Search

Plant polyphenols have always attracted the attention of researchers with their excellent biological activity potentials. In this study, roots, leaves and seeds of Draba cemileae (Karaer) were evaluated for their chemical compositions and biological activities. Spectrophotometric analysis showed that phenolics and flavonoids were present in high quantities in leaf and seed extracts (22.84 mg GAEs/g and 23.32 mg REs/g, respectively). Chromatographic analysis showed that the p-hydroxybenzoic acid and chlorogenic acid contents of the extracts were significantly high. The seed extract also contained 550 mg/g of rosmarinic acid. While the leaf extract showed high activity in phosphomolybdenum, CUPRAC, FRAP and ferrous ion chelating activity tests (0.88, 2.23, 1.73 and 3.68 mg/ml, respectively), DPPH and ABTS scavenging activity tests resulted in the superiority of the seed extract (3.75 and 2.53 mg/ml, respectively). The leaf extract also showed the highest activity in α-amylase and tyrosinase inhibitory activity tests (1.78 and 4.99 mg/ml, respectively). On the other hand, the seed extract exhibited higher activity than the others in α-glucosidase, AChE and BChE inhibitory activity tests (7.14, 1.13 and 5.11 mg/ml, respectively). Correlation coefficients between the composition and the biological activities were over 0.9. It was concluded that D. cemileae could be a new and effective source of antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory phytochemicals in medicine, food and cosmetics industries.

Sophora alopecuroides L. are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of various ailments such as refractory tinea, eczema, dermatitis, colpitis, bacillary dysentery, and other gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory activity of the aerial part, flower, leaf, root, and stems extracts of S. alopecuroides var. alopecuroides. Major compounds of the extracts were found to be ferulic acid, luteolin, hesperidin and pinoresinol. In many of the antioxidant activity assays, the root extract exhibited high activity. In CUPRAC reducing, phosphomolybdenum, ABTS, and DPPH tests, the activity of the root extract was 1.42, 2.45, 1.25, and 8.41 mg/mL, respectively. Root extract also exhibited significant activity in enzyme inhibitory assays. Tyrosinase, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities of the extract were determined as 1.22, 2.97, 1.03, and 0.97 mg/mL, respectively. Chromatographic analysis showed that the root extract contained 462.25 µg/g pinoresinol and 256.23 µg/g vanillic acid as the major compounds. Pearson correlation analysis showed that besides flavonoids/phenolics, these phytochemicals also contributed to the activity of root extract. Therefore, it was concluded that these phytochemicals may be responsible for the activity of the root extract. The root extract of S. alopecuroides var. alopecuroides was thought to be an effective antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory agent.

Sideritis species have been used for centuries for their antimicrobial, digestive, anti-ulcerogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, in this study, it was aimed to evaluate the chemical composition, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of solvent extracts of S. leptoclada O. Schwarz & P.H. Davis, an endemic species. It was determined that methanol (MeOH) and water extracts contained high amounts of chlorogenic acid and verbascoside, while the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract contained high amounts of 4-hydroxybenzoic and vanilic acids. The water extract showed the highest antioxidant activity in almost all parameters. Inhibitory activity of the MeOH extract on tyrosinase was 1.04 mg/ml, which was the highest value in this experiment. On the other hand, in α-amylase inhibitory assay, the EtOAc extract showed an activity of 2.21 mg/ml. Docking analysis showed that verbascoside can be an effective tyrosinase and α-amylase inhibitory agent.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of methanol (MeOH) extracts isolated from Onosma gracilis (Trautv.) and O. oreodoxa (Boiss. & Heldr.). O. oreodoxa was found to be richer in both phenolics and flavonoids than O. gracilis. The amounts of total phenolics and flavonoids in O. oreodoxa were 53.76 mg GAEs/g and 25.29 mg QEs/g, respectively. In addition to spectrophometric analysis, in chromatographic analyzes, twenty-four and twenty-six compounds were identified in O. gracilis and O. oreodoxa, respectively. High amounts of hesperidin (6647.2 and 5260.75 µg/g extract, respectively), hyperoside (7153.26 and 10216.74 µg/g extract, respectively) and rosmarinic acid (21824.33 and 87493.19 µg/g extract, respectively) were found in O. gracilis and O. oreodoxa. While O. oreodoxa showed higher activity in cupric reducing antioxidant power (CUPRAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), phosphomolybdenum, 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, and ferrous ion chelating assays (324.22, 175.41, 719.50, 125.60 mg TEs/g extract and 25.11 mg EDTAEs/g extract, respectively), ABTS radical scavenging activity of O. gracilis (164.55 mg TEs/g extract) was higher than that of O. oreodoxa. O. gracilis also exhibited higher inhibitory activity on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) (2.57 mg GALAEs/g extract) and α-glucosidase (1674.24 mg ACEs/g extract). On the other hand, the sample showing the most effective inhibition on α-amylase and tyrosinase was O. oreodoxa (417.34 mg ACEs/g extract and 136.18 mg KAEs/g extract, respectively). As a result of the molecular docking analysis performed to determine the contribution of hesperidin, hyperoside and rosmarinic acid to the enzyme inhibitory activity, the binding affinity and inhibition constant of hyperoside to all enzymes were quite high and therefore it was concluded that it may be the compound that contribute to the activity.

