In Vitro Screening of Natural Drug Potentials for Mass Production

Abstract

Methanolic extracts of 16 plant species, used in herbal and traditional medicinal preparations, collected from the same geographic region (Golcuk-Seben/Bolu, Turkey) were evaluated for their relative total phenolic contents, total antioxidant activities and their mineral contents in both dried plant samples and methanolic extracts. These species included Hypericum perforatum L., Thymus sipyleus Boiss., Equisetum arvense L., Achillea millefolium L., Tanacetum parthenium L., Thymus leucostomus Hausskn. & Velen., Usnea longissima, Herniaria incana Boiss., Teucrium polium L., Stachys bithynica Boiss., Anthemis nobilis L., Sambucus ebulus L., Berberis vulgaris L., Malus communis Desf., Matricaria chamomilla L. and Scorzonera laciniata L. Spectrophotometric Folin-Ciocalteu and DPPH free radical scavenging activity methods were performed to detect the total phenolic contents and total antioxidant activities of the methanolic extracts, respectively. The results show that the fruits of Berberis vulgaris L., have the highest antioxidant activity and aerial parts of Tanacetum parthenium L. have the highest total phenolics (92.62%). Mineral contents were determined by inductively coupled -mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). All dried plant samples and methanolic extracts contained high amounts of Si, Cu, Fe and Ca. The highest levels of Si, Cu, Fe and Ca were found in Equisetum arvense L., Anthemis nobilis L., and Thymus sipyleus Boiss. dried plant samples, whereas Se was only detected in Usnea longissima. The highest levels of Si, Cu, Fe and Ca were found in the methanolic extracts of Usnea longissima, Anthemis nobilis L. and Thymus sipyleus Boiss. respectively.

Phytochemical Composition and Biological Activities of Scorzonera Species

“…Roots of S. tomentosa L. are believed to have hemostatic properties when ingested [ 38 ]. Aerial parts of S. laciniata L. are known as antipyretic, antipyogenic, antiatherosclerotic, antidiabetic, antirheumatic, and blood pressure-lowering agents in folk therapy [ 39 ]. Turkish folk medicine uses S. phaeopappa Boiss., S. sosnowskyii Lipsch., and S. mirabilis Lipsch.…”

“…In Turkey, they are known as hemostatic agents, as well as, when used externally, as plasters in the process of wound healing [ 38 ]. The plants are also present in folk medicine as a remedy for hypertension, atherosclerosis, or kidney dysfunction [ 39 ].…”

Investigation of the Genotoxic, Antigenotoxic and Antioxidant Profile of Different Extracts from Equisetum arvense L.

“…The calibration standards and samples were finally prepared in an acid matrix of 2.5 % v / v HNO 3 and 0.5% v / v HCl. The concentration (C) of the minerals were finally expressed as dry weight in μg g −1 according to the following formula [ 31 ]: C = [(a × V × F)/m] where a is the content of the mineral in the tested solution (μg L −1 ), V is the volume of the digestion solution (L), F is the dilution factor of the tested solution (if needed), and m is the initial sample mass (g).…”

“…The calibration standards and samples were finally prepared in an acid matrix of 2.5 % v/v HNO 3 and 0.5% v/v HCl. The concentration (C) of the minerals were finally expressed as dry weight in µg g −1 according to the following formula [31]:…”

Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction and Characterization of Natural Colorants from Plants and Evaluation of Their Therapeutic Properties and Cytotoxicity

“…Results of antioxidant activity of natural extracts are based on measuring the electron donor capacity of [26,27]. The presence of phenolic compounds is directly linked to the radical scavenging activity [28,29].…”