The application of a newly developed HPTLC-bioautography assay for detecting peroxidase enzyme inhibitors in plant extracts in addition to bioautography methods for detecting antioxidant compounds resulted in the isolation of a new biflavonoid 3'methoxy sahranflavone along with two known biflavonoids and three flavonoids from the cones of Juniperus communis, J horizontalis and J chinensis. The structures of all compounds were elucidated by means of 1D and 2D NMR and MALDI-TOF MS technique in addition to comparison to literature data. Quantitative estimation of antiperoxidase and antioxidative capacity based on DPPH free radical scavenging activity and β-carotene bleaching of extracts, active fraction and constituents was achieved by applying validated high resolution image analyses techniques. 3'-methoxy sahranflavone and quercetrin possessed high mutual antiperoxidase and antioxidant activities. Molecular docking simulations were performed to reveal the interaction of isolated compounds with human myeloperoxidase enzyme on the molecular level indicating the potential anti-inflammatory activity of 3'-methoxy sahranflavone and quercetrin. 1. Experimental 1.1.Chemicals. DPPH • (2,2-Di(4-tert-octylphenyl)-1-picrylhydrazyl)free radical, β-carotene, linoleic acid, Horseradish peroxidase enzyme type II, essentially salt free (150 u/mg), quercetin standards were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (Darmstadt, Germany).Acetic acid, ethyl acetate, methylene chloride, n-butanol, chloroform and methanol were purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany), n-hexane from BDH (Poole, England).
1.2.Apparatus and equipmentHPTLC chromatography: The samples were applied band-wise by means of a Camag (Wilmington, NC) Linomat V automated spray-on band applicator equipped with a 100 mL syringe, Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University.Nuclear magnetic resonance analyses: 1 HNMR (400 MHz), 13 CNMR (100 MHz), APT and 2D-NMR spectra were recorded on Bruker avance III (Switzerland), Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University-Egypt. MALDI-TOF MS: MALDI Ultraflextreme (Bruker Daltonics, Germany) operated using FlexControl for acquisition of the spectra. The matrix used was HCCA saturated (alpha Hydro Cyano Cinnamic Acid), Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University.
1.3.Plant collection and extractionLeaves and cones of Juniperus communis, J horizontalis and J chinensis were collected on March 2018 from the International Garden at Cairo, Egypt. Plants' identification was confirmed by Dr. Therese Labib, specialist of plant identification in El Orman Garden, Cairo, Egypt. Three voucher specimens