Stachys species have traditionally been used by the people for thousands of years to treat various diseases. In this study, the chemical composition and enzyme inhibitory activities of the various extracts of Stachys germanica subsp. heldreichii (Boiss.) Hayek (Lamiaceae), which were isolated using solvents with different polarities, were investigated. Antioxidant activities of the extracts were analyzed by phosphomolybdenum, radical scavenging [on DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)], reducing power [CUPRAC (cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power)] and ferrous ion chelating tests, while tyrosinase and α-amylase were used for enzyme inhibitory activity assays. RACI (relative antioxidant capacity index) analysis showed that the ranking of the extracts was MeOH (methanol) > Water > EtOAc (ethyl acetate). In ABTS radical scavenging (2.26 mg/mL), phosphomolybdenum (1.68 mg/mL), CUPRAC (1.35 mg/mL) and FRAP tests (0.75 mg/mL), the MeOH extract showed the highest activity. However, the water extract exhibited the highest activity in DPPH radical scavenging and ferrous ion chelating tests. Tyrosinase inhibition potential of the MeOH extract was significant (IC50: 2.90 mg/mL). On the other hand, in α-amylase inhibition assay, EtOAc extract showed the highest activity (2.24 mg/mL). Amount of phenolics was higher in all extracts than flavonoids. MeOH extract was the richest one in phenolics and flavonoids. The major compounds of the extracts were chlorogenic acid and verbascoside. Pearson correlation analysis showed that these compounds were responsible especially for radical scavenging activity. Correlation between chemical composition and activity findings showed that verbascoside and apigenin contributed to tyrosinase and α-amylase inhibition, respectively.

The goal of the current work was to study the phytochemical content of Onosma inexspectata Teppner and O. armenum DC. The antioxidant properties using six assays and the enzyme inhibitory capacitie...

Rafoxanide (RFX) drug substance, belongs to the salicylanilide group of anthelmintic drugs. In this work, Electrochemical behaviour and analytical applications of RFX were investigated by the cyclic voltammetry (CV), adsorptive stripping square-wave voltammetry (AdSSWV), and adsorptive stripping differential pulse voltammetry (AdSDPV) on modified titanium dioxide/multi-walled carbon paste electrode (TiO2/MWCNTPE). The RFX showed a well-defined anodic signal, and has an irreversible electrode reaction, at approximately 0.45 V in the optimum pH 6.0 Britton Robinson (BR) buffer solutions. Some parameters of stripping modules such as supporting electrolyte, pH, frequency, deposition time, pulse time and pulse amplitude, etc. were optimized to develop the most sensitive electroanalytical method. Furthermore, the calibration graphs were created using the standard addition technique with AdSSWV and AdSDPV on the optimum condition. It has a linear working range of 2.0–16.0 mg/L with AdSSWV and 2.5–14 mg/L with AdSDPV for the determination of RFX in pH 6.0 BR buffer solution on the TiO2/MWCNTPE. The limit of determination (LOD) by AdSSWV and AdSDPV, which are the most important validation parameter, was found to be 0.054 and 0.072 mg/L, respectively. To investigate the selectivity of the method, analysis of 5 mg/L RFX was carried out on TiO2/MWCNTPE with AdSSWV in the presence of various heavy metals and some organic substances. The interference agents had no significant effect on the determination of RFX (less than 10% within the tolerance range). Finally, the RFX drug was successfully evaluated in tap water samples by the proposed AdSSWV without any pretreatment with a high percent recovery. This study for RFX determination has been improved to deduce, a fast, inexpensive, reliable, portable, environmentally friendly, selective, and sensitive new electroanalytical method in real samples.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the effect of solvent (water, methanol, and ethyl acetate) upon phenolics extracted from Onosma mitis. The antioxidant capacities together w...

Stachys cretica L. subsp. kutahyensis is a Turkish endemic plant specie and used in flock medicine against many diseases. To our knowledge, no data are available on the chemical composition and the biological activities of this plant. In this study, the phytochemical composition, the enzyme inhibition and antioxidant activity of this specie were assessed. The Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS) analysis allowed the determination of 26 phenolic compounds with predominance of chlorogenic acid and verbascoside. The concentration of phenolic acids and flavonoid compounds significantly changed according to solvent used (water and methanol). From five different methods used, the antioxidant activity was important and significantly different between extracts for ferrous ion chelating and ABTS assays where the aqueous extract expressed higher antioxidant activity. However, interesting enzyme inhibition activities were observed for the extracts of S. cretica subsp. kutahyensis using α-amylase and tyrosinase. The highest α-amylase and tyrosinase inhibition activities were recorded with the methanol extract. The results confirm that S. cretica subsp. kutahyensis could be used as valuable new natural source with beneficial biological properties for food and pharmacology applications.

