Antioxidant capacities of Gundelia tournefortii L. extracts and inhibition on glutathione-S-transferase activity

A Review of the Ethnobotany, Biological Activity, and Phytochemistry of the Plants in the Gundelia Genus

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) catalog, and Google Scholar from January 1980 up until October 2023 on plants in the Gundelia genus. Gundelia L. (Asteraceae) has been treated as a monospecific genus with Gundelia tournefortii L. (1753: 814) in most recent floras with wide variation in corolla color, but nowadays, the genus consists of 17 species. The unripe inflorescences of these species, especially G. tournefortii L., are consumed in many ways. 'Akkoub' or 'akko' in Arabic, "Kangar" in Persian, and "Silifa" in Greek are the common names of G. tournefortii L., also known as tumble thistle in English. They have been used in traditional medicine to treat bronchitis, kidney stones, diarrhea, stomach pain, inflammation, liver and blood diseases, bacterial and fungal infections, and mumps. Based on recent studies, their extracts have exhibited hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. Moreover, a variety of phytochemicals, including terpenoids, sterols, and fatty acids, as well as vitamins and minerals, have been identified in this genus. This study reviewed the ethnobotany, phytochemicals, and biological activities of the plants in the Gundelia genus as functional foods and herbal remedies.

Potential use of the Asteraceae family as a cure for diabetes: A review of ethnopharmacology to modern day drug and nutraceuticals developments

The diabetes-associated mortality rate is increasing annually, along with the severity of its accompanying disorders that impair human health. Worldwide, several medicinal plants are frequently urged for the management of diabetes. Reports are available on the use of medicinal plants by traditional healers for their blood-sugar-lowering effects, along with scientific evidence to support such claims. The Asteraceae family is one of the most diverse flowering plants, with about 1,690 genera and 32,000 species. Since ancient times, people have consumed various herbs of the Asteraceae family as food and employed them as medicine. Despite the wide variety of members within the family, most of them are rich in naturally occurring polysaccharides that possess potent prebiotic effects, which trigger their use as potential nutraceuticals. This review provides detailed information on the reported Asteraceae plants traditionally used as antidiabetic agents, with a major focus on the plants of this family that are known to exert antioxidant, hepatoprotective, vasodilation, and wound healing effects, which further action for the prevention of major diseases like cardiovascular disease (CVD), liver cirrhosis, and diabetes mellitus (DM). Moreover, this review highlights the potential of Asteraceae plants to counteract diabetic conditions when used as food and nutraceuticals. The information documented in this review article can serve as a pioneer for developing research initiatives directed at the exploration of Asteraceae and, at the forefront, the development of a botanical drug for the treatment of DM.

Comparative biological analyses on kenger and kenger coffee as novel functional food products

Abstract

The current research was conducted to investigate neuroprotective, anticancer, antiproliferative and apoptotic DNA fragmentation potentials of the extracts obtained from aerial-parts, raw-fruits, and coffee samples (prepared by roasting and boiled-roasting) of kenger (Gundelia tournefortii var. armata). Neuroprotection capacities of the samples were screened against enzymes that are linked to the progression of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Since the oxidative damage is closely related to the development of neurodegeneration and cancer, the extracts were also analyzed for their antioxidant activities. Anticancer and antiproliferative activities of the samples were evaluated towards A549, MCF-7, and HeLa cells, and they exhibited remarkable anticancer activities in dose-and time-dependent manners. Furthermore, the apoptotic activity regarding DNA fragmentation was also imaged. The extracts obtained from the aerial-parts and raw-fruits of kenger possessed the highest anticancer and antiproliferative activities on HeLa cells with the IC₅₀ values varied from 290.71 ± 0.69 to 342.46 ± 0.42, whilst kenger coffee samples had the weakest activity on the cell death towards MCF-7. However, the tested extracts exhibited strong antioxidant activities, in which the best reducing antioxidant capacity was defined in the raw-fruits and aerial-parts of the extracts. The roasted-coffee samples had the best inhibition on tyrosinase (88.26 ± 0.15%, p < 0.05), while the raw fruit-EtOH extract showed the highest inhibition on AChE and BChE enzymes (39.10 ± 2.01%, p < 0.01 and 72.69 ± 0.16%, p < 0.016, respectively). Consequently, research outputs provide noteworthy data on the usage of kenger for the nutraceutical and the healthy food industries.

