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Abstract The Achillea genus belongs to the Asteraceae family, which is mostly found in the northern hemisphere and is comprised of 115 species in the world. In Turkish flora, there are 52 species and 58 taxa, among them half of which are recorded as endemic. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no biological activity studied in this species until now, with the exception of one study of the antimicrobial activity of certain essential oils. This study focused primarily on the determination of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and enzyme-inhibition activity of aqueous ethanol extract of Turkish endemic Achillea cucullata by in vitro methods. The extract exhibited DPPH radical scavenging activity with an IC 50 value of 132.55 ± 0.026 μg/mL, the total phenol content was 53.807 ± 0.059 (mg GAE/g), and the total flavonoid content was 21.372 ± 0.026 (mg QE/g), on the dry-weight basis. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by a micro-dilution method focused on five microorganisms; two Gram-positive [ Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) and Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212)], two Gram-negative [ Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922)], and one fungal strain [ Candida albicans (ATCC 10231)]. Results show that the MIC value for the tested microorganism was higher than 5 mg/mL. In this work, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and α-glucosidase enzymes were strongly inhibited by the A. cucullata extract, and the IC 50 values for these enzymes were 2.4 μg/mL, 0.26 μg/mL, and 24.75 μg/mL, respectively. Certain acetylcholinesterase inhibitors have been used for treatment of Alzheimer's disease in the past. α-Glucosidase inhibitors are strong drug candidates, as well as potential functional food agents, for deferring the postprandial absorbency of glucose. Highlights • Ethanol extract was prepared from endemic plant - Achillea cucullata • In vitro antioxidant was evaluated by DPPH, TPC and TFC assay • Antimicrobial activity was determined by microdilution method against five microorganisms • Acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, α-glucosidase enzymes were impressively inhibited by the A. cucullata ethanol extract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, phytochemical components and antioxidant capacity of extracts obtained from Iris taochia plant, which is endemic to Caucasus, were investigated. Fifteen new compounds were detected and identified using a GC-MS system, which were isolated from Iris taochia for the first time. From the calibration curve, the amount of α-amyrin in dry powder of Iris taochia was calculated. The mean amount of α-amyrin found in whole plant powder of Iris taochia was 4.598 μg/10 mg with a percent recovery of 0.045 % for α-amyrin. Antioxidant properties of Iris taochia, in vitro using Fe3+-Fe2+, Cu2+-Cu+ and Fe3+-2,4,6-tripyridyl-s-triazine reducing, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) scavenging, N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine scavenging and Fe2+ chelating activities were measured. The antioxidative effects of Iris taochia have not been reported earlier. These results shown that crude ethanol and water extracts of Iris taochia had effective reducing effect, radical scavenging activity and metal chelating effects when compared to standard antioxidants. The results indicated that the ethanol and water extracts of Iris taochia could be used as a potential source of natural antioxidants by the pharmaceutical industry or as a conceivable food supplement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]