In vitro anticancer, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potentials of endemic Cephalaria elazigensis var. purpurea with in silico studies.

In this study, the therapeutic potential and phytochemical composition of ethanolic extract of Cephalaria elazigensis var. purpurea (CE), an endemic species, were investigated. For this purpose, the antiproliferative effect of CE on the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and its effectiveness on colony formation and cell migration was analyzed with clonogenic assay and wound healing assay, respectively. In addition, the cell death detection ELISA (CDDE) assay was conducted to determine the pro-apoptotic capacity of CE. The IC50 value of the CE was determined as 324.2 ± 14.7 µg/mL. Furthermore, upon 1000 µg/mL CE treatment, there was 4.96-fold increase in the population of cells undergoing apoptosis compared to the untreated control cells. The antioxidant activity tests were performed by DPPH free radical, ABTS cation radical, ferric-ion reducing power (FRAP) and ferrous-ion chelating power (FCAP) assays. Antioxidant activity values for the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays were found to be 125.6 ± 6.3, 34.09 ± 0.1 and 123.4 ± 4.2 µmol TE/mg DE, respectively. We further determined the effect of CE ethanolic extract against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) enzymes. CE plays an effective inhibitory role in AChE and BuChE (AChE: IC50: 10.54 µg/mL, BuChE: IC50: 6.84 µg/mL) respectively. Further, molecular docking stuy was conducted to understand the nature of the all compound against AChE an BChE. It is revealed that α-Linolenic acid shows lowest binding energy (-7.90 kcal/mol) towards AChE, on the other side, Linoleic acid shows good binding affinity (-7.40 kcal/mol) for BChE.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

A New Iridoid Dimer and Other Constituents from the Traditional Kurdish Plant Pterocephalus nestorianus Nábelek.

Accompanied by other rare compounds, a new iridoid dimer, named kurdnestorianoside (1), showing an unprecedented secologanol configuration, has been isolated for the first time from the Kurdish medicinal plant Pterocephalus nestorianus, which is used in Kurdistan for treating oral diseases and inflammation. The structure of 1 was established from 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic data. Kaempferol 3-O-[3,6-di-O-(E)-p-coumaroyl]-ß-d-glucopyranoside (7) showed a remarkable antiproliferative activity against several human tumor cell lines.

Bringing together evolution on serpentine and polyploidy: spatiotemporal history of the diploid-tetraploid complex of Knautia arvensis (Dipsacaceae).

Polyploidization is one of the leading forces in the evolution of land plants, providing opportunities for instant speciation and rapid gain of evolutionary novelties. Highly selective conditions of serpentine environments act as an important evolutionary trigger that can be involved in various speciation processes. Whereas the significance of both edaphic speciation on serpentine and polyploidy is widely acknowledged in plant evolution, the links between polyploid evolution and serpentine differentiation have not yet been examined. To fill this gap, we investigated the evolutionary history of the perennial herb Knautia arvensis (Dipsacaceae), a diploid-tetraploid complex that exhibits an intriguing pattern of eco-geographic differentiation. Using plastid DNA sequencing and AFLP genotyping of 336 previously cytotyped individuals from 40 populations from central Europe, we unravelled the patterns of genetic variation among the cytotypes and the edaphic types. Diploids showed the highest levels of genetic differentiation, likely as a result of long term persistence of several lineages in ecologically distinct refugia and/or independent immigration. Recurrent polyploidization, recorded in one serpentine island, seems to have opened new possibilities for the local serpentine genotype. Unlike diploids, the serpentine tetraploids were able to escape from the serpentine refugium and spread further; this was also attributable to hybridization with the neighbouring non-serpentine tetraploid lineages. The spatiotemporal history of K. arvensis allows tracing the interplay of polyploid evolution and ecological divergence on serpentine, resulting in a complex evolutionary pattern. Isolated serpentine outcrops can act as evolutionary capacitors, preserving distinct karyological and genetic diversity. The serpentine lineages, however, may not represent evolutionary 'dead-ends' but rather dynamic systems with a potential to further influence the surrounding populations, e.g., via independent polyplodization and hybridization. The complex eco-geographical pattern together with the incidence of both primary and secondary diploid-tetraploid contact zones makes K. arvensis a unique system for addressing general questions of polyploid research.