Pharmacognostical studies on Tradescantia fluminensis Vell. and Commelina communis L.

In Turkey, the family Commelinaceae is represented by four species belonging to two genera. Among these species, Tradescantia fluminensis Vell. and Commelina communis L., which are not used as ornamental plants, are foreign taxa that have become naturalized in the flora of Türkiye and grow in the Eastern Black Sea region. Species belonging to this family have been reported to possess α-glucosidase inhibitory, antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-hyperglycemic activities.In this thesis study, it was aimed to investigate the inhibitory activities of 70% ethanol extracts prepared from the aerial parts of T. fluminensis and C. communis against the enzymes α-glucosidase, α-amylase, acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, and elastase through in vitro assays, and to perform phytochemical analyses of the n-hexane and n-butanol extracts using the GC-MS method, as well as the 70% ethanol and water extracts using the LC–MS/MS technique. Enzyme inhibition activity studies conducted on crude extracts and sub-extracts obtained from C. communis and T. fluminensis species revealed that, in particular, the water extract of C. communis and the n-butanol extract of T. fluminensis exhibited significantly stronger α-glucosidase inhibitory effects than acarbose, which was used as a positive control (p < 0.0001). LC-MS/MS studies revealed that the above-ground ethanol extract of C. communis contained quinic acid (14.058 mg/g extract) and the water extract contained catechin (21.494 mg/g); T. fluminensis's above-ground ethanol extract contained quinic acid (3.249 mg/g), and its water extract contained aconitic acid (2.408 mg/g) as the major compounds. The major compound's structure in the n-hexane extracts of C. communis and T. fluminensis, as well as in the n-butanol extracts of T. fluminensis analyzed by GC-MS, was identified as phytol. In the n-butanol extract of C. communis, the compound was identified as hexadecan. Keywords: Biological activity, Commelina communis, extraction, LC-MS/MS analysis, Tradescantia fluminensis