Ethanol, chloroform and hexane extracts from plants namely Urtica dioica L., Mentha piperita, Thyme serpyllum and Chenopodium album L. were evaluated for their total phenolic and total flavonoid contents, antioxidant and antibacterial efficiencies. The antioxidant activities were screened utilizing DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS scavenging activity, CUPRAC activity and total antioxidant capacity. Antibacterial activity of the tested extracts was determined by disc diffusion and broth dilution methods. U. dioica and C. album extracts showed varying activities against the test bacteria. The hexane extracts of T. serpyllum and C. album showed the weakest copper reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) activity. 2,2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) activity of the solvents are increased in the following order: Ethanol>Chloroform>Hexane. Our results revealed that all of the tested plants might be an alternative to synthetic antioxidant and antibacterial agents.

Turunçgillerin küçük mücevheri olarak nitelendirilen kamkat (Fortunella spp.) Rutaceae familyasının Fortunella cinsi içerisinde yer almaktadır. Anavatanı Çin olup, 19. Yüzyıl’da Amerika ve Avrupa’ya getirilmiş ve subtropik iklimlere adapte edilmiştir. Dünyada Çin, Japonya ve Amerika’da yaygın olarak yetiştirilmektedir. Yapılan çalışmalarda kamkatın içerdiği askorbik asit, karotenoidler, uçucu yağlar, diyet lif ve flavonoidler gibi biyoaktif bileşenlerin sağlık üzerine olumlu etkileri olduğu bildirilmiştir. Kamkat meyvesi taze tüketiminin yanında reçel, marmelat, şarap, likör ve meyve çayı gibi farklı gıda ürünlerine işlenerek de değerlendirilmekte, uçucu yağı ve ekstraktları gıda ve kozmetik sektöründe kullanılmaktadır. Sağlık üzerine olumlu etkileri olduğu anlaşılan kamkatın ülkemizde son yıllarda yetiştiriciliği ve üretimi konusundaki çalışmalar artış göstermiştir. Bu derlemede kamkat meyvesinin önemli biyoaktif bileşenleri ve biyolojik aktiviteleri ile ilgili çalışmalar özetlenmiştir.

Flavones and flavonoids are known to have potent antioxidant activity due to intracellular free radical scavenging capacities. Flavonoids are found ubiquitously in plants as a member of polyphenolic compounds which share diverse chemical structure and properties. Quercetin is among the most efficient antioxidants of the flavonoids. The antioxidant property of quercetin has been highlighted in this review. These compounds have pivotal role in treatment of diabetes, cancers and some cardiovascular diseases.

An experiment was conducted to determinate the phytochemical properties (chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, carotenoids, antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid content) in ten medicinal plants namely Syal Kata (Argemone mexicana L.), Akanda (Calotropis gigantea (L.) Dryand.), Dumur (Ficus carica L.), Chalmugra (Gynocardia odorata R.Br.), Kata kachu (Lasia spinosa (L.) Thwaites), Shetodrone (Leucas aspera (Wild.)), Khona (Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz), Reri (Ricinus communis L.), Ghat kachu (Typhonium trilobatum (L.) Schott) and Bazna (Zanthoxylum rhetsa DC.) for ethno-botanical uses. The young fresh leaves were harvested and were subjected to methanolic (95%) extract. Total phenolic contents were analysed by using Folin - Ciocalteau method where gallic acid was used as standard. Total phenolic content varied from 94.53 mg GAE/100 g FW (C. gigantea) to 484.88 mg GAE/100 g FW (L. aspera). Total flavonoid contents were performed by using Quercetin as standard. Total flavonoid content varied from 137.25 mg QUE /100 g FW (C. gigantea) to 334.27 mg QUE/100 g FW (G. odorata). Antioxidant activity of these extracts was performed by using DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Total anti-oxidant capacity varied from IC50 value 35.37 mg/mL (A. mexicana) to 90.47 mg/mL (F. carica) where ascorbic acid is used as standard. Results indicated that among the ten medicinal plants phenolics rich in L. aspera, flavonoids rich in G. odorata, antioxidant activity rich in A. mexicana. Z. rhetsa leaf rich in chlorophyll-a content (311.67 mg/100 g FW), L. aspera leaf rich in chlorophyll-b content (157 mg/100 g FW), Z. rhetsa rich in chlorophyll- (a+b) content as 439 mg/100 g FW, A. mexicana leaf rich in carotenoids content as 96 mg/100 g FW.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical, bioactive and textural properties of oleaster fruits grown in different locations of Turkey. The oleaster fruits were obtained from Aksaray, Niğde and İzmir cities and their crumb and crust parts were analyzed individually and freshly. In terms of color, the crust and crumb of oleaster fruits from İzmir had the darkest color with L* values of 46.81 ± 4.06 and 78.91 ± 4.97 among all tested fruits from different locations, respectively. Total of phenolic (TP), flavonoid (TF) and tannin (TT) content (C) and as well antioxidant activities (AA) of oleaster fruits were determined for the crust and crumb of oleaster fruits. The highest TPC (22.30±1.75 mg gallic acid equivalent/g DM), TFC (16.24±1.49 mg catechin equivalent/g DM) and AA (14.05±0.55 μmol trolox equivalent/g DM) by DPPH were found in the crust of Aksaray oleaster fruits. In addition, the crumb of Aksaray oleaster fruit had the highest TPC (16.44±1.67 mg gallic acid equivalent/g DM) among the crumbs of oleaster fruits from different locations. Furthermore, there was no significant difference among the texture of crust and crumb of oleaster fruits obtained from different locations. Results showed the growing location of oleaster fruits had a significant influence on the physical and bioactive properties of fruits. Also, this study indicated that oleaster fruits were rich in bioactive compounds; therefore, they could be incorporated into foods to design functional foods.

