Browsing by Author "Can T.H."

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Chemical characterization, computational analysis and biological views on Daphne gnidioides Jaub. & Spach extracts: Can a new raw material be provided for biopharmaceutical applications?
(2020-08-01) Can T.H.; Tufekci E.F.; Altunoglu Y.C.; Baloglu M.C.; Llorent-Martínez E.J.; Stefanucci A.; Mollica A.; Cichelli A.; Zengin G.
The scientific world tends to turn to natural products such as medicinal and aromatic plants because of the inadequacy of commercially available synthetic drugs as antibiotics or anticancer, and their adverse effects on healthy tissues. One of these plants is Daphne gnidioides Jaub. & Spach, which belongs to the Thymelaeaceae family, and there is no data in the literature on its biological activity. This study is aimed to elucidate the chemical profiles and in vitro anticancer, antibacterial and DNA protection and enzyme inhibitory properties of methanol extracts of root, stem, and leaf of D. gnidioides Jaub. & Spach. Polyphenolic components of the extracts were characterized by HPLC-MS/MS. The highest phenolic content was detected in the leaf extract (TIPC = 43.5 ± 0.5 mg/g DE), followed by stem (TIPC = 27.3 ± 0.7 mg/g DE) and root (TIPC = 18.3 ± 0.2 mg/g DE) extracts. Vicenin-2 and 3-O-p-coumaroyl-5-O-caffeoylquinic acid were the main identified compounds in leaf and both root and stem extracts, respectively. The extracts did not show any protective effect on DNA against experimental Fenton's reagent. The minimum inhibitory concentration and the minimum bactericidal concentration values for the root and leaf extracts against tested bacterial strains ranged from 31.25 to 500 μg/mL. After 48 h interaction of the cancer cell lines with the extracts, only the stem extract had significant cytotoxicity on HeLa cells (IC50 = 86.16 μg/mL). No remarkable activity of the extracts, which was tested against MDA-MB-231, was detected (IC50 > 1000 μg/mL). These data showed that D. gnidioides Jaub. & Spach stem extract inhibited the survival of HeLa cells in a time-dependent manner. After the treatment of IC50 concentration of stem extract with HeLa cells, an increase in LC3-II autophagic gene expression was detected. Also, the extracts exhibited significant tyrosinase inhibitory effects which were confirmed by molecular docking. To sum up, the tested extracts could be used as a starting point for the development of new multifunctional drugs.
Comparative identification and evolutionary relationship of fatty acid desaturase (FAD) genes in some oil crops: the sunflower model for evaluation of gene expression pattern under drought stress
(2018-07-04) Celik Altunoglu Y.; Unel N.M.; Baloglu M.C.; Ulu F.; Can T.H.; Cetinkaya R.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and some oil crops have considerable economic value, making them important for commercial use. The fatty acid content of their seeds is crucial for proper nutrition. Additionally, the desaturation reaction via fatty acid desaturases (FADs) leads to formation of double bonds in fatty acids and is an essential step in fatty acid biosynthesis. This study aimed to identify and compare some fatty acid desaturase gene members in sunflower and other oil crops. Totally, 33 FAD genes from sunflower, 19 from sesame, 20 from canola, 25 from cacao and 46 from flax were analysed. The FAD members had roles in oxidation–reduction processes, fatty acid biosynthetic processes or lipid metabolic processes. Comparative phylogenetic and motif analysis revealed a conserved structure among FAD members belonging to various oil crops. The average Ka/Ks rates calculated on the basis of orthologous gene analysis were 0.04, 0.05 and 0.05 between sunflower and, respectively, canola, cacao and sesame. The most recent divergence time between sunflower and cacao was estimated at an average of 100 million years ago (MYA). This was followed by flax, sesame and canola with an average of 101 MYA, 114 MYA and 149 MYA, respectively. Alpha-helices were dominant in the predicted 3D structures of FAD proteins. The FAB2 expression levels from a drought tolerant sunflower variety were not affected by drought. The characterisation of desaturase family members in economically valuable oil crops could be useful for functional cloning studies to enhance the unsaturated fatty acid contents of the plants.
Comprehensive approaches on chemical composition and biological properties of Daphne pontica L. extracts
(2022-01-01) Celik Altunoglu Y.; Can T.H.; Tufekci E.F.; Altunoglu B.D.; Baloglu M.C.; Llorent-Martínez E.J.; Zengin G.
The genus Daphne presents great interest as a valuable source of natural agents in traditional medicine of various countries, including Turkey. In the current work, we investigated the phytochemical composition and biological properties of Daphne pontica L. extracts. Methanol extracts of roots, stems and leaves were prepared. The chemical characterization was performed by HPLC-ESI-MSn, observing that flavonoids and phenolic acids were the main compounds. Biological properties were studied in terms of antimicrobial, DNA protection, anticancer, and enzyme inhibitory properties (cholinesterases, tyrosinase, amylase and glucosidase). Methanol extracts of roots, leaves, and stems of D. pontica had antimicrobial effects against a broad range of bacteria. In addition, methanol extract of roots of D. pontica exhibited a promising anticancer activity that was shown to be dose- and time-dependent for HeLa cells with an IC50 value of 203.9 μg/mL. Generally, the leaf extracts exhibited the best enzyme inhibitory properties on the tested enzymes. According to our results, D. pontica might be regarded as a valuable source of natural agents to combat cancer, infectious diseases, and metabolic diseases.
Identification of watermelon heat shock protein members and tissue-specific geexpression analysis under combined drought and heat stresses
(2019-01-01) Altunoğlu Y.Ç.; Keleş M.; Can T.H.; Baloğl M.C.
Heat shock protein (Hsp) gene family members in the watermelon genome were identified and characterized by bioinformatics analysis. In addition, expression profiles of genes under combined drought and heat stress conditions were experimentally analyzed. In the watermelon genome, 39 genes belonging to the sHsp family, 101 genes belonging to the Hsp40 family, 23 genes belonging to the Hsp60 family, 12 genes belonging to the Hsp70 family, 6 genes belonging to the Hsp90 family, and 102 genes belonging to the Hsp100 family were found. It was also observed that the proteins in the same cluster in the phylogenetic trees had similar motif patterns. When the estimated 3-dimensional structures of the Hsp proteins were examined, it was determined that the α-helical structure was dominant in almost all families. The most orthologous relationship appeared to be between watermelon, soybean, and poplar in the ClaHsp gene families. For tissue-specific gene expression analysis under combined stress conditions, expression analysis of one representative Hsp gene each from root, stem, leaf, and shoot tissues was performed by real-time PCR. A significant increase was detected usually at 30 min in almost all tissues. This study provides extensive information for watermelon Hsps, and can enhance our knowledge about the relationships between Hsp genes and combined stresses.