Volatile composition, antidiabetic, and anti-obesity potential of Brassica incana leaf and flowering top extracts

Exploring the aroma profile and biomedical applications of Scutellaria nuristanica Rech. F.: A new insight as a natural remedy

BACKGROUND

The Scutellaria genus has promising therapeutic capabilities as an aromatherapy. Based on that and local practices of S. nuristanica Rech. F. The essential oil was studied for the first time for its diverse biomedical applications.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate and validate their therapeutic capabilities by screening the essential oil ingredients and examining their antimicrobial, antioxidant, carbonic anhydrase, and antidiabetic using further In silico assessment and In vivo anti-inflammatory and analgesic capabilities to devise novel sources as natural remedies alternative to the synthetic drugs.

METHODS

Essential oil was obtained through hydrodistillation, and the constituents were profiled using GC-MS. The antimicrobial assessment was conducted using an agar well diffusion assay. Free radical scavenging capabilities were determined by employing DPPH and ABTS assay. The carbonic anhydrase-II was examined using colorimetric assay, while the antidiabetic significance was performed using α-Glucosidase assay. The anti-inflammatory significance was examined through carrageenan-induced paw edema, and the analgesic features of the essential oil were determined using an acetic acid-induced writhing assay.

RESULTS

Fifty constituents were detected in S. nuristanica essential oil (SNEO), contributing 95.93 % of the total EO, with the predominant constituents being 24-norursa-3,12-diene (10.12 %), 3-oxomanoyl oxide (9.94 %), methyl 7-abieten-18-oate (8.85 %). SNEO presented significance resistance against the Gram-positive bacterial strains (GPBSs), Bacillus atrophaeus and Bacillus subtilis, as compared to the Salmonella typhi and Klebsiella pneumoniae, Gram-negative bacterial strains (GNBSs) as well as two fungal strains Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus niger associated with their respective standards. Considerable free radical scavenging capacity was observed in DPPH compared to the ABTS assay when correlated with ascorbic acid. In addition, when equated with their standards, SNEO offered considerable in vitro carbonic anhydrase II and antidiabetic capabilities. Additionally, the antidiabetic behavior of the 9 dominant compounds of SNEO was tested via In silico techniques, such as molecular docking, which assisted in the assessment of the significance of binding contacts of protein with each chemical compound and pharmacokinetic evaluations to examine the drug-like characteristics. Molecular dynamic simulations at 100 ns and binding free energy evaluations such as PBSA and GBSA models explain the molecular mechanics and stability of molecular complexes. It was also observed that SNEO depicted substantial anti-inflammatory and analgesic capabilities.

CONCLUSION

Hence, it was concluded that the SNEO comprises bioactive ingredients with biomedical significance, such as anti-microbial, antioxidant, CA-II, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic agents. The computational validation also depicted that SNEO could be a potent source for the discovery of anti-diabetic drugs.

Assessment and comparison of phytochemical constituents and biological activities of endemic Odonterrhena floribunda (Brassicaceae) from Türkiye

This study aimed to evaluate the phenolic profile, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antidiabetic properties of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of the different parts of the endemic Odontarrhena floribunda. The antioxidant activities of O. floribunda were determined with 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the copper-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays. The strongest antioxidant activity was recorded in methanolic root extract (IC50:1.68±0.25 μg/mL) for DPPH and ethanolic root (λ450:0.68±0.20) extract for CUPRAC. Antibacterial activities of the extracts were displayed by the Resazurin Microplate Method (REMA). All plant extracts analyzed demonstrated stronger effects on Acinetobacter baumannii (ATCC 02026) than those of the standard compound. The in vitro α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory of the plant extract were assessed using the Iodine method. Except for the methanol leaf extract, all other extracts showed strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (0.88-2.13 mmolTE/g). These results show that this endemic O. floribunda is a potential natural antioxidant, antibacterial, and enzyme inhibitor source.

Membrane permeabilizers enhance biofortification of Brassica microgreens by interspecific transfer of metabolites from tea (Camellia sinensis)

Interspecific metabolite transfer (ISMT) is a novel approach for plants biofortification. In this study, the effect of tea (Camellia sinensis; Cs), with or without membrane permeabilizers EDTA and Tween, as a donor plant on broccoli, cauliflower and kale sprouts was investigated. As a result, caffeine- and catechin-enriched broccoli, cauliflower and kale microgreens were produced. Kale sprouts were most permeable for catechins from Cs, while cauliflower was most permeable for caffeine. Cs + EDTA significantly increased vitamin C in broccoli and kale. Among the tested enzymes activity, pancreatic lipase was the most affected by the treatment with broccoli and cauliflower biofortified with Cs or Cs combined with permeabilizers. Broccoli sprouts biofortified with Cs most significantly inhibited α-amylase, while those biofortified with Cs combined with permeabilizers most significantly inhibited α-glucosidase. Results point to ISMT combined with membrane permeabilizers as a promising and eco-friendly biofortification strategy to improve the biopotential of Brassica microgreens.