Potential sources for the management global health problems and oxidative stress: Stachys byzantina and S. iberica subsp. iberica var. densipilosa

IntroductionStachys species have been applied externally for the treatment of wounds and used internally for abdominal pains, cramps, dizziness, fever, gout and menstrual disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities of solvent extracts of Stachys byzantina and S. iberica subsp. iberica var. densipilosa.MethodsTwo Stachys species were analyzed for their antioxidant activities using different test systems and, inhibitory properties against acetylcholinesterase, butrylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase investigated. Phenolic contents in the extracts were determined by HPLC.ResultsIn S. iberica subsp. iberica var. densipilosa, the amount of phenolics, flavonols and saponins were found to be slightly higher than that of S. byzantina. However, the ethyl acetate, methanol, and water extracts of S. byzantina contained considerable amount of flavonoid compounds (31.99, 47.70, and 34.66 mg REs/g extract, respectively). The ethyl acetate extracts were found to be rich in phenolics, chlorogenic acid was the most abundant compound. Apart from the phosphomolybdenum assay, S. byzantina exhibited higher antioxidant activity than that of S. iberica subsp. iberica var. densipilosa. The methanol extract of this species showed remarkable activity in phosphomolybdenum, radical scavenging (on ABTS and nitric oxide radicals), and CUPRAC assays (1.49 mmol TEs/g extract, 143.85 mg TEs/g extract, and 1.84 mmol TEs/g extract, respectively), whereas the water extract exhibited a promising activity in radical scavenging (on DPPH and superoxide radicals), reducing power (FRAP), and chelating effect assays. In general, ethyl acetate extracts of both species showed remarkable inhibitory activities on the enzymes. Ethyl acetate extract of S. iberica subsp. iberica var. densipilosa showed higher inhibitory activity on acetylcholineserase, butrylcholinesterase, α-amylase than the same extracts of S. byzantine (2.16, 4.20 mg GALAEs/g extract, and 0.34 mmol ACEs/g extract, respectively).ConclusionsResults suggest that the natural compounds found in S. byzantine and S. iberica subsp. iberica var. densipilosa extracts may provide some evidence to confirm their traditional use for the management of certain health problems such as Alzheimers disease, skin disorders, diabetes mellitus and when oxidative damage occurs.