Yuca, Hafize; Aydoğan, Zeynep; Yıldırım, Özge Çağlar; Aydın, Bilge; Arslan, Mehmet Enes; Atila, Alptuğ; Göger, Gamze; Demirci, Betül; Mohammadi, Najeebullah; Prastiwi, Artina

Edible insects are increasingly valued as sustainable functional food sources due to their rich nutritional content, including proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. This study investigated five insect species/forms traditionally consumed in Indonesia—Phyllophaga helleri (Puthul), Valanga nigricornis (Belalang kayu), Gryllus bimaculatus (Jangkrik), and both the adult (Ulat jati) and cocoon (Entung jati) forms of Hyblaea puera. Methanol and aqueous extracts were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase, α-amylase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were assessed alongside volatile, amino acid, and elemental profiles using GC-MS, LC-MS, and ICP-MS. Volatile analyses revealed limonene (53.9–72.2%) as the dominant aroma compound in Entung jati, Ulat jati, Belalang kayu, and Puthul. Fatty acid profiles were rich in oleic acid (40.8–71.3%), especially in Entung jati and Ulat jati. Alanine and tyrosine were the most abundant amino acids, reaching up to 1945.36 and 4744.03 nmol/mL, respectively. Essential elements (K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se) were abundant, while toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg, Pb) were below international safety limits. Entung jati methanol extract showed the strongest α-glucosidase inhibition (85.09%), exceeding acarbose (77.61%). Jangkrik exhibited the highest α-amylase inhibition (29.45%), and Ulat jati aqueous extract had the strongest antioxidant activity. Some methanol extracts also showed moderate antimicrobial effects (MIC = 625–1250 μg/mL). P. helleri extract showed cytotoxicity at high doses, but genotoxicity was not observed. These findings support the nutritional and therapeutic potential of Indonesian edible insects.

Necip, Adem; Işık, Mesut; Türkeş, Cüneyt; Ünal, Dilek; Kırboğa, Kevser Kübra; Beydemir, Şükrü; Rudrapal, Mithun

The limitations of conventional cholinesterase inhibitors in Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy namely, their short half-lives and adverse side effects—necessitate the exploration of natural alternatives. This investigation examined the inhibitory potential of selected polyamines (putrescine and spermidine) and a phlorotannin derivative (phloroglucinol), naturally present in the macroalgae species Cystoseira crinita and Stypopodium schimperi, against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) using in vitro and in silico approaches. Additionally, radical scavenging potentials of each sample were determined. Enzyme activity assays employing the Ellman method revealed that putrescine and spermidine reached similar inhibition levels (approximately 32 %), while Cystoseira crinita acetone extract demonstrated superior potency with an IC50 of 0.085 mg/mL, indicating robust enzyme modulation. Complementary molecular docking studies conducted with Schrödinger Maestro 2020 elucidated the formation of stable enzyme-ligand complexes through hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions with critical residues including HIS447, TYR337, and TRP86 within the AChE active site. Moreover, crude macroalgal extracts, particularly those derived from C. crinita and S. schimperi, exhibited marked AChE inhibition, further substantiating the therapeutic potential of these marine-derived compounds. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the polyamines and phlorotannin derivative studied not only effectively regulate cholinesterase activity but also offer naturally derived structural frameworks for the development of novel AD treatments. Phloroglucinol showed a high scavenging of DPPH (85%) and ABTS (98%) radicals, close to the activity of the reference compound trolox (96% for DPPH and 94% for ABTS). Further pharmacokinetic and toxicological evaluations are warranted to ascertain their clinical viability in AD management.