In this study, the isolation of compounds from the aerial parts of Morina persica L. and the antimicrobial, antioxidant and antityrosinase activities of various polarity extracts and isolated compounds were investigated. Column chromatography methods were used for isolation. A microdilution method was used to determine antimicrobial activity; Folin-Ciocalteu method was used to determine total phenolic content; DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging- capacity methods were used to determine antioxidant activity; and a mushroom tyrosinase method was used to determine antityrosinase activity. Kaempferol-3-O-β-glucopyranoside (astragalin) and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (rutin) were isolated from M. persica. The extracts and compounds showed higher activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis than other tested bacteria. The highest phenolic content, DPPH, and ABTS radical scavenging activity were detected in an ethyl acetate extract at 50 μg/mL concentration. The methanol extract showed the highest antityrosinase effect at 200 μg/mL concentration.

Flammulina velutipes (enokitake) is an edible mushroom recognized for both its nutritional and medicinal properties. It exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activities, including antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, antitumor, immunomodulatory, and gut microbiota‐regulating effects. These effects are primarily attributed to bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, and sterols, and are mediated through the modulation of multiple signaling pathways, including NF‐κB, MAPK, and PI3K/Akt. Collectively, the available evidence indicates that F. velutipes represents a promising candidate for the development of functional foods and pharmaceutical formulations. This review emphasizes its therapeutic potential and provides valuable insights to guide future medicinal research. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Medicinal plants are the most important resources for obtaining and developing new drugs and have recently attracted more pharmacological and industrial interest. Anthracene derivatives are one of the important phenolic compounds that naturally occur in plants. They exhibit bioactivities such as anticancer, antimicrobial, immune-suppressive, antioxidant, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and laxative effects. Anthraquinones and anthraquinones dimers are considered important chemotaxonomic markers for plants in the family Asphodelaceae. Many anthracenes and anthracene derivatives from Asphodelaceae taxa were known for their biological activity demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo biological assays. In this study, research published between 1963 and 2025 on anthracenes from Asphodelaceae taxa and their biological activities was analyzed by searching scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge, and other web sources. As a result of these analyses, preanthraquinones (1–18), anthrones (19–43), anthraquinones (44–91), phenylanthraquinones (92–119), and anthraquinone dimers (120–162) and their biological activities are summarized, providing an overview of naturally bioactive anthracenes from Asphodelaceae that could serve as potential leads for new drug discovery.

Medicinal plants are the most important resources for obtaining and developing new drugs and have recently attracted more pharmacological and industrial interest. Anthracene derivatives are one of the important phenolic compounds that naturally occur in plants. They exhibit bioactivities such as anticancer, antimicrobial, immune-suppressive, antioxidant, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and laxative effects. Anthraquinones and anthraquinones dimers are considered important chemotaxonomic markers for plants in the family Asphodelaceae. Many anthracenes and anthracene derivatives from Asphodelaceae taxa were known for their biological activity demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo biological assays. In this study, research published between 1963 and 2025 on anthracenes from Asphodelaceae taxa and their biological activities was analyzed by searching scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge, and other web sources. As a result of these analyses, preanthraquinones (1–18) , anthrones (19–43) , anthraquinones (44–91) , phenylanthraquinones (92–119) , and anthraquinone dimers (120–162) and their biological activities are summarized, providing an overview of naturally bioactive anthracenes from Asphodelaceae that could serve as potential leads for new drug discovery.