Detailed chemical content analysis and determination of biological activities of aerial part and root extracts of Micromeria myrtifolia Boiss. & Hohen. (Lamiaceae)

Aim: The total amount of phenols and flavonoids, the antioxidant effect and the anticholinesterase, antityrosinase, antiurease, anti-glucosidase activities of the ethanol extracts from the aerial and root parts of the plant M. myrtifolia were investigated. The aim was to determine the chemical constituents of the plant using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry Material and Method: The total amount of phenolics and flavonoid amounts of ethanol extracts of M. myrtifolia, antioxidant activities by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) cation radical scavenging and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) methods and acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, urease, and 𝛼-glucosidase enzyme inhibition activities were determined. Phenolic compounds were determined using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results: It was found that the highest total amount of phenolics in the plant was contained in the aerial part and the amount of flavonoids was in the root extract. In the DPPH method, the extract of aerial part was found to be more active a concentration of at 100 g /mL, in the ABTS method at all concentrations, and in the CUPRAC method, the root extract was more active at all concentrations. It was found that the root extract showed weak activity inhibiting the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase inhibition activity, but none of the extracts showed inhibition of the enzymes acetylcholinesterase, tyrosinase and urease . In the 𝛼-glucosidase enzyme inhibition method, it was found that the extract from aerial part showed activity close to that of acarbose, which is used as a standard, and the root extract showed moderate activity. LC-MS/MS analysis of ethanol extracts of the aerial and root parts of M. myrtifolia revealed that the most abundant compounds were nicotiflorin, quinic acid and rosmarinic acid, respectively. Conclusion: It can be said that the high antioxidant potential (DPPH and ABTS) of the extract from the aerial parts of M. myrtifolia is due to its high phenolic content. For the first time, a comparative analysis of the phenolic compounds of the extracts from aerial part and the root of the plant was performed by LC-MS/MS, and the inhibitory activities of the enzymes acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, urease and 𝛼-glucosidase were investigated.