Wild edible mushrooms are very popular for both their flavors and nutritional values. However, some mushroom species can be harmful to human health as they accumulate some elements in excessive amounts. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, Se, and Zn of some wild edible (Agaricus arvensis, A. bitorquis, A. sylvaticus, Amanita vaginata, Armillaria mellea, Clavariadelphus pistillaris, Clitocybe nebularis, Clitopilus prunulus, Hygrophorus marzuolus, H. russula, Lactarius volemus, Lycoperdon molle, and Macrolepiota mastoidea) and non-edible mushroom species (A. citrina, Auricularia mesenterica, Chanterellus melanoxeros, Chondrostereum purpureum, Clathrus ruber, L. controversus, L. helvus, and L. zonarius) collected from Belgrad forest (Istanbul, Turkey). Daily intakes of element (DIE) and health risk index (HRI) values of the edible mushroom species were also calculated. The concentrations of the elements in question were determined to be in the ranges of 9.7-556.8, 2.5-2226.7, 0.06-2.52, 0.03-13.17, 3.74-100.19, 13.3-507.4, 2635.0-28614.0, 493.0-2412.0, 6.97-3150.73, 0.29-13.26, 0.38-3.67, and 9.1-293.8 mg/kg, respectively. The Cd concentration of H. russula (DIE: 1.08, HRI: 1.08), Cr concentration of C. nebularis (DIE: 5.64, HRI: 1.88), and the Cu concentration of M. mastoidea (DIE: 42.94, HRI: 1.07) were above the reference values. The results showed that the long-term consumption of H. russula, C. nebularis, and M. mastoidea collected from Belgrad forest can have a negative impact on human health. Therefore, it was concluded that the element concentrations of edible wild mushrooms in this region should be examined periodically.

It is known that some Campanula species are traditionally used because of their anti-allergic, spasmolytic, antiphlogistic, antioxidant, and antiviral properties. This study was designed to evaluate the phytochemical composition, antioxidant, α-amylase, and tyrosinase inhibitory activity of ethyl acetate, methanol, and water extracts of Campanula macrostachya Waldst. & Kit. ex Willd. Chemical compositions were analyzed by spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods. Antioxidant activities of the samples were tested by using five different test systems. Enzyme inhibitory activities of the extracts were also studied. As a result of the LC-ESI-MS/MS analyses, chlorogenic acid, hesperidin, and hyperoside were found to be the major compounds of the extracts, especially the MeOH extract (6559.59, 2499.22, and 2047.66 μg/g extract, respectively). Antioxidant activity tests have proven that MeOH extract showed higher activity than others (DPPH: 4.15 mg/mL, ABTS: 2.05 mg/mL, CUPRAC: 1.80 mg/mL, FRAP: 0.83 mg/mL, phosphomolybdenum: 1.69 mg/mL). Ferrous ion chelating activity of the water extract was 1.03 mg/mL. In α-amylase and tyrosinase inhibitory assays, EtOAc (IC50: 2.54 mg/mL) and MeOH (IC50: 1.51 mg/mL) extracts showed higher activity than the others did. In phosphomolybdenum, CUPRAC, FRAP, and tyrosinase inhibitory assays, the activity was strongly correlated with flavonoids, chlorogenic acid, hesperidin, and hyperoside. On the other hand, phenolic compounds have been found to contribute more to radical scavenging activity. Pearson correlation analysis showed that phenolics and flavonoids were not responsible for the α-amylase inhibitory activity of EtOAc extract.

Sarikurkcu, Cengiz/0000-0001-5094-2520 WOS:000593014400004 PubMed: 33244695 The aim of this study was to determine the essential element (Zn, Ca, K, Fe, Na, and Mg), essential trace element (Co, Mn, Cr, and Cu), and non-essential element (Pb, Ni, and Cd) contents of eight different Russula species (R. risigallina (Batsch) Sacc., R. cyanoxantha (Schaeff.) Fr., R. delica Fr., R. vinosa Lindblad, R. olivacea (Schaeff.) Fr., R. velenovskyi Melzer & Zvara, R. turci Bres., and R. parazurea Jul. Schaff.) collected from Soguksu National Park (Turkey), which is a region away from the city center (Kizilcahamam, Ankara). In addition to the metal contents of these species, daily intake and health risk index values of the metals in question were also calculated and discussed. As a result of elemental analysis, the major elements were K (28980-58,380 mg/kg), Mg (704-1404 mg/kg), and Ca (190-1662 mg/kg). Except for R. risigallina, R. olivacea, and R. velenovskyi, elemental concentrations were within the limits that can be safely consumed as nutrients in terms of their metal content. The daily intakes of metal (DIM) values of R. risigallina and R. olivacea for Cr exceed the reference dose limits (3.80 and 3.87 mu g/kg body weight/serving, respectively). According to the health risk index (HRI) measurements, the HRI values of R. risigallina and R. olivacea for Cr and of R. velenovskyi for Cd were found to be above 1.0 and could pose a health risk. In order to analyze the mineral composition variability of the studied mushroom species, principal component analysis (PCA) and the hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) techniques were also performed. Regarding the significant correlations between all descriptors (r > 0.7), there was a positive relationship between Mg-K, Ni-Co, Ni-Na, Cr-Ni, Cr-Co, Zn-Mg, Zn-K, Cd-Mg couples.

