title: The potential medicinal value of plants from Asteraceae family with antioxidant defense enzymes as biological targets.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plants and most of the plant-derived compounds have long been known for their potential pharmaceutical effects. They are well known to play an important role in the treatment of several diseases from diabetes to various types of cancers. Today most of the clinically effective pharmaceuticals are developed from plant-derived ancestors in the history of medicine.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the free radical scavenging activity and total phenolic and flavonoid contents of methanol, ethanol, and acetone extracts from flowers and leaves of Onopordum acanthium L., Carduus acanthoides L., Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., and Centaurea solstitialis L., all from the Asteraceae family, for investigating their potential medicinal values of biological targets that are participating in the antioxidant defense system such as catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, free radical scavenging activity and total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the plant samples were assayed by DPPH, Folin-Ciocalteu, and aluminum chloride colorimetric methods. Also, the effects of extracts on CAT, GST, and GPx enzyme activities were investigated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The highest phenolic and flavonoid contents were detected in the acetone extract of C. acanthoides flowers, with 90.305 mg GAE/L and 185.43 mg Q/L values, respectively. The highest DPPH radical scavenging was observed with the methanol leaf extracts of C. arvense with an IC50 value of 366 ng/mL. The maximum GPx and GST enzyme inhibition activities were observed with acetone extracts from the flower of C. solstitialis with IC50 values of 79 and 232 ng/mL, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ankara University , Ankara , Turkey .
authors.forename: Suheda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koc
authors.forename: Belgin S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Isgor
authors.forename: Yasemin G
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Isgor
authors.forename: Naznoosh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shomali Moghaddam
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yildirim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019659:Asteraceae; D002417:Cattle; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification; D035264:Flowers; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Antioxidant activity; DPPH assay; asteraceae family; catalase; glutathione S-transferase; glutathione peroxidase