Investigation of Selected Medicinal Plants for Their Anti-Obesity Properties.

Objectives: Obesity, which is a risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, is caused serious health problems and economic costs on a global scale. Nowadays, pancreatic lipase inhibitors that cause inhibition of lipid digestion and lipid absorption are one of the limited treatment approaches for obesity. Plant-derived secondary metabolites can be used for treating obesity. The aim of this study was to research the antiobesity potential of Amaranthus albus L. (Amaranthaceae), Helichrysum compactum Boiss. (Asteraceae), Chenopodium album L. (Chenopodiaceae), and Agrimonia eupatoria L. (Rosaceae). Materials and Methods: To detect the antiobesity potentials of the plants, in vitro lipase inhibitory activity studies by spectroscopic method and quantitative analysis studies of some anti-obesity effective secondary metabolites by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) technique were carried out. Results: In vitro lipase inhibitory studies showed that all plant extracts possess lipase inhibitory effect, and the highest lipase inhibitory potential was observed for H. compactum (IC50: 45.70 µg/mL ± 2.3618). According to HPLC analyses, p-coumaric acid (0.27 mg/g) in A. albus; benzoic acid (0.33 mg/g) in C. album; vanillic acid (7.32 mg/g), syringaldehyde (14.97 mg/g), quercetin (4.66 mg/g), p-coumaric acid (0.71 mg/g), and benzoic acid (3.43 mg/g) in H. compactum; p-coumaric acid (0.71 mg/g) and benzoic acid (3.43 mg/g) in A. eupatoria were detected. Conclusion: In conclusion, H. compactum is the most remarkable natural source for the study. The fact remains that all plants may be promising candidates for treating obesity.

Antimicrobial and lipase inhibition of essential oil and solvent extracts of Cota tinctoria var. tinctoria and characterization of the essential oil.

The essential oil (EO) of Cota tinctoria var. tinctoria was analyzed using GC-FID / MS. A total of 51 compounds were determined from this taxon, accounting for 99.79% in hydrodistillation. Monoterpenes were the primary chemical class for the volatile organic compounds in the EO (36.1%, 13 compounds). Borneol (18.1%), camphor (14.9%), and ß-pinene (11.3%) were the major components in the EO of C. tinctoria var. tinctoria. The antimicrobial activities of EO and n-hexane, acetonitrile, methanol, and water solvent extracts of the taxon were screened in vitro against ten microorganisms. The EO yielded the best activity (15 mm, 372.5 MIC, 59600 µg/µL) against Mycobacterium smegmatis. The acetonitrile extract was the most active against the Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus with 274 µg/mL MIC value. IC50 values for the lipase enzyme inhibitory activity of EO and solvent extracts (n-hexane, acetonitrile, methanol, and water) were found to be 59.80 ± 4.3285 µg/mL 68.28 ± 3.1215 µg/mL, 52.60 ± 3.7526 µg/mL, 48.73 ± 2.8265 µg/mL, and 99.50 ± 5.5678 µg/mL, respectively.

Evaluation of biological activities of Barbarea integrifolia and isolation of a new glucosinolate derivated compound.

The aim of the present study is to determine the potent biological activities and carry out isolation studies on Barbarea integrifolia. The antioxidant capacity of the species was evaluated by total phenolic content, FRAP, CUPRAC, and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Anticancer activity studies were performed by MTT assay in MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, Hep3B, PC-3, A549, HCT116, L-929 cell lines. It was observed that the remaining aqueous fraction has higher total phenolic content while higher activity in the CUPRAC and FRAP assays was displayed for the methanolic extract and chloroform fraction. The extracts showed anticancer activity as compared with vincristine. It was observed that chloroform fraction has the highest anticancer activity on MCF-7 cell line, while ethyl acetate fraction has the highest anticancer activity on Hep-3B and A549 cell lines. Methanolic extract has the highest anticancer activity on HCT116 and MDA-MB-23 cell lines. The isolation studies have been performed using several chromatographic methods. The chemical structures of compounds have been identified by means of 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 2D-NMR, and MS. Five major compounds, one steroid (ß-Sitosterol), one phenolic acid (Rosmarinic acid), one flavonol heteroside (kaempferol 7-O-α-l-rhamnoside-3-O-ß-d-(2-O-ß- d -glucosyl)-ß-d-glucoside), and two glucosinolates (Gluconasturtiin, Gluconasturtiin choline salt) have been isolated.

Cholinesterase and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Potential and Antioxidant Capacity of Lysimachia verticillaris L. and Isolation of the Major Compounds.

OBJECTIVES: The scope of the present study was to specify the therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases through evaluating cholinesterase and tyrosinase (TYR) inhibitory and antioxidant activity of Lysimachia verticillaris (LV), and to isolate the major compounds considering the most active fraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The methanol extract (ME) of LV and the chloroform, ethyl acetate (EtOAC), and aqueous fractions obtained from it were used for biological activity and isolation studies. The ME and all fractions were tested for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and TYR inhibitory and antioxidant potentials using ELISA microtiter assays. Seven major compounds were isolated from the active EtOAC fraction by semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by several spectroscopic methods. RESULTS: Marked AChE inhibitory activity was observed in the EtOAC fraction (6337±1.74%), BChE inhibitory activity in the ME and EtOAC fraction (85.84±3.01% and 83.82±3.93%), total phenol content in the EtOAC fraction (261.59±3.95 mg equivalent of gallic acid/1 g of extract) and total flavonoid contents in the EtOAC fraction (515.54±2.80 mg equivalent of quercetin/1 g of extract), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power values in the aqueous and EtOAC fractions (92.54±0.67%, 92.11±0.30%; 2.318±0.054, 2.224±0.091, respectively). Accordingly, the isolation studies were carried out on the EtOAC fractions. Compounds 1-7 (gallic acid, (+)-catechin, myricetin 3-O-arabinofuranoside, myricetin 3-O-α-rhamnopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-ß-glucopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-arabinofuranoside, and quercetin 3-O-α-rhamnopyranoside, respectively) were isolated from the active EtOAC fraction. CONCLUSION: LV may be a potential herbal source for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases based on its strong antioxidant activity and significant cholinesterase inhibition similar to that of the reference.

Dorycnium pentaphyllum Extract Has Antiproliferative Effect on Human Cervix and Colon Cancer Cells.

Although several studies have investigated the cytotoxic effects of different Fabaceae species, limited researches have been conducted on the cytotoxic effect of Dorycnium pentaphyllum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phenolic characterization and the cytotoxic effect of D. pentaphyllum on human cervix (HeLa) and colon (WiDr) cancer cells and the possible mechanisms involved. Total phenolic content (TPC) and phenolic characterization of the extract were investigated using the Folin-Cioceltau method and RP-HPLC, respectively. The cytotoxic effect of the extract was evaluated using the MTT assay. The mechanism involved in the extract's cytotoxic effect was then evaluated in terms of apoptosis and the cell cycle using flow cytometry, while mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was investigated using the fluorometric method. The TPC value of the extract was 141.2 ± 0.8 mg gallic acid equivalent per g sample, and quercetin was detected as major phenolics. D. pentaphyllum extract exhibited a selective cytotoxic effect on HeLa and WiDr cells compared to normal fibroblast and colon cells, respectively. The extract induced cell cycle arrest at the S phase and apoptosis via reduced MMP in these cells. Further studies may be useful in developing a natural product based new generation pharmacological agent.