Cholinesterase, tyrosinase inhibitory and antioxidant potential of randomly selected Umbelliferous plant species and chromatographic profile of Heracleum platytaenium Boiss. and Angelica sylvestris L. var. sylvestris

Abstract

Neurobiological activity of the methanol extracts of thirteen Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) plants was tested against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and tyrosinase (TYR) using high-throughput screening technique. Although the extracts displayed none to low profile of inhibition against enzymes, the highest cholinesterase inhibition was observed with Heracleum platytaenium (32.52 ± 3.27 % for AChE and 46.16 ± 1.42 % for BChE) at 100 μg mL-1. Since neurodegeneration is linked to oxidative damage, antioxidant potential of the extracts was searched through radical scavenging, metal-chelating capacity, and reducing power experiments and exerted modest levels of activity varying according to the method. The extracts had a better ability to scavenge nitric oxide radical (19.47 ± 2.09 % to 54.91 ± 1.98 %). Since these species are known to be rich in coumarins, our quantitative high-performance liquid chroatography (HPLC) analysis indicated presence of xanthotoxin, angelicin, isopimpinellin, bergapten, and pimpinellin in Heracleum platytaenium and angelicin and imperatorin in Angelica sylvestris var. sylvestris.

Keywords

• neurobiological activity
• coumarins
• Apiaceae