Browsing by Author "Ak, Gunes"
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- A comparative study on biological properties and chemical profiles of different solvent extracts from Centaurea bingoelensis, an endemic plant of TurkeyPublication . Uysal, Ahmet; Zengin, Gokhan; Mahomoodally, Mohamad Fawzi; Picot-Allain, Carene; Jeko, Jozsef; Cziaky, Zoltan; Rodrigues, Maria Joao; Ak, Gunes; Polat, Ridvan; Urusan, Zeynep; Sinan, Kouadio Ibrahime; Custódio, LuísaThis study focused on the biological evaluation and chemical characterization of Centaurea bingoelensis, an endemic plant to Turkey. Different solvent extracts (hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EA), methanol, hydro-methanol, and water extracts) were prepared. The antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities were investigated. The hydro-methanol extract, possessing high phenolic content (41.57 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g extract), showed highest reducing capacity (136.87 and 82.16 mg Trolox equivalent [TE]/g extract, for cupric reducing antioxidant capacity and ferric reducing antioxidant power, respectively) and radical scavenging potential (70.72 and 76.53 mg TE/g extract, against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl and 2,2' -azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), respectively). Ultra performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometer (UHPLC/MS/MS) analysis revealed the presence of 67 and 62 compounds in the methanolic and water extracts, respectively. According to the broth microdilution results, DCM and EA extracts showed significant antimicrobial activity with Sarcina lutea being the most sensitive bacterium to the extracts (MIC = 0.19 (DCM) and 0.097 mg/mL (EA)). Most extracts showed promising antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The methanol extract was most toxic against human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells, and also significantly reduced the cell viability of the non-tumoral murine bone marrow stromal (S17) cells. This study has provided valuable scientific data on this endemic plant which can be considered as a promising candidate for the development of novel phyto-pharmaceuticals.
- Characterising the metabolomic diversity and biological potentials of extracts from different parts of two cistus species using UHPLC-MS/MS and In vitro techniquesPublication . Ahmed, Shakeel; Zengin, Gokhan; Selvi, Selami; Ak, Gunes; Cziáky, Zoltán; Jekő, József; Rodrigues, Maria João; Custódio, Luísa; Venanzoni, Roberto; Flores, Giancarlo Angeles; Cusumano, Gaia; Angelini, PaolaThis study investigates the biochemical composition and biological properties of different parts (leaves, roots, and twigs) of two Cistus species (Cistus monspeliasis and Cistus parviflorus). The extracts were analysed using UHPLC-MS/MS to determine their chemical profiling. A range of antioxidant assays were performed to evaluate the extract’s antioxidant capabilities. The enzyme inhibition studies focused on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), α-amylase, and α-glucosidase and tyrosinase. In addition, the study examined the antimicrobial effects on different bacteria and yeasts and evaluated the toxicity using the MTT assay. Quinic acid, citric acid, gallic acid, catechin, quercetin derivatives, kaempferol, myricetin, ellagic acid, prodelphinidins, procyanidins, scopoletin, and flavogallonic acid dilactone are the main bioactive compounds found in both species. In enzyme inhibition assays, C. monspeliasis roots exhibited significant activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), with the values of 2.58 ± 0.02 mg GALAE/g and 11.37 ± 1.93 mg GALAE/g, respectively. Cytotoxicity studies showed mostly weak toxicity, with some samples moderately reducing viability in RAW and HepG2 cells. These findings underscore the diverse biochemical profiles and bioactive potential of Cistus species, suggesting their utility as natural sources of antioxidants and enzyme inhibitors for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical development.
- Chemical characterization, cytotoxic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and enzyme inhibitory effects of different extracts from one sage (Salvia ceratophylla L.) from Turkey: open a new window on industrial purposesPublication . Uysal, Sengul; Zengin, Gokhan; Sinan, Kouadio Ibrahime; Ak, Gunes; Ceylan, Ramazan; Mahomoodally, Mohamad Fawzi; Uysal, Ahmet; Sadeer, Nabeelah Bibi; Jekő, József; Cziáky, Zoltán; Rodrigues, Maria Joao; Yıldıztugay, Evren; Elbasan, Fevzi; Custódio, LuísaIn the present study, the methanolic, hydro-methanolic, dichloromethane, hexane and aqueous extracts of Salvia ceratophylla L. (Family: Lamiaceae), a lemon-scented herb, were tested for total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activities were evaluated using a battery of assays (2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (phosphomolybdenum) and metal chelating). Enzyme inhibitory effects were investigated using acetyl- (AChE), butyryl-cholinesterase (BChE), tyrosinase, a-amylase and a-glucosidase as target enzymes. Regarding the cytotoxic abilities, HepG2, B164A5 and S17 cell lines were used. The phytochemical profile was conducted using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Our data showed that the methanolic aerial extracts possessed the highest phenolic (72.50 0.63 mg gallic acid equivalent per g) and flavonoid (43.77 1.09 mg rutin equivalent per g) contents. The hydromethanolic aerial extract showed significant DPPH radical scavenging activity (193.40 0.27 mg TE per g) and the highest reducing potential against CUPRAC (377.93 2.38 mg TE per g). The best tyrosinase activity was observed with dichloromethane root extract (125.45 1.41 mg kojic acid equivalent per g). Among the tested extracts, hexane root extract exerted the highest antimicrobial potential with a minimum inhibitory concentration value of 0.048 mg mL 1. Methanolic root extract showed the lowest cytotoxicity (28%) against HepG2 cells. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of important polyphenolic compounds including luteolin, gallic acid, rosmarinic acid, to name a few. This research can be used as one methodological starting point for further investigations on this lemon-scented herb.