To our knowledge, this is the first work on the influence of species upon the bioactive molecules, antioxidant properties, and enzyme inhibitory capacities against tyrosinase and α-amylase of Onosm...

The aim of this study is to analyze Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Cd, Pb, and Ni contents of Cyclocybe cylindracea, Armillaria mellea, Bjerkandera adusta, Rheubarbariboletus armeniacus, Coprinellus disseminatus, C. micaceus, C. comatus, Inonotus hispidus, Lepista nuda, Leucoagaricus leucothites, Pleurotus ostreatus, Cerioporus squamosus, Schizophyllum commune, Scleroderma verrucosum, and Trametes trogii collected from the Ankara University Besevler 10th Year Campus (Turkey), an area where human settlement and traffic are intense. In addition to the elemental analysis, the daily intake of metal (DIM) and health risk index (HRI) values of the edible ones were also calculated. Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Cd, Pb, and Ni concentrations of the samples were found to be 112.0-5079.0, 3.0-124.0, 4.0-77.0, 2.0-196.0, 0.18-2.98, 0.18-5.3, 0.04-10.98, and 0.22-8.23 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. As a result of DIM and HRI analysis, C. cylindracea, L. nuda, and C. squamosus were found to be within the reference dose limits determined by competent authorities and can be safely consumed in terms of all metals studied. However, the Cd, Co, and Fe contents of C. micaceus were found to be above 1.0 (1.06, 4.25, and 7.06, respectively). In addition, it has been found that A. mellea, R. armeniacus, C. comatus, L. leucothites, and P. ostreatus are toxic in terms of Cd/Co, Fe/Pb, Co/Fe, Cd, and Fe contents, respectively. As the area in question is a traffic intensive area, it has been concluded that the emissions of the vehicles should be controlled in terms of legal limits and that the consumption of some mushrooms in this region should not be preferred until necessary measures are taken.

To our knowledge, this is the first study on the influence of water, ethyl acetate and methanol as the extraction solvent upon the bioactive compound composition, antioxidant capacities and enzyme inhibitory activities of Marrubium lutescens isolates. The contents of the total phenolic compounds varied between 9.94 and 54.80 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract and the level of total flavonoids were between 4.45 and 27.20 mg quercetin equivalent/g extract. Twenty-four compounds were identified using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Rosmarinic acid, luteolin 7-glucoside, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and hyperoside were the primary compounds present for all of the used solvents. The most compounds (23) were detected in the methanol extract. Six antioxidant assays revealed that M. lutescens extracts showed interesting antioxidant activities with a significant variation between the extracts. The results revealed that the highest tyrosinase and α-amylase inhibitory activities was detected in the ethyl acetate extract. This work confirmed that the nature of solvent influenced the levels and the types of the extracted biomolecules. Moreover, the obtained results suggest that M. lutescens may be a source of bioantioxidants for industrial additives. © 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Medicinal Ganoderma mushrooms have long tradition in Asia, and recently they began to be consumed in Europe as well. Among hundreds of Ganoderma species, only a few of them are intensively investigated, i.e., G. lucidum and G. applanatum, whereas the chemistry and bioactivities of the other species, especially of European origin, still remain unknown. This study comprises detailed chemical analysis of two Ganoderma species growing wild in Turkey, G. pfeifferi and G. carnosum. Metal composition of both species shows high concentrations of biogenic metals. Phenolic composition of the isolated extracts of G. carnosum and G. pfeifferi shows that these species are rich in simple phenolic acids, such as 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and vanillic acid, but also in flavonoids. These compounds are found to be carriers of the antioxidant activity but also enzyme inhibition activity of the analyzed extracts. Overall results indicate that these two Ganoderma species have strong potential to be used for medicinal purposes.

