Biological activity of Psephellus appendicigerus as a natural agent

Psephellus appendicigerus, is a plant endemic to Turkey, belonging to the Asteraceae family, which is traditionally used in folk medicine in Turkey. The aim of this study is to reveal for the first time the biological activities of this plant and evaluate its potential use as a natural product. For this reason, different extracts (ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, and hexane) of the plant’s aerial parts were used in determining the antioxidant (2,20-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assays), antimicrobial (disc diffusion and microdilution methods), and enzyme inhibition activity (calorimetric methods) related to diabetes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase). Moreover, the phenolic constituents were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography. Methanol extract of the plant exhibited significant biological activity compared to other extracts. This extract had the highest amount of chlorogenic acid as phenolic compound. In addition, all extracts showed inhibition against at least one test microorganism. According to the results, P. appendicigerus has the potential to be used as a natural antioxidant, antimicrobial and enzyme inhibitor.