title: Iron(III) reducing and antiradical activities of three Sideritis from Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sideritis species (Lamiaceae) are widely used as herbal tea and have been used in folk medicine for their anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, digestive, and antimicrobial activities in Turkey. Sideritis dichotoma Huter., Sideritis erythrantha Boiss. var. cedrotorum, and Sideritis vuralii H. Duman et Başer are available as commercial products in Turkey.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The antiradical activities of the various solvent extracts of Sideritis species are investigated here for the first time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plant samples were sequentially extracted with n-hexane, dichloromethane, methanol, and aqueous methanol (50%, v/v) in Soxhlet apparatus. The extracts of Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze (Theaceae) were also prepared for use as a positive control. Total phenolics, iron(III) reductive effects, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) radical scavenging activities of the all extracts were measured colorimetrically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The aqueous MeOH and MeOH extracts contained the highest amount of total phenols, whereas the n-hexane extract contained the lowest amounts. The polar extracts of C. sinensis showed higher antiradical activity and also iron(III) reductive effects than the Sideritis species; however, the non-polar extracts of Sideritis species were found to be more active than those from C. sinensis in the iron(III) reductive assay and in the DPPH(•) assay as well. But none of the extracts was found to be as active as with positive controls, viz., ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), and Trolox.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results can be shown to have antioxidant activities of these Sideritis species and support the ethnopharmacological use of these Sideritis plants.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: H J Damien
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Dorman
authors.forename: Müberra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kosar
authors.forename: K Hüsnü Can
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Baser
authors.forename: Raimo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hiltunen
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010851:Picrates / Q000378:metabolism; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031365:Sideritis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010636:Phenols; D010851:Picrates; D010936:Plant Extracts; C004931:1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl; D007501:Iron