The uprisal of a lost endemic edible species, Micromeria cymuligera: Comprehensive elucidation of its biological activities and phytochemical composition

Abstract

Bioactive plant species are gaining scientific importance daily. New natural goods with added value are encouraged by the link between health, modern and traditional lifestyles. For about 145 years, Micromeria cymuligera, a Turkish endemic, was presumed extinct. For years, no specimen of this medicinal and fragrant species has been found in the region, but rich populations have lately been found in Bingöl province, Turkey. Like other Micromeria species, M. cymuligera has been used in tea and cooking due to its powerful bioactivities and scent. This is the first study to look at the complete quantification of bioactive phytochemicals, antioxidant capacity, and enzyme inhibitory evaluation of the long-thought-to-be-extinct M. cymuligera species. Using a previously established and validated LC-MS/MS methodology, this study aimed to screen the bioactive phytochemicals of M. cymuligera and assess its diverse antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory properties. The EtOH extract of the species had substantial concentrations of rosmarinic acid (13.05 mg/g extract), quinic acid (4.57 mg/g extract), chlorogenic acid (2.34 mg/g extract), and cynaroside (2.37 mg/g extract), according to LC-MS/MS data. Furthermore, it was shown that the species had relatively high total phenolic-flavonoid contents (40.94 ± 0.38 mgGAEs/g extract and 5.13 ± 0.29 mgREs/g extract, respectively). The extract shown noteworthy activity (82.00 ± 0.74, 126.23 ± 3.43, 48.33 ± 1.36, and 35.89 ± 0.44 mgTEs/g extract in FRAP, CUPRAC, ABTS, and DPPH respectively) in all antioxidant assays when the bioactivity experiments on M. cymuligera were considered. Furthermore, of all the enzyme inhibitory tests (tyrosinase, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, BChE, and AChE), the species demonstrated outstanding inhibitory action against tyrosinase (70.80 ± 1.34 mgKAE/g extract).