- Chemical profile, antioxidant, antimicrobial, enzyme inhibitory, and cytotoxicity of seven Apiaceae species from Turkey: a comparative studyPublication . Zengin, Gokhan; Sinan, Kouadio Ibrahime; Ak, Gunes; Mahomoodally, Mohamad Fawzi; Paksoy, Mehmet Yavuz; Picot-Allain, Carene; Glamocilja, Jasmina; Sokovic, Marina; Jeko, Jozsef; Cziaky, Zoltan; Rodrigues, Maria Joao; Pereira, Catarina; Custódio, LuísaSeveral Apiaceae species, used as both food and in complementary and alternative medicine, represents a rich source of potential valuable phytopharmaceuticals which necessitates scientific contemplation. In the present study, the antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic properties of methanol extracts of seven Apiaceae species, (Chaerophyllum macrospermum (Willd. ex Spreng.) Fisch. & C.A.Mey. ex Hohen, Ferula rigidula Fisch. ex DC., Ferula orientalis L., Prangos ferulacea Lindl., Prangos peucedanifolia Fenzl., Ferulago setifolia K. Koch, and Pimpinella anthriscoides Boiss.) were evaluated. Species belonging to the Prangos genus exhibited the highest total phenolic content, namely P. peucedanifolia and P. ferulacea, with values of 47.90 and 44.44 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract, respectively. P. peucedanifolia also displayed the highest radical scavenging capacity (81.53 and 102.70 mg Trolox equivalent [TE]/g extract for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), respectively) and reducing power (165.87 and 100.09 mg TE/g extract for cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), respectively). C. macrospermum showed the most potent inhibition against Alzheimer's disease related enzymes, namely acetylcholinesterase (4.53 mg galantamine equivalent [GALAE]/g extract) and butyrylcholinesterase (3.22 mg GALAE/g extract). P. ferulacea (131.94 mg kojic acid (KAE) equivalent/g extract) and P. peucedanifolia (4.97 mmol acarbose equivalent (ACAE)/g extract) were potent inhibitors of tyrosinase and a-glucosidase, respectively. In general, studied species were able to reduce cellular viabilities. P. peucedanifolia possessed promising antibacterial potential against Bacillus cereus (Minimum inhibition concentration (MIC): 0.37 mg/mL), L. monocytogenes (MIC: 0.56 mg/mL), P. aeruginosa and Escherichia coli (MIC: 0.27 mg/mL), Salmonella typhimurium and Enterobacter cloacae (MIC: 0.75 mg/mL). F. rigidula showed the highest antifungal effect against Aspergillus ochraceus and Trichoderma viride (MIC: 0.10 mg/mL). The present findings could be the scientific starting point towards the pharmaceutical and/or commercial utilization of these Apiaceae species.
- Cytotoxic, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory activities of centaurea stapfiana extracts and their HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS profiles: Insights into an unexplored centaurea speciesPublication . Zengin, Gokhan; Fernández-Ochoa, Álvaro; Cádiz-Gurrea, María de la Luz; Jiménez, Francisco-Javier Leyva; Uba, Abdullahi Ibrahim; Ak, Gunes; Soomro, Sanam Iram; Balos, Maruf; Cakilcioglu, Ugur; Rodrigues, Maria João; Guerreiro Pereira, Catarina Alexandra; Custódio, LuísaThe members of the genus Centaurea have a great interest in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical fields due to their biological potential. Based on this information, we aimed to evaluate the biological properties (antioxidant, enzyme inhibition and cytotoxicity) and chemical profile of the extract of Centaurea stapfiana, , an unstudied species. The highest total phenolic content was found in the ethanol/water extract with 32.17 mg GAE/g. A total of 102 of them were identified by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS analysis. These compounds were mainly hydroxybenzoic acid and hydroxycinnamic acid as well as flavonoids. In the antioxidant tests, the ethanol/water extract had the best free radical scavenging and reducing ability. However, in the enzyme inhibition test, the ethanol extract was the most active. The extracts were also tested on two tumour cell lines (RAW 264.7 and HepG2) and one non- tumour cell line (S17). The ethanol extract showed the promising effect on HepG2 (cell viability: 28.6 % at 50 g/ml). Furthermore, we examined the interactions between the compounds and enzymatic and cellular targets. A good interaction was found between quercetin-3-xylosyl-(1- > 6)-glucoside and iNOS. In summary, our results suggest that C. stapfiana can be considered as a versatile raw material for the development of health- promoting applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical fields.
