Antioxidant and Anti-cholinesterase Activity of Globularia meridionalisExtracts and Isolated Constituents

The antioxidant and anti-cholinesterase properties of Globularia meridional(Podp.) O. Schwarz (Globulariaceae) were investigated. G. meridionalisaerial parts and roots were extracted with methanol, and the total extract successively partitioned with n-hexane. The methanol fraction of the roots showed the highest antioxidant activity with IC50values of 8.0 and 2.1 μg/mL in the DPPH and β-carotene bleaching tests, respectively. From this fraction, three flavonoids, namely pectolinarigenin 7-O-β-glucoside, apigenin 7-O-β-glucoside and luteolin, and two phenylethanoids, namely acteoside and isoacteoside, were isolated. Potential anti-cholinesterase effects were assessed through the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes inhibition assay. The n-hexane fraction of the roots exhibited the highest activity against both AChE and BChE with IC50values of 65.5 and 70.4 μg/mL, respectively.