The aim of the study was to compare the chemical composition of the water and hydromethanolic extracts of R. rosea commercial samples in relation to their biological activity. For this purpose, the HPLC method was used for the determination of eleven phenolic compounds and AAS/AES was used for determination of five essential elements. Moreover, the contents of total phenolic, total flavonoid, total phenolic acids, and L(+)-ascorbic acid were determined. The antioxidant activity was assessed by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS radical scavenging activity, ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), and cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays, while the inhibitory activity against AChE and BChE enzymes was determined using Ellman’s method. The results showed that the hydromethanolic extracts of R. rosea were richer in phenolic compounds and showed higher antioxidant and neurobiological activity than the water extracts. However, the water extracts gave higher contents of determined elements. Among the individual phenolic compounds gallic acid (2.33 mg/g DW) and sinapic acid (386.44 µg/g DW) had the highest concentrations in the hydromethanolic and water extracts, respectively. Moreover, the most extracts were observed to be more efficient on BChE. Moreover, the correlation analysis indicated a high positive relationship between chemical composition and biological activity in both extracts of R. rosea.

Astragalus membranaceus Fisch. ex Bunge (syn. Astragalus mongholicus Bunge) is one of the notable medicinal and food plants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to calculate the phenolic composition and antioxidant, antimicrobial, as well as enzyme inhibitory [acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and tyrosinase (TYR)] activities with chemometric approaches of the hydromethanolic and water extracts of commercial A. membranaceus samples. Ten individual phenolic compounds were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and only quercetin was found at a level of above 80 µg/g DW in both extracts. Moreover, the highest antioxidant activity in DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, and CUPRAC assays was found in the sample containing the roots in loose form from USA. A. membranaceus extracts displayed the inhibition zone diameters within the range from 10 to 22 mm antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, while there were no inhibition zones in any extracts in case of E. coli. The extracts of A. membranaceous showed an inhibition rate below 40% against TYR, and among tested extracts, only two samples were able to inhibit BChE with IC₅₀ values of above 30 µg/mL. Correlation analysis showed a highly positive relationship between their phenolic composition and antioxidant activity. Concluding, the obtained results confirmed that A. membranaceus commercial samples could be an important dietary source of natural antioxidants.

The EtOH extracts of the leaves of two new cultivars (Uysal-SFU and Turgut-SFT) of Salvia fruticosa Mill. was tested against acetylcholinesterase (IC50: 30.62 ± 3.27 and 32.97 ± 2.33 µg/mL for SFU and SFT, respectively) and butyrylcholinesterase (IC50: 69.91 ± 1.08 µg/mL and 86.55 ± 1.26 µg/mL), respectively, relevant to Alzheimer’s disease. The essential oils showed a stumpy inhibition against AChE and no inhibition against BChE. DPPH radical scavenging activity of the extracts (86.70 ± 0.17% and 86.14 ± 1.13% for SFU and SFT, respectively) was stronger than that of quercetin (85.51 ± 0.17%): Their (1.24 ± 0.05 and 1.04 ± 0.16 for SFU and SFT, respectively) ferric-reducing antioxidant power were close to that of the reference (e.g. quercetin, 1.42 ± 0.14). Molecular docking simulations were performed on their major monoterpenes. Our findings revealed that the leaf EtOH extracts of two cultivars are promising inhibitors of both AChE and BChE.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most prevalent cause of hair loss in men and women, resulting from a combination of genetic susceptibility and androgen hormones. Increased activity of testosterone 5α-reductase in hair follicles leads to increased synthesis of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT's destructive effect on hair follicles is one of the leading reasons for hair loss. Conventional pharmacotherapeutic treatments, e.g. finasteride and minoxidil, are frequently accompanied by adverse effects and may be ineffective for certain people. Recent years have seen a rise in research on plant-derived testosterone 5α-reductase enzyme inhibitors. These herbal substances produced by various plant extracts and natural ingredients show promise in terms of fewer side effects and improved tolerability. This mini review investigates herbal testosterone 5α-reductase inhibitors for treatment AGA.

The inhibitory effects of ethanol (80%) and aqueous extracts of Helichrysum stoechas (L.) Moench and H. stoechas subsp. barrelieri (Ten) Nyman on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), two sister enzymes associated with pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as on elastase and collagenase, linked to inflammation and skin aging, were investigated. Simultaneously, antioxidant activity of the extracts was assessed through DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and metal-chelating activity assays, since oxidative damage plays a critical role in both AD pathophysiology and skin aging. Total phenol and flavonoid contents in the extracts were spectrophotometrically determined. The highest AChE inhibitory activity (44.60 ± 4.4% at 2000 µg/mL) was found in the ethanol extract of H. stoechas subsp. barrelieri collected from Hatay, and the uppermost BChE inhibitory activity at same concentration was found in the aqueous extract of H. stoechas subsp. barrelieri collected from Izmir (80.24 ± 2.63%, IC50: 38.52 ± 1.41 µg/mL). Both of them inhibited AChE and BChE in a concentration-dependent manner. Nevertheless, none of the extracts from the two plants inhibited the elastase and collagenase. Although both ethanolic and aqueous extracts had significant antioxidant activity in DPPH radical scavenging and FRAP assays, they demonstrated inadequate antioxidant activity in metal-chelating assay. Chlorogenic acid was quantified in the extracts using HPLC. The mentioned two extracts having strong cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition had also the highest chlorogenic acid content. The ethanol extract of H. stoechas (Hatay sample) and the aqueous extract of H. stoechas (Izmir sample) seem to contain promising ChE inhibitors, which deserve further investigation.