Gözcü, Sefa; Akşit, Zeynep; Dursun, Ahmet

Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) derived from the cones of Cupressus arizonica Greene collected from Erzincan and to evaluate its antibacterial potential against a range of pathogenic microorganisms, including strains not previously investigated for this species. Methods: The essential oil was obtained from fresh cones via hydrodistillation for 4 hours. Chemical profiling was performed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial activity was assessed against six pathogenic bacteria using the disc diffusion method, with imipenem serving as a positive control. Results: GC-MS analysis identified 35 compounds, representing 93.83% of the total oil. The major components were α -pinene (53.02%), 3-carene (13.31%), α -myrcene (4.54%), sabinene (4.24%), and limonene (3.47%). The oil exhibited selective antibacterial activity, with inhibition zones recorded for Salmonella enterica (10.0 ± 0.3 mm), Clostridium perfringens (8.1 ± 0.5 mm), and Bacillus cereus (8.0 ± 0.6 mm). However, no inhibitory effect was observed against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. Conclusion: This study identifies a distinct α-pinene/3-carene chemotype of C. arizonica influenced by the regional flora of Erzincan. Notably, this research represents the first report of the inhibitory efficacy of C. arizonica cone essential oil against the anaerobic pathogen Clostridium perfringens. The findings suggest that this essential oil could be a promising natural candidate for targeted applications against certain foodborne and anaerobic pathogens.

Koç, Alparslan; Polat, Eyup Can

Objective: Clinical pharmacy is a health field that is spreading all over the world. Numerous studies have demonstrated that clinical pharmacy services offered to healthcare providers lead to improved therapeutic outcomes. Intensive care units are the primary clinics where clinical pharmacists work. Due to factors such as variable clinical conditions of patients and the use of multiple medications, drug-related problems are frequently encountered in intensive care units. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research on clinical pharmacy in intensive care units by examining productivity trends, citation impact, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution using VOSviewer software. Methods: We used all relevant studies from the Web of Science database published between 1981 and 2024 that included the keywords "intensive care unit" and "clinical pharmacy" for this analysis. The analyses were performed using the VOSviewer (v1.6.20) software. Results: A total of 866 publications were analyzed. The country with the most publications was the United States. Original research articles were the most common publication type, and the most cited article was by Tsuji et al. (n=535). The most frequently used keywords were "critical care", "intensive care unit", "clinical pharmacy", and "clinical pharmacist". Conclusion: Our results show that research on clinical pharmacy in intensive care units is increasing steadily every year and that the services provided in these settings have a beneficial effect on treatment outcomes. Therefore, our study will be an important guide for researchers investigating clinical pharmacy services in intensive care units.

Oktay, Ferit

Objective: To synthesize a Schiff base ligand and some metal complexes, perform characterization studies and elucidate the action mechanisms of the synthesized compounds with the Schrödinger Suite computer aided molecular modeling program. Methods: A Schiff base ligand has been synthesized by the reaction of a salicylaldehyde derivate with an aminophenol. With using this ligand, metal complexes were prepared from Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) acetate salts. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by different spectroscopic and microscopic techniques such as Elemental Analysis, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, UV-Vis, XRD, SEM and TGA. In order to elucidate the mechanism of action of the synthesized compounds, some descriptive molecular properties were calculated using the Schrödinger Suite computer aided molecular modeling program. Results: Within the scope of the study, a ligand and its complexes were synthesized. The structures of compounds were elucidated and molecular docking studies showed that Zn(II) complex had the highest scores obtained. Conclusion: Structural characterization showed that ligand at the metal complexes act as bidentate chelates by binding to the metal ion from the imine nitrogen and phenolic oxygen. The mechanism of action of the synthesized compounds and the active site where the coupling will take place were determined, and the interactions of possible drug molecule candidates synthesized with the target receptor site were calculated.

Halici, Hamza; Yilmaz, Eda

Aim: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of fingolimod on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) production in the context of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response in a human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) model. Material and method: A total of 5×10³ cells were seeded into each well of the 96-well plate. The cells were incubated for 24 hours to allow for adhesion and settlement at the bottom of the well. Subsequently, the cells were treated with LPS (L2880 Sigma-Aldrich Lipopolysaccharides from Escherichia coli O55:B5) at a dose of 10 µg/ml for 12 hours. Our experimental groups were determined as follows. Healthy group: Group without LPS and Fingolimod treatment LPS Group: The Group was treated with 10 μg/ml LPS for 12 hours, but not treated with Fingolimod LPS+ Fingolimod 1 µM (LPS+ Fin 1) group: Group treated with 10 μg/ml LPS for 12 hours and treated with 1 µM fingolimod.LPS+ Fingolimod 0.5 µM (LPS+ Fin 0.5) group: Group treated with 10 μg/ml LPS for 12 hours and treated with 0,5 µM fingolimod. LPS+ Fingolimod 0.1 µM (LPS+ Fin 0.1) group: Group treated with 10 μg/ml LPS for 12 hours and treated with 0,1 µM fingolimod. At 12 and 24 hours, the plates were measured at a 570 nm absorbance value with a microplate reader spectrophotometer (Epoch Microplate Spectrophotometer, BioTek, USA) using the MTT method. At 12 and 24 hours, the supernatants of all experimental groups in the plates were collected. The levels of TNFα were quantified using ELISA kits in an Epoch Spectrophotometer System and a Take3 Plate device. Result: When the MTT results of our study were analysed, it was observed that the percentage of cell viability increased significantly in the fingolimod treatment groups compared to the LPS group. In addition, when the TNF-α results were analysed, it was observed that TNF-α levels were significantly decreased in the fingolimod-treated groups compared to the LPS group. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the production of TNF-α was markedly elevated in LPS-stimulated HUVEC cells. However, the administration of fingolimod exhibited a notable inhibitory effect on this increase, exhibiting a dose-dependent response. These observations suggest that fingolimod may possess the potential to regulate the inflammatory response.

Gözcü, Sefa; Yılmaz, Aslı

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the antioxidant capability and bioactive chemical profile of Taraxacum officinale roots, a medicinal plant with potential therapeutic uses, collected from Erzincan, Türkiye. Methods: 70% methanol was used to extract the roots, and the solvent was then evaporated. Both the total flavonoid quantities (TFQ) and the total phenolic quantities (TPQ) were measured. The DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP tests were used to measure antioxidant capability. Results: The IC50 values for DPPH and ABTS assays were 50.47 ± 0.41 μg/mL and 70.57 ± 0.44 μg/mL, respectively. The reducing power, measured by the FRAP assay, was 26.87 ± 0.12 mg Trolox equivalents/g extract. The TPQ was 23.58 ± 0.97 mg gallic acid equivalents/g extract, and the TFQ was 7.76 ± 0.81 mg quercetin equivalents/g extract. Conclusion: The root extract of T. officinale collected from Erzincan exhibited low antioxidant activity despite its high phenolic and flavonoid content. This finding suggests that its potential as a natural antioxidant source in the food and pharmaceutical industries may be limited. Notably, this study represents the first investigation of T. officinale from Erzincan, Türkiye, highlighting the unique chemical composition of the region's flora.

Şimşek, Samed; Akman, Tugrul Cagri; Kılıç, Aleyna

Objective: In this study, the antioxidant capacity of the methanol:water (7:3, v/v) extract obtained from the aerial parts of Phlomis pungens var. pungens (PP), native to Erzincan province, Turkey, was evaluated. Methods: The antioxidant activity of the herbal extract was investigated by different spectrophotometric methods; 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS•+) radical scavenging tests, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) analyses were carried out. Results: According to the obtained data, the DPPH• and ABTS•+ free radical scavenging capacity of the PP extract was determined to be low compared to synthetic antioxidants (DPPHIC50: 99.02 µg/mL, ABTS IC50: 36.04 µg/mL). The 82.45 mg TE/g extract value obtained as a result of the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) analysis indicates that the reducing capacity of PP is moderate. Total phenolic content was measured as 49.23 mg GAE/g extract, and total flavonoid content was measured as 24.57 mg QE/g extract. These values indicate that the extract has a certain level of antioxidant potential. Conclusion: The findings suggest that PP may be considered a potential natural antioxidant source due to its phenolic and flavonoid compounds, although its activity was observed to be moderate. Furthermore, when compared with the limited number of studies in literature, the results are generally consistent; however, some differences were observed due to factors such as the extraction methods used, solvent ratios, and the environmental conditions in which the plant was collected. Overall, this study contributes valuable data to the current understanding of the biological potential of PP and supplements the limited existing literature on this species.