Comprehensive Elucidation of the Biochemical Activity and Phytochemical Content of an Uninvestigated Valuable Species: Anthemis tricornis Eig.

Abstract

This study presents the first comprehensive investigation of the Turkish endemic species Anthemis tricornis Eig, encompassing the quantitative profiling of its bioactive phytochemicals using a validated LC-MS/MS method, along with the assessment of its antioxidant properties and enzyme inhibitory activities. Quercetin (1.47 mg/g extract), cosmosiin (6.45 mg/g extract), chlorogenic acid (5.89 mg/g extract), quinic acid (24.01 mg/g extract), cynaroside (14.13 mg/g extract), and luteolin (1.92 mg/g extract) were found in the species' EtOH extract at surprisingly high concentrations, as shown by LC-MS/MS data. In addition, the species' total phenolic and flavonoid contents were found to be significantly high (57.88 ± 0.53 mg GAEs/g extract and 41.16 ± 0.21 mg REs/g extract, respectively). Fe³⁺-Fe²⁺, CUPRAC, Fe³⁺-TPTZ, DPPH, ABTS, and DMPD radical scavenging tests were used to measure antioxidant activity. The study found that the ethanol extract of A. tricornis had intermediate reducing power and radical-scavenging properties compared to natural and synthetic counterparts such as Trolox, α-tocopherol, BHA, and BHT. Inhibitory studies were conducted on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), α-amylase, and human carbonic anhydrase II (hCA II) enzymes, with IC₅₀ values obtained for each enzyme. The study demonstrated that the extract moderately reduced hCA II, AChE, and α-amylase activity, with higher IC₅₀ values than acetazolamide, tacrine, and acarbose.