Memory-vitalizing effect of twenty-five medicinal and edible plants and their isolated compounds.

The extracts from 25 plant species from Salvia , Hypericum , Onosma , Thymus , Origanum , Rosa , and Prunus with eight isolated compounds were screened for their memory-vitalizing potential against the enzymes, i.e., acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and tyrosinase (TYR) along with DPPH, DMPD, and NO radicals and iron-chelation capacity using spectrophotometric microtiter assays. The n -hexane:dichloromethane (1:1) extract of Onosma nigricaule roots (63.18 ± 0.56%) and the ethyl acetate extract of the aerial parts of Hypericum capitatum var. capitatum (50.79 ± 3.88%) were the most active toward AChE and BChE, respectively. The highest iron-chelating capacity was found in the n -hexane extract of Thymus sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus , where mostly Labiatae species exhibited better radical scavenging effect. Among the extracts, the roots of O. nigricaule , the aerial parts of Hypericum capitatum var. capitatum and T . sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus could be further evaluated for their memory-vitalizing properties based on different mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]