Abstract
Drimia maritima (L.) Stearn (squill), belonging to the Asparagaceae family, is acknowledged as a medicinally valuable species from the Drimia genera. In this study, water, methanol, and ethyl acetate extracts of D. maritima aerial parts and bulbs were investigated for their polyphenols profile and evaluated for their antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties. Phenolics were profiled through an untargeted metabolomics approach using an ultra-high pressure liquid chromatograph coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). This analysis revealed an enrichment of low molecular weight phenolics and flavonoids in the aerial parts of D. maritima, while lignans mainly characterized bulb extracts. Antioxidant capacity was investigated by different assays, including phosphomolybdenum assays, radical scavenging (DPPH: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl; ABTS: 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), as well as reducing ability (CUPRAC: cupric reducing antioxidant capacity; FRAP: ferric reducing antioxidant power), and metal chelating. In radical scavenging and reducing power assays, the water extract of aerial parts exhibited the strongest ability (DPPH: 36.99 mg trolox equivalent (TE)/g; ABTS: 85.96 mg TE/g; CUPRAC: 87.37 mg TE/g; FRAP: 55.43 mg TE/g). In general, the ethyl acetate extracts from aerial parts and bulbs provided the weakest antioxidant capacity. Concerning enzyme inhibitory activities, the water extracts of the bulb were poorly active, while the ethyl acetate extracts from both plant portions displayed the best α-amylase inhibitory abilities. The best acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) abilities were recorded by ethyl acetate extract of aerial parts (2.36 mg galantamine equivalent (GALAE)/g) and bulbs (5.10 mg GALAE/g), respectively. Overall, these results support the medicinal aptitude of D. maritima and its possible use as a natural source of antioxidants and enzyme inhibitors with functional potential.
Highlights
Medicinal plants have been traditionally exploited as a therapeutic resource for local communities worldwide, currently remaining as a primary healthcare model for approximately 85% of the world’s population, and serving as sources for drug discovery [1]
The aerial parts of D. maritima extracts showed total phenolic content (TPC) ranging from 19.99–31.56 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and total flavonoid content (TFC) ranging from 10.15–34.67 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/g
Considering the different solvents employed in the extraction process, water and methanol had a statistically higher extraction capacity for total phenolics and total flavonoid compounds, respectively, in the aerial parts (p < 0.05)
Summary
Medicinal plants have been traditionally exploited as a therapeutic resource for local communities worldwide, currently remaining as a primary healthcare model for approximately 85% of the world’s population, and serving as sources for drug discovery [1]. Many plants have been documented and studied for their potential medicinal attributes, unveiling promising pharmacological properties to manage and treat a wide range of diseases [2,3,4,5]. Drimia can be included among the well-described genera consisting of medicinally important species. This genus (Family: Asparagaceae) is comprised of 99 accepted species. The members of this genus are mostly deciduous and rarely evergreen with an underground bulb [6]. Many studies have been conducted to identify and discover the chemical constituents and characterize the pharmacological properties of Drimia species, exploring different organ parts [9,10,11,12,13]. The scientific community has considered the toxicological aspects of Drimia species [15,16,17]
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