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Anti-Acetylcholinesterase and Antioxidant Appraisal of the Bulb Extracts of Five Sternbergia Species

Ilkay Erdogan Orhan, , Betül Sever Yilmaz, M. Levent Altun, Gülçin Saltan and Bilge Şener

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, 06330 Ankara, Turkey

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara University, 06100, Ankara, Turkey

Abstract: In the current study, we examined anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and antioxidant activities of the ethyl acetate, methanol, and water extracts from the bulbs of Turkish Sternbergia Waldst. & Kit. (Amaryllidaceae) species; S. candida, S. clusiana, S. fisheriana, S. lutea subsp. lutea, and S. lutea subsp. sicula. Anti-AChE activity was tested by spectrophotometric method of Ellman using ELISA microplate reader at 50, 100, and 200 μg mL -1 concentrations. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferrous ion-chelating capacity, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and beta-carotene bleaching assays at 500, 1000, and 2000 μg mL -1. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the extracts were determined via Folin-Ciocalteau’s and AlCl3 reagents, respectively. The ethyl acetate extract of S. fischeriana was the most active in anti-AChE assay (90.94% and 98.02% of inhibitions at 100 and 200 μg mL -1 concentrations, respectively. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was found to be not significant.

Keywords: Sternbergia ; Amaryllidaceae; lycorine; acetylcholinesterase; antioxidant