ABSTRACT Lathyrus is an economically important genus, with different parts of some species used as foodstuff or animal feed. In this study, phytochemical compositions and bioactivities of Lathyrus brachypterus var. brachypterus, L. brachypterus var. haussknechtii, L. nivalis subsp. sahinii and L. tefennicus taxa which are endemic to Türkiye were investigated. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC, TFC) of methanolic extracts were detected. Then, phytochemical compositions, antioxidant features (radical scavenging (DPPH: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, ABTS: 2,2′-azino-bis(3 ethylbenzothiazoline) 6 sulfonic acid), reducing power (FRAP:Ferric ion reducing antioxidant power, CUPRAC:Cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity), metal chelating activity (MCA), and the phosphomolybdenum assays (PDA)) and enzyme inhibitory properties of the extracts were also determined. The highest values were found at L. brachypterus var. brachypterus for TPC, L. brachypterus var. haussknechtii for TFC. The highest antioxidant properties were seen in extracts of L. brachypterus var. brachypterus in DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC and PDA assays, while in extract of L. nivalis subsp. sahinii in MCA. The highest enzyme inhibitory activity was found in extract of L. brachypterus var. brachypterus in tyrosinase and glucosidase assays, while in extracts of L. nivalis subsp. sahinii in AChE (acetylcholinesterase), BChE (butyrylcholinesterase) and amylase. Finally, a taxonomic evaluation was made by considering the phytochemicals.

Abstract Many people use medicinal plants to relieve disorders related to the central nervous system, such as depression, epilepsy, anxiety and pain, even though the effectiveness of most of them has not yet been proven through scientific studies. Plants of the Lippia genus, Verbenaceae, are widely used in ethnobotany as a food, for seasoning and in antiseptic remedies. They are also marketed and used for the treatment of different types of pain, including stomach ache, abdominal pain and headache, as well as being used as sedatives, anxiolytics and anticonvulsants. Despite their widespread use, there are no reviews on the central nervous system profile of plants of this genus. Therefore, the databases Medline-PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were searched using the terms Lippia and biologic activity. Thirty-five papers were found. Eleven species of Lippia showed central nervous system activity, with leaves and the aerial parts of plants being the most commonly used, especially in aqueous and ethanol extracts or volatile oil. The species are composed mainly of terpenoids and phenylpropanoids, including polyketides, flavonoids and in less quantity some alkaloids. Although several species of Lippia present analgesic activity, most studies have not explored the mechanisms responsible for this effect, however, there is some evidence that volatile oils and constituents of the extracts may be responsible for the relief of some CNS disorders, but the effects on pain modulation seem to be the most exploited so far.

