Pharmacognostıcal Studıes On The Effects Of Plants Used For The Treatment Of Gynecologıcal Dısorders In Folk Medıcıne


Thesis Type: Doctorate

Institution Of The Thesis: Gazi University, Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Farmakognozi Anabilim Dalı, Turkey

Approval Date: 2019

Thesis Language: Turkish

Student: MERT İLHAN

Supervisor: Esra Akkol

Abstract:

There are numerous plants which are used for the treatment of gynecological disorders in

ethnobotanical studies conducted in Turkey. The present study aimed to investigate the effect

of Anthemis austriaca Jacq., Cichorium intybus L., Melilotus officinalis (L.) Pall., Mentha

longifolia (L.) Huds. and Urtica dioica L. on endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome

(PCOS). For this purpose, n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and methanol (MeOH) extracts

were prepared from the flowers of A. austriaca and the aerial parts of C. intybus, M.

officinalis, M. longifolia and U. dioica, successively. The effects of the prepared extracts

were evaluated by surgically-induced endometriosis and letrozole-induced PCOS rat

models. Since the extracts prepared from A. austriaca showed the highest activities in

endometriosis and PCOS rat models, it was decided to conduct bioactivity guided

fractionation technique on that plant. The MeOH extract, which had the highest activity in

endometriosis rat model, was applied to the vacuum liquid chromatography using RP-18 for

the fractionation. The obtained fractions were combined according to their thin layer

chromatography profiles in order to gain 4 main fractions [Fr. (1-6); Fr. (7-13); Fr. (14-20);

Fr. (21-29)]. When the activities of these fractions were evaluated in endometriosis rat

model, Frs. (1-6) and (14-20) were found to have statistically significant activity. Further, 4-

(β-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one was isolated from Fr. (1-6), quercetin,

apigenin-7-O-(3''-acetyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside, apigenin-7-O-(6''-acetyl)-β-Dglucopyranoside,

apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and quercetin-7-O-β-Dglucopyranoside

were isolated from Fr. (14-20) which had the highest activity among the

fractions. The n-hexane extract of A. austriaca was found to have the highest activity in

letrozole-induced PCOS rat model. Further phytochemical studies on the n-hexane extract,

β-amyrin palmitate, taraxasterol acetate and taraxasterol, which are triterpene derivatives,

were isolated from n-hexane extract of A. austriaca. Consequently, the efficacy of A.

austriaca against endometriosis could be due to its flavonoids, whereas its effect against

PCOS could be due to its triterpene derivatives.


Key Words : P h a rmacognosy, Ethnopharmacology, Asteraceae, Anthemis austriaca,

Endometriosis, PCOS, Flavonoid, Triterpene