Graphic abstract

Enhanced light harvesting, higher donor density, appropriate band bending, lowest charge transfer radius of C-Ag-ZnO hybrid signifies that efficient charge transfer and restriction to charge recombination leading to the enhanced PEC performance.

Antioxidant Activity, Phenolic Composition, and Hormone Content of Wild Edible Vegetables

Wild edible plants have been used since antiquity as folk medicine and as preservatives in foods. This study aimed to determine the antioxidant activities, phenolic compounds, and hormone contents of 12 species of edible wild plants belonging to 9 families, which are consumed as vegetables by the local people at Ergan Mountain in Erzincan in Turkey. Polygonum cognatum and Malva neglecta were determined to have more antioxidant enzyme activity, more phenolic compounds, and higher hormone content than the other species. The highest catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-s-transferase (GST) values for P. cognatum were determined as 45.12, 94.83, 36.76, and 1218.35 EU g−1, respectively. The highest superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (AxPOD) content for M. neglecta were determined as 97.53 EU g−1 and 81.93 EU g−1, respectively. P. cognatum is the species in which the highest levels of the hormones indolacetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA), salicylic acid (SA), cytokinin, zeatin and jasmonic acid were detected. The highest levels of caftaric acid (CA), catechin (CAE), ferulic acid (FA), malvidin-3-o-glucoside (MG), myricetin (MYR), rutin (RT), trans-coumaric acid (TPCA), tyrosol (TY), and vanilic acid (VA) compounds were found in M. neglecta. It was determined that Falcaria vulgaris species had the highest levels of ferulic acid (FA) and quercetin (QUE) phenolics. The results show that edible wild vegetables consumed and studied by the people of the region are an important source of natural antioxidants. The possibilities of using these wild plants as functional foods should be investigated.

The advantages and synergistic effects of Gunnera (Gundelia tournefortii L.) extract and protexin in chicken production

BACKGROUND

Probiotics and phytogenics in the poultry diet have many positive effects on productivity. The combination of these feed additives has not been studied.

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed for evaluation of synergistic effects of protexin (P) and Gunnera (Gundelia tournefortii L.) extract (GX) on growth, biochemical, hematological and antioxidant status of broiler chickens.

METHODS

Totally, 300 chicks were divided into 4 groups that fed the basal diet, diet containing P, GX, and GX plus P (GX-P) in all over the growing period. At 42 days of age, blood samples were collected from all chickens. The concentration of aspartate transferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (CHL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), haematological parameters, and humeral antibody against Newcastle disease vaccine was measured.

RESULTS

The Results showed that the feed conversion ratio in chickens fed GX-P was significantly lower than others. Also, in chickens fed GX or GX-P, the TG and CHL concentration was significantly lower and GPx and TAC concentration was significantly higher than others, while chickens that received P or GX-P showed higher haemoglobin and TP concentration. The antibody response was significantly higher in chickens fed P. The ALT, AST, ALP, and SOD concentration did not show any significant difference in all chickens.

CONCLUSION

Continuous utilization of P along with GX in broiler diets can induce synergist effect on feed efficacy and antioxidant status, lowering lipid profiles with no effect on liver function in chickens.

Effects of Gundelia tournefortii L. on biochemical parameters, antioxidant activities and DNA damage in a rat model of experimental obesity

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of Gundelia tournefortii L. plant extract on different tissues in terms of DNA damage, biochemical and antioxidant parameter values in rats with high-calorie diets. With this aim, Wistar albino male rats were divided into 4 groups containing 6 rats each and the study was completed over 12 weeks duration. At the end of the implementation process over the 12 weeks, rats were sacrificed and blood and tissue samples were obtained. Analyses were performed on blood and tissue samples. According to results for DNA damage (8-OHdG), in brain tissue the OG2 group was significantly reduced compared to the NC group. For MDA results in liver tissue, OG1 and OG2 groups were determined to increase by a significant degree compared to the control group, while the OG2 group was also increased significantly compared to the obese group. In terms of the other parameters, comparison between the groups linked to consumption of a high calorie diet (HCD) and administration of Gundelia tournefortii L. in terms of antioxidant activities and serum samples obtained statistically significant results. Gundelia tournefortii L. plant extracts had effects that may be counted as positive on antioxidant parameter activity and were especially identified to improve DNA damage and MDA levels in brain tissues. Additionally, consumption of Gundelia tournefortii L. plant extract in the diet may have antiobesity effects; thus, it should be evaluated for use as an effective weight-loss method and as a new therapeutic agent targeting obesity.

