Profiling of cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of Artemisia absinthium, A. herba-alba, A. fragrans, Marrubium vulgare, M. astranicum, Origanum vulgare subsp. glandulossum and essential oil analysis of two Artemisia species

• Published in: Industrial crops and products 2010-11, Vol.32 (3), p.566-571
• Main Authors: Orhan, I. Erdogan, Belhattab, R., Şenol, F.S., Gülpinar, A.R., Hoşbaş, S., Kartal, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidant; Artemisia; Cholinesterase inhibition; Essential oil; Marrubium; Origanum
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.07.005

In the current study, we have screened cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of the acetone and EtOH extracts of three Artemisia species, Marrubium vulgare and M. astranicum along with Origanum vulgare var. glandulossum. Besides, the essential oils of A. absinthium and A. herba-alba were also analyzed by GC–MS. Among the extracts screened, the most promising one appeared to be the acetone extract of M. vulgare with remarkable inhibition towards both enzymes. These results indicate that M. vulgare is worth a further investigation and could be a good source for bioactive compounds in afore-mentioned activities. To the best of our knowledge, we herein report the first findings on cholinesterase inhibitory activity of A. herba-alba, A. fragrans, M. vulgare, and O. vulgare var. glandulossum as well as antioxidant activities of most of these species using ferric ion-chelating and FRAP assays. In the current study, cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of the acetone and ethanol extracts of Artemisia absinthium, A. herba-alba, A. fragrans, Marrubium vulgare, M. astranicum, and Origanum vulgare var. glandulossum along with the essential oil of A. absinthium were investigated. Cholinesterase inhibitory activity was determined against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) at 25, 50, and 100 μg/mL using an ELISA microplate reader. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity, ferrous ion-chelating ability, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) tests at 250, 500, and 1000 μg/mL. Among the extracts, the highest inhibition against AChE (76.30 ± 0.18% at 100 μg/mL) and BChE (83.51 ± 1.27% at 50 μg/mL) was caused by the acetone extract of M. vulgare. The acetone extract of O. vulgare var. glandulossum showed a greater FRAP than that of the reference (chlorogenic acid). Essential oil compositions of A. absinthium and A. herba-alba were also analyzed by GC–MS.