Screening of Carbonic Anhydrase, Acetylcholinesterase, Butyrylcholinesterase, and α-Glycosidase Enzyme Inhibition Effects and Antioxidant Activity of Coumestrol

Coumestrol (3,9-dihydroxy-6-benzofuran [3,2-c] chromenone) as a phytoestrogen and polyphenolic compound is a member of the Coumestans family and is quite common in plants. In this study, antiglaucoma, antidiabetic, anticholinergic, and antioxidant effects of Coumestrol were evaluated and compared with standards. To determine the antioxidant activity of coumestrol, several methods-namely N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride radical (DMPD center dot+)-scavenging activity, 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) radical (ABTS(center dot+))-scavenging activity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH center dot)-scavenging activity, potassium ferric cyanide reduction ability, and cupric ion (Cu2+)-reducing activity-were performed. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), Trolox, alpha-Tocopherol, and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were used as the reference antioxidants for comparison. Coumestrol scavenged the DPPH radical with an IC50 value of 25.95 mu g/mL (r(2): 0.9005) while BHA, BHT, Trolox, and alpha-Tocopherol demonstrated IC50 values of 10.10, 25.95, 7.059, and 11.31 mu g/mL, respectively. When these results evaluated, Coumestrol had similar DPPH center dot-scavenging effect to BHT and lower better than Trolox, BHA and alpha-tocopherol. In addition, the inhibition effects of Coumestrol were tested against the metabolic enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), carbonic anhydrase II (CA II), and alpha-glycosidase, which are associated with some global diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), glaucoma, and diabetes. Coumestrol exhibited K-i values of 10.25 +/- 1.94, 5.99 +/- 1.79, 25.41 +/- 1.10, and 30.56 +/- 3.36 nM towards these enzymes, respectively.

Automated summary

Coumestrol, a common compound in plants, exhibits antioxidant, antiglaucoma, antidiabetic, and anticholinesterase activities.