This study examined the phytochemical profiles and bioactive potential of Iris alberti, I. pallasii, and I. sogdiana collected from southeastern Kazakhstan. GC-MS analysis identified fatty acids, sterols, long-chain alcohols, and hydrocarbons in each species. The key phytosterols β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol were present in all three. I. alberti showed the highest sterol content of γ-sitosterol (28.49%) and campesterol (6.51%). I. pallasii contained significant amounts of hexacosanol (19.74%) and γ-sitosterol (13.24%), while I. sogdiana was notable for octacosanol (22.87%) and γ-sitosterol (12.18%). Fatty acid composition varied: I. sogdiana was rich in α-linolenic acid (4.77%) and palmitic acid (2.77%), I. pallasii had 3.96% and (3.48%). I. alberti contained dodecanoic acid (3.83%) and branched-chain fatty acids. Tannin content was highest in I. alberti (1.88%), while alkaloid levels were moderate across species (0.63–0.77%). Mineral analysis showed I. pallasii had the highest Ca (586.62 mg/100 g), Mg and K, whereas I. sogdiana had the highest potassium (538.36 mg/100 g). HPLC-DAD analysis revealed distinct phenolic profiles. Water–alcohol extracts from rhizomes of I. alberti had an IC₅₀ of 16.90 ± 6.04 µg/mL in DPPH and were inactive in ABTS. I. pallasii exhibited IC₅₀ values of 28.77 ± 2.93 µg/mL (DPPH) and 10.93 ± 7.29 µg/mL (ABTS), while I. sogdiana showed negligible activity in both assays. Ethyl acetate extracts displayed higher IC₅₀ values, consistent with lower phenolic content.

In Central Eurasia, the availability of drugs that are inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and have proven clinical efficacy is still limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of drugs that were available in Kazakhstan during the acute phase of the epidemic against SARS-CoV-2. Antiviral activity is reported for Favipiravir, Tilorone, and Cridanimod, which are registered drugs used for the treatment of respiratory viral infections in Kazakhstan. A licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) extract was also incorporated into this study because it offered an opportunity to develop plant-derived antivirals. The Favipiravir drug, which had been advertised in local markets as an anti-COVID cure, showed no activity against SARS-CoV-2 in cell cultures. On the contrary, Cridanimod showed impressive high activity (median inhibitory concentration 66 μg/mL) against SARS-CoV-2, justifying further studies of Cridanimod in clinical trials. Tilorone, despite being in the same pharmacological group as Cridanimod, stimulated SARS-CoV-2 replication in cultures. The licorice extract inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in cultures, with a high median effective concentration of 16.86 mg/mL. Conclusions: The synthetic, low-molecular-weight compound Cridanimod suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication at notably low concentrations, and this drug is not toxic to cells at therapeutic concentrations. In contrast to its role as an inducer of interferons, Cridanimod is active in cells that have a genetic defect in interferon production, suggesting a different mechanism of action. Cridanimod is an attractive drug for inclusion in clinical trials against SARS-CoV-2 and, presumably, other coronaviruses. The extract from licorice shows low activity against SARS-CoV-2. At the same time, high doses of 2 g/kg of this plant extract show little or no acute toxicity in animal studies; for this reason, licorice products can still be considered for further development as a safe, orally administered adjunctive therapy.

In this study, crude aqueous-ethanolic extract and n-butanol fraction of Quercus robur stem bark were obtained, and their corrosion-inhibition performance on mild steel in 1 M HCl was evaluated while their performances are compared to the commercial tannic acid used as standard. Corrosion inhibition was assessed by potentiodynamic polarization at 200 mg L⁻¹ after 1 hour of immersion. The n-butanol fraction exceeded the 71.9 % efficiency of the crude extract, though remaining below the 98.2 % maximum efficiency observed for the tannic acid standard at 1000 mg L⁻¹. Polarization curve shifts support classifying the tannin-containing samples as mixed-type inhibitors. Adsorption-isotherm analysis showed model-dependent behavior: the Freundlich model provided the highest R2 for the crude extract, while the Langmuir model provided the highest R2 for the n-butanol fraction and tannic acid. These fits represent empirical descriptions of concentration-dependent inhibition rather than direct molecular mechanisms. For commercial tannic acid, the standard Gibbs free energy of adsorption as approximately -33.3 kJ mol⁻¹, indicating thermodynamically favorable adsorption. Overall, solvent fractionation improved inhibition performance. These findings indicate the n-butanol fraction's potential as a plant-derived inhibitor. Further phytochemical investigation, isolation and characterization are required to properly identify the active constituents underlying the adsorption mechanisms.

The chemical composition of Iris songarica rhizome extracts was systematically investigated using GC-MS and UHPLC-MS. Their biological activity was further evaluated in vivo. The chloroform rhizome extract contained 33 identified compounds distributed across five main classes. Flavonoids predominated (50.7% of total ionic current), with tectochrysine (42.15%) as the major component, followed by 3,7-dihydroxy-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-4H-chromene-4-one (5.18%) and a naringenin derivative (3.99%). Fatty acid esters comprised 30.6%, dominated by linoleic acid ethyl ester (11.05%), ethyl oleate, and hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester. Phenolic and aromatic compounds accounted for 14.24%, including (E)-4-(3-hydroxyprop-1-en-1-yl)-2-methoxyphenol and flamenol. Quantitative HPLC revealed hesperetin (69.72 µg/mL) and fisetin (12.32 µg/mL) as predominant in the 50% aqueous ethanol extract, and cinarin (6.28 µg/mL) in the ethyl acetate root extract. HPLC-MS identified 25 polyphenols, mainly isoflavonoids and flavones, with key markers songaricol, irilin B, tectorigenin, irisflavone A, and irizon B, some reported for the first time in Kazakhstan irises. Biological evaluation demonstrated potent activity: the 50% aqueous ethanol extract inhibited xylene-induced ear oedema in mice by 72.7% at 300 mg/kg, comparable to diclofenac (90.9%), without observable toxicity. These findings confirm I. songarica as a valuable source of bioactive polyphenols with anti-inflammatory potential.