of plant herbs for DPPH Free Radical Scavenging Activity, antioxidant activity was the same in both methanol and water extracts using the ABTS method. The methanol extract demonstrated stronger anticholinesterase (AChE and BChE) and α-amylase inhibition activity. This study was complemented by the detection of antioxidant activity and some enzyme inhibition activity in the methanol extract. Microarray showed 10,784 genes had significantly different expression in root and shoot. There was a positive effect of methanol extract in respect of different activities compared to the water extract. Gene expression showed that the number of expressed genes in the root was greater than the shoot.

Determination of 1-Deoxynojirimycin by a developed and validated HPLC-FLD method and assessment of In-vitro antioxidant, α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase inhibitory activity in mulberry varieties from Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Morus alba and Morus nigra leaves which have been widely used as herbal teas in Anatolian region of Turkey, were extracted twice by 50 mM HCI solution, derivatized with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate and analyzed by reversed phase HPLC equipped with a fluorescence detector. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: This study was performed to determine the main antidiabetic active compounds 1-deoxynojirimycin by HPLC method and evaluate the in-vitro antioxidant and antidiabetic activity of ethanol extracts prepared from Morus alba L. and Morus nigra leaves. STUDY DESIGN: A reliable simple, and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of 1-deoxynojirimycin in M. alba L. and M. nigra leaves with fluorimetric detection after pre-column derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate was developed. In addition, the chemical composition of ethanol extract of mulberry leaves was analyzed with GC-MS. METHODS: Separation and quantitation were performed on C18, 250 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm analytical column. Mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 0.1% acetic acid solution (1:1, v/v) was performed applied to the column 1.0 ml/min flow rate at 26 °C. Potential antioxidant activity of ethanol extract of different mulberry varieties were evaluated by DPPH, and ABTS radical scavenging assay as well as total phenol and flavonoid content were determined. In addition, α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity was determined by 96-well plate method to evaluate the probable antidiabetic potential use of Turkish mulberry leaves. RESULTS: The isocratic HPLC method showed excellent correlation coefficient (r2 = 0.9985) between 0.3 and 30 µg/ml calibration points. The method was specific and sensitive with detection and quantification limits of 1.07 and 3.27 ng/ml, respectively. Intraday and interday method precision (n = 5) were < 7.3 (RSD%). Intraday and interday method accuracy (n = 5) were between 3.77 and (-8.35) (RE%). The average method recovery (n = 3) was 102.5%. The results showed that the content of 1-deoxynojirimycin in leaves of Morus alba L. was 0.103% (n = 3), and in leaves of M. nigra L. was 0.102%. 2-hexadecen-1-ol, oleamide, 2-propenoic acid, and cyclododecane were identified as the major compounds by GC-MS in the ethanol extract of mulberry leaves. CONCLUSION: The obtained robustness values from emission and excitation detection, mobile phase ingredients and flow rates changes showed that method was very strong. This work contributes to the knowledge of antioxidant and antidiabetic properties of Morus species, thus may be provide useful data in evaluation of food products and pharmaceutical preparations produced from Morus species.

In Vitro Evaluation of the Chemical Composition and Various Biological Activities of Ficus carica Leaf Extracts.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate the inhibitory activities of enzymes related to diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease of the methanol and water extracts of Ficus carica leaf extracts. The bioactive compounds and anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects of the extracts were also investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The bioactive compounds in the extracts were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6 sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging, total phenol and flavonoid content, ferric reducing power, and iron chelating method. The anticancer, anticholinesterase, and antimicrobial effects were investigated using the XTT assay, Ellman method, and microdilution, respectively. RESULTS: Our results showed that between the water and methanol extracts there was a difference in terms of chemical composition. The antioxidant results suggested that both extracts have strong antioxidant activity. Similarly, both extracts showed strong α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition activity, while the water extract had higher inhibition activity than the methanol extract against acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. The methanol extract of F. carica exhibited significant anticancer activity on MDA-MB-231 cells and showed moderate antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that F. carica leaves could be a valuable source for developing a promising therapeutic agent in cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.

Determination of inhibitory activities of enzymes, related to Alzheimer's disease and diabetes mellitus of plane tree (Platanus orientalis L.) extracts and their antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer activities.

Plane tree (Platanus orientalis L.) leaves have been employed for centuries in various countries due to their pharmacological value. Therefore, determination of the biological activity of the leaves is of interest. The aim of the study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects against Alzheimer's disease-related enzymes Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), diabetes mellitus related enzymes α-glucosidase and α-amylase. The antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities of the leaves were also studied. According to the results, both water and methanol extracts of P. orientalis demonstrated more α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition activity than the antidiabetic drug-acarbose at the same concentration level. In addition, extracts showed good inhibition activity against AChE and BuChE. Significant results were obtained regarding antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities. These results are very promising especially for the improvement of pharmaceutical formulations to treat various diseases such as age-related diseases, cancer, diabetes etc. and it is necessary to conduct further experiments.

