No abstract

In this study, the methanolic and infusion extracts of two species, Thymbra capitata and Thymus sipyleus subsp. Rosulans, were tested for their chemical composition and biological abilities (antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory and anti-inflammatory effects). The extracts yielded total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the range of 83.43–127.52 mg GAE/g and 9.41–46.34 mg RE/g, respectively. HPLC analysis revealed rosmarinic acid to be a major component of the studied extracts (15.85–26.43%). The best ABTS radical scavenging ability was observed in the methanol extract of T. capitata with 379.11 mg TE/g, followed by in the methanol extract of T. sipylus (360.93 mg TE/g). In the CUPRAC assay, the highest reducing ability was also found in the methanol extract of T. capitata with 802.22 mg TE/g. The phosphomolybdenum ability ranged from 2.39 to 3.61 mmol TE/g. In terms of tyrosinase inhibitory effects, the tested methanol extracts (83.18–89.66 mg KAE/g) were higher than the tested water extracts (18.74–19.11 mg KAE/g). Regarding the BChE inhibitory effects, the methanol extracts were active on the enzyme while the water extracts showed no inhibitory effect on it. Overall, the methanolic extracts showed better enzyme inhibition compared to the infusion extracts. Molecular docking also showed the selected exhibited potential binding affinities with all enzymes, with a preference for cholinesterases. Additionally, the extracts were effective in attenuating the LPS-induced increase in COX-2 and IL-6 gene expression in isolated colon, thus indicating promising anti-inflammatory effects. The preliminary results of this study suggest that these species are good natural sources of antioxidants and also provide some scope as enzyme inhibitors, most likely due to their bioactive contents such as phenolic acids, and thus can be exploited for different applications related to health promotion and disease prevention.

The genus Limonium includes important halophyte plants containing a variety of bioactive compounds of therapeutic interest. In the present work, the untargeted phytochemical profile of both aerial parts and root...

Calendula officinalis L., commonly known as pot marigold, is a popular ornamental and highly medicinal plant. In fact, it is well recognized for its wide‐ranging therapeutic effects conducive to wound healing and for treating various illnesses. In this study, the essential oils from flowers and leaves of C. officinalis were analysed for their chemical constituents and screened for their in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory properties. Thirty compounds were found in common in both essential oils, with the sesquiterpene alcohol, α‐cadinol as the most abundant compound (leaf: 32.3% and flower: 31.3%, respectively). Besides, the essential oils were found to possess antioxidant capacity through free radical scavenging and reducing mechanisms (DPPH: 2.94, 1.52 mg trolox equivalent (TE)/g of oil; ABTS: 20.72, 2.86 mg TE/g; CUPRAC: 31.16, 47.98 mg TE/g; FRAP: 24.84, 23.42 mg TE/g; phosphomolybdenum: 4.01, 4.68 mmol TE/g for leaves and flowers essential oils, respectively). Moreover, the essential oils (leaves and flowers, respectively) were found to inhibit all the tested enzymes, namely amylase (0.46, 0.42 mmol acarbose equivalent (ACAE)/g), glucosidase (1.35, 1.31 mmol ACAE/g), acetylcholinesterase (2.48, 2.36 mg galantamine (GALAE)/g) and butyrylcholinesterase (8.13, 8.20 mg GALAE/g) and tyrosinase (47.73, 54.36 mg kojic acid equivalent/g). Molecular docking was also performed revealing the compounds neophytadiene and α‐humulene to show the highest binding affinity with tyrosinase. Therefore, the obtained results demonstrated some appealing activities of C officinalis essential oils as natural pharmacological agents that could be valuable for the potential development of phyto‐formulations against the herein targeted diseases and especially for cosmeceutical applications.

To avail the possible pharmacological actions of Brideliaferruginea Benth., the present investigation was designed to quantitatively analyze the total flavonoid and phenolic contents and assess the various antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties of leaf and stem bark extracts (ethyl acetate, water and methanolic) of B. ferruginea. Anti-proliferative effect was also investigated against human colon cancer cells (HCT116) as well as the antimicrobial potential against multiple bacterial and fungal (yeasts and dermatophytes) strains. The methanolic and water extracts of the stem bark demonstrated the highest phenolic content (193.58 ± 0.98 and 187.84 ± 1.88 mg/g, respectively), while the leaf extracts showed comparatively higher flavonoid contents (24.37–42.31 mg/g). Overall, the methanolic extracts were found to possess the most significant antioxidant potency. Compared to the other extracts, methanolic extracts of the B. ferruginea were revealed to be most potent inhibitors of acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterases, tyrosinase α-amylase, except α-glucosidase. Only the ethyl acetate extracts were found to inhibit glucosidase. Additionally, the stem bark methanolic extract also showed potent inhibitory activity against E. coli and gram-positive bacteria (MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration): 2.48–62.99 µg/mL), as well as all the tested fungi (MIC: 4.96–62.99 µg/mL). In conclusion, B. ferruginea can be regarded as a promising source of bioactive compounds displaying multifunctional pharmacological activities and thus is a potential candidate for further investigations in the endeavor to develop botanical formulations for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries.