Guney, Turkan; Altin, Sevgi; Dikici, Emrah; Isik, Mesut; Koksal, Ekrem

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) exhibit overlapping molecular pathways characterized by oxidative imbalance and enzyme dysfunction. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the multifunctional potential of Folliculi sennae (F. sennae) ethanol extract as a natural therapeutic agent targeting these disorders. Phenolic profiling using LC–MS/MS revealed abundant bioactive compounds, including quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, and gallic acid, with high linearity and reproducibility. The extract exhibited moderate antioxidant activity across DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and CUPRAC assays, highlighting its redox-modulating capacity. Importantly, enzyme inhibition assays demonstrated notable inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE, IC50 = 10.34 µg/mL), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE, IC50 = 7.72 µg/mL), and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 6.66 µg/mL), indicating potential neuroprotective and antidiabetic effects. These findings suggest that F. sennae orchestrates a synergistic interplay between antioxidant defense and targeted enzymatic inhibition, positioning it as a promising multitarget natural candidate for managing oxidative stress–linked neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders. The study lays the biochemical groundwork for future translational research exploring F. sennae as a safe, plant-based therapeutic intervention.

Aktas, Mehmet; Elmastas, Mahfuz; Ozcicek, Fatih; Yilmaz, Necmettin

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the most common nutritional disorders in the world. In the present study, we evaluated erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition in premenopausal patients with IDA. Blood samples of 102 premenopausal women and 88 healthy control subjects were collected. After the erythrocytes were separated from the blood samples, the membrane lipids were carefully extracted, and the various membrane fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography (GC). Statistical analyses were performed with the SPSS software program. We used blood ferritin concentration <15 ng/mL as cut-off for the diagnosis of IDA. The five most abundant individual fatty acids obtained were palmitic acid (16:0), oleic acid (18:1, n-9c), linoleic acid (18:2, n-6c), stearic acid (18:0), and erucic acid (C22:1, n-9c). These compounds constituted about 87% of the total membrane fatty acids in patients with IDA, and 79% of the total membrane fatty acids in the control group. Compared with control subjects, case patients had higher percentages of palmitic acid (29.9% case versus 25.3% control), oleic acid (16.8% case versus 15.1% control), and stearic acid (13.5% case versus 10.5% control), and lower percentages of erucic acid (11.5% case versus 13.6% control) and linoleic acid (15.2% case versus 15.4% control) in their erythrocyte membranes. In conclusion, the total-erythrocyte-membrane saturated fatty acid (SFA) composition in premenopausal women with IDA was found to be higher than that in the control group; however, the totalerythrocyte- membrane unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) composition in premenopausal women with IDA was found to be lower than that in the control group. The differences in these values were statistically significant.