Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları

  • MakaleAçık Erişim2026Scopus SJRQ1
    Ajuga vestita Boiss: a “natural gold mine” for the design of novel nutraceuticals and phytopharmaceuticals

    Cetiz, Mehmet Veysi; Zengin, Gokhan; Leyva-Jiménez, Francisco Javier; Fernández-Ochoa, Álvaro; de la Luz Cádiz-Gurrea, Maria; Custódio, Luísa; Rodrigues, Maria João; Pereira, Catarina G.; Lazarova, Irina; Balos, Mehmet Maruf

    Members of the Ajuga genus are of significant interest due to their traditional applications in various countries, and have therefore been the subject of phytochemical research investigating their natural bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition and biological activities of various Ajuga vestita extracts (ethyl acetate, ethanol, ethanol/water and water). The biological effects assessed included antioxidant, enzyme inhibition and cytotoxic activities. The extracts were chemically profiled using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography – electrospray ionization – quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS), which identified 121 compounds, including iridoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. The ethanol/water extract exhibited superior radical scavenging activity (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH): 43.13 mg Trolox equivalent (TE)/g; 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS): 45.37 mg TE/g) and reducing power (cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC): 103.43 mg TE/g; ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP): 45.29 mg TE/g). Regarding enzyme inhibition, the ethanol extract exhibited the greatest inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), glucosidase, and tyrosinase, whereas the ethyl acetate extract was most effective against amylase. Regarding cytotoxicity, the ethyl acetate extract exhibited the strongest effect, significantly reducing cell viability in all cell lines and having a particularly strong impact on murine bone marrow stromal (S17) cells, with viability at 30.8 ± 2.7% at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. By contrast, the aqueous extract exhibited low cytotoxicity, maintaining high cell viability (over 94% at 50 µg/mL and over 74% at 100 µg/mL). Additionally, network pharmacology, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were employed to investigate the multi-target mechanisms and binding stability of A. vestita phytochemicals. These findings provide new, detailed insights into A. vestita and suggest its potential as a raw material for developing health-promoting nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products.

    • SDG 3 · Sağlık ve Kaliteli Yaşam
  • MakaleAçık Erişim2025Scopus SJRQ2
    Exploration of UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS Profiles and the Neuroprotective, Antidiabetic, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Effects of Extracts from Achillea maritima (L.) Ehrend. & Y.P.Guo (Asteraceae) Collected in Türkiye

    Ahmed, Shakeel; Zengin, Gokhan; Fernández-Ochoa, Álvaro; de la Luz Cádiz-Gurrea, Maria; Leyva-Jiménez, Francisco Javier; Elkiran, Omer; Cakilcioglu, Ugur; Akgul, Bengusu H.; Pereira, Catarina G.; Custódio, Luísa

    The current study investigated the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, enzyme inhibition, and cytotoxic activities of extracts from Achillea maritima, a wild medicinal plant used for various therapeutic purposes. The antioxidant activities were assayed through different assays like DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, FRAP, and phosphomolybdenum, whereas in enzyme inhibition studies, cholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase were assayed. Cytotoxicity studies are conducted on S17, RAW, and HepG2 to assess its selectivity and effectiveness. Chemical profiling by UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS revealed multiple bioactive compounds in the extracts. Polar solvents (ethanol, ethanol/water, and water) resulted in high concentrations of phenolic acids as well as chlorogenic and caffeoylquinic acids, as well as flavonoids like vicenin and apigenin. On the other, the nonpolar (hexane extract) was rich in octadecatrienoic acid hydroperoxy and hydroxyoctadecatrienic acid. Among these, the water extract contained the highest phenolic content of 32.26 mg GAE/g, while the ethyl acetate extract was the richest in flavonoids, with 7.83 mg RE/g. In the antioxidant studies, the water and ethanol/water extracts consistently display the most potent activities, thus indicating their significant free radical scavenging and metal chelation abilities. The studies on enzyme inhibitions showed remarkable BChE inhibitory activities of the ethanol extract in 12.50 mg GALAE/g, thus showing potential in managing disease conditions related to cholinesterase. Tyrosinase inhibition was significant by the ethanol extract, presenting 55.59 mg KAE/g. The ethyl acetate extract exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity against α-amylase with 0.66 mmol ACAE/g, while ethanol extract showed significant inhibition of α-glucosidase with 4.35 ACAE/g. Cytotoxicity results showed that the water extract was most effective against the HepG2 cancer cell line by reducing cell viability to 38.4% at high doses while preserving low toxicity against normal cells, as observed by high viability percentages in S17 and RAW cell lines. These results highlight the usefulness of A. maritima extracts in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical applications.

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