Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, cilt.104, sa.7, ss.4039-4049, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to investigate the antiproliferative, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and enzyme activity
capacities and phytochemical compositions of Thymus pectinatus (TP), Thymus convolutus (TC), which are endemic to Türkiye.
Quantitative analysis of phenolic compounds in the extracts was conducted using liquid chromatography–tandem mass
spectrometry, targeting 53 phenolic compounds.
RESULTS: Rosmarinic acid, quinic acid, and cynaroside were identified as the major compounds, exhibiting quantitative variation in
both extracts. The extracts had a high total phenolic content, with 113.57 ± 0.58 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g extract for TP
and 130.52 ± 1.05 mg GAE/g extract for TC. Furthermore, although both extracts exhibited high total flavonoid content; the TP extract
(75.12 ± 1.65 mg quercitin equivalents (QE)/g extract) displayed a higher flavonoid content than the TC extract (30.24 ± 0.74 mg QE/g
extract) did. The extracts had a promising antiproliferative effect on C6, HeLa, and HT29 cancer cell lines with a less cytotoxic effect
(10.5–14.2%) against normal cells. Both extracts exhibited very potent inhibitory activity against the xanthine oxidase enzyme, with
half-maximal inhibitory concentration values of respectively 2.07 ± 0.03 ∼g mL−1 and 2.76 ± 0.06 ∼g mL−1 and moderate activity
against tyrosinase and ⊍-glucosidase. Docking simulations proved that rosmarinic acid and cynaroside, the major components of
the extracts, were the most potent inhibitors of xanthine oxidase. According to antimicrobial activity results, the TC extract exhibited
moderate activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and the TP extract had strong activity against both Enterococcus faecium and S. aureus.
CONCLUSION: These findings emphasize the beneficial effects of the two endemic Thymus species on human health and suggest
their potential use as plant-derived bioactive agents.