Determination of antioxidant activities and chemical composition of sequential fractions of five edible mushrooms from Turkey.

Tricholoma scalpturatum, Tricholoma populinum, Neolentinus cyathiformis, Chlorophyllum agaricoides, and Lycoperdon utriforme have been traditionally utilized as food in Turkey for a long time. The present study focused on determining antioxidant activities, total phenolic groups contents (flavonols, hydroxycinnamic acids, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins), phenolic compounds and fatty acids of sequential extracts (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, acetone, ethanol, and pure water) obtained from five wild edible macrofungi species. Ethanol and acetone (or ethyl acetate) were found as the most efficient solvents in terms of antioxidant activities and extraction efficiency. Antioxidant studies showed that L. utriforme, C. agaricoides, and T. populinum exhibited the highest radical scavenging and reducing activities and contained the highest phenolic contents. Chromatographic studies revealed that phenolic acids (protocatechuic, gallic, and chlorogenic acids) and fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids) were the major contributors of the antioxidant activities of the extracts. The results obtained suggest the utilization of these macrofungi species as significant sources of natural antioxidants.

Traditional medicinal plants of Agri Province, Turkey.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: This study serves as the first investigation of the knowledge of traditional medicinal plants used in Agri Province. The mountainous and strongly fragmented area, diversity of local flora, limited access to modern medicines because of the people's seminomadic lifestyle, and harsh climatic conditions have prompted the locals to benefit from natural resources, principally plants. AIM OF THE STUDY: Although the use of medicinal plant is common in the area, documentation and inventory analysis are not available on the plant taxa used in traditional medicine in Agri Province. This study focused on the answer of the following question: What are the most medicinally valuable plant taxa in the province? Therefore, this study aimed to (i) document medicinal plant taxa used in Agri Province; (ii) determine the endemic plant species and their risk categories; (iii) determine the most widely used plant taxa for specific ailments to further contribute to drug discovery; (iv) determine the local names, plant part(s) used, preparation, and utilization methods of these local plant medicines to assist with pharmaceutical studies; and (v) reveal the origin(s) of traditional medicinal knowledge of Agri Province. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethnopharmacological field studies were conducted between 2014 and 2016 in 638 locations within Agri Province. Plant samples used in folk medicine were determined through face-to-face interviews with 120 local healers. Traditional medicinal plant samples were collected from wild areas with the help of the local healers and transported to Van Pharmaceutical Herbarium (Van, Turkey) for botanical identification. The statistical analyses of data were conducted using the informant consensus factor (ICF) method. RESULTS: In this study, 118 medicinal taxa belonging to 35 families of plants were determined to be used in Agri Province. Ninety-three different local names were recorded, which mainly described the plant's morphological characteristics. Data analysis (ICF) revealed that the traditional medicinal plants used in Agri Province might offer promising information for new pharmaceuticals. CONCLUSIONS: The local population in the study area has a preserved and comprehensive knowledge of traditional medicine because of its limited access to modern medicine, seminomadic lifestyle, isolated geographical position, traditional taste habits, climatic conditions, diversity of local flora, and mountainous and rugged geography. The medicinal plants presented in this study might provide valuable leads for the identification of bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical use and represent a vast and underutilized resource for the development of newer and more efficient pharmacological treatments.

Investigation of the protective effects of horse mushroom (Agaricus arvensis Schaeff.) against carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress in rats.

Wild and cultured mushrooms have been extensively used for food and medicinal purposes all around the world. However, there is limited information on chemical composition, health enhancing effects and contributions on diet of some mushrooms (e.g., Agaricus arvensis) widely distributed in many countries including United Kingdom, Australia, Turkey etc. Therefore, the present study was aimed to analyse the bioactive composition and ameliorative effects of A. arvensis via evaluating in vitro and in vivo antioxidant properties in CCl4 induced rat model. The extract exhibited higher antioxidant capacities in vitro than that of the positive control (Reishi-Shiitake-Maitake standardized extract). Administration of the extract had significant regulative effects in the levels of AST, ALT, LDH, Urea and TRIG levels according to CCl4 group. Additionally, lipid peroxidation and GSH in the brain, kidney and liver tissues was regulated by extract treated groups compared to the CCI4 group. The supplementation of the extract at the dose of 100 mg/kg regulated the levels of GST, GR, CAT and GPx enzyme activities in brain and liver, but not in kidney tissue. There was approximately three fold increase in CAT enzyme activity in kidney tissue of extract treated groups compared to Control and CCl4 groups. The extract contained a rich composition of bioactive compounds including phenolics (protocatechuic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid), volatile compounds (benzaldehyde, palmitic acid and linoleic acid) and mineral compounds (K, Si, Mg and Na). Data obtained within this study suggests that A. arvensis might be used for food industries in order to obtain nutritional products.

