23.

Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory and Antioxidant Properties of Euphorbiacharacias Latex

Francesca Pintus, Delia Spanò, Claudia Mascia, Alberto Macone, Giovanni Floris and Rosaria Medda

Department of Sciences of life and environment , University of Cagliari

Department of Biochemical Sciences “A. Rossi Fanelli”, University of Rome “La Sapienza” and CNR Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, Rome, Italy

To whom correspondence should be addressed: Prof. Rosaria Medda, Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell’ambiente, Cittadella Universitaria, I–09042 Monserrato (CA) (Italy)

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory capacity and the antioxidant properties of extracts of Euphorbia characias latex, a Mediterranean shrub. We performed a new extraction method involving the use of the trichloroacetic acid. The extract showed high antioxidant activity, was rich in total polyphenolic and flavonoid content and exhibited substantial inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity.

Keywords: Euphorbia characias; acetylcholinesterase inhibitors; antioxidants; flavonoids; free radical-scavenging; polyphenols.