Phytochemical Fingerprints and Bioactivities of Ripe Disseminules (Fruit-Seeds) of Seventeen Gundelia (Kenger-Kereng Dikeni) Species from Anatolia with Chemometric Approach

Gundelia species are known as "Kenger-kereng dikeni" in Anatolia, and their aerial parts are consumed as food. Also, roots and seeds (disseminules) of the Gundelia species are used to prepare gum and coffee. The chemical contents of ethanol and hexane extracts of disseminules of 17 Gundelia species, 13 of them are endemic, were studied using LC/MS/MS and GC/MS. Additionally, their antioxidant potential and enzyme inhibitory capacity against acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase, urease, and tyrosinase were determined. The unsaturated fatty acid ratios of Gundelia species were higher than their saturated fatty acid ratio. The highest sum of oleic and linoleic acid was detected in G. tournefortii var. tenuisecta (70.42 %). β-Sitosterol, α-amyrin, 3-acetyllupeol were identified in 17 Gundelia species by GC/MS, while chlorogenic acid and luteolin by LC/MS/MS as major compounds. The ethanol and hexane extracts of G. siirtica, G. rosea, and G. mesopotamica indicated good cholinesterase inhibitory activity. Among all species, ethanol extract of G. colemerikensis exhibited the best activity in ABTS (IC₅₀ : 32.30±0.98 μg/mL), DPPH (IC₅₀ : 59.91±0.89 μg/mL), and CUPRAC (A_0.5 : 57.41±1.03 μg/mL) assays. Ethanol extract of G. colemerikensis also displayed the highest inhibitory activity against butyrylcholinesterase (51.14±0.25 % at 200 μg/mL), urease (51.71±1.75 % at 200 μg/mL), and tyrosinase (39.50±0.85 % at 200 μg/mL) enzymes. According to the chemometric analysis of fatty acids, four groups were observed. Therefore, it is suggested that G. colemerikensis can be used in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries due to its antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties.

Antioxidant or pro-oxidant and glutathione transferase P1-1 inhibiting activities for Tamarindus indica seeds and their cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cancer cell line

BACKGROUND

The multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer cells is a major obstacle to cancer treatment. Glutathione S-transferase Pi (GSTP1-1) catalyzes the conjugation of glutathione with anticancer drugs and therefore reduces their efficacy. Phenolic compounds have the potential to inhibit GST P1-1 activity, which is a promising goal to overcome MDR and increase the efficacy of chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Three fractions (dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol) were prepared from Tamarindus indica seeds to determine their phenolic and flavonoid properties as well as their antioxidant/pro-oxidant properties. The n-butanol fraction displayed the highest levels of phenol ( 378 ± 11.7 mg gallic acid equivalent/g DW) and flavonoids (83 ± 6.0 mg rutin equivalent/g DW). Inhibiting effects on purified GSTP1-1 activity in human erythrocytes (eGST), placenta (pGST), and hGSTP1-1 have been studied. The n-butanol fraction was the most effective in inhibiting eGST, hGSTP1-1, and pGST with IC₅₀ values of 3.0 ± 0.7, 4.85 ± 0.35, and 6.6 ± 1.2 μg/ml, respectively. Cellular toxicity was investigated for the T. indica n-butanol fraction on various human cancerous cell lines. The only ones affected were MCF-7 cell lines (72%) and HePG2 (52%) indicated cytotoxicity. The value of IC₅₀ is 68.5 μg/ml of T. indica n-butanol fraction was observed compared to 1.7 μg/ml tamoxifen in MCF-7 cell lines. The combination of treatment of T. indica extract with the medicinally approved drug tamoxifen had unexpected effects; complete elimination of the cytotoxic inhibition effect of tamoxifen and the plant extract was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

However T. indica extract has a cytotoxic effect on the MCF-7 cell line; in certain situations, plant products can have an opposite effect to the intended drug, which decreases the impact of the drug.