Tasteful morels (

The genus Onosma is the biggest genus in the family Boraginaceae and its members are widely used for traditional purposes in several countries folk medicine. In the current work, two Onosma (O. trapezuntea and O. rigidum) species were examined for biological properties and chemical characterization. To evaluate biological properties, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory assays were performed. Antioxidant assays included free radical scavenging (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)), reducing power (cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)), metal chelating and phosphomolybdenum. Enzyme inhibitory were assessed against cholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents in O. trapezuntea were higher than those of O. rigidum. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis revealed that chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid and hyperoside were dominant compounds in the chemical profiles of the tested Onosma extracts. Generally, O. trapezuntea exhibited stronger antioxidant abilities than O. rigidum. However, the best chelating ability was recorded in O. rigidum. In addition, O. rigidum was more active on cholinesterase and α-glucosidase when compared with O. trapezuntea. The tested extracts exhibited similar tyrosinase inhibitory potentials. Consequently, our findings suggested that the tested Onosma species could be presented as valuable sources of natural ingredients such as antioxidant and enzyme inhibitors.

Plant polyphenols attract researchers because of their bioactive properties. In this study, the chemical compositions and in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of ethyl acetate (EtOAc), methanol (MeOH), and water extracts obtained from the aerial parts of Acanthus spinosus L. were investigated. The MeOH extract was found to be rich in phenolics and flavonoids (47.4 mg GAE/g and 19.2 mg RE/g, respectively). Verbascoside (28979 mg/g), vanillic acid (4342 mg/g), pinoresinol (3211 mg/g), syringic acid (1272 mg/g), and kaempferol (1170 mg/g) were detected as the main components of MeOH extract in chromatographic analyzes. While MeOH extract showed high activity in DPPH radical scavenging, CUPRAC and FRAP tests (44.1, 106, and 60.8 mg TE/g, respectively), chelating effect and phosphomolybdenum tests resulted in the superiority of EtOAc extract (18.6 mg EDTAE/g and 473 mg TE/g, respectively). The EtOAc extract exhibited notable activities in the butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), a-amylase, and a glucosidase inhibitory activity tests (1.9 GALAE/g, 785 and 1658 mg ACE/g, respectively). It has been concluded that A. spinosus extracts are an alternative source of phytochemicals in the food, cosmetic and medical industries due to their remarkable antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities.(c) 2021 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In recent years, it has been determined that Onosma species exhibit interesting biological/pharmacological activities. The aim of this study was to analyze the chemical composition, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of the methanol (MeOH), water and ethyl acetate extracts obtained from the aerials parts of Onosma rascheyana (Boiss.). The chemical compositions of the extracts were determined using spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods. Biological activities of the extracts were determined using antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory test systems. The MeOH extract was found to be rich in both phenolics and flavonoids (31.55 mg GAEs/g and 15.20 mg REs/g, respectively). The MeOH extract also contained higher amounts of 4-hydroxybenzoic and p-coumaric acids compared to other phytochemicals. The MeOH extract exhibited remarkable activity in all antioxidant test systems. However, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) radical cation (ABTS) scavenging assay resulted in superiority of water extract (88.90 mg TEs/g). The relative antioxidant capacity indices (RACI) of the extracts and the correlations between these values and antioxidant activities confirmed the high activity of the MeOH extract. In the α-amylase, α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activity tests, the ethyl acetate extract showed high activity, while the tyrosinase inhibitory activity assay resulted in the superiority of the MeOH extract (59.72 mg KAEs/g). It was concluded that the extracts of O. rascheyana could be used as alternative agents in the food, cosmetic and medical industries due to their antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities.

Tasteful morels (Morchella sp.) are one of the most popular mushrooms, both economically and scientifically. Due to their beneficial constituents, they are classified as functional foods. This study focuses on the chemical composition and biological activities of a wild edible mushroom, Morchella steppicola Zerova. The metal composition of this species reveals high levels of biogenic elements. However, according to the levels of iron and cobalt, and calculated health risk indices, this mushroom can be recommended for occasional consumption. Also, M. steppicola is found to be rich in gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and vanillic acid. Statistical analysis showed that mainly 4-hydroxybenzoic and vanillic acids are responsible for both antioxidant and inhibition of enzymes α-amylase and tyrosinase. Presented work acknowledges the fact that this mushroom has significant potential to be used for the treatment of several human disorders, similarly to other members of this genus.

Onosma species have been used as a dye for hundreds of years due to their dark red pigments. These species have also been used by mankind in the treatment of various diseases since ancient times. This work analyzed the phytochemical composition in methanol extract of two endemic Onosma species (O. lycaonica and O. papillosa). Methanolic extract of these species varied in the content of flavonoids and phenolics. The flavonoids were found higher in O. papillosa [32.9 ± 0.3 mg QEs (quercetin equivalent)/g extracts] while the phenolics were higher in O. lycaonica [43.5 ± 1.5 mg GAEs (gallic acid equivalent)/g extracts]. ESI-MS/MS (electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry) revealed the presence of 25 compounds in O. lycaonica and 24 compounds in O. papillosa. The former was richer than the latter for apigenin, luteolin, eriodictyol, pinoresinol, apigenin 7-glucoside, rosmarinic acid, luteolin 7-glucoside, ferulic acid, vanillin, caffeic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, (+)-catechin3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. The O. papillosa exhibited low EC50 (1.90 ± 0.07 mg/mL) which indicated its strong phosphomolybdenum scavenging activity as compared to O. lycaonica. However, the O. lycaonica showed low IC50 or EC50 for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS+), cupric reducing antioxidant power (CUPRAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and ferrous ion chelating activity, as compared to O. papillosa. The results proved the presence of potent antioxidant compounds in O. lycaonica. Further, the plant extracts significantly varied for enzyme inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), but the plant extracts did not significantly differ for inhibition of α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and tyrosinase. Onosma species deserve further research towards developing novel drugs to treat oxidative diseases.

