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The aim of this paper was to evaluate the antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts, n‐hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, butanol, aqueous subextracts and essential oils of flowers, roots, leaves and aerial parts of Thymbra spicata subsp. spicata, which has been utilized in the public medicine systems of Turkey, Greece, Egypt and Rome for the treatment of asthma and bronchitis, as well as for flavour and aroma in the food industry and protection. Quantitative determination of secondary metabolites in the most effective samples of the plant was also analysed by LC–MS/MS. Moreover, the chemical composition of essential oils of different parts of the plant was analysed via GC‐FID and GC/MS. The main constituents in the flower, leaf and aerial part were found to be carvacrol (75.6%), γ‐terpinene (10.5%), carvacrol (73.3%), γ‐terpinene (9.5%), p‐cymene (8.6%), carvacrol (76.1.8%) and p‐cymene (7.3%), respectively. Quinic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, naringin, hesperidin and rosmarinic acid were measured in four ethyl acetate subextracts, and rosmarinic acid was found to have the highest amount in the flower subextract with a value of 48095.1083 ng/mL. The ethyl acetate extract of flowers showed the best activity with a 326 ± 12 μg/mL IC50 value, while the standard acarbose IC50 value was 4143 ± 243 μg/mL. It was determined that the leaf ethyl acetate extract, in particular, had a very high % inhibition value on ABTS·+ (99.137 ± 0.011% inhibition) and DPPH• (41.068 ± 0.031% inhibition). It is thought that the plant, which has been used as a spice in the kitchen for centuries by the public, can be safely used due to its high antidiabetic and antioxidant effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

We evaluated the ameliorative role of umbelliferone in kidney, heart, and lung damage induced by renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Umbelliferone was given orally to rats 60 min before ischemia. Ischemia was induced for 50 min and then reperfusion for 3 hr. The antioxidant enzymes, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and cytokine levels in the kidney, heart, and lung were measured by ELISA. Moreover, histopathological changes were monitored. Renal I/R‐induced oxidative stress in the organs by decreasing antioxidant enzymes. However, umbelliferone pretreatment enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), levels, reduced MDA and MPO levels. Renal I/R increased in tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) levels, and histopathological changes but these effects were inhibited with umbelliferone pretreatment. Furthermore, umbelliferone increased in nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) level under ischemia conditions. Our results indicated that pretreatment of umbelliferone‐ameliorated damages in remote organ induced by renal I/R through suppressing oxidative stress and modulating inflammatory responses. Practical applications: kidney, heart, and lung damages induced by renal I/R in rats was alleviated by umbelliferone. The oral treatment of umbelliferone markedly reversed the oxidative stress, inflammation, and histopathological changes by increasing in the levels of SOD, GSH, and eNOS, decreasing in the levels of MDA, MPO, TNF‐α, and IL‐6 in distant organ injury induced by renal I/R. This study firstly revealed that umbelliferone has potent antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activity in the remote organ damages caused by renal I/R. Consequently, umbelliferone may be an alternative therapeutic agent for treating renal I/R‐induced damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...