A Review on the Potential Use of Medicinal Plants From Asteraceae and Lamiaceae Plant Family in Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, and its rate of mortality is rising annually. In accordance with the current condition, studies on medicinal plants upon their activity on cardiovascular diseases are often being encouraged to be used in cardiovascular disease management, due to the availability of medicinal values in certain dedicated plants. This review was conducted based on two plant families, which are Asteraceae and Lamiaceae, to study on their action in cardiovascular disease relieving activities, to review the relationship between the phytochemistry of Asteraceae and Lamiaceae families and their effect on cardiovascular diseases, and to study their toxicology. The medicinal plants from these plant family groups are collected based on their effects on the mechanisms that affect the cardiovascular-related disease which are an antioxidant activity, anti-hyperlipidemic or hypocholesterolemia, vasorelaxant effect, antithrombotic action, and diuresis effect. In reference to various studies, the journals that conducted in vivo or in vitro experiments, which were used to prove the specific mechanisms, are included in this review. This is to ensure that the scientific value and the phytochemicals of the involved plants can be seen based on their activity. As a result, various plant species from both Asteraceae and Lamiaceae plant family have been identified and collected based on their study that has proven their effectiveness and uses in cardiovascular diseases. Most of the plants have an antioxidant effect, followed by anti-hyperlipidemia, vasorelaxant, antithrombotic, and diuretic effect from the most available to least available studies, respectively. These are the mechanisms that contribute to various cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. Further studies can be conducted on these plant species by identifying their ability and capability to be developed into a new drug or to be used as a medicinal plant in treating various cardiovascular diseases.

A Review on the Most Important Medicinal Plants Effective in Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Ischemia, referring to reduction and restriction of perfusion to myocardial tissue which involves coronary artery through the formation of misplaced clots and thrombosis, is one of the most important cardiovascular diseases. Plant-based compounds help to improve or prevent disease by affecting the factors involved in the disease. This review was conducted to report the medicinal plants and factors effective in cardiac ischemiareperfusion (I/R) injury to supplement the knowledge about this disease and its prevention and treatment using certain medicinal plants and their active compounds. For this purpose, medicinal plants and their potential antioxidant activities, effects on lipid levels and plaque formation, atherosclerosis and development of cardiovascular diseases and ischemia were reviewed.

METHODS

To conduct this review, relevant articles published between 1983 and 2018 were retrieved from the Google Scholar, PubMed, Scientific Information Database, Web of Science, and Scopus using search terms antioxidant, ischemia, reperfusion, heart, infarct, inflammation, cholesterol and medicinal plants. Then, the eligible articles were reviewed.

RESULTS

The active compounds of plants, including phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and antioxidant compounds, can be effective on certain pathogenic factors particularly in decreasing cholesterol and blood pressure, preventing an increase in free radicals and ultimately reducing blood clots and vascular resistance to reduce and prevent ischemic disease and its harmful effects.

CONCLUSION

Medicinal plants discussed in this article seem to be able to prevent cardiac damage and the disease progression via affecting the factors that are involved in ischemia.

The potential medicinal value of plants from Asteraceae family with antioxidant defense enzymes as biological targets

CONTEXT

Plants and most of the plant-derived compounds have long been known for their potential pharmaceutical effects. They are well known to play an important role in the treatment of several diseases from diabetes to various types of cancers. Today most of the clinically effective pharmaceuticals are developed from plant-derived ancestors in the history of medicine.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the free radical scavenging activity and total phenolic and flavonoid contents of methanol, ethanol, and acetone extracts from flowers and leaves of Onopordum acanthium L., Carduus acanthoides L., Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., and Centaurea solstitialis L., all from the Asteraceae family, for investigating their potential medicinal values of biological targets that are participating in the antioxidant defense system such as catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, free radical scavenging activity and total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the plant samples were assayed by DPPH, Folin-Ciocalteu, and aluminum chloride colorimetric methods. Also, the effects of extracts on CAT, GST, and GPx enzyme activities were investigated.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The highest phenolic and flavonoid contents were detected in the acetone extract of C. acanthoides flowers, with 90.305 mg GAE/L and 185.43 mg Q/L values, respectively. The highest DPPH radical scavenging was observed with the methanol leaf extracts of C. arvense with an IC50 value of 366 ng/mL. The maximum GPx and GST enzyme inhibition activities were observed with acetone extracts from the flower of C. solstitialis with IC50 values of 79 and 232 ng/mL, respectively.

