Evaluation of Fatty Acid Contents and Biological Activities of Jurinea turcica

The fatty acid profile, antioxidant/antibacterial, and cytotoxic effects of the extracts obtained from Jurinea turcica B.Doğan& A.Duran have been evaluated for the first time in the current study. The fatty acid profile of ethanolic extracts was determined using the Soxhlet extractor by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. The antioxidant and antibacterial activities were measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and ferrous reduction tests and the disc diffusion technique. Additionally, the cytotoxicity and wound healing assays were performed on A549 cells. The highest amount of component in the leaf extract was docosanoic acid methyl ester, whereas abundant arachidonic acid methyl ester was mainly found in the flower extract. The IC50 values, the 50 % scavenging value for the DPPH radical, were 179.13 and 124.67 μg/mL for the leaf and flower extracts, respectively. IC50 values (the half-maximal inhibitory concentration) were 10.4 and 24.7 μg/mL for the flower and leaf extracts, respectively. The leaf extract showed more potent antibacterial activity on Enterococcus faecalis (17 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (16 mm) bacteria than the flower extract. In conclusion, the extracts of J. turcica have anti-cancerogenic and antibacterial effects. Leaf extracts have antibacterial and anti-metastatic effects, while flower extracts show antioxidant, cytotoxic, and apoptotic properties in A549 cells.

Arctigenin, an anti-tumor agent; a cutting-edge topic and up-to-the-minute approach in cancer treatment

Today, herbal-derived compounds are being increasingly studied in cancer treatment. Over the past decade, Arctigenin has been introduced as a bioactive dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan which is found in Chinese herbal medicines. In addition to anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulatory functions, Arctigenin has attracted growing attention due to its anti-tumor capabilities. It has been shown that Arctigenin can induce apoptosis and necrosis and abolish drug resistance in tumor cells by inducing apoptotic signaling pathways, caspases, cell cycle arrest, and the modulating proteasome. Moreover, Arctigenin mediates other anti-tumor functions through several mechanisms. It has been demonstrated that Arctigenin can act as an anti-inflammatory compound to inhibit inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. It also downregulates factors involved in tumor metastasis and angiogenesis, such as matrix metalloproteinases, N-cadherin, TGF-β, and VEGF. Additionally, Arctigenin, through modulation of MAPK signaling pathways and stress-related proteins, is able to abolish tumor cell growth in nutrient-deprived conditions. Due to the limited solubility of Arctigenin in water, it is suggested that modification of this compound through amino acid esterification can improve its pharmacogenetic properties. Collectively, it is hoped that using Arctigenin or its derivates might introduce new chemotherapeutic approaches in future treatment.

Phytochemical Profile and Anti-lipase Activity of Balkan Endemic Jurinea tzar-ferdinandii

Phytochemical study of the Balkan endemic J. tzar-ferdinandii Davidov allowed the identification of twenty-two components. β-Amyrin, lupeol, taraxasterol and Ψ-taraxasterol and their 3- O-acetates and 3- O-palmitates were identified by GC/MS. Six closely related sesquiterpene lactones and four flavones were isolated from the chloroform extract using column chromatography, and their structural identification was performed by spectral analyses. All isolated compounds are described for the first time in Jurinea species. The inhibitory potential of the total chloroform extract, fractions containing triterpenes, flavonoids and sesquiterpene lactones as well as individual compounds against a bacterial lipase from Candida rugosa (CRL) and a lipase from porcine pancrease (PPL) was evaluated. The half maximal inhibitory constants (IC50) for the two enzymes were in the range of 28–150 μg/mL. The strongest inhibitory activity was found for the total chloroform extract (29±1 μg/mL and 39±1 μg/mL for CRL and PPL, respectively.). Among the individual compounds, onopordopicrin was found to be the most potent inhibitor for CRL and PPL with IC50 values of 32±1 μg/mL and 36±1 μg/mL, respectively.