The potential of Barbarea species in the management of obesity, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes

Barbarea species belonging to the Brassicaceae family contain glucosinolates, flavonoids, phenolic acids, saponosides, fatty acids, and other bioactive compounds. These compounds are reported to exhibit antioxidant, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, antiproliferative, and herbicidal effects, as well as beneficial effects on metabolic diseases. In particular, organosulfur and polyphenolic compounds have been reported to exhibit inhibitory effects on enzymes such as cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase, nitric oxide synthase, pancreatic lipase, lipoprotein lipase, and glucosidase. In this study, the inhibitory activities of methanol extracts, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and remaining aqueous subfractions obtained from the aerial parts of B. auriculata var. paludosa Coode& Cullen and B. plantaginea DC on pancreatic lipase, cholesterol esterase, and α-glucosidase enzymes were investigated for the first time. When the results obtained in the study are evaluated, the ethyl acetate subfraction of B. plantaginea exhibited the strongest pancreatic lipase and cholesterol esterase inhibitory activities, with IC₅₀ values of 111.687 ± 1.291 µg/mL and 10.718 ± 0.308 µg/mL, respectively. For α-glucosidase inhibition, the methanol extract of B. auriculata subsp. paludosa demonstrated the highest activity with an IC₅₀ value of 135.207 ± 0.136 µg/mL. it is seen that the ethyl acetate subfraction of both species has stronger cholesterol esterase inhibitory effects, moderate lipase and glucosidase inhibitory effects.