title: Insights into cholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities of five Juniperus species.
abstract: In vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory and antioxidant activities of the aqueous and ethanol extracts of the leaves, ripe fruits, and unripe fruits of Juniperus communis ssp. nana, Juniperus oxycedrus ssp. oxycedrus, Juniperus sabina, Juniperus foetidissima, and Juniperus excelsa were investigated in the present study. Cholinesterase inhibition of the extracts was screened using ELISA microplate reader. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was tested by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide radical scavenging, ferrous ion-chelating, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the extracts were determined spectrophotometrically. The extracts had low or no inhibition towards AChE, whereas the leaf aqueous extract of J. foetidissima showed the highest BChE inhibition (93.94 ± 0.01%). The leaf extracts usually exerted higher antioxidant activity. We herein describe the first study on anticholinesterase and antioxidant activity by the methods of ferrous ion-chelating, superoxide radical scavenging, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays of the mentioned Juniperus species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, 06330 Ankara, Turkey. iorhan@gazi.edu.tr
authors.forename: Nilufer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Orhan
authors.forename: Ilkay Erdogan
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Orhan
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ergun
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018653:Juniperus / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D010936:Plant Extracts