The Effects of different nitrogen doses on antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bert.).

In this study, the efficiency of the different nitrogen doses (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 kg ha-1) on biological activity levels (antioxidant and antimicrobial activity) of Stevia rebaudiana Bert. was investigated. In addition, methanol extracts were obtained by maceration method from different doses of fertilizer applied stevia. The components in methanol extracts of plants were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. Antimicrobial activities of stevia extracts were investigated by microdilution method. The antioxidant activity evaluated by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric thiocyanate (FTC), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), reducing power, total phenol content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) methods. According to the results, the fertilizer doses effects on antimicrobial activity of stevia were not made much difference. But in antioxidant activity, there were some variations in the activity-dependent on fertilizer amount.

A Simple Isocratic High-perfomance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Shikonin Derivatives in Some Echium Species Growing Wild in Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: Dried roots of Echium species are used in Turkey for the treatment of wounds, inflammation, and depression. In this study, an reversed-phase-liquid chromatographic method with isocratic elution was developed to determine shikonin derivatives in Echium species. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chromatographic separation and quantification was performed on a C18 column (ACE, 150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm), with a mobile phase of acetonitrile and 0.1 M acetic acid (70: 30, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, and ultraviolet detection at 520 nm. RESULTS: Linear behavior was observed over the investigated concentration range (2-500 ppm) for all analytes, with a correlation coefficient of >0.998. The proposed method was found to be specific and precise for the quantification of shikonin derivatives in Echium species. CONCLUSION: The highest content of shikonin derivatives was observed in E. italicum L. compared with the other species studied herein, advocating the use of E. italicum L. roots as an alternate source for shikonin derivatives.

The structural studies on the medicinal plant Haplophyllum telephioides

ABSTRACT Haplophyllum telephioides Boiss., Rutaceae, is an endemic herb which generally grows at the steppe region in Central Turkey. Its aerial parts in flowering stage are used by local people against influenza virus due to its antimicrobial effect. The main purpose of this study was to examine the morphology, anatomy and histology of the vegetative and reproductive organs of the H. telephioides, which are used in popular medicine, thereby, contributing to the pharmacognostic evaluation of the species. The species was studied morphologically in detail. New morphological features were described for them, such as the dimension of leaf, sepal and fruit, size of filament, anther and pistil, and diameter of the ovary. In addition, some deviating features were found in relation to previous published descriptions for the species, such as plant height and petal length. The anatomy of plant parts such as stem, leaf, sepal, petal, filament and pistil, were studied using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Stem has incipient secondary growth. The leaf is amphistomatic and the mesophyll is equifacial. Stomata are anomocytic and sunken. In micromorphological studies, it is determined that the leaf is coated by a thick cuticle and above epicuticular wax. Schizogenous glands were found in all vegetative and reproductive organs. The structural features herein found can assist the diagnosis of H. telephioides.

Bioassay-guided isolation of wound healing active compounds from Echium species growing in Turkey.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The roots and root barks of Echium sp. have been used to treat ulcers, burns and wounds in traditional Turkish medicine. AIM OF THE STUDY: On the basis of them traditional use and literature references, four Echium species were selected for evaluation of them wound healing potential. Isolation of active component(s) from the active extracts through the bioassay guided fractionation procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In vivo the wound healing activity of the plants was evaluated by linear incision experimental models. The chloroform extract of Echium italicum L. was fractionated by successive chromatographic techniques. Wound healing activity of each fraction was investigated following the bioassay-guided fractionation procedures. Moreover, the tissue samples of isolated compounds were examined histopathologically. The healing potential was comparatively assessed with a reference ointment Madecassol®, which contains 1% extract of Centella asiatica. RESULTS: Significant wound healing activity was observed from the ointment prepared with ethanol extract at 1% concentration. The ethanol root extract treated in groups of animals showed a significant increase (37.38%, 40.97% and 35.29% separately for E. italicum L, Echium vulgare L. and Echium angustifolium Miller) wound tensile strength in the incision wound model. Subfractions showed significant but reduced wound healing activity on in vivo wound models. Shikonin derivatives "Acetylshikonin", "Deoxyshikonin" and "2-methyl-n-butyrylshikonin+Isovalerylshikonin", were isolated and determined as active components of active final subfraction from E. italicum L. roots. The results of histopathological examination supported the outcome of linear incision wound models. CONCLUSION: The experimental study revealed that Echium species display remarkable wound healing activity.