The genus Stachys (Woundwort) is a widely used aromatic medicinal and functional food plant. Woundworts are consumed as vegetable, spice, and herbal decoction. Herein, different solvents and water extracts of Stachys cretica subsp. mersinaea were investigated for phytochemical contents, antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties, and quantification of individual phenolic ingredients. Promising radical scavenging ability was recorded against DPPH (176 mg trolox equivalents/g extract) and ABTS (292 mg TEs/g extract) radicals. Also, high reducing power was observed in CUPRAC (256 mg TEs/g extract) and FRAP (236 mg TEs/g extract) assays. Extracts exhibited strong α-amylase (396 mg acarbose equivalents/g extract) and α-glucosidase (734 mg ACEs/g extract) inhibitory activity together with moderate inhibition of cholinesterases and tyrosinase. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that hesperidin (25,770 μg/g extract), quercetin (7740 μg/g extract), kaempferol (5280 μg/g extract), and benzoic acid (3080 μg/g extract) were the most abundant phenolic compounds. The results showed that S. cretica subsp. mersinaea extracts have great capability for some applications as functional food, cosmetic, and pharmaceuticals.

The aim of present study is to compare and evaluate the biological activities of ethyl acetate (EtOAc), methanolic (MeOH), and aqueous extracts from Amygdalus communis hulls based on enzyme inhibition and antioxidant capacities together with screening of biomolecules. Phenolics were estimated by calculating total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) content as well as individual biocompounds using LC–ESI–MS/MS. The antioxidant power was determined using six different assays. The enzyme inhibitory activities were investigated for the first time against α-amylase and tyrosinase. Results showed that the aqueous extract exerted the better antioxidant activities (cupric ion reducing power, ferric ion reducing power, scavenging ability towards DPPH radical, ABTS+ free radical scavenging and ferrous ion chelating), except for total antioxidant capacity (ethyl acetate extract). Methanol extract showed the highest inhibitory activity toward tyrosinase while ethyl acetate extract was the most effective against α-amylase. Catechin (4120–14820 μg/g extract), epicatechin (330–1470 μg/g extract), hyperoside (235–420 μg/g extract), and hesperidin (138–250 μg/g extract) were the most abundant compounds. The present work recommends Amygdalus communis hulls, an almond by-product, as a potential source of natural biomolecules beneficial for human health.

This study aims to screen bioactive compounds from Stachys tmolea an endemic plant from Turkey. The phenolic composition of the aerial parts of S. tmolea was investigated using methanol and water as solvents. Furthermore, the total antioxidant, radical scavenging, reducing power, and metal chelating activities of S. tmolea extracts were determined. Results show that S. tmolea is endowed with phenolic compounds with considerable antioxidant properties. Twenty compounds were identified and quantified in different extracts. Methanol was shown to be the most effective for the extraction of phytochemicals. The major compounds identified in the methanolic extract S. tmolea were verbascoside (3169.81 ± 14.38 μg/g dry plant), chlorogenic acid (1120.14 ± 41.24 μg/g dry plant), and apigenin 7-glucoside (146.46 ± 9.88 μg/g dry plant). Nevertheless, the antioxidant activities tested with different methods revealed no significant differences between aqueous and methanolic extracts. The current finding confirmed the importance of S. tmolea and Stachys genus in general which is used traditionally as mountain tea in Turkey and Iraq. Thus, further investigations should be done for the isolation and purification of bioactive molecules for both medicinal and industrial uses.

Woundwort plants (Stachys species) are used traditionally as food additives, herbal tea, and medicine. At this work, antioxidant activity of S. cretica subsp. smyrnaea was comprehensively investigated using 6 different methods together with phenolic profile and total phenolics/flavonoids content of its several extracts. Moreover, key enzymes inhibitory potential of the herb associated with Alzheimer’s disease, hyperglycemia, and hyperpigmentation was evaluated. Promising antiradical activity (1.9–17.3 mg Trolox equivalents/g dry plant) and metal ion reducing power (4.6–14.6 mg Trolox equivalents/g dry plant) was recorded. Also, S. cretica manifested strong antityrosinase (2.45 mg kojic acid equivalent/g dry plant) and extraordinary anti-amylase and anti-glucosidase (6–61 and 14–47 mg acarbose equivalent/g dry plant, respectively) effects. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography analysis identified 12 phenolic compounds of them, chlorogenic acid, hesperidin, kaempferol, apigenin, and benzoic acid were the most abundant (426, 407, 390, 216, and 188 μg/g dry plant, respectively). Findings indicated that, S. cretica has great potential for possible applications in cosmeceutical, pharmaceutical, and food industries.

