Isolation, characterization and investigation of some biological activities of active compounds from the endemic plant Glaucium cappadocicum

The aim of this work was to identify the secondary metabolites responsible for the antioxidant, anticholinesterase, antiproliferative, and antibacterial properties of extracts from the aerial parts of Glaucium cappadocicum, an endemic plant in Erzincan. The structures of the separated compounds were studied using spectroscopic techniques. The following compounds were isolated for the first time from this plant: rutin (GC-1), salutaridine (BGB-6), glausine (BG-19), norglaucine (BGB-9), isocorydine (C-17), norisocorydine (BGB-8), isoboldine (S-6), predicentrine (S-2), corytuberine (BG-2), and sucrose (GH-58). The pure molecules obtained were subjected to the biological activity assays described above. Antiproliferative assays were performed using the A549 lung cancer and HT29 colon cancer cell lines. The corytuberine molecule showed the most potent cytotoxic effect against the cancer cell lines tested (A549 IC50: 61.2±1,12 µM). Enzyme inhibition studies were evaluated against the metabolic enzymes anticholinesterase and α-glucosidase. The most effective anticholinesterase activity was observed with corytuberine (IC50: 84µM), showing greater inhibition than tacrine. The anticholinesterase activity of the corytuberine molecule (IC50: 0.84 µM) was shown to be the most effective, exhibiting more inhibition than tacrine. Isoboldine (IC50: 0.87 µM) showed a greater inhibition of the α-glucosidase enzyme than acarbose (IC50: 1.28 µM). In addition, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans were used to evaluate the antibacterial properties of these pure compounds and to establish minimum inhibitory doses. Corytuberine, salutaridine, norisocorydine, norglausine, and isocorydine were the most potent compounds against Streptococcus pneumonia (MIC: 4.688 µM). Taken together, these results suggest that the secondary metabolites isolated from G. cappadocicum for the first time possess different biological activities that can be evaluated in the treatment of serious metabolic diseases