Adenocarpus complicatus se distribuye por toda la península de Anatolia y es ampliamente utilizado para la nutrición humana y animal. El propósito de este trabajo fue estudiar las propiedades antioxidantes y la composición de ácidos grasos de diferentes partes de la planta (frutos y partes mezcladas). Las especies fueron recolectadas en Golyuzu, Seydisehir, cerca de la provincia Konya en Turquía. Para preparar los extractos metanólicos se tomó una muestra de 15g de frutas y partes mezcladas de esta especie. Muestras de plantas en polvo se extrajeron con 100ml de metanol en un agitador mecánico. Los extractos obtenidos se filtraron y se concentraron a sequedad bajo presión reducida y posteriormente se almacenaron a -20°C. Para cada extracto, mediante métodos espectrofotométricos se detectaron los componentes antioxidantes, llamados contenido total de fenoles y flavonoides. La capacidad antioxidante se evaluó mediante diversos ensayos: fosfomolibdeno, capacidad de captación de radicales libres DPPH, actividad quelante de metales y poder reductor de iones férricos y cúpricos. También se determinaron los perfiles de ácidos grasos de partes de la planta mediante el uso de cromatografía de gases. El contenido fenólico total de la fruta (36.21mgGAE/g) fue mayor que la de los materiales mezclados (13.79mgGAE/g). El extracto metanólico de material mezclado tenía una mayor cantidad de flavonoides que el extracto de la fruta. La actividad captadora de radicales libres de los extractos se expresó como valor de IC50 (mg/ml) (cantidad necesaria para inhibir la formación de radicales DPPH en un 50%). El valor bajo de IC50 refleja mejor acción eliminadora de radicales libres. La actividad captadora de radicales de las muestras se comparó con BHT, se mostró que el material mezclado es casi dos veces más potente que el extracto de la fruta. Sin embargo, BHT es un excelente eliminador de radicales libres con una IC50 de 34.061μg/mL. El potencial de reducción férrico y cúprico de los extractos se expresó como valor de CE50 (la concentración efectiva a la que la absorbancia fue de 0.5). El extracto de la fruta exhibe fuerte poder reductor férrico con una EC50 de 871.25μg/mL. La actividad quelante de metales de los extractos aumentó con la concentración. El efecto quelante de extracto de fruta fue de 83.60% en una concentración de 1mg/ml. El contenido de aceite del fruto y partes mixtas fue 6.71 y 6.14%, respectivamente. Un total de 32 ácidos grasos fueron encontrados en el aceite. Los ácidos grasos esenciales (ácido linoleico y α-linolénico) fueron identificados como los ácidos grasos más abundantes en el aceite. Estos resultados demostraron que esta especie vegetal se puede considerar como una alternativa a los antioxidantes sintéticos. Del mismo modo, el aceite obtenido de la planta se puede utilizar como una fuente de ácidos grasos esenciales para alimentos y aplicaciones farmacológicas.

Adenocarpus complicatus is distributed throughout the Anatolian peninsula and is widely used for human and animal nutrition. The purpose of this work was to study the antioxidant properties and fatty acid composition of different parts of this plant (fruits and mixed materials). The species was collected from Golyuzu village of the Seydisehir district near Konya province, Turkey. Fruit and mixed parts obtained from this species were ground and a 15g sample was used to prepare methanolic extracts. Powdered plant samples were extracted with 100mL methanol in a mechanical shaker. The obtained extracts were filtered and concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure and were subsequently stored at -20°C. Antioxidant components, namely total phenolic and flavonoid content, were detected for each extract using spectrophotometric methods. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated by various assays including phosphomolybdenum, DPPH free radical scavenging capacity, metal chelating activity, and ferric and cupric ion reducing power. The fatty acid profiles of plant parts were also determined by using gas chromatography. The total phenolic content of fruit (36.21mgGAE/g) was higher than that of mixed materials (13.79mgGAE/g). The methanolic extract of mixed material had higher amounts of flavonoid than fruit extract. The free radical scavenging activity of extracts was expressed as IC50 value (μg/mL) (amount required to inhibit DPPH radical formation by 50%). The lower IC50 value reflects better free radical scavenging action. The radical scavenging activity of the samples was compared with BHT, it showed the mixed material to be almost two times more potent than the fruit extract. However, BHT is an excellent free radical scavenger with an IC50 of 34.061μg/mL. The ferric and cupric reducing power potentials of the extracts were expressed as EC50 value (the effective concentration at which the absorbance was 0.5). Fruit extract exhibited strong ferric reducing power with an EC50 of 871.25μg/mL. The metal chelating activity of the extracts increased with concentration. Chelating effect was 83.60% for fruit extract at 1mg/mL concentration. Oil content of fruit and mixed parts were detected as 6.71 and 6.14%, respectively. A total of 32 fatty acids were found in the oil. Essential fatty acids (linoleic and α-linolenic acid) were identified as the most abundant fatty acids in the oil. These results demonstrated that this plant species can be considered as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants. Likewise, the oil obtained from the plant can be used as a source of essential fatty acids for food and pharmacological applications. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (1): 337-346. Epub 2014 March 01.