Scopus
🔓 Açık Erişim
Exploring the therapeutic potential of Cousinia iconica Hub.-Mor extracts through chemical profiling, in vitro and in-silico assays
Journal of Agriculture and Food Research · Mart 2026
Makale Bilgileri
DergiJournal of Agriculture and Food Research
Yayın TarihiMart 2026
Cilt / Sayfa26
Scopus ID2-s2.0-105027737502
Erişim🔓 Açık Erişim
Özet
Some species of the genus Cousinia (family Asteraceae) are traditionally used to treat various diseases, and scientific research has demonstrated that they possess interesting biological activities. This study offers the first comprehensive evaluation of the aerial parts of Cousinia iconica Hub.-Mor, incorporating phytochemical profiling, bioactivity assays, and network pharmacology. High-resolution LC–ESI-QTOF–MS analysis revealed that the plant is rich in phenolic acids, hydroxy- and methoxy-flavonoid glycosides, and lignans. The aqueous extract contained the highest levels of total phenolics (78 mg gallic acid equivalents/g) and flavonoids (15.5 mg rutin equivalents/g). It also exhibited the strongest radical scavenging, reducing power, and metal chelating activities. Biological tests showed that, while all three organic extracts had similar cytotoxic effects against the RKO colorectal cancer cell line, none demonstrated measurable antiviral activity against HHV-1 or human coxsackievirus B3. In silico analyses supported these results by identifying 22 disease-relevant targets of C. iconica compounds linked to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Molecular docking showed strong binding affinities of key phytochemicals to cancer-related targets (CDK2, CHEK1, PDGFRA) and metabolic enzymes (acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, amylase, glucosidase). Overall, the results highlight C. iconica as a promising source of bioactive phenolic compounds with significant cytotoxic potential, though its antiviral effects appear limited. Further research, especially on isolated constituents and mechanism-based assays, is necessary to better understand its therapeutic potential.
Yazarlar (10)
1
Benita Hryć
2
Gunes Ak
3
Sakina Yagi
4
Elwira Sieniawska
ORCID: 0000-0003-4773-0329
5
Łukasz Świątek
ORCID: 0000-0003-1626-680X
6
Kinga Salwa
ORCID: 0009-0000-2155-625X
7
Mehmet Veysi Cetiz
ORCID: 0000-0002-2635-6553
8
Evren Yildiztugay
ORCID: 0000-0002-4675-2027
9
Stefano Dall’Acqua
10
Gokhan Zengin
ORCID: 0000-0001-6548-7823
Anahtar Kelimeler
Antioxidant
Cousinia iconica
Cytotoxicity
Enzyme inhibition
Network pharmacology
Kurumlar
Harran University, Faculty of Medicine
Sanliurfa Turkey
Khartoum University
Khartoum Sudan
Medical University of Lublin
Lublin Poland
Selçuk Üniversitesi
Selçuklu Turkey
Università degli Studi di Padova
Padua Italy