Sempervivum davisii: phytochemical composition, antioxidant and lipase-inhibitory activities.

CONTEXT: Sempervivum davisii Muirhead (Crassulaceae) is a traditional medicinal herb from Eastern Anatolia. To date the composition of phytochemicals and physiological properties of this herb were not subjected to any research. OBJECTIVE: This study identifies compounds in S. davisii hydrophilic extracts and evaluates their potential biological properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethanol-based lyophilized extracts were obtained from aerial parts of plant (10 g of ground dry plant material in 200 mL of acidified aqueous ethanol, shaken for 2 h at 22 °C with supernatant collected and freeze-dried under vacuum). Phytochemical composition was investigated by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS, phenolics) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS, volatiles). Phenolic compounds were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Subsequently, antioxidant capacity [ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays] and enzyme inhibitory properties (isolated porcine pancreatic lipase) of the extracts were determined. RESULTS: Polyphenolic compounds were the main constituents of lyophilized extracts, among which kaempferol glycosides and quercetin hexoside dominated. The extracts exhibited potent antioxidant (FRAP values of 1925.2-5973.3 µM Fe2+/g DW; ORAC values of 1858.5-4208.7 µM Trolox Eq./g DW) and moderate lipase inhibitory (IC50: 11.6-2.96 mg/mL) activities. Volatile compounds (nonanal, dehydroxylinalool oxide isomers, 2-decenal, 2-undecenal, 2,6-di-tetr-butylphenol) were also found. CONCLUSIONS: Phenolic compounds with the dominating kaempferol and quercetin derivatives are the sources of potent antioxidant properties of S. davisii hydrophilic extracts. The extracts exhibit moderate inhibitory properties towards isolated pancreatic lipase.

Phytochemical divergence in 45 accessions of Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum).

This study investigated the variations in the levels of phenolic compounds, vitamin C, sugars and antioxidant capacities of 45 newly collected accessions of Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum), a native Australian fruit utilised in dietary supplement industry. Pattern recognition tools, principal component analysis (PCA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) were applied to understand interrelationships between the antioxidant capacities [Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)] and antioxidant groups: phenolic compounds and vitamin C. On the basis of these parameters AHC classified samples into three main groups, with accessions 2, 8, 15, 6, 3 and 5 from the Northern Territory, Australia, representing superior quality fruits combining high levels of total phenolics (505.2 to 376.1 mg GA E/g DW), vitamin C (322.2 to 173.5mg/g DW), with pronounced antioxidant capacities (FRAP: 5030.5 to 4244.9 µmol Fe(2+)/g DW; ORAC: 3861.5 to 2985.6 µmol Trolox E/g DW). Hydrolysable tannins and ellagic acid were identified as the major phenolic compounds. The levels of ellagic acid varied from 140.2 to 30.5 mg/g DW, which places Kakadu plum as a unique edible source of this compound. The levels of sugars varied from 619.0 to 130.0 mg Glu E/g DW. This study for the first time revealed a unique phytochemical profile and significant variability in phytochemical composition of Kakadu plum. These features create opportunities for selection of sources with different characteristics addressing the needs of the nutraceutical industry, food processors and the consumers of fresh fruit.

Phenolic composition, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of Eryngium bornmuelleri leaf.

Eryngium bornmuelleri Nab. (Tusî) is an endemic botanical from the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey traditionally used for preparation of herbal tea. Within this study, phenolic composition, antioxidant capacities and inhibitory activities towards selected digestive enzymes of E. bornmuelleri leaf were investigated. Sequential extracts, obtained by extraction of plant tissue by ethanol, acetone and water exhibited pronounced antioxidant capacities and in a dose-dependent manner suppressed the metabolic syndrome related enzymes: α-amylase, α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase. All extracts contained high levels of phenolic compounds. Flavonoid glycosides were the main phytochemicals detected, with rutin as the major compound (70% of total phenolics). Chlorogenic, hydroxybenzoic and caftaric acids as well as traces of caffeic, ferulic and rosmarinic acids were also detected. Correlation analysis indicated that phenolic compounds were the major sources of the enzyme-inhibitory activities. This study suggests that E. bornmuelleri leaf extracts can modulate the metabolism of sugars and fats through inhibition of the relevant digestive enzymes.