The purpose of this study was to determine Fe, Cd, Cr, Se, P, Cu, Mn, Zn, Al, Ca, Mg, and K contents of some edible (Chlorophyllum rhacodes, Clavariadelphus truncatus, Clitocybe nebularis, Hydnum repandum, Hygrophorus pudorinus, Infundibulicybe gibba, Lactarius deliciosus, L. piperatus, L. salmonicolor, Macrolepiota mastoidea, Russula grata, Suillus granulatus, and Tricholoma imbricatum), inedible (Amanita pantherina, Geastrum triplex, Gloeophyllum sepiarium, Hypholoma fasciculare, Phellinus vorax, Pholiota limonella, Russula anthracina, and Tapinella atrotomentosa), and poisonous mushroom species (Amanita pantherina and Hypholoma fasciculare) collected from Ilgaz Mountain National Park (Western Black Sea, Turkey). The element contents of the mushrooms were determined to be 18.0-1239.1, 0.2-4.6, 0.1-3.4, 0.2-3.2, 1.0-8.9, 3.3-59.9, 3.7-220.4, 21.3-154.1, 6.4-754.3, 15.8-17,473.0, 413.0-5943.0, and 2803.0-24,490.0 mg·kg

Background: Genus Stachys is one of the largest of the Lamiaceae family, having around 300 different plant species inhabiting areas with temperate and warm climates. The Stachys species in Turkey are represented with 81 taxa, 51 of them being endemic. Plants of the Stachys genus have been known for their biological activity and their use in ethnomedicine. Methods: The dominant components of S. cretica ssp. anatolica aqueous and methanol extracts were studied with the LC-MS/MS technique. Results: Chlorogenic acid, apigenin-7-glucoside and verbascoside present as the dominant polyphenols found in studied extracts. The prominent biological activity of the studied S. cretica ssp. anatolica methanol and aqueous extracts showed strong antioxidant activity and inhibition of enzymes tyrosinase and α-amylase, involved in skin disorders and diabetes mellitus type II. Conclusions: This study has proven that the aqueous and methanol extracts of S. cretica ssp. anatolica have prominent antioxidant activity, due to a high abundance of polyphenols. The strong antioxidant properties of S. cretica ssp. anatolica extracts show promising application for the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2) is a rapidly spreading disease with a high mortality. In this research, the interactions between specific flavonols and the 2019-nCoV receptor binding domain (RBD), transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2), and cathepsins (CatB and CatL) were analyzed. According to the relative binding capacity index (RBCI) calculated based on the free energy of binding and calculated inhibition constants, it was determined that robinin (ROB) and gossypetin (GOS) were the most effective flavonols on all targets. While the binding free energy of ROB with the spike glycoprotein RBD, TMPRSS2, CatB, and CatL were –5.02, –7.57, –10.10, and –6.11 kcal/mol, the values for GOS were –4.67, –5.24, –8.31, and –6.76, respectively. Furthermore, both compounds maintained their stability for at least 170 ns on respective targets in molecular dynamics simulations. The molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) calculations also corroborated these data. Considering Lipinski’s rule of five, ROB and GOS exhibited 3 (MW>500, N or O>10, NH or OH>5), and 1 (NH or OH>5) violations, respectively. Neither ROB nor GOS showed AMES toxicity or hepatotoxicity. The LD50 of these compounds in rats were 2.482 and 2.527 mol/kg, respectively. Therefore, we conclude that these compounds could be considered as alternative therapeutic agents in the treatment of COVID-19. However, the possible inhibitory effects of these compounds on cytochromes (CYPs) should be verified by in vitro or in vivo tests and their adverse effects on cellular energy metabolism should be minimized by performing molecular modifications if necessary. © TUBITAK.

