The scope of the present study was to specify the therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative diseases through evaluating cholinesterase and tyrosinase (TYR) inhibitory and antioxidant activity of Lysimachia verticillaris (LV), and to isolate the major compounds considering the most active fraction. The methanol extract (ME) of LV and the chloroform, ethyl acetate (EtOAC), and aqueous fractions obtained from it were used for biological activity and isolation studies. The ME and all fractions were tested for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and TYR inhibitory and antioxidant potentials using ELISA microtiter assays. Seven major compounds were isolated from the active EtOAC fraction by semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by several spectroscopic methods. Marked AChE inhibitory activity was observed in the EtOAC fraction (6337±1.74%), BChE inhibitory activity in the ME and EtOAC fraction (85.84±3.01% and 83.82±3.93%), total phenol content in the EtOAC fraction (261.59±3.95 mg equivalent of gallic acid/1 g of extract) and total flavonoid contents in the EtOAC fraction (515.54±2.80 mg equivalent of quercetin/1 g of extract), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power values in the aqueous and EtOAC fractions (92.54±0.67%, 92.11±0.30%; 2.318±0.054, 2.224±0.091, respectively). Accordingly, the isolation studies were carried out on the EtOAC fractions. Compounds 1-7 (gallic acid, (+)-catechin, myricetin 3-O-arabinofuranoside, myricetin 3-O-α-rhamnopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-β-glucopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-arabinofuranoside, and quercetin 3-O-α-rhamnopyranoside, respectively) were isolated from the active EtOAC fraction. LV may be a potential herbal source for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases based on its strong antioxidant activity and significant cholinesterase inhibition similar to that of the reference.

The current study targeted to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of medicinal plant taxa used in folk medicine in Trabzon. Due to its historical significance, diversity of plant species, and hosting a wide range of cultures, the Turkish city of Trabzon has significant ethnobotanical potential. Ethnobotanical data including family name, scientific name, local name, used parts, therapeutic uses, preparation methods, administration routes, and cited locations were gathered by face-to-face interviews with 645 participants mostly over 50 years old. The quantitative analyses were executed by the determination of frequency values of citation (FC), use value (UV), fidelity level (FL), and informant consensus factor (ICF). A total of 119 medicinal plant taxa belonging to 55 families were recorded with therapeutic uses for more than 100 different diseases. The most commonly used plant part and administration routes were detected as leaves (32.43%) and oral application (51.58%), respectively. The highest ICF value was assigned for the skin diseases (ICF: 0.96). Piceae orientalis possessed the highest value of FC (82.326%), while Plantago major owned the highest value of UV (0.873). Tilia rubra subsp. caucasica, Vaccinium myrtillus, and Nicotiana tabacum were the remarkable taxa due to their FL value (100%), besides the high number of user reports. The present study supplies comprehensive ethnobotanical qualitative and quantitative data (FC, UV, FL, and ICF) from 80 villages in Trabzon. The obtained ethnobotanical data are expected both provide the preliminary information to discover novel herbal drugs and passing on to next generations as an important heritage.

Objectives: Obesity, which is a risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, is caused serious health problems and economic costs on a global scale. Nowadays, pancreatic lipase inhibitors that cause inhibition of lipid digestion and lipid absorption are one of the limited treatment approaches for obesity. Plant-derived secondary metabolites can be used for treating obesity. The aim of this study was to research the antiobesity potential of Amaranthus albus L. (Amaranthaceae), Helichrysum compactum Boiss. (Asteraceae), Chenopodium album L. (Chenopodiaceae), and Agrimonia eupatoria L. (Rosaceae). Materials and Methods: To detect the antiobesity potentials of the plants, in vitro lipase inhibitory activity studies by spectroscopic method and quantitative analysis studies of some anti-obesity effective secondary metabolites by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) technique were carried out. Results: In vitro lipase inhibitory studies showed that all plant extracts possess lipase inhibitory effect, and the highest lipase inhibitory potential was observed for H. compactum (IC50: 45.70 mu g/mL +/- 2.3618). According to HPLC analyses, p-coumaric acid (0.27 mg/g) in A. albus; benzoic acid (0.33 mg/g) in C. album; vanillic acid (7.32 mg/g), syringaldehyde (14.97 mg/g), quercetin (4.66 mg/g), p-coumaric acid (0.71 mg/g), and benzoic acid (3.43 mg/g) in H. compactum; p-coumaric acid (0.71 mg/g) and benzoic acid (3.43 mg/g) in A. eupatoria were detected. Conclusion: In conclusion, H. compactum is the most remarkable natural source for the study. The fact remains that all plants may be promising candidates for treating obesity.

Coffee has been drunk for millennia due to its taste and health benefits. High levels of polyphenols, and especially flavonoids and phenolic acids, are found in coffee and contribute significantly to its flavor and health-giving properties. In this study the total phenolic contents, antioxidant, and tyrosinase inhibition of green coffee, and Turkish traditional coffee extracts were evaluated. Antioxidant activities of the coffees were examined by two different methods, radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Total phenolic contents were estimated by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent as the gallic acid equivalent. The phenolic profiles were investigated by means of reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). At the same time, tyrosinase enzyme inhibition of extracts has also been worked. The extracts exhibited high levels of antioxidant activities associated with significant antioxidant compound contents. It was determined that the samples contain chlorogenic acid and benzoic acid in the RP-HPLC analysis. It was determined that green coffee extract exhibited tyrosinase enzyme inhibition as effective as kojic acid. The results show that green coffee especially from coffees can be regarded as a potential source of antioxidant compounds and tyrosinase inhibitors of significance in both the pharmaceutical and food industries.