Essential oil composition, antimicrobial activity and flavonoid contents of leaf-fruits of Cedrus libani and Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana were determined with GC-MS, disc diffusion method and HPLC in three different period. When the essential oil composition of leaf and fruits of P. nigra ssp pallasiana collected in April, July and September, major components were α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, β-caryophyllene ve germacrene-D. On the other hand, additionally to these contents, myrcene and α–terpineol were also detected in C. libani. According to HPLC analysis, rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, naringin and resveratrol flavonoids were detected in different proportions. While rutin (154.33 µg g-) and resveratrol (20.02 µg g-) has the highest ratio in C. libani, quercetin (9.65 µg g-) and naringin (9.31 µg g-) were detected in P. nigra subsp. pallasiana along with rutin (39.66 µg g-). According to the antimicrobial activity results the essential oils of C. libani obtained in April has produced higher activity than that of July and September. On the contrary, the essential oils from P. nigra subsp. pallasina have produced the best antimicrobial activity on September compared to April and July. As a result, C. libani and P. nigra subsp. pallasiana essential oils have a composition showing antimicrobial activity and their harvesting season should be determined for the best and effective content.

Propolis is a special resin and wax material collected from the leaves and shells of trees, buds and shoots of plants by honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). In recent years, many researchers have studied the chemical composition, biological activity and pharmacological properties of propolis. The colour, odour and pharmacological properties of the propolis composition also vary as the composition changes depending on the plant, region, season and bee colony. Flavonoids, aromatic acids, phenolic acids and esters are the main compounds responsible for the biological activity of propolis. A number of studies have been conducted on the use of propolis or its active ingredients in the treatment of cancer. It has been observed that the use of propolis did not cause side effects according to in-vitro and in-vivo studies. Propolis should be extracted with different compounds for use in biological assays. The most commonly used compounds for extraction are ethanol, methanol, oil and water. A number of studies have been carried out showing the antitumor effect of propolis in cell culture and animal tests. The search for new drugs derived from natural products, which may function as chemotherapeutic agents and have low side effects, has increased in recent years. Combination with antioxidant therapy may improve the side effects of chemotherapy on leukocytes, liver and kidney, thus increasing the effect of chemotherapy with dose increase.

Plants are exposed to various adverse environmental conditions throughout their growth period. In recent years, drought, which has occurred and necessitated different measures, ranks among these adverse conditions. At the same time, plants synthesize certain biochemical compounds in response to the adverse conditions they will encounter. These compounds not only strengthen the immune system but also provide resistance against various diseases, and they tend to increase under adverse environmental conditions that plants will face during cultivation. This study was conducted to determine the changes in yield and some biochemical components in pickling hot peppers (Capsicum Annuum L.) grown under different water stress conditions. Two different levels of water stress (%70 and %30 irrigation) were applied in addition to full irrigation (%100 irrigation). At the end of the research, while a yield of 269.42 g per plant was obtained in the control group (%100 irrigation), 150.14 g and 93.33 g of pickling hot peppers were harvested in each water stress treatment, respectively. Total phenolic compound levels increased with water stress; it was determined to be 0.827 mg-1g in the trial irrigated with full irrigation water, 1.170 mg-1g in plants exposed to mild water stress, and up to 1.536 mg-1g in the trial subjected to severe water stress. In addition, total flavonoids and antioxidant compound levels also increased with increasing water stress. The amounts of flavonoid compounds obtained from the trial groups were 0.146, 0.373, and 0.412 mg-1g, respectively, while the antioxidant levels determined by the DPPH method increased in quantity with increasing water stress, similar to other biochemical compounds. According to these results, it was determined that the yield of pickling hot peppers decreased in the case of water shortage that the plants would face in cultivation, but there was an increase in some biochemical compounds.