Gundelia: a systematic review of medicinal and molecular perspective

Gundelia (Gundelia tournefortii L.) is a member of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family which grows in the semi-desert areas of Iran, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Syria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Anatolia and other countries. Traditionally, G. tournefortii (L.) is used for treatment of liver diseases, diabetes, chest pain, heart stroke, gastric pain, vitiligo, diarrhea and bronchitis. It is also reported to have hypoglycaemic, laxative, sedative, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasite, antiseptic and emetic effects. It has enhanced gingivas and removed water from patients having spleenomegaly. Compounds found in gundelia proved to have several pharmacological effects, e.g. antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antiplatelet and hypolipemic activities. The observed pharmacological properties indicated a close association of these effects with infectious diseases, digestive disorders, high blood pressure and cancer. In traditional medicine, this plant has been prescribed in many disorders; therefore, clinical trials on the compounds ofgundelia seem essential. This study gives an overview of traditional uses of gundelia, irrespective of pharmacological studies on its effects.

In vitro and in vivo effects of three different Mitragyna speciosa korth leaf extracts on phase II drug metabolizing enzymes--glutathione transferases (GSTs)

In the present study, we investigate the effects of three different Mitragyna speciosa extracts, namely methanolic, aqueous and total alkaloid extracts, on glutathione transferase-specific activity in male Sprague Dawley rat liver cytosol in vitro and in vivo. In the in vitro study, the effect of Mitragyna speciosa extracts (0.01 to 750 µg/mL) against the specific activity of glutathione transferases was examined in rat liver cytosolic fraction from untreated rats. Our data show concentration dependent inhibition of cytosolic GSTs when Mitragyna speciosa extract was added into the reaction mixture. At the highest concentration used, the methanolic extract showed the highest GSTs specific activity inhibition (61%), followed by aqueous (50%) and total alkaloid extract (43%), respectively. In in vivo study, three different dosages; 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg for methanolic and aqueous extracts and 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg for total alkaloid extract were given orally for 14 days. An increase in GST specific activity was generally observed. However, only Mitragyna speciosa aqueous extract with a dosage of 100 mg/kg showed significant results: 129% compared to control.

Comparative evaluation of various total antioxidant capacity assays applied to phenolic compounds with the CUPRAC assay

It would be desirable to establish and standardize methods that can measure the total antioxidant capacity level directly from vegetable extracts containing phenolics. Antioxidant capacity assays may be broadly classified as electron transfer (ET)- and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT)-based assays. The majority of HAT assays are kinetics-based, and involve a competitive reaction scheme in which antioxidant and substrate compete for peroxyl radicals thermally generated through the decomposition of azo compounds. ET-based assays measure the capacity of an antioxidant in the reduction of an oxidant, which changes colour when reduced. ET assays include the ABTS/TEAC, CUPRAC, DPPH, Folin-Ciocalteu and FRAP methods, each using different chromogenic redox reagents with different standard potentials. This review intends to offer a critical evaluation of existing antioxidant assays applied to phenolics, and reports the development by our research group of a simple and low-cost antioxidant capacity assay for dietary polyphenols, vitamins C and E, and human serum antioxidants, utilizing the copper(II)-neocuproine reagent as the chromogenic oxidizing agent, which we haved named the CUPRAC (cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity) method. This method offers distinct advantages over other ET-based assays, namely the selection of working pH at physiological pH (as opposed to the Folin and FRAP methods, which work at alkaline and acidic pHs, respectively), applicability to both hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants (unlike Folin and DPPH), completion of the redox reactions for most common flavonoids (unlike FRAP), selective oxidation of antioxidant compounds without affecting sugars and citric acid commonly contained in foodstuffs and the capability to assay -SH bearing antioxidants (unlike FRAP). Other similar ET-based antioxidant assays that we have developed or modified for phenolics are the Fe(III)- and Ce(IV)-reducing capacity methods.