Investigation of Sterol structures and biological activities in Cochineal and Hibiscus sabdariffa extracts

In the future, it is necessary to discover natural resources with no or less toxicity and side effects instead of synthetic drugs. Therefore, it is crucial to recognize, isolate, measure, and reveal the biological activities of substances in the structure of natural resources. In this study, the two extracts prepared from the plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and the insect (Dactylopius coccus) were examined. Sampling of the released substances was performed using Gas-Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, viability, apoptosis, and oxidative stress of the derivatized samples were determined. Due to the biological differences between the samples, the chemical structures observed in the GC-MS analysis were not the same. It was observed that stigmasterol and its derivatives were found in the pomegranate sample, whereas naphthol and its derivatives were more abundant in the Cochineal insect sample. The cell viability increased with increasing concentrations of stigmasterol, which is present in large amounts in the structure of the pomegranate flower. However, the cell viability decreased with the Cochineal insect sample. Apoptosis and oxidative stress test results were also found to be different and contrasted for both samples. Therefore, the present study presents a new, natural, and different source that can be used as an antiviral and anticancer agent.