Copper oxychloride gained great importance due to its broad-spectrum antifungal action to combat various fungal diseases of plants. However, excess quantity of cupric fungicides on plants causes enzymatic changes and toxic effects. Thus, the current study was aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of copper oxychloride on Allium cepa root cells. The root growth, mitotic index (MI), chromosomal aberrations (CAs), and DNA damage were assessed through root growth inhibition, A. cepa ana-telophase, and alkaline comet assays. Furthermore, molecular docking was performed to evaluate binding affinities of two copper oxychloride polymorphs (atacamite and paratacamite) on DNA. In root growth inhibition test, onion root length was statistically significantly decreased by changing the copper oxychloride concentration from lower (2.64±0.11 cm) to higher (0.92±0.12 cm). Concentration- and time-dependent decrease in MI was observed whereas increase in CAs such as disturbed ana-telophase, chromosome laggards, stickiness, anaphase bridges, and DNA damage were caused by the copper oxychloride on A. cepa root cells. Molecular docking results revealed that the two main polymorphs of copper oxychloride (atacamite and paratacamite) bind selectively to G and C nucleotides on the B-DNA structure. It is concluded that the atacamite- and paratacamite-induced DNA damage may be through minor groove recognition and intercalation. Findings of the current study revealed the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of copper oxychloride on A. cepa root cells. However, further studies should be carried out at the molecular level to reveal the cyto-genotoxic mechanism of action of copper oxychloride in detail.

As of June 2021, the novel coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in 180 million cases worldwide and resulted in the death of approximately 4 million people. However, an effective pharmaceutical with low side effects that can be used in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been developed yet. The aim of this computational study was to analyze the interactions of twenty-two hydroxycinnamic acid and hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives with the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) and host organism's proteases, transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), and cathepsin B and L (CatB/L). According to the RBCI analysis, the ligands with the highest affinity against 4 enzymes in the molecular docking study were determined as 1-caffeoyl-β-D-glucose, rosmarinic acid, 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid. It has also been observed that these compounds interacted more strongly with spike RBD, CatB and CatL enzymes. Although the top-ranked ligand, 1-caffeoyl-β-D-glucose, violated the drug-likeness criteria at 1 point (NH or OH>5) and ADMET in terms of AMES toxicity, the second top-ranked ligand rosmarinic acid neither violated drug-likeness nor exhibited incompatibility in terms of ADMET. In conclusion, with its anti-inflammatory properties, rosmarinic acid can be considered and further investigated as a plant-based pharmaceutical that can offer a treatment option in SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, our findings should be supported by additional in vitro and in vivo studies. © 2008 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. All rights reserved.

In this study, it was aimed to determine the phytochemical compositions and biological activities of ethyl acetate (EtOAc), methanol (MeOH) and water extracts obtained from the aerial parts of Capparis spinosa L. As a result of spectrophotometric analyzes, MeOH extract was found to be richer in terms of both phenolics and flavonoids compared to other extracts [81.45 mg GAEs (gallic acid equivalent)/g and 36.57 mg RE (rutin equivalent)s/g, respectively], while chromatographic analyzes showed that the extract in question contains a significant amount of hepseridin (72927.48 μg/g), quercetin (1335.88 μg/g), hyperoside (1227.73 μg/g), and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (924.08 μg/g). Phosphomolybdenum, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging, Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Power (CUPRAC) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) reducing and ferrous ion chelating activity tests resulted in superiority of MeOH extract [371.0, 44.93, 56.46, 91.77, 52.61 mg TEs (trolox equivalent)/g and 14.85 mg EDTAEs/g, respectively]. On the other hand, EtOAc extract exhibited higher activity than other extracts in acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity tests [3.29, 2.12 mg GALAEs (galanthamine equivalent)/g, 541.01 and 1584.20 mg ACEs (acarbose equivalent)/g, respectively]. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity test resulted in the superiority of MeOH extract [41.90 mg KAEs (kojic acid equivalent)/g]. A strong correlation was determined between the phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts and their antioxidant activities. © 2021 International Journal of Secondary Metabolite

The ability of mushrooms to accumulate heavy metals has increased concerns over their toxic effects on human health in recent years. The aim of this study was to determine the metal contents (Zn, Fe, Co, Mn, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Cd), daily intake of metal (DIM) and health risk index (HRI) values of nineteen different mushroom species (edible, inedible, and poisonous) collected from Uzungol, Trabzon (Turkey). Although the area where mushrooms were collected has the status of “Natural Park,” there has been an excessive human settlement in recent years. Elemental analyses have shown that Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Cd, Pb, and Ni concentrations in mushrooms were in the following ranges: 49.0–1713.0, 3.0–425.0, 3.0–154.0, 16.0–134.0, 0.17–1.79, 0.28–7.88, 0.07–5.68, and 0.24–6.82 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. As a result of DIM analysis, while it was determined that the daily consumption of Hygrophorus pudorinus, Meripilus giganteus, and Sarcodon imbricatus was safe for all the metals examined, HRI analysis showed that only M. giganteus and S. imbricatus can be consumed safely. The content of Cd was found to be above the legal limits determined by the competent authorities. According to Pearson correlation analysis, the correlations between Fe-Pb, Cu-Zn, Cd-Co, Pb-Co, Cd-Fe, Co-Fe, Cd-Pb, and Fe-Mn pairs were statistically significant (p < 0.01). Although the data obtained from this study did not provide clear data on environmental pollution in the area where the samples were collected, it was concluded that the competent authorities should take measures regarding possible environmental pollution at this location.