- Deeper Insights on Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach. & Thonn.) Müll.Arg extracts: chemical profiles, biological abilities, network analysis and molecular dockingPublication . Sinan, Kouadio Ibrahime; Ak, Gunes; Etienne, Ouattara Katinan; Jekő, József; Cziáky, Zoltán; Gupcsó, Katalin; Rodrigues, Maria Joao; Custódio, Luísa; Mahomoodally, Mohamad Fawzi; Sharmeen, Jugreet B.; Brunetti, Luigi; Leone, Sheila; Recinella, Lucia; Chiavaroli, Annalisa; Orlando, Giustino; Menghini, Luigi; Tacchini, Massimo; Ferrante, Claudio; Zengin, GokhanAlchornea cordifolia (Schumach. & Thonn.) Müll. Arg. is a well-known African medicinal plant traditionally used for various healing purposes. In the present study, methanolic, ethyl acetate and infusion extracts of A. cordifolia leaves were studied for their total phenolic and flavonoid contents and screened for their chemical composition. Moreover, the enzyme (acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterases, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and tyrosinase) inhibitory and cytotoxicity activities on HepG2: human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, B16 4A5: murine melanoma cells, and S17: murine bone marrow (normal) cells of extracts were evaluated. Finally, components-targets and docking analyzes were conducted with the aim to unravel the putative mechanisms underlying the observed bio-pharmacological effects. Interestingly, the infusion and methanolic extracts showed significantly higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents compared with the ethyl acetate extract (TPC: 120.38–213.12 mg GAE/g and TFC: 9.66–57.18 mg RE/g). Besides, the methanolic extracts followed by the infusion extracts were revealed to contain a higher number of compounds (84 and 74 compounds, respectively), while only 64 compounds were observed for the ethyl acetate extract. Gallic acid, ellagic acid, shikimic acid, rutin, quercetin, myricetin, vitexin, quercitrin, kaempferol, and naringenin were among the compounds that were commonly identified in all the studied extracts. Additionally, the methanolic and infusion extracts displayed higher antioxidant capacity than ethyl acetate extract in all assays performed. In ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays, the methanol extract (500.38 mg TE/g for DPPH and 900.64 mg TE/g for ABTS) exhibited the best ability, followed by the water and ethyl acetate extracts. Furthermore, the extracts exhibited differential enzyme inhibitory profiles. In particular, the methanolic and infusion extracts showed better cytotoxic selectivity activity against human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Overall, this study demonstrated A cordifolia to be a species worthy of further investigations, given its richness in bioactive phytochemicals and wide potentialities for antioxidants and pharmacological agents.
- Small steps to the big picture for health‐promoting applications through the use of chickweed (Stellariamedia): In vitro, in silico, and pharmacologicalnetwork approachesPublication . Cusumano, Gaia; Angeles Flores, Giancarlo; Cetiz, Mehmet Veysi; Kurt, Umran; Ak, Gunes; Saka, Enver; Aly, Shaza H.; Eldahshan, Omayma A.; Singab, Abdel Nasser; Zengin, Gokhan; Senkardes, Ismail; Rodrigues, Maria J.; Custódio, Luísa; Emiliani, Carla; Angelini, PaolaStellaria media L., also called chickweed, is widespread in all parts of the world. In the present study, we investigated the bio-logical properties and chemical profiles of different extracts (ethyl acetate, ethanol, ethanol/water, and water) of S. media. Thechemical profiles were examined using UHPLC/MS/MS technique. Regarding the biological properties, antioxidant propertiesas well as enzyme-inhibiting and cytotoxic effects of the extracts were demonstrated by in vitro methods. To obtain further in-formation about the structure-ability relationship, network pharmacology and molecular docking were also performed. Twelvephenolic compounds were identified in the extracts and most of them were flavonoids (apigenin, kaempferol derivatives, etc.).The water extract showed the best free radical scavenging activity, while the ethanol was the most active in reducing power tests.When inhibiting AChE, the ethyl acetate extract showed the best inhibitory effect. The water extract has a good cytotoxic effecton HepG2 (cell viability: 33.9% at a concentration of 100 g/mL). The analysis, performed using the STRING database, includedthese 45 cancer-associated targets. The identified hub genes were TP53, CDKN2A, PTEN, KRAS, and HRAS. In moleculardocking analysis, acacetin- O-hexoside- O-deoxyhexoside and napigenin-7- O-hexoside exhibit remarkable binding energies withproteins. Consequently, S. media can be potential raw materials for designing functional formulations in the pharmaceutical,nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical industries.